Sometimes it's not the big wishes that cause problems; it's the little wishes. Jon could have caused destruction by wishing for world peace, or unleashing a powerful magical force, or endangered others in lots of ways, but he didn't. No, Jon was dying because of a simple wish designed only to help his friend.
It had seemed so simple. Jon had known that Karyn's mother had left her father, and that she barely saw him. As soon as he had used the stone to figure out that there wasn't abuse or anything similar going on that would make it a bad idea, he made his wish. "I wish that Karyn's mother and father would get back together again."
Jon looked at the rock and the person holding it, the woman named Anna who Karyn's father had been seeing. "Shoulda never used this, Jon," she said. "Shoulda done what Karyn said. 'Cause, wasn't that wish the one that started this whole mess?"
Jon stared into his killer's eyes, "Woulda, coulda, shoulda. I would make that wish a thousand times, even if I knew what was going to happen. Karyn's dad got a raw deal, and he and Karyn deserved better. Karyn's mother had no right to cheat on him, run away, and dump the man she married."
"And after Cheryl left him, was when he met me! I loved him! And he loved me! When you decided to make Cheryl and Carl get together again, that also meant you were making Carl dump me! You forced him to dump me! Using magic!"
"Anyone who'd shoot me... is worse than Karyn's mother," mumbled Jon, about to faint from loss of blood.
"What, you think magic isn't as violent as shooting, just because there's nobody lying on the floor in a pool of blood? Magic can't be resisted--it was every bit as bad as if you'd had a gun to Carl's head. You're going to die a hypocrite, I see. Cheryl dumps Carl and that's bad. But Carl dumps me... because you forced him to... and that's fine!"
"Karyn's dad and mom have a child who needs two parents. Karyn's dad and you didn't..."
"So you decided to play god with people's heads. I think you're going to die without ever understanding, Jon. I didn't shoot you because of jealousy. I shot you because you're a menace. A dangerous, dangerous, menace. If you can mind control a man who loves me to make him dump me, just so he could get back together with his ex who dumped him, what else would you do? Would you mind-control the bullies in the school? The President of the US? Would you start making people you don't like turn into bimbos, or animals, or just disappear?"
"I'd never do..." said Jon, and fainted.
"I wish Jon was awake and won't die for the next ten minutes, but that he could do nothing but speak."
Then Jon woke up again. "I'd never... never do anything like that! Anna, if you're telling me this isn't jealousy, I dare you to wish that you knew why you're really doing this."
"I wish that Jon and I knew why I'm really doing this."
And Jon realized why. Anna was telling the truth. She had a personal reason to hate Jon, of course, and she was upset that Karyn's father dumped her because of Jon's wish, but basically, she really did think Jon was a menace and really did think that killing him was the best way to stop him. Only a very little bit of it was jealousy.
"You lose," said Anna.
"Wait!" yelled Jon. "If you spare me... and it's easy to do, you just need to make a wish, I promise I'll...."
