Jon walked briskly down the street, the chill air of an early spring evening nipping at his exposed neck and his breath clouding around his face. He turned the corner and soon his house was in view, the lights warm and welcoming against the dusk. But the normalcy of the sight did nothing to alleviate the knot in his stomach. He paused, taking a deep breath before opening the door and stepping inside.
Entering the living room, the first oddity hit him - his father sat on the couch, engrossed in Iron Chef, not the sports he was usually hooked on.
"Dad?" Jon said, hesitating on the threshold of the room. "Since when do you watch Iron Chef?"
His father, who was usually exuberant in his appreciation for competitive sports, looked at him blankly for a second. "Well, I figured I'd change it up a bit," he shrugged. "It's actually pretty exciting."
Jon blinked. That was unexpected but not completely out of the realm of possibility. His dad did enjoy food after all. However, the real shock was waiting for him in the dining room.
Turning the corner, he stopped dead in his tracks at the sight in the dining room. His mom, Linda, was dressed in shorts and a pink t-shirt that Jon was pretty sure belonged to his sister. His younger brother, Mikey, was also there, wearing their mother's skirt blouse and shoes, a sight so unusual that it took Jon a few seconds to register. It was the look on their faces that disturbed him the most. Linda was giggling like a schoolgirl while Mikey wore a mix of resignation and horror.
"Mom, Mikey... what's going on here?" he asked, trying to keep his voice steady.
"Playing dress-up!" Linda said with an innocent giggle.
"I... I can't help it," Mikey muttered, looking down at his strange attire. "I didn't want to, but..."
Jon nodded. It was just as he'd suspected. Stacy. The wish. The new neighbor was no mere six-year-old, she was a force to be reckoned with. And yet she was just a pawn in this, as clueless as his mother and brother. He'd caused this with his careless wish. But what could he do to set it right?
"Jon, do you want to play with us?" Stacy asked, looking up with wide, innocent eyes.
Jon swallowed hard. He had no idea how to deal with this, but he had to try. For his family, and for his own sanity. "No, Stacy," he said, forcing a smile. "I'm actually really tired. I think I'm going to bed," It wasn't the smoothest lie, but maybe little Stacy would buy it.
"But Jon," Stacy protested, "You just got home."
"I know," Jon said, "But I had a really long day. Maybe another time, okay?"
Without waiting for an answer, Jon turned and quickly retreated upstairs. He closed his bedroom door behind him and leaned against it, taking deep breaths. He felt a mixture of fear and guilt. He knew this was all due to him making that wish earlier on his wishing stone.
As he dug out the box containing the stone, he knew he needed to be careful. He didn't want Stacy, or anyone else for that matter, to know about his wishing stone. Karyn was the only other person who knew about it, and he intended to keep it that way.
