He was at it again, Oscar Berckman stealing melons from the cart in Brussels, Belgium. It was quite hot that day in Brussels and Oscar was feeling a little ravenous that day so he figured he'd "borrow" a quick bite to eat from his favorite guy, Mr. Lamberts, owner of a mobile fruit stand. 

"Get back here you little thief!", yelled Mr. Lamberts chasing the conniving little brat. 

Oscar down the city streets. Oscar ran and ran past pedestrians and darted through alleyways to escape from the old baboon. Narrowly, Oscar managed to escape from Mr. Lamberts and bolted back to his house to show his parents Allison and Albert his earnings

 "Look at what I got Mom and Dad!", said Oscar dashing through the door of his house with utter joy, "I got us all some lunch." Oscar's mother said disapprovingly, "Oscar, did you steal from Mr. Lamberts again?” Look, Oscar, I know we're not in the best financial situation but we can't steal from others. We have to treat others with kindness."

 "But Mom, don't you think that we should get some kindness in return? The poor have to work long, grueling hours just for a slice of bread while the rich sit in their fancy white houses drinking liquor all day!”, Oscar yelled furiously. Oscar ignored his Mother's cries and ignored his father who just got out of the shower and ran to his room. Curled up in his bed all Oscar could ask himself was why he and his family lived like this; so poor and always figuring out what to put on the table the next day. Poor Oscar tucked his stolen melon in his arms and softly cried until he fell asleep. The next day, Oscar was walking home from another painfully boring day of school thinking to himself in silence, listening to the dulcet sound of the birds chirping, and the distant chatter of students in the distance talking to each other as they made their way home, and the serenity of the water as he was crossing the bridge he always crosses. 

 “Dang it!” Oscar said to himself, “Why do I live like this? Why does my family have to live through this?! I wish I could do something not just for my family and me, but for other suffering families in Belgium; grant their wishes.”  

That’s when he saw it. A small blue object that looked like a small meteorite crashed into the river. The impact was large. The impact was so large that water from the crash splashed onto the bridge getting Oscar wet. Oscar with a shocked, wondering look on his face bolted down to the riverside to inspect the object. Not caring about his clothes getting wet, Oscar trudged through the muddy, fish–infested lake,  

“Is this what I’ve been looking for?” said Oscar excitedly, holding the blue star-shaped wand in his hands. “Have I been blessed?”, he thought to himself, “If this is a wishing wand, then I can finally help my family and heck, even other impoverished families!” Oscar laughed happily to himself, maybe too happily, and ran excitedly back home with the wand in hand.   

“Oscar, why are you soaking wet,?” Allison asked.

“More importantly, what is that blue thing in your hands”, Albert who got back from work a few hours ago.   

“Mom, Dad *exhale* this is the key to solving our problems”, said Oscar, completely exhausted from running, “ I believe this wand can grant any wish I ask for and with this, I can ask for riches, a big house, a fancy car, et cetera!”  

“Son I know you and have a wild imagination but me and your mother need to discuss… monetary matters right now”, Albert said placidly. “Run off to your room now.” 

Frustrated, Oscar ran off back to his room with the wand. If Oscar’s parents didn’t want to listen to him, he’d have to show them that this wand can create wonders.

 “I wish all poor families here in Brussels receive a great fortune, and they never go suffer from hunger ever again.” The wand began to glow brightly in Oscar’s hand. The wand shot out a burst of magic and went out into the sky as fast as it did. 

“I hope that worked, “ Oscar said to himself as he got his covers and shut his eyes with a smile on his face.  

As Oscar walked in the next day at school, he noticed that kids were walking through the hallways wearing clothes he’d never seen them in before. They knew shirts, skirts, shoes, backpacks, and even more. He even heard other kids relay a similar story about a huge amount of money appearing on their parents’ accounts all of a sudden. 

“Huh, that’s odd”, said Oscar “Did the wand grant my wish? If so, then… I think it’s time to start giving Brussels a well-needed change.”  

And that’s when it happened. 

 Oscar began granting more and more wishes, helping the people of Brussels. As the months went by, tourists to Brussels could see its citizens in fancy houses and nicer clothes. The streets looked cleaner and more welcoming. More birds began to flood Oscar’s neighborhood and began inhabiting the area. Moreover, Oscar even used the wand to cure terminally ill people or people who couldn’t afford hospital treatment. And for Oscar’s family, Allison and Albert moved out of their litter box of a home and bought a nicer home with all the amenities they could only dream of. Allison even used some of the mystery money to fund the dentistry she worked at.  

But over time, Oscar began to grow a sudden emptiness in his body, a hiddenly growing insanity. 

Oscar, now sixteen years old, sat on his comfy Styrofoam mattress clutching a weakening wand, hands shaking violently with an insane look on his face. 

“Why? Why is the wand weakening” Oscar asked himself “ Without this wand, what am I in this world? Then again, thanks to that wand my parents are now dead. My mom was killed by her coworker when that coffee shop down the street burned down a couple of years ago. My dad was assaulted and murdered by some low–lived thugs. I tried over and over to wish them back, but it didn’t work. I can’t believe it took me this long to realize how much harm this wand has caused. I have… no purpose anymore. I have no purpose anymore. Hehe. Hhehehe. HeHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!” 

Oscar ran out of his house laughing maniacally. He ran and ran for miles into the Sonian forest. No one ever heard from Oscar ever again after that day. After weeks of the townsfolk and police searching, they gave up and declared him forever missing. Sometimes you may hear people say they heard a man, hanging from a tree, a young man clutching a star-shaped object. So be aware my friends, if you ever hear crying, or see the ghost of a young man, that may be the ghost of Oscar Berckman, the young man with no more purpose.        

 THE END