In the evening

Bell stretched and yawned as she opened her eyes to evening. "Good morning, Papa. What are you doing in the kitchen?" She asked, smelling something delicious

"Just making dinner. You must be hungry after sleeping so long." I smiled and stirred the pot.

"My stomach is growling like a lion." She said, rubbing it.

"Almost done, just two more minutes." I assured her.

I still couldn't wrap my head around what that lady Aisha had told me few hours ago. She claimed that the bell was a part of me and that it could grant my wishes. But before I could ask her anything more, she vanished into thin air. I had no choice but to try and talk to the bell. Maybe if Aisha had given it some of her power, she could tell me more about Aisha.

"Papa, are you making pudding?" She asked, hoping for a sweet treat.

"No, not pudding. Just some veggies. And you ate all the pudding just few hours ago, you remembered

"Oh, right. Well, can I help you with anything?" She offered.

"No, you don't have to do anything. Just sit back and watch some TV. Dinner will be ready soon, okay?" He said.

"Okay." I agreed.

We ate dinner together and enjoyed the food. After dinner, I decided to ask the bell some questions again.

"Hey, bell. Do you know that lady who gave you this location? Who is she?" I asked.

"No... I don't know her." The bell replied in a soft voice.

"Oh, I see." I said, disappointed.

If the bell didn't know her, then there was no point in asking more. But I was curious about something else. Aisha had said that the bell could grant my wishes, right? Let's see if that was true.

"Bell, give me one million." I said, half-joking.

"One million...?" The bell sounded confused.

"Ah, no, no. I was just kidding. Don't worry about it." I quickly backtracked.

I knew it was impossible to make a wish come true. But then how did Aisha know what I had wished for myself before the accident? And how did she disappear so suddenly? None of it made any sense.

`"Papa, are you not feeling well? Is something bothering you? If yes, tell me, I will solve it in two minutes."`

She looked at me with concern in her big eyes. I sighed and shook my head.

"It's nothing, bell. I was just lost in thought. You don't have to worry about me. And can you please stop calling me papa?"

"Why? Why can't I call you papa?" She tilted her head, puzzled.

"Because... because... well, you can call me whatever you want." I gave up trying to explain.

"Yayyyyy!" She clapped her hands and hugged me.

I smiled weakly. If she was really born from my wish, then I had no choice but to accept her. But it was hard to believe that she was real. I decided to stop thinking about it and went to my study table and focus on my studies. I had a big test tomorrow.

This story originates from Royal Road. Ensure the author gets the support they deserve by reading it there.

"Bell, you go and sleep on the bed. I need to study." I told her.

"No, I will support you and I will help you study too!" She declared, grabbing my book and opening it. I could see that she was trying her best, but I knew she wouldn't understand a thing.

"So, are you able to study this?" I asked her.

"Um... yes, this is a little hard, but I can read this!" She said confidently.

"Hmmm... so, you can study. But Bell, you know, you have held the book upside down." I pointed out.

She looked at the book cover and embarassed.

"Oh... sorry..." She said sheepishly.

"It's okay. You don't have to force yourself. Go and sleep. You are supporting me enough by being here." I said gently.

"Hmm... okay... good night." She said and went to the bed. I resumed my study.

"Well, now I have to give my best too." I thought.

After 30 minutes, I felt a yawn escape my mouth.

"Yawn* I think I'm tired because a lot of things happened to me today. But if I don't finish this, I will fail for sure. But my eyes are getting heavier."

"Yaaaaaaaawwnnnnnnn...." I yawned again. I tried to think about the test, but my body was not cooperating. In the end, I fell asleep. But before that, I wished:

"Yawn* I wish, one day, I become a topper as well."

The next morning, I was awakened by the sound of my alarm.

"Bzzzbzzzbzzzbzz" It buzzed annoyingly.

"Oh, so it's already morning. Yawn* I think I slept while I was studying. So, first, I need to prepare breakfast. Oh yeah, I need to see what Bell is doing." I said to myself and got up from my desk.`

I got up and walked to the bedroom, expecting to find bell on the bed. But it was empty. I blinked, feeling confused. Had I imagined everything that happened yesterday? The bell, the lady, the wishes? I rubbed my eyes and shook my head.

"Maybe I was just too tired and had a weird dream. I better get ready for school."

Thirty minutes later, I was dressed and ready to go. I still had a nagging feeling of anxiety about the test today. I hadn't studied much and I was afraid of failing. I quickly glanced over some questions that I thought might come up.

I opened the door and saw the landlady at the gate. She was tending to her flowers.

"Oh, White! Good morning. You're off to school, huh? How about your test? Are you prepared for it?"

"Good morning, Miss Elsa. Well, I'm not sure about the test. Haha."

"Oh, don't worry. You'll do fine. You're a smart kid."

"Thank you, Miss Elsa. I'm going now."

"Okay, good luck with the test."

I reached the school and waited for the bell to ring. The teacher handed out the test papers and I wished for a miracle. I needed to pass this test.

I looked at the questions and my eyes widened. They were all the same ones that I had reviewed last night. Every single one of them. Even the optional ones.

This couldn't be a coincidence. Could it be that what the lady said was true? That the bell could grant wishes? But where was the bell? I couldn't find it when I woke up. What was going on?

I decided to put those thoughts aside for now. I had to focus on the test.

After the test, the teacher collected our papers and said he would announce the results after lunch.

At lunch, I met Zen, my best friend. He looked miserable.

"Man, I'm screwed. I'm going to fail this test again." He said.

"But you told me you were going to ace this test and beat Shu, the class topper. Remember?"

"I said that?, but the test was so hard this time. If only it was a basketball game, I would be the topper. And you, you look so calm. How did you do?"

"Well, the test was very easy for me this time." I said, biting into my sandwich.

"Stop kidding me! Argh, I need some fresh air. Do you want to come to the roof?"

"Nah, I'm good. Lunch will be over soon and I need to make a list of what I need to buy today."

"Alright, then. See you after lunch."

"Bye."

After lunch, the teacher came back to the class and started announcing the results.

"Alex, Zoey, Shaw..."

"And last , White."

The teacher handed me my paper and I almost dropped it. I had never scored more than 70 in my life, but now I had a perfect score. It was like my wish had come true.

"So, class, this time, the topper of the class and the topper of all the sections is... White, who got 100 marks in this exam!"

Everyone in the class was stunned. And I was the most shocked of all. I went back to my seat, feeling dizzy.

"Students, be ready for the test tomorrow as well. I hope you all do well." The teacher said.

The classes ended and Zen came to me. He had to practice for the upcoming match. He was amazed that I had topped the test and congratulated me like he was my mom.

I packed my things and was about to leave when a girl approached me. Her name was Shu. She was the topper of the class and she excelled in every subject. She said to me.

"Meet me on the roof. I want to talk to you."

She left without waiting for my reply. I was puzzled. She had never spoken to me before. I wondered what she wanted from me.