I sat in my room, completely blown away by the encounter I'd just had with my mother, and staring at the rock, turning it over in my hands. I knew there had to be a way to make the situation better, but God help me I was almost afraid to try. I mean, Karyn's wish, in the grand scheme of things, was relatively small. A few changes to her appearance, and look at the consequences it had brought down on us. I was begining to think that using this stone at all had been a mistake.
I heard the door open downstairs and shut abruptly, and wondered what was going on. I walked over to the window, setting the stone down on my nightstand, and tried to get a look at what was going on. I couldn't see much. My room doesn't offer the best view of the front door, but I could tell that Karyn was down there. She looked nervous, shifting from side to side, and it didn't take a rocket scientist to figure out she was talking to my mother.
Why did things have to get so screwed up? I watched for a moment or two, until Karyn turned and walked away, and then went back to my bed. I was starting to worry about her more and more. How much had her life been affected by those accidental words. I picked the stone up and sat back down.
There had to be a way to make this right. Or at least better than it was, but I'd have to choose my words carefully. Finally, after what seemed like an eternity, I finally came up with something.
I held the stone tightly, and was about to make my wish when my bedroom door opened...
