I blinked and at once I was standing in Karyn's weed-less yard. At night. I looked up to see two moons overhead, a third near the horizon. I looked around to see that while the yard was there, neither Karyn nor her house were in sight. "I wish I knew why that didn't work," I said.
Nothing happened.
"Hello?" I demanded of the rock, shaking it a bit. "I wish I knew why it didn't work," I repeated.
Still nothing.
"Damn it!" I shouted in frustration. Why isn't it working? "I wish I knew why this rock isn't working!"
This time, a roar sounded from somewhere inland. From the sound, it seemed like some sort of ferocious beast. Startled, I quietly whispered to the rock, "I wish I knew what that was..."
And then, I was standing in the boat once more, staring at the book, open to page 117,649. A faded illustration of some sort of giant bear-like creature was drawn on the page with the caption: Mapinguari. "So, that's it," I muttered. I hastened to read the page.
The monster was at least six feet tall, with long claws, reptilian skin, and a second mouth in its stomach. It was slow-moving, but considered extremely dangerous to all humans. Its only weakness was an aversion to large bodies of water, so it was probably best to stay in the boat. It seemed that some woman on Earth named Vasilissa had banished the monster here with the aid of a witch who owed her a debt.
"Okay," I muttered to the stone. "You granted that wish." Sort of, anyway. The rock hadn't projected the information right into my head like it had earlier. "I wish I know," I tried out, "Why you used the book this time."
Then I knew. An earlier owner of the rock has wished that the rock would only deliver information psychically if it wasn't available otherwise. Something about unnecessary expenditures of energy. "Okay," I said. "I wish I knew why my previous wishes failed."
Nothing.
I sighed. "Alight," I said to the rock, "Is the answer in here?" I flipped through the book, looking for something on the rock. However, something else caught my eye: Inescapable Ground. I scanned the chapter.
Apparently, the place was a Bermuda Triangle. Whatever set foot on the world would be unable to leave. Ever.
I swallowed. I would never see Earth again. I would never see Karyn again, unless I wished her here. But then, she would never see home again, either.
One thing was certain, I didn't want that bear thing anywhere near me. "I wish this boat was out to sea," I mumbled, leaving the beach behind.
