A now eight year old Jon was stunned. Karyn, the room, and everything in it had grown substantially larger.
"Oh dear. I'm sorry Jon. I guess I got a little carried away. Let me compose myself a moment and ..."
"Compose yourself!" Jon screamed. "Gimme the stone."
Just then the door opened and Jon's mother walked in. "Goodness, what is all the racket young man. It was very nice of Karyn to stop by here to play with you and here you are acting up. Thank you for watching him for me Karyn, but I'll certainly understand if you'd like to go now with Jon acting so rudely."
Karyn was slowly coming to realize that instead of having to make impossible explanations, somehow Jon's age was normal and only she and Jon knew any different. "Uh, that's ok Mrs. Stevenson I don't mind."
This was too much for Jon. Figuring he could fix things once he had the stone, he pounced on Karyn's arm and pried the stone free. Smiling with glee, he stared intently at the stone preparing to wish when ..."
"Jon Michael Stevenson!!!" Shouted his mother. "What in the world?" she wondered. Grabbing Jon's arm in a grip of iron, she plucked the stone from his small hand and shook it in front of his face. "A rock, a silly rock! All this fuss about a rock. I don't know what's gotten into you all of a sudden."
"It's my rock!", Jon wailed reaching for the stone.
Looking apologetically at Karyn, Jon's mother sighed and said, "I don't know what he finds so interesting about this rock. I wish he would leave it alone." Jon's mother placed the stone on the shelf above his bed. She didn't see the shocked looks that passed over Jon and Karyn's faces. "Karyn, would you like to stay for dinner? If you don't mind being put to work in the kitchen, you could make the salad while I finish up. We're having pork chops"
"Mom, Karyn is ..." Jon started.
"You young man, are interrupting!" Jon's mother said. "I wasn't speaking to you. In fact you can go get your bath."
"Mom, I.."
"Now young man!", Jon's mother said as she swatted his bottom and pushed him out the door to the bath.
Smirking to herself, Karyn said, "I'd love to Mrs Stevenson", as she followed Jon's mother down to the kitchen.
