The Last Match Burns the Brightest

Just moments ago, my parents had been perfectly fine, but suddenly, every one of their toes had turned black. They clutched their feet and wailed in agony.

My body went numb, and I immediately dialed 911. By the time the doctors arrived, the blackened area had already spread from their toes to their entire lower bodies.

The doctor's face was grave as he said, "It's spreading too fast! Prepare for immediate amputation!"

I nearly collapsed. As I thought about the second wish I had made, I wanted nothing more than to take it all back.

The money we had just scraped together was now all spent on surgery.

"Why is this happening to them? What caused this?"

Watching as I cried uncontrollably, the doctor shook his head and sighed. "We don't know the exact cause... I've never seen anything like this in my career, and neither has any senior doctor I’ve learned from."

I cried until I could barely breathe.

The next day, the loan sharks came to collect the debt.

"Damn it! We've been looking all over for you people! Did you really think hiding out in a hospital would keep you safe? No matter what, we're chopping off your hands today!"

I dropped to my knees in front of them, but one of them kicked me aside impatiently. However, when they walked into the hospital room and saw my parents' condition, they froze.

Their earlier arrogance was replaced with pity.

"Uh... Forget it. Pay us back whenever you have the money…"

Before leaving, they even tossed me 200 dollars and told me to buy some food.

As I put the money into my pocket, my fingers brushed against the third match.

The first time, I had made a good wish, but it turned into a disaster.

The second time, I made the opposite wish, hoping for bad to turn into good, yet the bad came true again.

It was not some wish-granting match. It was Pandora's box. However, if I did not make a wish, we were doomed anyway.

The third match was the only chance for my parents and me to turn things around, but what should my third wish be?

My mind was a mess, but my parents needed me, so I pushed it aside and focused on taking care of them.

After the sudden amputations, they suffered from phantom limb pain and fell into deep depression. Even when the pain kept them awake all night, they still tried to comfort me.

Mom said, "Renee, we're okay. It doesn't hurt that much."

Dad chimed in, "Don't be sad. Maybe this is just a test we have to get through, and once we do, things will turn around. They always do."

I held back my tears and forced myself to stay strong.

To make sure my parents were eating well, I took a job doing manual labor at a construction site. After finally saving a few dozen dollars, I bought a pound of deli roast beef for them.

On the way back, I imagined the smiles that might light up their faces. However, the moment I reached the hospital room, my mother grabbed a cup and smashed it against my head.

"Get out! Just get out!"

I was stunned. When I turned my head, I saw Vera, who had disappeared for days, standing beside my parents.

She smugly waved her phone at me, then turned and hugged Mom and Dad tightly.

"Mom, Dad, you thought I was out partying these past few days, but I was actually keeping an eye on Renee. I noticed something was off with her a long time ago, so I used a drone to record this video. The footage is completely real! Renee looks kind, but she's actually vicious at heart!"

In the video, I was tightly holding a match and making a solemn wish. "I wish for Mom and Dad to become disabled and live in poverty for the rest of their lives!"

The fury in my parents' eyes was practically blazing, ready to erupt at any second.

"No wonder everything's been going wrong. You've been cursing us this whole time!"

I panicked and started talking as fast as I could. "Please, just let me explain! The matches Grandpa left me have the power to grant wishes. The first time, I wished for you to get rich, and instead, you lost everything. That's why the second time, I tried wishing for the opposite, hoping it would flip..."

A trace of hesitation flashed in their eyes, but then Vera stepped forward and slapped me hard across the face.

"So, according to you, the matches Grandpa left you would bring disaster no matter what you wished for? That's ridiculous! He's your own grandfather. Why would he leave you something like that?"

My parents found that reasoning convincing, and their eyes turned cold again.

"From this day forward, Vera is our only daughter. You're nothing but bad luck. Get as far away from us as possible."

I completely broke down. How had everything gotten so twisted?

Vera started throwing my belongings out into the hallway, and I grabbed the moment to confront her.

"You're behind all of this, aren't you? You already have a billion dollars. Why do you have to take my parents too?"

Vera rolled her eyes. "No reason. I just don't like you!"

With a loud bang, the door slammed shut.

Inside the room, the three of them laughed happily. In the crowded hospital hallway, I stood there like a clown.

In my past life, Vera had hated my parents deeply, but in my new life, she took the initiative to get close to them, which meant she definitely had an ulterior motive.

I had to uncover the truth as soon as possible, or the tragedy from my past life would happen again.

My first suspicion was that Vera had switched the matches in my hand. Perhaps the real wish-granting matches had been swapped with something that brought misfortune.

I sold everything I owned and even borrowed more money to hire a private investigator. However, his findings crushed me.

The investigator confirmed that the three matches were exactly what Grandpa had left me, and that Vera had never touched them.

I wanted him to dig deeper, but he flatly refused.

"You borrowed money to hire me just to investigate three matches? I think you might be out of your mind. I'm not touching this case. I don't need the headache."

Due to my strange request, I was blacklisted by the entire local detective community.

Since science could not explain it, I turned to the supernatural. I posted several threads online, which quickly caused a stir.

A well-known spiritual advisor reached out and offered to help me for free. Overjoyed, I drove out to see him that same night.

He listened to everything I had been through, his eyes welling up, and swore on his word that he would help. However, after turning the matches over and over in his hands for a long time, he came up empty.

In the end, all he offered was a vague reassurance that evil would tend to find its own punishment in time.

Since the matches were not the problem, I started to wonder if there was something wrong with me.

Then again, I had just undergone a full medical checkup weeks ago and was perfectly healthy, both physically and mentally.

Just when I was at my wits' end, I suddenly received a picture from Vera.

[Renee, Mom and Dad gave me your room. Isn't this the stuffed bear you've had since you were a kid? Oops, I accidentally cut it up. Hope you're not too upset!]

I gripped my phone so tightly my knuckles turned white.

It was the only keepsake my grandmother, who had loved me the most, had left behind.

Rage shot straight to my head, and I wanted to tear Vera apart.

However, in the background of the photo, I caught a detail I almost missed. Just like that, something the spiritual advisor had said clicked into place.

Everything suddenly made sense. I finally understood why neither of my wishes in this lifetime had worked the way they were supposed to.

I knew exactly what I needed to wish for with that third match.