Oh, no, thought Princess Charity as she heard the heavy footsteps of Prince Karl followed by the lighter ones of her sister. Sure enough, the dashing prince and the-now-less well endowed princess rounded the corner. Prince Karl's eyes turned on her intently. They know! Princess Charity's heart skipped a beat.
Then it skipped another as Prince Karl swept Charity into his arms and kissed her deeply.
"There you are!" The prince said breathlessly when they were finished. "I've been looking all over for you." Purity skipped out of the room with a jealous glance, but otherwise made no complaint. What in God's name is going on? Charity wondered. Then she remembered her wish. I wish I had a figure like that. Then perhaps Karl would notice me instead of that stuck-up waif Purity. Yes, that's it! The wish wasn't just for this new figure, but for Prince Karl to notice me. But why don't they realize anything is different? Purity had acted as if everything were normal.
But the prospect of another kiss quickly helped her determine not to care. "I've been looking for you too, my love," She replied. Then, deciding to push her luck, she whispered "Why don't we go to my bedchamber?" To her delight, Karl agreed.
Charity sighed contentedly in the afterglow of enjoying Karl in ways she was delighted to think Purity had never had the chance to. He had since left her bedchamber on some business or another, but she really didn't care. She had him at last and she knew that thanks to her wish she could have him again whenever she wanted, with Purity none the wiser. Which, now that she thought of it, was really taking some of the joy out of this. No matter. I might be able to fix that later, She thought wickedly.
Turning over in her bed, she heard an odd crunch. Pulling the source of the sound out from underneath her, she found an odd, crumpled piece of paper. This must have appeared here when that stone did, She realized.
*Dear Jon,
If you are reading this, it means I have passed on. Do not mourn my leaving; although we shall no longer be able to spend time together, be happy knowing that where I am now is just a new start and a different perspective than before and that I shall just look at it as my next great adventure.
The stone you find in this box is my legacy to you. Treat it with care, it does not look much, but has immense power. I have entrusted it to you, as my favourite grandson and friend, to be its keeper and guardian now that I am gone.
I found the stone on my latest expedition to South America and I believe it to be of Incan origin. How it works, or where it came from beyond that, I have no idea. All I can tell you is how it works and trust you to use it wisely.
Bear with me on this next bit; I know it sounds fantastic, but trust me when I tell you that I am telling the truth. All I say is real and it will not take much experimentation for you to prove it.
While holding the stone against your flesh (I recommend just holding it in your hand as the simplest approach), simply use the words 'I wish' followed by whatever it is you want the stone to do. There is no limit to the number of times you can do this, as far as I can divine, but beware for the words of a wish can be reinterpreted but not changed once the breath is over. The stone has great power, but is not unlimited. Changes made will be as if it has always been so, apart from for those within earshot of the wish or out of the range of influence of the stone. This range I estimate at several miles, but I fear I have not been able to determine an exact figure.
I must go now. Use the gift I have given you wisely, and think of me often.
Your friend, always,
Grandpa.*
Princess Charity shivered in delight when she finished reading. She really couldn't care less who this "Jon" person was. Probably just some poxy peasant, She thought. But knowing precisely how the stone worked had filled her with a new boldness. New pleasures, plans, and retributions began filling her head as she thought of what she could do with her new found power. But one idea inevitable rose to the forefront.
Yes, She thought. I know just what to do with this.
