About 10 years ago, in the small town of Hineston, Louisiana, there lived a newly wed couple named Mr. and Mrs. Jones. Mr. Jones was a farmer. He valued nature, life, and hard work. His wife, on the other hand, was quite opposite. She came from the city where she worked as a successful entertainer. When the couple moved into the country, Mrs. Jones became unhappy. Her fame and fortune were gone. Her only job opportunity was working as a waitress for a local restaurant. Mr. Jones was content with his life, but he began to notice his wife’s uneasiness. The couple didn’t have enough money to move back to the city, so Mr. Jones figured that Mrs. Jones would just have to deal with living in the country for the time being.

To improve her mood, Mrs. Jones preformed in several small concerts hosted by the restaurant she worked at. Her voice was lovely, and many new customers came to see her. The town decided to have a local talent show to gain more publicity. Mrs. Jones was the opening act. She looked perfect and felt fearless, but the small crowd wasn’t enough to stop her hunger for fame and fortune. Distraught, she ran off the stage and was hit by a car arriving late to the concert. She was killed instantly, but the worst part about the situation was that her husband was driving that car.

Weeks later, Mr. Jones had still not recovered from the death of his wife. He had not even left his house since the incident. The town claimed that he had murdered her to get more money for himself. Mr. Jones wanted to die; he wanted to join his wife and make her happy for once.

A tapping sound interrupted his thoughts. Hesitantly, he got up to open the door, assuming it was another police officer that had come to question him once more. As he opened the door, he saw that it was a wizard. “What do you want?” Mr. Jones asked him.

“I have come to end your misery,” he stated without expression.

“You’re going to kill me?”

“No,” the wizard laughed, “Quite the contrary. I have come to grant you a wish, but only one.”

“A wish? Ha-ha-ha. Wishes don’t exist!” Mr. Jones yelled as he started to slam the door.

The wizard stuck his foot out to stop the door. “What’s the harm of making a wish if you don’t believe they exist?”

Mr. Jones contemplated the question. “If I make a stupid wish, will you leave me alone?”

“Yes…” the wizard smiled, “But this wish will probably change your life. There is not a way to undo this, and you must face whatever consequences you cause.”

Mr. Jones rolled his eyes. “I wish…” his lip quivered, “I wish that I could have my wife back. That’s all I want. I want to change what happened that night.”

“Very well,” the wizard said. In an instant, he was gone, and Mr. Jones returned to his bed thinking that he had imagined everything that had happened.

Mr. Jones woke up in a really horrible mood. He glanced at his alarm clock. It was the day of his wife’s concert. He would be late! Mr. Jones jumped out of bed, got ready, and hopped in his car. As he was speeding toward the concert, he thought about the dream he had of his wife’s death and the strange wizard. He shook his head. “I’m not going to let that happen,” he muttered.

Just like in his dream, he saw his wife running off the stage. Mr. Jones rolled his window down, “Hey, honey, get in!”

She obeyed. Mr. Jones sighed, relieved. He vowed to always make his wife happy from that moment on. They sold the farm and moved back into the city. Mrs. Jones resumed her career as an entertainer, while Mr. Jones became a construction worker. Although his wife was pleased with the transition, Mr. Jones was depressed in his new life. He preferred a quiet life in the country.
Not long after the move, Mrs. Jones became obsessed with money and glory. She ended up leaving her husband for another entertainer.
After being in bed for several weeks, Mr. Jones heard a knock on his door. He opened the door to find the wizard from his dream! “What are you doing here? Who are you?” Mr. Jones questioned.
“I’m a wizard, and I’m here to see how your wish turned out.”
“Wish? What wish? That was just a dream!”
The wizard quoted a song, “Dreams are nothing more than wishes, and a wish’s just a dream you wish to come true.”
“What are you talking about?”
“I see that your wish didn’t turn out like you planned. I hope that what you have experienced has taught you to be content with your life,” the wizard said with a smirk as he disappeared into thin air.
Mr. Jones awoke with a huge headache. As he glanced at his alarm clock, he realized what day it was and knew that he had a big decision to make.