Brian Jewels was always picked on…
In class he was aways considered the ‘weird’ one. He was a rather quiet soft-spoken young teenager, of about thirteen years of age with lightly tanned skin. He had dark black hair, that for some reason had a streak of silver done one side. He wore glasses and was fairly bright, according to his teachers, though didn’t tend to score well on tests.
Of greater concern (Well- to those who noticed)… he didn’t get on well with fellow students.
It wasn’t exactly anything he ‘did’ but… for one reason or another people just didn’t like him. Was there a defined reason? Maybe it was his eyes that tended to look past people… his ability to talk disintegrated in company… he had a rather ‘spaced out look’ that came from a storm of stress, within his mind. Sometimes he stood too close to people, sometimes too far… the mechanics of socialising was an absolute minefield.
He did make one or two friends, usually temporary associates, who quickly realised how weird he was and eventually they parted ways…
So, he became a prime target for getting picked on.
The bullying came in all kinds of forms. The easiest was usually just stealing from him. Pens, rulers, calculators, books, most of it ending up in the trash- where Brian knew to look for and try to fish out. Once his gym bag was taken away by someone causing him acute distress. Physical stuff was generally limited by making him trip up or the occasional practical joke though perhaps the most brutal… they simply ignored him. There was rarely any physical attack, for the simple reason it would be too easy to get caught. The constant harassment was low level, just below what would set teachers to exclude anyone and might even be considered socially acceptable…
Then some exciting news came to pass. One of the changed was coming to their school! “They are going to mess with him instead maybe!” Brian thought with quiet delight. Finally… someone else to take the heat for being a bit ‘weird’ or different…
Indeed a changed person was now going to this school.
Bruce was… a mouse. His transformation had regressed him to the age of thirteen.
He stood just under three feet tall, with large ears and a soft white muzzle. He was not expected to grow much taller then he was now. The young teenage anthro-person wore rather ‘casual’ looking clothes with what one might consider ‘hip and trendy’ including a leather jacket. He also had a nice pair of adapted sun-glasses, that worked well for his face, giving him quite the ‘cool’ look. He wore a small pair of blue jeans and white sneakers.
The mouse-boy entered the school nonchalantly, and walked curiously down the corridors. Some students stopped… but he simply gave a wave as he walked passed continuing onward to his destination, moving like he was walking to music. “Hey, looking good there, girl!” he smiled with a slight lowering of his shades- much to the bemusement of the girl. The mouse-boy strode over confidently, despite his short form as his tail waved lazily behind him. “Hm.. Room 201… I guess that’s me.” He opened the door seeing a teacher sorting out paperwork on her desk. “Yo teach,” he said getting her attention. “This my new class, yes?” The mouse boy gave a grin.
The teacher, Miss Hazel gave a look at Bruce with her jaw dropping. She had expected him but.. was not quite prepared for ‘what’ she was getting. “Uh… yes. I was told to expect you… Bruce Tinder… are there any… uh... special requirements?”
Bruce tilted his head. “Nah man, just treat me as like- you know anyone else. I’ll be as quiet as me” he chuckled.
Brian was sitting near the front as he saw Bruce… he couldn’t believe it. That mouse was a real complete freak! He imagined how messed up the class would be to him. They would start to throw spit-wads at him instead! No wait- they might tie his shoelaces and make him fall- they would make his life a living hell… letting Brian free! “I’m free... I’m free…” The nerdy boy started to laugh quietly to himself. “Oh thank you God!” he said clasping his hands so as not to alert his excitement to anyone.
It wasn’t long before almost all the young students were crowding around Bruce’s desk… and Brian thought they were probably pulling on his ears, pulling his tail… doing everything nasty to him possible- but instead…
“Whoa you look so cool!” One girl squealed. “C-Can we be friends?”
“Hey sure we can,” Bruce nodded with a grin. “Do we have a school chat group?”
“Yeah! We’ll sign you up- hey you’re not that bad at all,” One of the guys nodded. “You know there’s a party coming up, I think it’s Ethan’s birthday. You want to hang out?”
One of the jocks seemed to be evaluating Bruce. “You’re a bit small, but I can see a bit of dexterity. Think you want to try your hand at football?”
“Ha! ‘Long as it’s not basketball, wouldn’t want to be accidently picked up and thrown in!” Bruce joked.
“He’s like some cool biker mouse!” one of the girl’s said excited. “Look at that leather jacket!”
All this made Brian’s eyes stare in shock, disdain, horror and finally… defeat. “…why…” He asked himself. “Why… I…” He was a freakin’ animal! Nothing but a pet… not even human. Why would the girls even like him? They were acing already as if they were all friends… why were they being so nice to him! They were never that nice… Brian wondered if it was a trick… did the mouse have some kind of ‘pheromone ‘ power or something? It was crazy! Did the universe have a way of just ‘choosing’ which people got to be popular?
Brian suddenly felt the tension in his hands give, as the pencil he was holding snapped.
Bruce then glanced towards his direction, still relaxed. “Hey dude, you okay?” He asked, the mouse boy’s ears twitching slightly. “You uh- look tense… I’m Bruce. Nice to meet you!”
Indeed, Brian was sweating bullets. He was looking at a ‘monster’ getting loved and adored… for doing absolutely ‘nothing’. If anything, his own life would now be made worse by him… The animal- ‘this’ creature was just going to join in with the others and pick on him too! He was staring… staring at the odd mouse that had become the symbol of his ultimate failure… “… gotta go.” He said as he quickly made his way out of the bathroom.
“Huh… what’s wrong with him?” Bruce asked.
“Oh, that’s Brian… he’s a total weirdo,” Jacob explained. “He’s- well you know.” He tapped his head.
“Hm… poor kid…” Bruce thought with some concern.
“It’s not fair… It isn’t… fair!” Brian had run out of the corridors and into the locker storage area. It was quiet now… thankfully. He needed a moment to calm down… he took a few breaths, but he felt like he was having a panic attack. His moment of salvation was gone. Bruce was… popular, in just one minute of being in the classroom.
The young teenager thought about skipping school today. He just wanted a break from it all. That freak was supposed to be his ticket away from getting picked on all the time! That was how it worked! A new kid came in and they all ganged up… the fact that he was a freakin’ mouse- what the heck is wrong with the world! Why didn’t he get a break…
He just wanted to leave… “I’ll just say I wasn’t well…” That made sense, right? He really wasn’t well anyway… he didn’t live very far … but he wasn’t old enough to be allowed to just ‘go’ on his own accord. He would need permission and… probably have to get his mom- then there would be questions… they would probably say it isn’t worth the hassle and he would be right back to where he started.
“Hello Brian,” A voice whispered.
Brian turned not expecting anyone and he certainly didn’t want them to see him crying. “Y-yeah?” Who was that…
It seemed to be a man, with a cloak wrapped around his neck, in such a way that it hid most of his lower body. His face was… like a shadow. As if light could be dark, shining on someone… for a moment Brian was very confused, not sure if this was a teacher or… what. Though something about him felt… well… strange. Brian was paralyzed by an odd sense of fear. His legs wouldn’t move… the man’s eyes gave a piercing glow.
“Relax boy… I thought I would introduce myself…” the man gave a well-placed bow. “You can call me… the Wishmaster…” he smiled. “I grant… wishes.”
Brian gulped. “What… like a genie?”
The man chuckled. “Ha… no... not like a genie at all… a wishmaster…”
Brian felt his heart beating quickly… he felt like he wanted to get away still... everything was telling him this person was ‘bad news’ and yet… he couldn’t. Maybe he was tired of running… he was always afraid… and fear was just… that way sometimes. “W-What do you want…”
The man produced a small cane from his cloak. “Perhaps you’ve heard of a strange… event recently? An entire classroom… changed into… oh what would you say… freaks?” He chuckled. “Personally, they look quite normal to me… and that Bruce! My… he’s handled his situation superbly well. I think he’s going to become the most popular guy in the entire school! Not bad for a mouse… I suppose the fact he was once older, gives him more experience in dealing with life at your age… must be handy to have all that experience…”
Brian raised his eyes shocked. Brice… the most popular? He was being out classed by that freaky mouse?! It made no sense! Wasn’t Brian a good guy? Didn’t he deserve friends? Well, one thing was certain, this guy was creeping him out. “I-I’m not allowed to talk to strangers…” He said ‘wanting’ to turn away… but being physically unable to. His body still refused to cooperate. He had to get help…
“Hm… let me just… present my offer. You see… I can help you… then I promise I’ll leave you alone…” the Wishmaster stated quite suddenly. “I know all your problems… Brian…”
Brian looked down… trying to avert his gaze. He knew his name… “How much… do you know about me?”
“We’re not strangers… you’re picked on a lot aren’t you.” He nodded. “Oh, I’ve seen it all. They tease you, say things behind your back, destroy your books, you have nothing in common with anyone here… a weak little boy is all they see… sounds about right doesn’t it?“
Brian felt the tears springing in his eyes. It was stated so.. plainly. The Wishmaster spoke of these things like it was all as it ‘should’ be… that this was his life.
The wishmaster leaned a little forward whispering into his ear. “…but… Perhaps all you need to make is one wish… just one wish…yes?”
“I’m too old to believe in wishes…” Brian said back. “Please just go...”
“Oh, don’t be so hasty… this is an offer you would regret to just abandon… ” He chuckled as he took out a card.
“I don’t even know what to wish for…”
The wishmaster smiled. “Oh, don’t worry… you don’t have to decide it ‘right’ now. Just take this...” The card had ‘Wishmaster’ written on it, with the words ‘One wish’. Brian stared at it as the letters gave a soft shimmer in gold and silver. “It’s quite self-explanatory. Make a wish when you have decided what it is to be… but keep in mind, that if you decide not to use it, the card will tend to find it’s way to…someone else.”
Brian held the card staring at it. He knew it shouldn’t even be real.. heck why was he even considering this? A wish? That would backfire surly! What wish could he even make… money? He just wanted friends… he wanted to be liked… he wanted to be ‘good’ at something! Stand out.. he wanted so many things, how could it be condensed into one single wish?
“I do love a mind filled with desire,” the Wishmaster chuckled. “Now this shall be our little secret… agreed?”
“I guess.. uh- are- are you the reason the classroom changed?“ Brian blinked- and the Wishmaster vanished. He stared at the card… “One wish…”
