"Sure, Michelle," I said, "let's give it a shot. Let me see that."
"No no, Johnny-Boy," she said. "Grandpa gave it to me, so I get to play with it first. Besides, you haven't read the note Gramps left me with the stone, so you don't know how to use it."
Yes I did, I thought angrily. I'd had the stone first, however Michelle remembered it.
Michelle stood and began to pace the room. "Now let's see... what should I wish for first? Fame? Wealth? A fantastically handsome boyfriend who loves me with all his heart?" She seemed innocent, but she was definitely having fun with this... and fun with a wishing stone was dangerous. "Or maybe I could wish to become a gorgeous supermodel." She turned to me with a sly grin. "Or you... how would you like to be my beautiful cousin Joan?"
That was it. I couldn't let her do this. She was just joking, as far as I could tell, but I couldn't let her do this. I knew the cost of a careless wish. I had to get the rock from her, whatever it took. I looked at her, in her weak body, and I looked at my own stronger body, and I remembered that I'd made her a timid girl, and I knew what I had to do. I would never want to hurt her, but I wasn't afraid to scare her if I had to. She'd scared me plenty of times as Mike, after all.
"Give me that, you bitch!" I shouted, lunging toward her and trying to sound as threatening as possible. She jumped back in shock... and the stone slipped from her hands and fell to the floor with a thud. While she was paralyzed with fear, wondering what had become of her dear cousin John, I greedily grabbed the stone.
Suddenly I stepped back in horror. I looked at Michelle... she was terrified, sitting against the wall and quivering. What had I done? I'd hated Mike, but Michelle wasn't so bad... but for a moment I'd lost control of my emotions, gone mad. Maybe this thing had more power over me than I'd thought... or maybe I was just drunk on the rush of my newfound power over Michelle.
Whatever it was, it didn't matter now. I had the stone. I looked up at Michelle. "I'm sorry, Michelle," I said. I didn't mean it. I wouldn't have hurt you; I just had to get the stone from you."
"I would have given it to you," she said meekly. "Jerk."
I looked at her, feeling a little ashamed. But I could deal with that later. I looked down at the stone, trying to figure out how to best straighten this out. I couldn't reverse wishes, but I could still change things around within the parameters of what I'd already wished. I prepared a wish in my head.
"I wish I was the one grandpa gave the stone to," I said.
