It had been a few months since his grandfather's passing and Jon had been reluctant to use the stone since that fateful day. It just seemed too powerful, too dangerous, and he felt fortunate that the only real misfortune that had come from toying around with it was a case of chronic back pain for Karyn.
Once the school year ended leaving him with a wealth of free time, the two toyed around with it some more, making simple wishes of no consequence and jotting down the results. But each use and summoning of something as simple as a cheeseburger from thin air left a queasy feeling in Jon's gut. He and Karyn would ponder all day about a 'perfect wish' that would benefit all people, but the range limitations and constant 'what ifs' and imaginings of worst case scenarios scared the both of them and cast a shadow over most of the summer. All it would take is one simple mis-wish, one mis-wording and entire universes could be upended, destroyed, and even worse, erased from all memory. It was frankly, too much power for one man which is why Jon kept it out of sight and only used in case of some existential threat,
But that wasn't enough. Jon was losing sleep and his life revolved around making sure the stone was safe, secure, and hidden. He wasn't eating and losing weight by the day, worrying his mother and Karyn immensely. It finally came to a breaking point for Jon, and in his sleep deprived state, he made the perfect wish- "I wish this stone would be out of reach of any person and would appear back in my hand when I truly need it."
Karyn stared, mouth gaping as the stone vanished with a pop from Jon's hand. "That was... really stupid Jon."
"I know... but everything seems fine, right?"
And with that, Jon collapsed into the first real sleep he had gotten since that fateful day of receiving the rock.
Well, boy howdy, wasn't that a fun way to start a story about magical hijinks? You're probably wondering, where's the thrills, the out of this world experiences, people succumbing to their basest instincts, being manipulated and twisted by their own desires if the stone's just gone? Well don't you worry you little scamps of schadenfreude, you won't be left wanting..
See, while Jon thought he had freed himself of the responsibility of mystical mischief, a giant vacuum of mana now existed in his world, pulling in all types of ethereal energies from across the plane of existence. Trinkets, artifacts, spell books, clothing, all manner of things once touched by magic, hummed to life once again. And wouldn't you know it, Jon's grandfather was a great enthusiast and grand collector of such items that would attract such a type of energy. And tomorrow, on the last Saturday of summer break, the Gibson's would be having an estate sale, finally pawning off all those 'nonsensical, worthless trinkets' to neighbors, friends, and foes alike, all for cold hard cash. Pandora's box had been opened and it was for sale, as is.
Sleep tight Jon.
Your perfect wish has given us a garage sale for the ages.
