A sparkling ring caught his eye. It was simple silver, with three green stones set in a triangle shape. He looked at it closely in the display case, when he heard a voice come from behind him.
"See something you like?" The voice said. Jake spun around to see a guy close to his age standing there. He had a name tag, which read "Jon".
"Yeah," Jake replied. "I kinda like this ring. I think my girlfriend would love it."
"Oh, she probably would. And so would you, I reckon."
"What do you mean?"
"That is the Ring of Three. Not only is it extremely beautiful, but it grants the wearer extraordinary power."
"Yeah? Like what?"
"Simply wear the ring, then point the stones at your intended target. Say three words, or commands, and they become true as applied to that person. You can change their body, their mind, or both. But be careful. It only works with three-word phrases, and you can only use it on any one person up to three times. After that, it's useless on them. So what do you say?"
"I say you sound like a nutjob. But it is a cool looking ring, so I guess I'll take it."
Jake paid for the ring and left the store. A magic ring he thought. Of all the ridiculous things. Still, he felt a bit curious. He removed the ring from its case and looked closely at it. There was something almost hypnotic about it. He slipped it on his finger. I guess it's worth a try, he said, scanning the mall for a potential target.
