The Monkey's Paw

A family comes into possession of a magical monkey's paw which has the power to grant its owners three wishes. For their first wish they ask for a large sum of money. At first nothing seems to happen, but then, some time later, the son is killed at work, mangled beyond recognition as he gets caught in some machinery. The exact sum of money wished for comes in the form of the son's life insurance policy.

Days later,after the son has been buried, his mother who is totally distraught with her son's death, wishes him brought back to life. The son is given life again, but in the same condition he lay in the ground. As the son claws at the front door of the house trying to get in, his father realising the situation, wishes the son back to the grave, and destroys the monkey's paw in a fire.

The moral of the story? We, as human beings, can't comprehend the consequences of what we wish for; what we pray for; or what we summon magic for. We can unintentionally cause terrible things to happen by forcing something we so much want to happen, or getting it to occur by magical means. So watch out ... you may get what you wish for and also receive unknown consequences because of that wish.