Jon couldn't believe what he was hearing.
In its typically cheery tone, the FemCorp representative had spent fifteen minutes describing the company's general vision. In an increasingly chaotic world, the founder of the company had decided that instead of exporting armies and guns, she would send social scientists armed with the latest technology. Using science, FemCorp aimed to sooth troubled spots in the world rather than blowing them into bits.
To do that, however, its experts had to constantly test out new ideas and theories. The one being tested in Jon's town was...
Ugh, he was having a hard time even thinking about it. Fortunately, he wouldn't have to consider it for long. When the loudspeaker went quiet, he found he was able to move again, and quickly snatched the stone from the bed.
"I wish for things to go back to the way they were before I wished for something interesting to happen."
Nothing happened. He tried several variations on the wish and still... nothing. Downstairs, he heard his family moving around. Undoubtedly, they'd heard the broadcast from FemCorp as well, and given the nature of the experiment, he wasn't anticipating seeing any of them at the moment.
"Jon?" His mom was calling him.
"I wish to know why my previous wishes didn't work!"
Silence. He tapped on the rock, ignoring his mother for the moment.
When the voice came over the loudspeaker again, it startled him, though it wasn't nearly as loud as before.
"Jon," it said.
"Um. Yes?"
"Didn't you read the contract your family signed? That all the families signed? It explicitly says that the experiment cannot be interrupted, whether by normal or even magical means."
"That means my rock...?"
"Won't work. To show how serious you were, you even wished that the rock would grant no wishes for the duration of the experiment."
That was certainly a new twist. To keep things interesting, the rock had taken itself out of the game.
"So I have no choice but to cooperate?"
"Precisely," the voice said. "And really, will it be that bad?"
A click told him that however was on the other end of the loudspeaker had gone. Furious with himself, he put the rock back into the drawer, then turned around to find his mother at the bedroom door.
He sighed. "You heard?"
His mom nodded. She was still wearing her robe. "Why don't you come downstairs and we'll discuss it?"
