{"id":956,"date":"2022-03-10T11:20:54","date_gmt":"2022-03-10T16:20:54","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.ardath-rekha.com\/fanworks\/?page_id=956"},"modified":"2024-03-24T11:18:50","modified_gmt":"2024-03-24T15:18:50","slug":"an-upside-down-wish","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/www.ardath-rekha.com\/fanworks\/read-online\/an-upside-down-wish\/","title":{"rendered":"An Upside-Down Wish"},"content":{"rendered":"<style>\r\n@media screen and (min-width: 768px) {\r\n  .su-tabs-nav {\r\n    display: flex;\r\n  }\r\n  .su-tabs-nav span {\r\n    flex-basis: 100%;\r\n    text-align: center;\r\n  }\r\n  .su-tabs-nav span:last-child {\r\n    margin-right: 0;\r\n  }\r\n}\r\n<\/style>\r\n\r\n<div class=\"su-tabs su-tabs-style-default su-tabs-mobile-scroll\" data-active=\"1\" data-scroll-offset=\"0\" data-anchor-in-url=\"yes\"><div class=\"su-tabs-nav\"><span class=\" tabmoji-cover\" data-anchor=\"cover\" data-url=\"\" data-target=\"blank\" tabindex=\"0\" role=\"button\">&nbsp;&nbsp;Cover<\/span><span class=\" tabmoji-pubdata\" data-anchor=\"pubdata\" data-url=\"\" data-target=\"blank\" tabindex=\"0\" role=\"button\">&nbsp;&nbsp;Publication Data<\/span><span class=\" tabmoji-story\" data-anchor=\"the-story\" data-url=\"\" data-target=\"blank\" tabindex=\"0\" role=\"button\">&nbsp;&nbsp;The Story<\/span><\/div><div class=\"su-tabs-panes\"><div class=\"su-tabs-pane su-u-clearfix su-u-trim tabmoji-cover\" data-title=\"&nbsp;&nbsp;Cover\">\r\n<div style=\"margin-bottom:20px;\">\r\n<div class='content-column one_half'><span data-post-id=\"4127\" class=\"insert-page insert-page-4127 \"><p style=\"text-align: left; margin-bottom: 0;\">&nbsp;<\/p><\/span><\/div>\r\n<div class='content-column one_half last_column'><span data-post-id=\"4059\" class=\"insert-page insert-page-4059 \"><p style=\"text-align: right; margin-bottom: 0;\"><a href=\"#pubdata\">Publication Data \u00bb<\/a><\/p><\/span><\/div><div class='clear_column'><\/div>\r\n<\/div>\r\n<div style=\"text-align: center;\">\r\n<img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.ardath-rekha.com\/fanworks\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/03\/An-Upside-Down-Wish.png\" alt=\"Cover art for \u201cAn Upside-Down Wish\u201d by Ardath Rekha\" align=\"center\" style=\"width:100%\" customlink=\"false\" \/>\r\n<\/div>\r\n<div style=\"margin-top: 20px;\">\r\n<div class='content-column one_half'><span data-post-id=\"4127\" class=\"insert-page insert-page-4127 \"><p style=\"text-align: left; margin-bottom: 0;\">&nbsp;<\/p><\/span><\/div>\r\n<div class='content-column one_half last_column'><span data-post-id=\"4059\" class=\"insert-page insert-page-4059 \"><p style=\"text-align: right; margin-bottom: 0;\"><a href=\"#pubdata\">Publication Data \u00bb<\/a><\/p><\/span><\/div><div class='clear_column'><\/div>\r\n<\/div>\r\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"su-tabs-pane su-u-clearfix su-u-trim tabmoji-pubdata\" data-title=\"&nbsp;&nbsp;Publication Data\">\r\n<div style=\"margin-bottom:20px;\">\r\n<div class='content-column one_half'><span data-post-id=\"3995\" class=\"insert-page insert-page-3995 \"><p style=\"text-align: left; margin-bottom: 0;\"><a href=\"#cover\">\u00ab Cover&nbsp;<\/a><\/p><\/span><\/div>\r\n<div class='content-column one_half last_column'><span data-post-id=\"4062\" class=\"insert-page insert-page-4062 \"><p style=\"text-align: right; margin-bottom: 0;\"><a href=\"#the-story\">The Story \u00bb<\/a><\/p><\/span><\/div><div class='clear_column'><\/div>\r\n<\/div>\r\n<span data-post-id=\"1200\" class=\"insert-page insert-page-1200 \">  <h2 style=\"text-align: center;\"><b><u>An Upside-Down Wish<\/u><\/b><\/h2>\r\n\r\n  <h4 style=\"text-align: center; margin-bottom: 30px;\">By Ardath Rekha<\/h4>\r\n\r\n<span data-post-id=\"4473\" class=\"insert-page insert-page-4473 \"><p><b>Synopsis:<\/b> What if a wish had the power to change lives forever?  A little semi-metaphysical vignette on the power of wishes... and poor wording.<\/p><\/span>\r\n\r\n<div class='content-column one_half'><p><b>Category:<\/b> <a href=\"https:\/\/www.ardath-rekha.com\/fanworks\/browse-by-genre\/#fiction\">Fan Fiction<\/a><\/div>\r\n\r\n<div class='content-column one_half last_column'><p><b>Fandom:<\/b> <a href=\"https:\/\/www.ardath-rekha.com\/fanworks\/browse-by-fandom\/#misc\"><i>Poseidon<\/i> (2006)<\/a><\/div><div class='clear_column'><\/div>\r\n\r\n<div class='content-column one_half'><p><b>Series:<\/b> None<\/div>\r\n\r\n<div class='content-column one_half last_column'><p><b>Challenges:<\/b> None<\/div><div class='clear_column'><\/div>\r\n\r\n<div class='content-column one_half'><p><b>Rating:<\/b> <a href=\"https:\/\/www.ardath-rekha.com\/fanworks\/browse-by-rating\/#rated-t\">T<\/a><\/div>\r\n\r\n<div class='content-column one_half last_column'><p><b>Orientation:<\/b> <a href=\"https:\/\/www.ardath-rekha.com\/fanworks\/browse-by-orientation\/#het-plot\">Het (Plot)<\/a><\/div><div class='clear_column'><\/div>\r\n\r\n<p><b>Pairing:<\/b> <a href=\"https:\/\/www.ardath-rekha.com\/fanworks\/browse-by-pairing\/#misc-pairings\">Dylan Johns\/Maggie James<\/a>\r\n\r\n<p><b>Warnings:<\/b> <a href=\"https:\/\/www.ardath-rekha.com\/fanworks\/the-content-warning-system\/#adult-situations\">Adult Situations<\/a> and <a href=\"https:\/\/www.ardath-rekha.com\/fanworks\/the-content-warning-system\/#alchohol-drug-use\">Alcohol \/ Drug Use<\/a>\r\n\r\n<div class='content-column one_half'><p><b>Number of Chapters:<\/b> 1 \r\n\r\n<p><b>Net Word Count:<\/b><span id=\"su_tooltip_6aaa9ebccd3ab_button\" class=\"su-tooltip-button su-tooltip-button-outline-yes\" aria-describedby=\"su_tooltip_6aaa9ebccd3ab\" data-settings='{\"position\":\"top\",\"behavior\":\"hover\",\"hideDelay\":0}' tabindex=\"0\"><sup><i class=\"fas fa-question-circle\" style=\"color:#243a68;\"><\/i><\/sup><\/span><span style=\"display:none;z-index:100\" id=\"su_tooltip_6aaa9ebccd3ab\" class=\"su-tooltip\" role=\"tooltip\"><span class=\"su-tooltip-inner su-tooltip-shadow-yes\" style=\"z-index:100;background:linear-gradient(to bottom, #4474BE 0%, #243a68 100%);color:#D9ECFB;font-size:16px;border-radius:5px;text-align:left;max-width:300px;line-height:1.25\"><span class=\"su-tooltip-title\"><\/span><span class=\"su-tooltip-content su-u-trim\">In the Read Online section, net word counts exclude cover pages, publication data pages, tables of contents, chapter titles, page links, original post date medatata, and \u2014 in the case of Lyric Wheel stories \u2014 song information and lyrics. In the case of articles, contextual notations are also omitted. Afterwords and chapter notes are treated as part of a text\u2019s overall body.<\/span><\/span><span id=\"su_tooltip_6aaa9ebccd3ab_arrow\" class=\"su-tooltip-arrow\" style=\"z-index:100;background:linear-gradient(to bottom, #4474BE 0%, #243a68 100%)\" data-popper-arrow><\/span><\/span> 1,493\r\n\r\n<p><b>Total Word Count:<\/b><span id=\"su_tooltip_6aaa9ebccda3b_button\" class=\"su-tooltip-button su-tooltip-button-outline-yes\" aria-describedby=\"su_tooltip_6aaa9ebccda3b\" data-settings='{\"position\":\"top\",\"behavior\":\"hover\",\"hideDelay\":0}' tabindex=\"0\"><sup><i class=\"fas fa-question-circle\" style=\"color:#243a68;\"><\/i><\/sup><\/span><span style=\"display:none;z-index:100\" id=\"su_tooltip_6aaa9ebccda3b\" class=\"su-tooltip\" role=\"tooltip\"><span class=\"su-tooltip-inner su-tooltip-shadow-yes\" style=\"z-index:100;background:linear-gradient(to bottom, #4474BE 0%, #243a68 100%);color:#D9ECFB;font-size:16px;border-radius:5px;text-align:left;max-width:300px;line-height:1.25\"><span class=\"su-tooltip-title\"><\/span><span class=\"su-tooltip-content su-u-trim\">In the Read Online section, total word counts include all text present in the story tabs, excluding forward\/back page links and tooltips. This count tends to be slightly different from the eBook Total Word Count reported on the title page.<\/span><\/span><span id=\"su_tooltip_6aaa9ebccda3b_arrow\" class=\"su-tooltip-arrow\" style=\"z-index:100;background:linear-gradient(to bottom, #4474BE 0%, #243a68 100%)\" data-popper-arrow><\/span><\/span> 1,771\r\n\r\n<p><b>Story Length:<\/b> <a href=\"https:\/\/www.ardath-rekha.com\/fanworks\/browse-by-story-length\/#short-story\">Short Story<\/a><\/div>\r\n\r\n<div class='content-column one_half last_column'><p><b>First Posted:<\/b> May 19, 2006\r\n\r\n<p><b>Last Updated:<\/b> May 19, 2006\r\n\r\n<p><b>Status:<\/b> <a href=\"https:\/\/www.ardath-rekha.com\/fanworks\/browse-by-status\/#complete\">Complete<\/a><\/div><div class='clear_column'><\/div>\r\n\r\n<span data-post-id=\"4426\" class=\"insert-page insert-page-4426 \"><p><small>The characters and events of <a href=\"https:\/\/www.imdb.com\/title\/tt0409182\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><i>Poseidon<\/i><\/a> are &copy; 2006 Warner Bros. Pictures, Virtual Studios, Irwin Allen Productions, Next Entertainment, Radiant Productions, and Synthesis Entertainment; Directed by <a href=\"https:\/\/www.imdb.com\/name\/nm0000583\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Wolfgang Petersen<\/a>; Screenplay by <a href=\"https:\/\/www.imdb.com\/name\/nm0698873\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Mark Protosevich<\/a>; Based on <i><a href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/The_Poseidon_Adventure_(novel)\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">The Poseidon Adventure<\/a><\/i> by <a href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Paul_Gallico\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Paul Gallico<\/a>; Produced by Wolfgang Petersen, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.imdb.com\/name\/nm0376416\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Duncan Henderson<\/a>, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.imdb.com\/name\/nm1153907\/\"\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Mike Fleiss<\/a>, and <a href=\"https:\/\/www.imdb.com\/name\/nm0326040\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Akiva Goldsman<\/a>. This work of fan fiction is a transformative work for entertainment purposes only, with no claims on, nor intent to infringe upon, the rights of the parties listed above. All additional characters and situations are the creation of, and remain the property of, Ardath Rekha. eBook design and cover art by <a href=\"https:\/\/laraklaber.com\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">LaraRebooted<\/a>, incorporating a <i>Poseidon<\/i> publicity still of <a href=\"https:\/\/www.imdb.com\/name\/nm0057150\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Jacinda Barrett<\/a> and <a href=\"https:\/\/www.imdb.com\/name\/nm0524197\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Josh Lucas<\/a>, the <a href=\"https:\/\/fontmeme.com\/fonts\/pw-happy-new-year-font\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">PW Happy New Year<\/a> font from <a href=\"https:\/\/fontmeme.com\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Font Meme<\/a>, and background graphics &copy; 1998 Noel Mollon, adapted and licensed via Teri Williams Carnright from the now-retired Fantasyland Graphics site (c. 2003). This eBook may not be sold or advertised for sale. If you are a copyright holder of any of the referenced works, and believe that part or all of this eBook exceeds fair use practices under the Digital Millennium Copyright Act, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.ardath-rekha.com\/contact-me\/\">please contact Ardath Rekha<\/a>.<\/small><\/p><p style=\"text-align: right; margin-bottom: 0;\"><small><i>Rev. 2022.10.09<\/i><\/small><\/p><\/span><\/span>\r\n<div style=\"margin-top: 20px;\">\r\n<div class='content-column one_half'><span data-post-id=\"3995\" class=\"insert-page insert-page-3995 \"><p style=\"text-align: left; margin-bottom: 0;\"><a href=\"#cover\">\u00ab Cover&nbsp;<\/a><\/p><\/span><\/div>\r\n<div class='content-column one_half last_column'><span data-post-id=\"4062\" class=\"insert-page insert-page-4062 \"><p style=\"text-align: right; margin-bottom: 0;\"><a href=\"#the-story\">The Story \u00bb<\/a><\/p><\/span><\/div><div class='clear_column'><\/div>\r\n<\/div>\r\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"su-tabs-pane su-u-clearfix su-u-trim tabmoji-story\" data-title=\"&nbsp;&nbsp;The Story\">\r\n<div style=\"margin-bottom:20px;\">\r\n<div class='content-column one_half'><span data-post-id=\"3996\" class=\"insert-page insert-page-3996 \"><p style=\"text-align: left; margin-bottom: 0;\"><a href=\"#pubdata\">\u00ab Publication Data<\/a><\/p><\/span><\/div>\r\n<div class='content-column one_half last_column'><span data-post-id=\"4127\" class=\"insert-page insert-page-4127 \"><p style=\"text-align: left; margin-bottom: 0;\">&nbsp;<\/p><\/span><\/div><div class='clear_column'><\/div>\r\n<\/div>\r\n<span data-post-id=\"1343\" class=\"insert-page insert-page-1343 \">  <h2 style=\"text-align: center; margin-bottom: 20px;\"><b><u>An Upside-Down Wish<\/u><\/b><\/h2>\r\n\r\n  <p style=\"text-indent:.25in; margin-bottom: 0;\">\u201cHe\u2019s cool, isn\u2019t he?\u201d<\/p>\r\n\r\n  <p style=\"text-indent:.25in; margin-bottom: 0;\">Maggie looked down at Conor and smiled as she took a sip from the champagne glass.  \u201cWho is, sweetie?\u201d<\/p>\r\n\r\n  <p style=\"text-indent:.25in; margin-bottom: 0;\">\u201cThe guy with the chips.\u201d<\/p>\r\n\r\n  <p style=\"text-indent:.25in; margin-bottom: 0;\"><i>First-name Dylan.<\/i>  Maggie had to hide a smile from her young son.  The last thing she wanted Conor doing, after everything they\u2019d already been through, was latching onto and idolizing a <i>professional gambler.<\/i><\/p>\r\n\r\n  <p style=\"text-indent:.25in; margin-bottom: 0;\">But she had to admit, if only to herself, that the man had something.<\/p>\r\n\r\n  <p style=\"text-indent:.25in; margin-bottom: 0;\">Men almost never persisted in trying to flirt with Maggie James when she shut them down, calling them on their tactics.  Most backed off right away, and many tried to verbally flay her as they went, in an attempt to save face.  But Dylan had smiled, conceded her point, and then continued trying to flirt with her.  It had <nobr>been\u2026<\/nobr> oddly <i>charming.<\/i>  In fact, she had to admit to herself, she\u2019d begun flirting <i>back,<\/i> something she hadn\u2019t done since long before Roy died.<\/p>\r\n\r\n  <p style=\"text-indent:.25in; margin-bottom: 0;\">In an odd way, he reminded her of Roy.  Not in looks  \u2013 Roy\u2019s eyes and hair had been much darker, and he\u2019d been a stickler about staying clean-shaven  \u2013 but in bearing and mannerism.  The look in his eyes as he\u2019d offered her the glass of champagne had reminded her of a long-ago night when she\u2019d been rescued from a bad prom date by a mysterious young man with a glass of mildly-spiked punch.  It had been the start of something out of a fairy tale, something that had come to a brutal and bloody end almost two years ago on a random Baghdad street.<\/p>\r\n\r\n  <p style=\"text-indent:.25in; margin-bottom: 0;\">Maggie had thought she\u2019d died, too, for a while, and the only thing that had kept her from collapsing and going under was her son  \u2013 <i>their<\/i> son  \u2013 and how much he needed her to be strong.  They\u2019d become a team after a while, both of them looking out for each other while they rebuilt their lives.  She\u2019d gone back to school, with her son\u2019s encouragement, and was only one semester away from getting her Associate Degree in accounting.  And Roy\u2019s parents  \u2013 who\u2019d lavished them with this extraordinary Christmas gift  \u2013 were going to help her get a job in the firm they\u2019d hoped their son might one day join.  Life was finally starting to come together at last, <nobr>but\u2026<\/nobr><\/p>\r\n\r\n  <p style=\"text-indent:.25in; margin-bottom: 0;\">But.<\/p>\r\n\r\n  <p style=\"text-indent:.25in; margin-bottom: 0;\">She <i>was<\/i> lonely, and she knew Conor was too.  Her bed, at night, was still cold and empty, a widow\u2019s bed.  And Conor didn\u2019t have anybody to father him, to play baseball with him out in a backyard, or take him fishing, or any of the things Roy had been looking forward to doing with their son.  He had other male role models in his life  \u2013 his grandfathers, his uncles  \u2013 but no <i>father figure.<\/i><\/p>\r\n\r\n  <p style=\"text-indent:.25in; margin-bottom: 0;\"><i>And you know perfectly well, Maggie James, that Mr. Blue-Eyed Charm, first-name Dylan, is probably the worst man out there to choose for something like that.<\/i><\/p>\r\n\r\n  <p style=\"text-indent:.25in; margin-bottom: 0;\">Charming as he might be, the man smoked and gambled, two things she didn\u2019t want Conor trying to emulate.  And he was <i>clearly<\/i> on the prowl.  Her widow\u2019s bed might be cold and lonely, but she\u2019d rather be there than carving a notch in Dylan\u2019s hotter bed for the space of a very few nights.  Hers would feel all the colder when she returned to it at the <nobr>end\u2014<\/nobr><\/p>\r\n\r\n  <p style=\"text-indent:.25in; margin-bottom: 0;\"><i>And that\u2019s more than enough out of you, Margaret Eleanor Quincy James,<\/i> she scolded herself, in her mother\u2019s drag-out-the-full-name style.  <i>That man is officially off-limits to you <b>and<\/b> Conor.  Nothing good will come out of this.<\/i><\/p>\r\n\r\n  <p style=\"text-indent:.25in; margin-bottom: 0;\">\u201cMom?  Hey <i>Mom!\u201d<\/i><\/p>\r\n\r\n  <p style=\"text-indent:.25in; margin-bottom: 0;\">\u201cYeah, honey?\u201d  Had she completely blanked out in front of him?<\/p>\r\n\r\n  <p style=\"text-indent:.25in; margin-bottom: 0;\">\u201cI <i>said,<\/i> what\u2019s his <i>name?\u201d<\/i>  Conor had the exasperated look on his face that he usually only got when they were arguing about how much TV he could watch.<\/p>\r\n\r\n  <p style=\"text-indent:.25in; margin-bottom: 0;\">\u201cDylan,\u201d she answered before thinking.  <i>Oh, great.<\/i>  \u201cBut look, I don\u2019t want you pestering him, okay?  He\u2019s probably a very busy man.\u201d<\/p>\r\n\r\n  <p style=\"text-indent:.25in; margin-bottom: 0;\"><i>And a very bad influence.<\/i><\/p>\r\n\r\n  <p style=\"text-indent:.25in; margin-bottom: 0;\">\u201cYou like him!\u201d  Good God, she\u2019d heard him use that same teasing tone with a friend of his last month, right before he burst into the <i>sitting in a tree<\/i> song.<\/p>\r\n\r\n  <p style=\"text-indent:.25in; margin-bottom: 0;\"><i>Am I blushing?  I\u2019m blushing!<\/i><\/p>\r\n\r\n  <p style=\"text-indent:.25in; margin-bottom: 0;\">\u201cHe\u2019s\u2026 he\u2019s very nice,\u201d she admitted.<\/p>\r\n\r\n  <p style=\"text-indent:.25in; margin-bottom: 0;\">\u201cYou two should go out.\u201d<\/p>\r\n\r\n  <p style=\"text-indent:.25in; margin-bottom: 0;\">\u201cConor!\u201d  She stared at him in shocked disbelief.<\/p>\r\n\r\n  <p style=\"text-indent:.25in; margin-bottom: 0;\">\u201cYou <i>should!\u201d<\/i> he insisted, crossing his arms like a miniature of his father.  \u201cGrandma and Grandpa James were talking about it, and they\u2019re right.  You\u2019ve been single long enough.\u201d<\/p>\r\n\r\n  <p style=\"text-indent:.25in; margin-bottom: 0;\"><i>I swear, sometimes I think he\u2019s seven going on <b><nobr>seventy\u2026<\/nobr><\/b><\/i>  She knelt down so that they were at eye level.<\/p>\r\n\r\n  <p style=\"text-indent:.25in; margin-bottom: 0;\">\u201cYou know, they\u2019re probably <nobr>right\u2026<\/nobr> and I know that your father would want me to find someone I could be happy with.  <nobr>But\u2026<\/nobr> Dylan isn\u2019t that someone, okay, honey?  There\u2019s just no way a man like that would ever belong in our lives, not <i>that<\/i> way.\u201d<\/p>\r\n\r\n  <p style=\"text-indent:.25in; margin-bottom: 0;\">She could see very Roy-like stubbornness hardening his features.  <nobr>\u201cBut\u2014\u201d<\/nobr><\/p>\r\n\r\n  <p style=\"text-indent:.25in; margin-bottom: 0;\">\u201cNo, honey, I\u2019m serious.  He\u2019s a nice man, but our lives would have to turn completely upside-down before there\u2019d be any way.\u201d  She leaned forward and kissed his cheek.  \u201cNow, you\u2019d better go get the New Years horn from the Captain,  hadn\u2019t  you?\u201d<\/p>\r\n\r\n  <p style=\"text-indent:.25in; margin-bottom: 0;\">Conor sighed, submitting to her kiss before disentangling himself from her and heading for the podium.  She watched him go, rising to her feet again.<\/p>\r\n\r\n  <p style=\"text-indent:.25in; margin-bottom: 0;\"><i>I\u2019m sorry, Conor.  I didn\u2019t realize you were so lonely, too.<\/i>  When they got back to the States, she promised herself, she\u2019d try harder to socialize.<\/p>\r\n\r\n  <p style=\"text-indent:.25in; margin-bottom: 0;\">There were eyes on her; she could feel them.  Turning and looking up towards the balconies, she saw <i>him<\/i> again.  Dylan, watching her with piercing blue eyes.  He lifted his half-full champagne glass in a silent toast, and she found herself lifting her own in response.<\/p>\r\n\r\n  <p style=\"text-indent:.25in; margin-bottom: 0;\"><i>There\u2019s just no way it would work,<\/i> she told herself again as she sipped from the glass he\u2019d given her.  <i>Even if he <b>did<\/b> want more than a few nights.<\/i><\/p>\r\n\r\n  <hr style=\"align: center; width: 50%; background: linear-gradient(to right, #4474BE 0%, #243a68 100%); height: 3px; margin-top: 20px; margin-bottom: 20px;\">\r\n\r\n  <p style=\"text-indent:.25in; margin-bottom: 0;\"><i>It\u2019s just not fair,<\/i> Conor thought as he headed for the stage.<\/p>\r\n\r\n  <p style=\"text-indent:.25in; margin-bottom: 0;\">Tonight might have been the first time his <i>mother<\/i> had noticed Dylan Johns around the ship, but <i>he\u2019d<\/i> noticed several times.  Especially because the man was <i>always<\/i> looking at her.  He\u2019d seen him around the ship several times, too.  Out on the decks, where almost nobody ventured on these chilly December days, running.  Conor had imagined running like that.  When his father had still been alive, <i>he\u2019d<\/i> run like that, sometimes with Conor piggybacking the whole way.  <i>You\u2019re still lighter than my full gear,<\/i> he\u2019d joked, saying that Conor would probably be too <i>cool<\/i> to be carried anymore before he became too <i>heavy.<\/i><\/p>\r\n\r\n  <p style=\"text-indent:.25in; margin-bottom: 0;\">Almost two years since his death, Conor knew that he would <i>never<\/i> be too cool for one more piggyback <nobr>ride\u2026<\/nobr> but he\u2019d never have it, either.<\/p>\r\n\r\n  <p style=\"text-indent:.25in; margin-bottom: 0;\">But he\u2019d heard his grandparents talking about how his mom needed a new <nobr>man\u2026<\/nobr> and how <i>he<\/i> needed a new father.  And they were right.  It didn\u2019t even hurt so much to think about that.  He knew his Daddy would have wanted that, for both of them.  He was finally old enough to understand that dead was forever, and his father wasn\u2019t coming home.  But that didn\u2019t mean they  had to stay lonely forever.<\/p>\r\n\r\n  <p style=\"text-indent:.25in; margin-bottom: 0;\">He wanted a father.  And he\u2019d picked the one he wanted.<\/p>\r\n\r\n  <p style=\"text-indent:.25in; margin-bottom: 0;\">There was just one big <nobr>problem\u2026<\/nobr> his mom.<\/p>\r\n\r\n  <p style=\"text-indent:.25in; margin-bottom: 0;\">He didn\u2019t <i>understand!<\/i>  He saw the way she smiled and blushed when she talked about Dylan.  <i>Just<\/i> like the girls on the playground did.  But she\u2019d told him it wasn\u2019t possible, not unless their lives turned upside down.<\/p>\r\n\r\n  <p style=\"text-indent:.25in; margin-bottom: 0;\"><i>It\u2019s not <b>fair!<\/b><\/i><\/p>\r\n\r\n  <p style=\"text-indent:.25in; margin-bottom: 0;\">He climbed onto the podium and smiled up at the Captain.  He liked the Captain a lot.  This whole trip had been made especially nice by how sweet he was to both of them.  If he didn\u2019t seem to already have the hots for someone else  \u2013 that singer, Gloria  \u2013 Conor might have thought of <i>him<\/i> as potential father material.  But Dylan was even better.<\/p>\r\n\r\n  <p style=\"text-indent:.25in; margin-bottom: 0;\"><i>Our lives already <b>are<\/b> upside-down.  They have been ever since Daddy died.  I <nobr>wish\u2014<\/nobr><\/i><\/p>\r\n\r\n  <p style=\"text-indent:.25in; margin-bottom: 0;\">As he held the New Years horn in his hand, it came to him.  Wasn\u2019t New Years like a birthday?  Maybe you could make a wish on it, the way you could on your <nobr>birthday\u2026<\/nobr> and maybe it\u2019d come true.<\/p>\r\n\r\n  <p style=\"text-indent:.25in; margin-bottom: 0;\">\u201cTen!  Nine!  Eight!  Seven!  Six!\u201d  Around him, the count grew louder and louder.<\/p>\r\n\r\n  <p style=\"text-indent:.25in; margin-bottom: 0;\"><i>If our lives are already upside-down, then turning them upside-down again would make them right, wouldn\u2019t it?<\/i>  He lifted the New Years horn to his lips.<\/p>\r\n\r\n  <p style=\"text-indent:.25in; margin-bottom: 0;\">\u201cFive!  Four!  Three!\u201d  Out in the crowd he could see his mom chanting, too, her champagne glass raised.  And up in the balconies, there he was  \u2013 Dylan, his eyes on Maggie, his lips moving in time with the count.<\/p>\r\n\r\n  <p style=\"text-indent:.25in; margin-bottom: 0;\"><i>We\u2019ve been sad long enough.  We don\u2019t need to be sad any longer.<\/i><\/p>\r\n\r\n  <p style=\"text-indent:.25in; margin-bottom: 0;\">\u201cTwo!  One!  <i>HAPPY NEW YEAR!\u201d<\/i><\/p>\r\n\r\n  <p style=\"text-indent:.25in; margin-bottom: 0;\"><i>Please, <nobr>God\u2026<\/nobr> turn our lives upside down again.  Bring me a father.<\/i><\/p>\r\n\r\n  <p style=\"text-indent:.25in; margin-bottom: 0;\">Conor James sounded the horn.<\/p><\/span>\r\n<div style=\"margin-top: 20px;\">\r\n<div class='content-column one_half'><span data-post-id=\"3996\" class=\"insert-page insert-page-3996 \"><p style=\"text-align: left; margin-bottom: 0;\"><a href=\"#pubdata\">\u00ab Publication Data<\/a><\/p><\/span><\/div>\r\n<div class='content-column one_half last_column'><span data-post-id=\"4127\" class=\"insert-page insert-page-4127 \"><p style=\"text-align: left; margin-bottom: 0;\">&nbsp;<\/p><\/span><\/div><div class='clear_column'><\/div>\r\n<\/div>\r\n<\/div><\/div><\/div>\r\n\r\n\r\n<div align=\"center\" class=\"button\" style=\"margin-top: 10px;\">\r\n<a class=\"button\" href=\"https:\/\/www.ardath-rekha.com\/fanworks\/fan-fiction\/an-upside-down-wish\/\">Return to the Title Page<\/a>\r\n<\/div>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Return to the Title Page","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"parent":308,"menu_order":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","template":"","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"bgseo_title":"Read Online: \u201cAn Upside-Down Wish\u201d by Ardath Rekha","bgseo_description":"What if a wish had the power to change lives forever? A little semi-metaphysical vignette on the power of wishes... and poor wording.","bgseo_robots_index":"index","bgseo_robots_follow":"follow","footnotes":""},"class_list":["post-956","page","type-page","status-publish","hentry","no-wpautop"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.ardath-rekha.com\/fanworks\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/956","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.ardath-rekha.com\/fanworks\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.ardath-rekha.com\/fanworks\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/page"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.ardath-rekha.com\/fanworks\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.ardath-rekha.com\/fanworks\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=956"}],"version-history":[{"count":4,"href":"https:\/\/www.ardath-rekha.com\/fanworks\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/956\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":4937,"href":"https:\/\/www.ardath-rekha.com\/fanworks\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/956\/revisions\/4937"}],"up":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.ardath-rekha.com\/fanworks\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/308"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.ardath-rekha.com\/fanworks\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=956"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}