Joy stared up at the sky with a look of sorrow.

She didn't so much as flinch as the many raindrops crashed on her light brown skin. She didn't move an inch as her stomach growled longer and louder with each passing minute.

She just laid there, in the mud, not caring about possibly getting sick or how exposed she was with her ripped clothes. She was practically skin and bones at this point so she doubted she'd look very pleasing to the eyes.

After staring at the sky for a while she started dryly chuckling to herself. The reason for her knew-found humorous outburst was her knowing that she was truly alone. Nobody was there to help her during her time of need.

She hated her name, 'Joy'. The reason she hated her name was the irony in it. It was ironic since she couldn't remember a single day where she felt joy.

She had hardly ever felt alive or felt life was worth living. No, not once.

Joy felt her body weakening, she hadn't eaten much of anything in weeks. She was extremely thin and knew she would die soon but didn't care.

Actually, it might've been better to say that she had no room to care.

In her current state the chance of her survival was low at best. Unless she experienced a miracle but… no, she buried that thought deep, deep in her mind.

Joy was the type of person who knew when to call it quits, and stated simply, the odds were stacked against her.

She tried her hardest to ignore her survival instinct.

The survival instincts that kept trying to egg her on to find anything that could pass as nutrition and eat it, to survive. She believed it to be pointless.

She had nowhere to go, no-one to go to, she was just alone.

After reflecting on her life and all the pains and struggles she endured she closed her eyes, now waiting for her mind to slip away forever.

"Hey you!" The squeaky high pitched voice snapped Joy back to reality.

She lazily opened her eyes and sluggishly turned her head towards the source of the voice. However what she saw surprised her. Right next to her resided a floating orb of light.

The light shining off the orb was so bright that it hurt to look at up close.

She didn't know how the floating orb of light came to be, especially with the dark clouds and rain coming from above.

"Helloooo?" The high pitched voice had a tone of slight irritation behind it.

"Aren't you going to respond? You know it's rude to stare at someone without speaking, right!?"

[Was this talking orb supposed to be normal?]

She tried speaking but nothing audible emerged. Her throat was way too dry to even expel sounds.

The orb suddenly shot up into the sky and started quickly going in a circle a couple times before speaking again.

"I see, I see so you can't talk. That might prove a bit troublesome…. well, I might be able to work with this."

The orb stopped it's quick movements and floated back down until it was eye level with Joy once more. The orb's blinding light was dimmer now, most likely so it didn't hurt her eyes.

"How about this? Let's say I could take you somewhere far far away from here, would you come?"

Joy stared at it blankly without even budging to acknowledge the orb's words.

"Okay, okay I'll elaborate a little. That was a little vague, sorry. Long story short I'm an all powerful being of creation, in most human's terms I'd be seen as a deity."

The orb let out a boisterous laugh and spun in a quick circle before continuing, "Anyway, I can give you a single wish which would cost something of important value to you in return. Well, at least that's what I'd do normally but since it's your birthday I'll give you a single wish free of charge!"

The orb spoke so casually and matter of fact it took Joy an extra couple seconds to process what it said.

'It's my birthday? Oh right…'

Joy remembered as quickly as she forgot.

'Today is my birthday, October 11th. But how did this random orb know what I had forgot?'

"Let me think you're about… 16 now right? The free wish will be your birthday present."

There was silence for a bit, the strange orb spoke no more seemingly to allow Joy to theorize on how the orb knew what it did. Before she could process more and truly think, the orb continued it's monologue.

"I know you want to go someplace better. What if I said I could take you there?"

Joy stared at the orb still, slightly fidgeting but not enough to give off a clear answer.

"Okay, I'll give you some food and water but only if you want to go, if not you're more than welcome to continue taking your final breaths. Nod for yes or turn your head away from me for no."

Joy closed her eyes for a brief moment so she could fully assess the situation.

What was the worst that could happen?

She pondered in her head for a while before realizing the worst case scenario was that the orb was just a part of her imagination in her last moments and that what she was seeing was a feeble attempt to get her to want to live again.

Deep down it was natural for her to want to live but there were many separate factors that made the simple act of living difficult for her.

Taking that into account and slightly ignoring her feeling of suspicion on why a self proclaimed deity would help her, she eventually nodded.

The orb shot up in the sky and started shouting with excitement while whizzing from left to right quickly. Joy followed the orbs strange quick movements in confusion.

The orb then stopped abruptly before giving out a sly chuckle and exclaiming, "Very well."

After it said that the orb dissolved in the air, disappearing as quickly as it seemed to appear.

A second passed by, then a minute.

Joy, now alone once more looked away from where she had last seen the orb.

She smiled thinking that the worst case scenario came true.

She gained a sliver of hope, a hope of escaping the cruel world she had fought so hard to live in. The world that she never liked, the world that she rejected and the world that rejected her.

She realized how foolish it was to give in so easily without taking real thought to her suspicions.

However, even if she believed the orb to be a figment of her imagination she still decided to take it's advice to continue taking her final breaths.

She released a deep, tired sigh before closing her eyes once more.

But before she could fully let her mind slip away she felt the rain suddenly stop.

The rain stopping wasn't necessarily strange seeing how it had been raining for about an hour but something was urging Joy to open her eyes.

She tried fighting the urge but it was a nagging feeling. It was like an itch that couldn't go away so she gave in.

She opened her eyes and as if it was instinct turned her head to the left. She saw a large plate completely covered with food, there were also 2 cups filled to the brim with water.

"I see you doubted me he he."

The orb had reappeared, now speaking in a smug tone. "Go on, eat up Joy. Once you do we'll get started!"

'Get started with what?'

She wanted to ask that but knew it to be impossible in her current state.

She stared at the orb of light with a look of relief and hesitance all in one.

A part of her felt relief that the orb's words weren't lies and it was real but another part of her was still untrusting of its true intentions.

She really couldn't believe that she didn't have to pay this 'deity' back at all. She didn't believe that she could get any wish granted without giving it anything in return at all.

She soon gave in however since the orb didn't seem to be a liar, evident by it giving her food.

That and she remembered the orbs words. It said if she ate the food it would take her away.

She could finally escape the cruel, cruel world she was sure she'd be stuck in until the day she died.

She sluggishly rose, reaching over to grab the plate. As she slowly scarfed down the food the orb quietly chuckled to itself. Joy teared up, as she cursed herself in her head.

She realized as she ate and drank that she was a fool to accept death so easily.

She should've tried harder or even broke her one rule to survive….

No, she shrugged that lost thought away.

She was happy that she didn't break her one rule to survive. Her one rule was no killing, she was fine doing anything else except that.

She pondered that if she had killed and ended up effectively taking from others, if the orb would have appeared before her if she found herself in this state like before.

After finishing Joy tried her hardest to speak but her voice was barely as loud as a whisper.

"So, what now?"

"Oh, I see you can talk now, however low it is. It'll take a while before you can speak fully. So, my plan is that I'll transport you now on one condition. I'll need you to keep your eyes closed until I call your name okay? We got a deal?"

Joy looked at the orb before looking back at her now empty plate.

She wondered how the orb would react if she said no, she still nodded yes though of course.

She didn't see a reason to refuse to do something so simple, even if in the back of her mind she had some doubts.

The orb shot up in the sky and shouted "EXCELLENT!"

It let out of shriek of pure ecstasy before speaking one last time.

"I'll need you to close your eyes when I count down to 1, okayyyy? 3…..2…..1!"