Tomorrow was a new day and there was only one way to find out what it would bring...
Unfortunately, tomorrow didn't come. Sometime in the middle of the night, the town suddenly froze in its tracks...and time began to run backward as a strange reddish metallic stone glowed in its box. Unknown to the sleepy town, yesterday was about to come again...only it would be different this time.
And so it begins again...
Karyn strolled across the yard toward her best friend, Jon, excited to see him.
It had been such a crazy time without him, it was great to have him back.
She found him sitting on a wall at the edge of the schoolyard...one of their usual places. He had a nervous, yet impatient look on his face, obviously waiting for her. Jon was a great guy, but he could be way too serious sometimes. He was kind of cute, and even fun when he relaxed, but they'd never been anything but friends. And it wasn't like he'd ever made a move or anything...
"Hey, Jon-boy," she said, leaping effortlessly up onto the wall to sit next to him. "How's it going? Good break?"
He smiled back at her. "Well, you know...mountain vacation with the family. Maybe next year they'll let me stay home with you."
"You wouldn't have had so much fun here," Karyn said. "My grandfather died."
The smile disappeared from Jon's face. She was acting so normal, what was up with that? "What? He wasn't that old, was he? I thought he was off on one of his expeditions just a few months ago."
"Heart attack," Karyn said, shrugging. "But," she said, lowering her voice. "I think...maybe he's not really dead."
Jon stared at her. "Umm...what? There was a body...wasn't there? He's not...missing?"
"Yes, but...I got this package from him just after he died. Like an inheritance." She held it up. It was a fairly uninteresting box, about one inch by four and an inch deep, made of plain dark wood with a few obscure markings carved into it.
Then she opened it. Jon expected something...well, mysterious inside. Instead, was a rather crumpled piece of paper and a rather unusual, if plain-looking, stone. The stone was slightly metallic, rather like haematite, but with a reddish hue to its surface, rounded, flattish and about an inch across.
*Dear Karyn,
If you are reading this, it means I have passed on. Do not mourn my leaving; although we shall no longer be able to spend time together, be happy knowing that where I am now is just a new start and a different perspective than before and that I shall just look at it as my next great adventure.
The stone you find in this box is my legacy to you. Treat it with care, it does not look much, but has immense power. I have entrusted it to you, as my favorite granddaughter and friend, to be its keeper and guardian now that I am gone.
I found the stone on my latest expedition to South America and I believe it to be of Incan origin. How it works, or where it came from beyond that, I have no idea. All I can tell you is how it works and trust you to use it wisely.
Bear with me on this next bit; I know it sounds fantastic, but trust me when I tell you that I am telling the truth. All I say is real and it will not take much experimentation for you to prove it.
While holding the stone against your flesh (I recommend just holding it in your hand as the simplest approach), simply use the words 'I wish' followed by whatever it is you want the stone to do. There is no limit to the number of times you can do this, as far as I can divine, but beware for the words of a wish can be reinterpreted but not changed once the breath is over. The stone has great power, but is not unlimited. Changes made will be as if it has always been so, apart from for those within earshot of the wish or out of the range of influence of the stone. This range I estimate at several miles, but I fear I have not been able to determine an exact figure.
I must go now. Use the gift I have given you wisely, and think of me often.
Your friend, always,
Grandpa.*
Jon looked at her. "You can't be serious," he said. "There's no such thing as magic or wish granting stones. If this is some kind of joke, Karyn, it isn't a very good one."
"I know it sounds nuts, but I tried it. It works."
Jon looked at her seriously. "Well, prove it."
"I will," she said, grasping the stone in her hand. "What color is your shirt?"
Jon looked down. "Grey," he said.
"I wish that Jon had put on a blue t-shirt today," she said. Karyn was used to the sensation by now; it was like momentarily getting something in your eye, forcing you to be unable to look at the object the wish was affecting. Jon was obviously a little taken aback by the strange sensation.
"That was...weird," he said.
"Look at your shirt," she said, grinning.
He did, and nearly fell off the wall. "It does work!" He said.
"It just can't turn back," she said. "I wish Jon had put on a black shirt today." Nothing happened. "Can't reverse it. Only modify it. "I wish the blue shirt Jon was wearing had long sleeves," she said. And suddenly it did. "You see what sort of fun we can have with this?"
"Or what trouble," Jon said. "What if we make a wish we can't get out of? I think you should lock it up. It's too dangerous."
"Wait...I have the most amazing thing ever, and you want me to get rid of it." She frowned. He was right about it being dangerous if someone got hold of it. "How about we try it out for a bit? If nothing bad happens, you loosen up a little."
Jon nodded, reluctantly. "Can I look at it for a moment?"
