The Monkey Paw

There's this ghost/horror story that I heard in my childhood that my mom called to remind me of this morning. It's about a monkey paw. Have you heard this one?

A man somehow acquires a monkey paw that you can wish upon. Whatever you wish on the monkey paw, it comes true. But everyone warns the man: Don't wish on the monkey paw. He doesn't heed their warning and wishes on the monkey paw anyway. Whatever he wishes, his wish is granted, but something goes wrong in order to grant that wish. Finally, he wishes for $500,000. As soon as he's finished wishing, the phone rings and he and his wife are informed that their son has died. But they are the beneficiaries of his life insurance policy and will be receiving $500,000. Obviously the man and wife are distraught. Later, while still mourning the death of their son, the wife finds the monkey paw and wishes to have her son back. The story ends as the son rises from the grave and comes after his parents zombie-style.

(I got the details a little wrong, but here's the actual story.)

So why did my mom call me to remind me about this story this morning? Well, yesterday I was officially diagnosed with gestational diabetes. And because my mom only bought a one-way ticket to come out for Christmas this year (the baby is due January 4th), she's been wishing and wishing that I won't go past my due date (she said she went 2 weeks over with all but one of us). And she just read on the internet that they don't allow women with gestational diabetes to go past their due date because there's a risk that the baby will grow too big.

I hope my mom doesn't wish for me to get lots of good rest, because for sure something else will go wrong and I'll end up on bed rest for the duration of the pregnancy!