The age-old adage, "be careful what you wish for, because you just might get it," serves as a chilling prelude to the events that unfolded at Salem University, as chronicled in Diane Hoh’s 1993 novel, The Wish. This fourth installment in the popular Nightmare Hall series plunges readers into a dark narrative where the whimsical pursuit of fortune from a vintage vending machine morphs into a terrifying struggle for survival. The story, set against the backdrop of a seemingly ordinary local pizzeria, Vinnie’s, offers a stark examination of the perilous consequences that can arise when unchecked desires are granted, echoing timeless cautionary tales from King Midas to W.W. Jacobs’ "The Monkey’s Paw."
The Arrival of "The Wizard" and the Allure of Easy Answers
The catalyst for the unfolding horror is "The Wizard," an imposing, stone-like automaton housed within a vintage red metal booth. Described with stark detail – "He seemed made of stone, stiff and unmoving inside his red metal booth. His face was long and chiselled, his jaw firm, his painted mouth slightly open. His skin was pale ivory, his beard and moustache snowy-white. He wore a tall, pointed hat and a long flowing gown to match" – this fortune-telling machine offered both predictions and the promise of wish fulfillment for a mere quarter. For most students at Salem University, particularly the freshmen grappling with the transition to campus life, "The Wizard" represented a moment of lighthearted diversion.
However, for Alex Edgar, a freshman experiencing a palpable sense of unease, the machine was far from a trivial attraction. Her apprehension was immediate and profound, a feeling that "she couldn’t shake the feeling that it was watching her." This intuition proved prescient, marking her as the reluctant protagonist in a series of events that would test the resilience of her friendships and her own courage.
A Night of Wishes and Unforeseen Consequences
The narrative’s turning point occurs when Alex joins her friends at Vinnie’s: the twin sisters Julie and Jenny, and football players Marty, Gabe, Kyle, and Bennett. The group, while close-knit, is still navigating their individual aspirations and insecurities as new students. Julie and Jenny are striving for greater social integration, while Marty, Gabe, and Kyle are eager for more playing time on the football field. Bennett, in particular, faces the challenge of being sidelined by an injury.
It is during this casual gathering that several friends succumb to the allure of "The Wizard." Julie, feeling her appearance is "so boring," wishes for a change. Gabe, weary of walking across campus, impulsively wishes for "wheels," lamenting, "I’m so tired of walking, my legs are going to be stumps by the time I graduate." Their wishes, seemingly innocuous requests for personal enhancement and convenience, are soon to be granted in ways that are both immediate and horrifying.
A dramatic and sudden thunderstorm erupts, an anomaly in the otherwise clear evening. A bolt of lightning, defying natural explanation, strikes the pizzeria, arcing directly towards "The Wizard." The near-miss causes shrieks and panic, but miraculously, no one is physically harmed. As the storm subsides and the friends depart, the sinister fulfillment of their wishes begins. Julie’s desire for a non-"boring" face is tragically realized through a disfiguring accident involving a downed tree, while Gabe’s wish for "wheels" leads to severe leg injuries, rendering him unable to walk. The machine’s promises are fulfilled, but through a grim and unintended twist of fate.
A Childhood Trauma Rekindled
Alex’s refusal to make a wish is rooted in a deeply unsettling childhood memory. The presence of "The Wizard" triggers a recollection of a similar, terrifying encounter with a fortune-telling machine at an amusement park during her parents’ divorce. The memory, recalled with visceral detail, describes a female automaton whose "plaster face was frightening by itself, with its too-pink cheeks and its too-wide grin, but it was the sound that came out of the mouth that terrified Alex." The machine’s incessant, "deep, wicked ha-ha-ha" haunted her nightmares. Despite her fear, she was transfixed by a morbid fascination, an experience that left an indelible mark. For Alex, "The Wizard" is not just a novelty; it represents a primal fear resurrected, and the machine’s sinister attention seems to fixate on her, even without a wish made.
Escalating Disturbances and Blurred Realities
Following the incident at the pizzeria, a series of increasingly bizarre and unsettling events plague Alex and her friends, blurring the lines between the supernatural and the explainable. While working a late shift at the campus radio station, Alex experiences a terrifying event: the lights abruptly fail, and a powerful gust of wind whips through the balcony door, nearly pulling her outside. However, her account is met with disbelief. The student worker who was supposed to relieve her claims to have been called to say Alex wanted the extra hours, the balcony door, which Alex found impossible to open, was inexplicably unlocked when others arrived, and no one else reported any unusual winds.
The disturbing pattern continues at a dorm party. Alex witnesses, with horror, a figure being thrown from the sixth-floor balcony of a nearby building. The victim is identified as her friend, Kyle. While Kyle survives the fall, albeit severely injured, the incident further isolates Alex. Her friends and peers, while acknowledging her distress, subtly question her perception, suggesting Kyle might have fallen or jumped, rather than being attacked. The implication is clear: Alex’s sanity and her interpretation of events are being undermined. The danger intensifies when Alex realizes that whoever pushed Kyle likely saw her through the dorm window, making her a known witness and a potential target. This realization culminates in a harrowing bus ride where Alex finds herself the sole passenger on a shuttle ostensibly bound for the hospital, only to discover the driver has sinister intentions.
The Cascade of Wished-For Calamities
Meanwhile, Alex’s friends continue to engage with "The Wizard," each wish compounding the unfolding nightmare. Kiki, a soccer player, wishes for weight loss and begins to waste away, an affliction dismissed by medical professionals as a consequence of a crash diet or an eating disorder. Marty, wishing to avoid giving a speech in his sociology class, finds himself rendered speechless on the day of his presentation, an incident attributed to extreme stage fright. These occurrences, while seemingly minor in isolation, contribute to a growing pattern of misfortune linked to the fortune-telling machine.
Confrontation and the Unveiling of the Architect
Alex remains steadfast in her conviction that "The Wizard" is the malevolent force behind the escalating horrors. Driven by a desperate need to protect her friends and herself, she returns to Vinnie’s to confront the automaton. In a tense exchange, she implores, "You have to stop, right now. You have to give Marty back his voice and make Kiki well. Do you hear me?" The Wizard’s response is delivered through dispensed fortune-telling cards, initially defiant, declaring, "YOU DARE TO THREATEN ME?" followed by a chilling ultimatum: "NO ONE DEFIES ME… YOU ARE FINISHED."
The confrontation reveals that "The Wizard" is not acting alone. Its human agent is none other than Bennett, the injured football player. Bennett, desperate to resume his athletic career, had accepted "The Wizard’s" offer: his knee injury would be healed in exchange for carrying out the automaton’s demands. As Bennett confesses to Alex, "I had to do it… He said it was the only way I could play football again. He said he’d make my knees better if I did what he said… And he did, Alex. You saw me in that game on Saturday. My knees were fine." Bennett’s identity and self-worth were inextricably linked to football, making the prospect of losing that identity unbearable. However, the healing proved temporary, a Faustian bargain with consequences. When his knees deteriorated once more, he was compelled to obey further demands, including the act of throwing Kyle from the balcony. To end the nightmare, Alex is forced to incapacitate Bennett and destroy "The Wizard," ultimately using one of Bennett’s crutches as a weapon.
An Epilogue of Unending Cycles
While the immediate terror subsides for Salem University, the novel’s epilogue offers a grim foreshadowing. In a new location, another restaurant owner stumbles upon a similar fortune-telling machine. This discovery signals the cyclical nature of the horror, suggesting that the allure of easy answers and fulfilled desires will inevitably ensnare another group of unsuspecting individuals. The narrative concludes with the chilling certainty that no matter the wish, the price paid will always be steep, and the regret will be profound.
The story serves as a potent reminder of the dangers of unchecked ambition and the seductive nature of quick fixes. It highlights how deeply held desires, particularly those born from insecurity or ambition, can be exploited by forces that prey on vulnerability. The events at Salem University, though fictional, resonate with real-world anxieties about the consequences of our choices and the often-hidden costs of getting what we want. Diane Hoh’s The Wish continues to serve as a chilling testament to the enduring power of cautionary tales in literature, urging readers to contemplate the true value and cost of their deepest desires.
