I am Joseph miller , age 27 . I work at White swan hotel , which worth more than 20 million Canadian dollars . The building of this hotel is like a skyscraper , having about 11 floors . It is one of the best luxurious hotel in Canada , which is only preferred by the affluent section of the society as the prices they charge are kind of exorbitant .

I acquired my degree of bachelors of business administration in hotel management about 3 years ago from a university . Now , you might be wondering that what work I do here ? I am doorman . I open and hold the door when people come inside the hotel . It is just a monotonous work because I literally do the same thing everyday again and again , watching customers coming in wearing splendid clothes and bragging about things they have . However , this job isn't that boring as standing near the door , I feast my eyes on the beautiful lavish garden , which has rose , lily , orchid and daffodils .Besides that , there is a angel shaped fountain , which jets water into the air as high as 130 foot . I see customers coming inside , birds flying from one place to another , cars passing by the entrance gate , ants collecting food and going back to their underground tunnels .I see everything moving from here to there , but i remain stationary .

I loathe those customers who just enter the hotel , ignoring me and not responding to me when I greet them politely , but I think I can't do anything . I am a doorman after all .

The manager of this hotel always boss around and teach everyone how to do things , but I don't think he is capable of doing even a single thing he says . He is just a hypocrite . A big fat hypocrite . I always crack jokes about his belly and bald head . Now , you might be thinking that with whom I share these jokes ? I tell my jokes to myself , I talk to myself and laugh inwardly . I can't say anything on the manager's face as I am a doorman after all .

However , there is no point in laughing inwardly because I know all the customers , staff members and the manager laugh at me . They think that my life is terrible , I am a loser , I am an underpaid worker , who works from 9 to 5 , goes back to his home and comes back to work the other day . My life is repetitive , I feel as if I am living in circles , I am doing the same thing everyday again and again . However , I want to change my life and I know that I will .

Year 2018 , at 5 :00 pm , my work was completed . So , I got in a bus and headed towards my tiny home in Brampton , Ontario , Canada .It was a gloomy weather that day , but it wasn't as gloomy as my life . My house is just 1 BHK , but I live only with my wife , so I think that is just sufficient . I have a small house , but my wife don't complain . I am poor , but my wife don't care about money . Everyone calls me a loser , but for my wife , I am the winner who won her heart . Due to my financial problems , she works at a nearby grocery store for 8 hours everyday . I think every poor family has to do such things to keep body and soul together. When I entered my house , my doting wife was waiting for me . She made scrumptious poutine for me , a dish which originated from Quebec . Here , in Canada , everyone loves eating this , especially me . I saw electricity bill lying on the table , it was really high if I compare it with my monthly income . How can a person live a decent life with a miniscule budget ? I don't know because I don't have a decent life .

The only thing I know is that it's 8:00 pm and it's time for my favourite TV show . I sat on the sofa and turned the TV on . However , the telecast of that show was cancelled due to some problems . I kept changing channels to find something interesting , but all I could see was cooking shows , boring political news , melodrama and few movies that I had already watched hundreds of time . Then , I saw channel no . 404 ' Maxini Tv ' . I never knew that such a channel even existed , maybe they added a new channel recently . All I could see was a blank white screen and nothing else . That was kind of bizarre .

Throwing my head back to the sofa , I stretched my arms and yawned . All of a sudden , I heard an eerie noise , but I didn't knew from where it was coming . I looked around if someone was calling , but there wasn't anyone at all .

"Hey ! you , look over here . Not there , see here , you airhead . I am in the TV ." Maxini said with a deep voice (from TV)

I looked at the TV , I felt as if the guy in the TV was talking to me . He was a guy with brown hair and had a serious look on his face .I came closer to the TV screen and looked closely .

"Damn , don't come that close , what are you trying to do ? I will call the cops if your planning something wrong ." Maxini said

Are you talking to me ? I asked

"Yes , airhead , you . I can't see anyone else in the room , so it's obvious duh ." the person said

I am not getting it , what is happening ? I asked

" Okay , listen . I am Maxini and I will grant you 3 wishes . So be careful to not waste any of them as I am not going to give you a 4th one ." Maxini said

So , are you like a genie ? I asked

Maxini said " No , no , no . You airhead , I'm not genie . That's kind of outdated these days. I am Maxini , the modern version of that . I don't like the old one , who gets summoned when a person rubs a lamp , it's just obsolete now . I come and go whenever and wherever I want through invisible microwaves present in the air . So , I can get inside any electronic device ."

" I can't believe what is happening . I think , I am tired and maybe I ought to take rest ." I said

" Okay , I don't care . I will go to someone else's TV ."

I thought in my mind " The situation wherein I am is inconceivable , but I think there isn't any harm in trying . I contemplated and thought what I need the most in my life . Money , of course . What else do I need ? maybe a big house , but wait I can buy a house with money . I wouldn't waste my wish like that , I need to think about something that money can't buy .Respect and love can't be purchased by money . Yeah , I have decided now .I will be respected by everyone if I am a manager and then and no one will call me a loser again .As for love , I think i want to be with my wife for my whole life ."

" So , what are your 3 wishes ? " Maxini asked

I said " My First wish is to have a lot of money , Second wish is to become a manager and Third wish is to be with my wife forever and ever ."

" Okay , all wishes are granted . Bye , airhead ." Maxini said

Maxini was on the screen , but when I blinked my eyes , he was gone and there was written NO SIGNAL on the TV . I was so exhausted that I slept on the sofa .

Next day , morning , I woke up by the ear piercing sound of the alarm clock . I turned off the alarm and looked outside the window , it felt as if it was a normal day . I saw a sticky note with a big smiley on it pasted on the refrigerator , which stated - "I am going for work to the grocery store . I left milk , cereal and toasted bread on the table for breakfast ."

I opened the door and looked outside , but didn't saw anything out of the ordinary . I was expecting a parcel outside my door with thousands of dollars inside it . I checked the mail box in search of finding a letter pertaining to a prize ,but there was nothing but a reminder to repay my bank loan . Maybe whatever I saw yesterday was just a lucid dream .

I heard that my phone was ringing , so I rushed inside my room and answered it .

" Hi , i am chairman of White swan hotel . Am I talking to Joseph ?"

I was stunned , I wasn't able to comprehend why a chairman of such a luxurious hotel is directly calling me .I thought in my mind " I am just a doorman . Did the manager complained about me ? However , a chairman wouldn't call me for such a trivial matter ."

Chairman said " Hey , are you on the line ? "

I replied with a trembling voice " Y.. y... yes , sir ."

" Okay, now listen .I have kicked out the previous manager . Henceforth , you are appointed as the new manager of our hotel . So , you better hurry up and go to the hotel ."

I wasn't able to believe what I heard , maybe Maxini really existed . I dumped my old doorman clothes into the dustbin and wore a formal dress which was suitable for a manager . I was on the ninth cloud that day , really I can't express my happiness in words . Now that , I realised that I am going to be wealthy , I hailed a taxi to go to the White swan hotel because now bus was lower according to my standards . Soon , I will buy a luxurious car of my own .

I reached the hotel and walked with panache towards the entry gate . I looked at the reception , but no one was there . Perhaps , the receptionist is absent today . But I don't care , I will kick her out . I am a manager after all . I can do that , right ? I looked at the right side , there was the manager's room . . . . . sorry there was my room . I entered and saw the name plate ' Joseph miller (Hotel manager). ' I sat on the adjustable office chair , which was made of black coloured leather . It was so comfortable and soft unlike my hard plastic chair that I have at my house .

I sat there and kept waiting and waiting , but no one came inside my office . I was expecting some subordinates moving around me like puppies and asking me to feed them (to promote them / to increase their salary). I walked to the hall and looked around , but there was no customer , no staff member , no one , not even a single soul . What's the point in becoming a manager ,when there is nothing to manage . Probably , it is a public holiday , but I wasn't aware of that at all .

My phone started ringing , I picked up the phone and said " hello "

An unknown person asked " Are you Joseph miller ? "

" Yes , what happened ? " I said

The unknown person replied " I am the owner of the grocery store where your wife works . I am sorry , but your wife .... she .....she .... she is dead . She was putting some packets of chips on the shelves and she felt a burning sensation in her heart . That was actually a heart attack , I called the ambulance ; however , when they arrived , they said that she was already dead .

When I heard those lines , my whole body felt numb . I felt as if the ground shuddered and tore apart , thereby swallowing me deeper and deeper inside it .

I never wished my wife to die . I just don't know what is happening . I stood near a bus stop , I think that's what I deserve . While I was waiting , I saw people looking at me with a sinister face and grinning . Thereafter , bus arrived and I entered it ; I looked around to find a seat . Everyone person seating in the bus was having an evilish look on their face , even the driver was having the same face ; nevertheless , I sat on a seat , pretending as if I'm not seeing them . When I reached my destination , I frantically rushed outside and ran towards the hospital to meet my wife .

I saw here lifeless body in front of me . Few days after , I attended my wife's funeral and went back to my house . I wasn't able to understand why this all is happening . I turned on the TV in order to talk with Maxini . While changing the channels with the remote , my hands were trembling with fear . I kept changing the channels 400 , 401 , 402 , 403 , 405 . where is channel 404 ? I asked myself . I called customer service too , but they said that a channel named Maxini TV never existed .

At that time , i heard knocking of the door . I opened the door and saw a person standing in front of me.

" Hi , I am from insurance company . Actually , I wanted to talk about your wife's demise .We were informed that she passed away , so the insurance claim you'll get is $5,00,000" He said

I didn't wanted the money anymore .It's just shameful to take money when my wife died , but on the second thought I took the money . Was that a right choice ? i am poor and lived in miserable conditions for my whole life , I think this is acceptable . Right ? Does this action of mine shows that I am not a human anymore ? I think what I did makes me more like a human because they give more importance to money than a human life . Correct me if I am wrong .

I planned to build a big house in Toronto and this time I was having sufficient money too , but I don't have my wife anymore . I don't know if I should be happy because now I'm rich or sad because now I'm alone . Few months , later the construction of my house started .It was the 14th day of construction , so the builders were working on making the 2nd floor . Trucks laden with bricks and iron rods arrived at the construction site . I was also present there , watching my house being created . The workers started placing bricks above bricks , spreading cement on the top of every brick , just like a baker spreads cream on a cake . Iron rods were being lifted to the second floor .At the ground level , where I was standing , I saw a worker mixing cement , sand , stones and water with a shovel . He kept stirring and stirring .It was so satisfying to my eyes , I was so engrossed in watching it that the whole world around me stopped . A builder was looking at me and he saw saying something , but it was inaudible . Later , 5-6 workers started looking at me , but I don't know what is happening . I felt as if I clicked the mute button on my remote , all of them were shouting in an inaudible way . I was able to see their lip movement , but I wasn't able to listen anything . I looked on the ground and I saw a shadow , it was getting bigger and bigger as if something was dropping from the sky . I looked and saw dozens of iron rods approaching me , maybe the crane that was lifting it lost the balance . Within few milliseconds , my life . . . . . . my life . . . . . finished .

Did my 3 wishes got fulfilled ?

Am I a manager ? Yes , I am

Am I rich ? Yes , I am

Am I with my wife ? Yes , I am