Jon thought about all the hard work his mother had to do to keep the family together. Not only that, all the hard work his older sister, Barbara had to do to cover when their mother couldn't be there. For a long time he had longed for a way to make their lives easier. Now that he had the stone, he could.
"I wish," he said, holding the stone tightly in his hand, "that our house was fully automatic, that it would cook, clean, organize, and do everything to take care of our needs."
The stone flashed, temporarily blinding Jon. When his eyes cleared, he saw that his room was far bigger than it had been previously. There were no wooded doors, but stainless steel portals, one for his closet, one for an exit into the hallway, and a mysterious third one, probably for an en suite. His bed was expertly made, his desk was organized, everything was in its place.
The hallway portal slid open and young Zoe ran in.
"Jon!" she whined, "Barbara won't let me pick a game for tonight!"
Jon smiled at his younger sister. At least the wish hadn't changed her. "Well, it is Barbara's turn, you know."
"I know, but she always picks BORING games!" she smiled an impish grin, "I'm the best at picking, anyway."
"Well, you can pick next week, alright?"
"Okay," she said, "Supper's not for another 30 minutes. Can I play with your closet?"
Jon didn't know what that question meant, so he said she could, then went off to explore the en suite portal. The bathroom was immaculate. Shiny clean surfaces, air fresh, spacious; it was perfect. The shower had nine heads, each hitting the body in a different angle. The toilet automatically flushed, then washed the seat as soon as you stood up. The mirror had a feature to show you different hairstyles virtually imposed over your reflection so that you could decide how you wanted to look that day. It was amazing.
Leaving the bathroom, he found that he was once again alone in his room. Zoe, being young and easily distracted, had obviously gone off to do something else. Curious about what she had been talking about, he crossed to the closet door which opened with a SWOOSH! It was dark inside, so he stepped in, assuming that the lights would turn on as soon as he was inside. Instead of lights, however...
