Karyn saw that Jon was a pregnant woman again, and obviously in pain. This time he was still wearing the body paint. "I didn't mean to say the phrase again, Jon!" she yelled.
"What's going to happen this time?" said Jon. "Last time Emily was inside me and the wish for me to give birth just let us get Emily back. But this time..."
"This time," said Karyn, "it's the same wish. You go into labor and give birth, but the baby isn't Emily. It's a real baby."
"But I can't give birth. I'm... AAAAHHH! not really a woman at all. Can't you do something about this?"
"I know!" said Emily. "The photographs still work. Karyn, if you show Jon a picture of someone who isn't pregnant, Jon will turn into that. That should solve the problem."
"Sure," said Karyn. "I'll... wait. You can't reverse wishes. If I make it so Jon isn't giving birth, I'd be reversing a wish. It won't work."
"But," said Emily, "you made the wish about the pictures first. You're really reversing the picture wish with the birth wish. The picture wish takes precedence.
"Unless," replied Karyn, "each picture counts as a separate magical effect, so the wish about the birth is first. Then I'm reversing the birth wish with the picture wish, and the birth wish takes precedence. The picture will probably work, but it won't keep Jon from giving birth."
"In other words," said Jon amidst contractions, "maybe when you show me a picture, I'll turn into that completely and I won't give birth. Or maybe when you show me a picture, I'll turn into that except for the pregnancy, and I still will give birth."
"With a normal healthy labor and a normal healthy baby," said Karyn.
"Yeah. And AAAAHHH!-- which one it does depends on some technical detail about exactly what the stone considers reversing a previous wish, and we have absolutely no idea what that is."
"Right," said Karyn.
"So go ahead and show me a picture!" said Jon. "We have to find out, and it can't hurt."
Karyn reached for the Enter key to show Jon the next picture. She paused and Jon nudged her arm. "Wait a minute," she said, but Jon's nudge had made her finger hit the key, showing Jon a picture....
