"I was just laughing at the idea of you being able to see what changed," replied Karyn. "I didn't change anything you can see."
"What?"
"The only change I made to you, Jon, was mental, so you can't see it. And you'd think it's normal anyway. If I wish that you like spinach, you'd think you always liked spinach."
"Wouldn't that still change some other things?"
"Of course it would. If I made you like spinach, you might have more spinach in the cabinet at home. If I made you a Star Trek fan, you might have some Star Trek DVDs, or have different friends who are fans, or something like that. But all I changed about you personally was some aspect of your mind."
"Well, what did you change?"
"Silly! I can't just tell you!"
"You mean you want me to go around with some kind of altered thought process and not know what changed? What if I do something I'd regret later, like making a permanent wish?"
"You won't, Jon. I thought of that. If my change to your mind leads you to wish for something unusual that you wouldn't wish for normally, it'll reverse at the same time your mental state reverses."
"When's that?"
"Whenever I want."
"And you won't tell me what the change was?"
"Jon, we are experimenting, right? Anyway, here's your stone back." She handed Jon the stone.
Jon looked at the stone. He didn't know if it was a wish or not--though it seemed very normal to him--but he wanted to...
