“Wishing Won’t” – A Demented Bedtime Story – Short Story Review

"Once upon a time—

What’s that? You don’t like that beginning? You should because this is a true story..."
~ Uncle Terry, “Wishing Won’t”

Ever come upon a wishing well and thought of throwing a penny in it? In Richard Dansky’s “Wishing Won’t” a penny isn’t nearly enough to appease the forces waiting at the bottom in his hair-raising short story of supernatural enchantment. You can find this story in Dansky’s MEETING IN THE DEVIL’S HOUSE collection.

You don’t have to wish for an opportunity to come along to showcase your best short story. Get one ready for the current Killer Shorts Horror Short Screenplay Competition. Submissions are open now!

The Plot

The main narrator is Uncle Terry, and he tells a bedtime story to a young boy. It is later revealed that the child belongs to his sister. Terry begins his tale by laying a few ground rules. The story takes place in a town very much like the one they are in, the tale involves a boy named “Terry”, but he will refer to him as “Terrance” to avoid confusion, and the story is set in a not-too-distant past.

As the tale unfolds, it appears young Terrance has a bit of bad luck in that he is relentlessly pursued by school bullies and their ringleader, Oscar.  The only advice his father offers is to “be strong” and “push back” but this strategy only makes the abuse worse until one day, things change.

Terrance regularly ran into the woods to escape the boys but one day he runs further than ever before and ends up near a well. He discovers that the well contains…something…at the bottom.

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