I sat on the wall, holding the box and waiting for Kyle. I had kept it in my backpack all day. I knew that if I kept it in my locker, it probably wouldn't get messed with, but I didn't want to take the chance. Not with something like this.
Kyle was my best friend. We've lived next door to each other as long as we can remember. He's also one of the cutest boys I know. I've always wanted to ask him out, but I wouldn't want to risk ruining our friendship. Some things are too important. I suppose that I'm lucky. I've always known that I'm gay. And my family was supportive and understanding when I came out. But Kyle only came out to me a few months ago. He hadn't told his parents yet. Then Kyle came around the corner.
"Hey, Jon," Kyle said.
"Hey, Kyle," I said. "Did you do anything special for break?"
"The usual," he said. "Mine was good, but there's only so much skiing that a guy can do. I did finallycome out to my parents."
"That's good," I said. "How'd they take it?"
"They took it fine," said Kyle. "Dad took it better than my mom did. Dad seemed to take it just fine, but my mom seemed a bit upset. How was yours?"
"My grandpa died," I said.
"That's terrible," said Kyle. "Wasn't he just on an expedition?"
"Yeah," I replied. "They said it was heart failure."
"You don't seem so sure. So what do you think is up?" asked Kyle.
"I'm not sure if he's actually dead," I replied.
"But they had a body, didn't they?" Kyle asked.
"I'm not sure it was him," I said. "I got this in the mail. Its postdated the day he died. Its like he knew he was going to die and sent it to me beforehand." I showed him the box. It was a small, ordinary stone. A note had been included. I gave it to Kyle to read.
Dear Jon,
If you are reading this, it means that I have passed away. This stone is my legacy to you. I found it in an ancient Mayan pyramid. It is a wishing stone. All one has to do to use it is to hold it in your hand and start your wish with the phrase 'I wish,' and it will occur. You can make as many wishes as you want, but there are a few things that you should know. The wishes can not be reversed, only modified. Because you can't reverse wishes, you will have to be careful to consider any potential ramifications that may not be immediately obvious. Also, anyone who doesn't hear the wishes will believe that things had always been that way and accept it as normal. Only people who heard the wish would remember the original reality. I trust that you will learn to use this stone well. Don't be sad that I am dead. Just think of this as my next big adventure.
Your friend,
Grandpa
"Wow," said Kyle. "A real wishing stone. Have you tried it out?"
"On a few things," I said. "Mostly on stuff that I thought would be too small to make a difference. You really can't reverse wishes. Watch." I held the stone. "I wish this wall was blue." The wall became blue. "I wish this wall was green." Nothing happened. "I wish this wall was a lighter shade of blue." The wall became sky blue.
"So it really does work," Kyle said.
Just then Biff Meadows, one of the biggest jerks in school, came by. He was captain of the football team and treated almost everyone who wasn't a jock like dirt. Yet a lot of people at school either wanted to be his friend or wanted to be like him. Despite this, he was cute, and I had fantisized about having him as a boyfriend. "Why is a jerk like him so popular?" asked Kyle. "Even the girls follow him around like puppies and he treats them horribly. He just uses them for sex."
"I don't know," I replied. "Want to hang out at my place?"
"Sure," said Kyle. "Maybe we can use the stone a bit. Maybe we could take Biff down a few points, eh?"
