The first short story I shared was a little on the dark side. That one was entitled “The Strange Fruit.” Not all of them will be like that, though. This one has a much more upbeat tone and ending. I call it “The Magic Ring,” and I hope you enjoy it.

The Magic Ring

Once upon a time, there lived a lonely young man in a crowded town. He yearned to make friends, but he was too shy to make the first move. One day, a kindhearted wizard came to town and took compassion on the lonely young man. The wizard asked him what he would wish for if he could have anything he wanted. He wished to never be lonely again.

Suddenly, a giant magic ring appeared. It was about 50 feet in diameter. The young man asked what it was, and the wizard told him that it was the solution to his problem. When someone asked him for something, he could reach into the ring and get whatever it was that they asked for. The young man thanked him for it, and the wizard went on his way.

An old man overheard the conversation and decided to test it out. He asked the young man if he could have a new car. The young man reached into the ring and was magically able to pull out a new car and place it on the ground. A little girl asked for a pet elephant, which he was also able to pull out of the magic ring.

Throughout that day, everyone in town came to talk to the young man and ask him for something they had always wanted. And none went away emptyhanded. The young man was thrilled to have met so many people and made all of them happy. He also noticed that something strange was happening to the magic ring. Each time he gave someone a gift, the ring shrank a little.

In the end, there was a single young woman who approached the young man asking if she might have something she’d always wanted. He tried to reach into the ring, but it was too small get even two fingers into. But then it occurred to him that what she truly wanted was a husband. So he put the ring on her finger and asked if she would marry him. She gladly accepted his offer.

From then on, the young man was never lonely again. He got married, had many children, and was the most famous man in town because of his spectacular generosity.

Notes About This Story

The inspiration for this story came from my own life. I yearned to be a friend as a kid, but I wasn’t good at it at all. Thankfully, I now have a wonderful wife and four children, and I do my best to be a good friend to everyone I meet. After all, being called a friend has a nice ring to it.

This is the Deja Reviewer bidding you farewell until we meet again.

Want to Support the Deja Reviewer?

If you’d like to support the Deja Reviewer, please consider donating a few dollars to keep this site going strong. I’ll even send you an original joke if you do! Try it, and prepare to enjoy a good chuckle.

$5.00