"Is something the matter?" asked Megan. "You look like you're all shaken up over something. Did something happen?"
"You're right something happened, Megan," said Jon. "I need to find a stone, about so big, reddish colored, rounded. It's very important. You mentioned I still had it."
"What's so important about this---"
"You wouldn't believe me," said Jon. "Not unless I show you."
"Uh, right," said Megan.
Jon searched around the room and soon found the stone in its box, under the bed. "I really messed things up, and I'm going to have to fix it in the most direct way I can. I wish that Karyn was here."
Megan screamed as Karyn appeared in the room. And, she noticed, Karyn was surprised by being teleported--but not at all shocked. Something was seriously wrong. "Karyn," said Megan, "you have something to do with this?"
"Jon," said Karyn, ignoring Megan, "you just made me disappear in front of Zoe. You know she's older too."
"She's what? And what's with the clothes? Sigh. I wish that I was with you two and Zoe in here, and that we both had plenty of time to talk, and that nobody else noticed anything strange."
Zoe appeared in the room. She looked around in panic and fled for the door, but Jon stood in her way.
"I wish," said Jon, "that you all knew what this stone does, and what wishes I just made with it."
Neither Megan nor Zoe fainted. But they came rather close. Then Megan slapped Jon on the face. Followed by Zoe, only Zoe hit him hard enough to really hurt.
"What was that for?"
"You're not my boyfriend!" said Megan. "I just think you are. We never had sex--you just gave me a mind implant that makes me think we did. You betrayed me! And there's some guy I used to be in love with and we haven't even heard of each other now, I bet. Remember when I had the flu and you came to help me do things when I was sick? No, of course you don't. That's a lie, it's just your magic rock. I just think you helped me. You're such a big part of my life that if that all never happened I don't even know what my life really is!"
"Jon!" yelled Zoe. "You took five years of my life! Remember that art project I did for the school fair? You don't, because I never did it. The whole thing's the imagination of a piece of rock. I never really met Jack last year. Do you remember when I shoplifted that flashlight from the hardware store last Christmas? I didn't. It wasn't my fault at all. I didn't even do anything wrong, because it never happened, but everyone thinks I did. And a couple of days ago, when I got a C on my trig test there's no way I could have studied any harder, because none of that really happened. A whole chunk of my life is completely fake. And poor Mom and Dad... five years older and they don't notice..."
Karyn looked at Jon as if to indicate some unspoken sign that they were in trouble. Zoe recognized the glance--one which according to her memories she might have given Karyn, but which Jon never did.
"What have I done, Karyn?" said Jon.
