You didn’t wish for anything extravagant. You knew the law of equal exchange. There was nothing you could offer so you only wished to live a comfortable life - to have a roof above your head, to not have a terminal illness, to never worry where your next meal will come from.
And it worked. The interest from your loans decreased. You were never stopped at a red light for too long. Your boss didn’t reprimand you too harshly. You made okay friends and played okay games.
Sometimes, whenever you watched celebrities walking down the red carpet, you wonder if you should have wished for that instead. Every time, you would shake your head at the thought.
Comfortable is fine. Comfortable is safe. There is no need to covet something you can’t afford.
As the years go by, you were more certain that you wished for the right thing. It was painful seeing your friends go through a divorce, watch them struggle with rebellious kids, complain about incompetent subordinates.
You stayed where you are, where you’ve always been.
Until one day, they came back, small wings fluttering behind them.
“We have granted your wish,” one of them spoke - a small creature in violet and blue. “It is now time to pay us back.”
You nodded, you were ready for this. This is why you didn’t ask for too much. No wealth, no power, no fame. You knew it would bite you back if you did.
“King of Mediocrity.” One by one, the fairies kneeled, small legs bending on air. “Our world is at war.”
You felt your blood run cold. You had a bad feeling about this. You didn’t like how this was going.
Still, you could do nothing as small voices spoke as one, “Lead us to victory.”