The Ruby Ring

         “Finally, some peace and quiet,” Matty sighed as he shut himself into his grandfather’s bedroom. If he had to spend one more second playing dodge ball with his cousins he was sure he’d lose his mind. Through the window he could see the masses of aunts and uncles that had gathered for his little sister’s birthday party. Eva was turning five and the whole family insisted that it was a big deal.
         “Humph, I’d rather be at home,” Matty grumbled as he shifted his gaze from the streaky window to the dusty trinkets that crowded Grandpa’s dresser.
         He curiously thumbed through bottles of cheap cologne, faded family photos, and a half-empty jar of Old Spice Aftershave. Finally he picked up a small box covered with black velvet, pried the dusty box open, and revealed a sparkling ruby ring. The blood red gem was the size and shape of a dime, while the golden ring was etched with bizarre symbols that almost resembled hieroglyphics from some long-forgotten land.
         “Wow, Grandpa’s Genie Ring,” Matty exclaimed, “I haven’t seen this thing since I was little!”
         Grandpa told Matty endless stories of the genies that lived inside the ring. Whenever the light reflected against the ruby, they would pretend the genies were walking around inside their little ruby house getting ready for dinner or playing games or even cleaning their rooms. Yet, whenever Matty asked grandpa to wish for some amazing treat, he would always shake his head no. “Powerful magic, this here ring,” Grandpa would say, “Nothing that should be trifled with.”
         “I could really use some magic now,” Matty mumbled as he slipped the ring onto his forefinger, “I’d wish to have my Gameboy. I’m so bored.”
         Beware your wishes from this ring you wear, for with your wishes will come despair.
         Matty jumped. The whispered voice seemed to be inside of his head. Then, a cool, tingling sensation swept over his face, down his body, and out towards his fingers before finally running down his legs to his feet. Matty just stood there a moment, slightly dazed.
         “I must be imagin-"
         The words hadn’t even left his mouth when, out-of-nowhere, a beat-up Gameboy appeared on the dresser. Across the top, written in blue marker, was the word “MATTY.”
         “Holy cow! How did this…I mean, where did…” Slowly Matty raised his hand in front of his face. The ruby ring was sparkling madly. “The ring,” he whispered, “It really does have magic!”
         “MATTY! Where are you,” his mother’s voice yelled up the hallway. With a quick swoop, the bedroom door flew open. “There you are. We’re about to cut Eva’s birthday cake. Let’s go.”
         “I’m coming,” Matty moaned.

         “Happy Birthday dear Eee-vaaa, Happy Birthday to yooouuu!” Everyone’s voices screeched the song in unison. Matty just glared at his sister. She was standing on the chair looking so sweet in her new lilac dress and long braids. It was disgusting. Nobody could see her for what she really was: a tag-a-long brat that always stole Mom’s attention. Everyone loved her.
         The only person who even bothered to notice Matty today was Aunt Ida. And that’s not a good thing. She had these swollen lips that looked like a couple of giant, red slugs, and she always wanted to kiss you with them. But now, even Aunt Ida was fussing over the little brat remarking about how big she’s grown.
         “Someone should give that brat what she really deserves for her birthday,” Matty thought aloud. Then he remembered the ring. He glanced down at the sparkling ruby and felt a smirk come across his face. He had the perfect gift for the little princess.
         “I wish that brat would fall face first into her cake,” he said triumphantly.
         Beware your wishes from this ring you wear, for with those wishes will come despair.
         It was that voice again, but this time, it was louder, almost demanding. Then came the sensation, cold and stinging. It lingered for several moments in his legs, making them feel slightly numb.
         “AHHH,” a small voice yelled out. Matty looked up to see his little sister lying face first in her birthday cake. Her lilac dress was stained with blue frosting and clumps of chocolate cake hung from her droopy braids. His mother lifted the sobbing girl out of the cake as several relatives waited nearby, armed with napkins.
         “That was too perfect,” Matty laughed. He watched Eva slump into a chair. Tears were streaming down her cheeks, and she refused the gifts that Uncle George tried to give her. Between sobs she would sadly point to the blue stains covering her dress.
         “Well, she deserved it,” Matty grumbled.
         He turned to walk away, but his legs were still very numb, making it difficult to move. Confused, he looked down at his feet and gasped in horror. There were two glowing puffs of white mist where his feet should have been.
         “My feet,” he cried in shock. Then he stopped, a sudden thought entering his brain. The ring. It must be the ring.
         “I need to take it off before the rest of me turns to smoke,” he thought aloud. He grabbed the ring tightly and yanked five or six times. The ring wouldn’t budge.
         “I need to get to Grandpa’s room and find some kind of directions or something,” he said, beginning to panic. He tried to run to the house, but his impaired legs would only let him scoot along. The door seemed to be miles away.
         “Just a few more steps. C’mon, hurry,” he rooted himself on desperately. “Just a couple more ste-"
         “Matty, baby,” Aunt Ida’s voice pierced through his ears. She was pushing her way through a crowd of kids playing marbles, her lipstick-covered slugs puckered up, ready to kiss.
         “Oh not now,” grumbled Matty, “I wish those lips could just disappear for once.”
         Beware your wishes from this ring you wear, for with those wishes will come despair.
         “No, no, I didn’t mean it. I take it back,” yelled Matty, but it was too late. The sensation came over him again, freezing and piercing. As the numbness intensified, his legs and hips transformed into the glowing white mist.
         “EEEEEE!” The scream came from someone behind him. When he turned to see who yelled, he saw two women frantically calling for help. Aunt Ida stood between them, her eyes wide with fear. Her lips had disappeared! The only thing left was a large gaping hole that exposed her dirty dentures and purple gums.
         Quickly, Matty turned back toward the house and struggled to walk the last few steps to the door. Once inside, he made his way to his grandfather’s room. That’s where he found the ring, so that’s where the cure should be. Right?

         Several minutes later, Matty was staring at the mirror above his grandfather’s dresser. The white mist had spread up to his chest, leaving his head and arms, which were still solid, floating in midair.
         Matty rummaged through the junk on the dresser until he found the black velvet box. He quickly opened it, turned it around in his hands, and peeled back the lining from the inside of the lid. However, he didn’t find anything that could even hint to a cure for his problem.
         “Think, Matty, think,” he said to himself, “What exactly did Grandpa say about this ring…it had powerful magic…a genie lived inside…what else?” He strained his memories for several minutes, but he couldn’t remember the details of the stories.
         “Ugghh…I wish I could just remember the whole story.”
         Before he realized what he had said, the voice came screaming through his ears.
         Beware your wishes from this ring you wear, for with those wishes will come despair.
         Within seconds, Matty’s entire body was filled with the now intense, icy sensation. Then, falling. No, pulling. He was definitely being pulled. But where? He couldn’t tell. Everything was a bright white swirl. All he knew was the pulling.
         THUD!
         The pulling stopped. He had landed. Matty looked up and blinked his eyes a couple times to clear the mist from his vision. He was surrounded by some kind of blood red glass. Oh, how it sparkled!
         “What the…it’s not glass,” he cried, and new wave of panic went running through his veins. “It’s rubies. I-I’m inside the ruby!”
         He moved to the edge of the ruby and stared at his reflection in the gem wall. He was no longer human. He was a white mist. A glowing white mist. And when he moved, his reflection bounced off the surfaces of the ruby, making it sparkle.
         Creeaak. Thump. Thump.
         Matty pushed his face against the ruby wall and peered out. He could see the bottom of his grandfather’s dresser. Then, at the corner, he could just make out a pair of worn dress shoes.
         “Help me! Please, somebody, I’m trapped in the ring!” He yelled at the top of his lungs, hoping that whoever it was would hear him.
         “How did this get out,” came the raspy voice of his grandfather. Matty saw a wrinkled hand scoop up the ring.
         “Grandpa! Grandpa, it’s me! It’s Matty! You got to help me!”
         “My, the ring seems to sparkle even brighter today,” his grandfather said smiling, “Well, let me put this away.”
         He placed the ring into its box. Then, as he closed the lid, he warned, “Wouldn’t want any of the kids to play with it. Powerful magic, this here ring.”