“I wish that neither of you ever again can get within 5 feet of the stone,” Jon said. “In case you had the bright idea of vengeance at the end of this.”
“Hon, I’m sorry, but please don’t get, get carried away with this…” his mother begged.
“Are you sorry? Is that remorse or just fear?”
“Of, of course, it’s not, just, fear.”
“But you are afraid. And it’s justified. But I’m not going to subject you to any horrifying transformations, you just get to be young again for 2 days. But you know what, I don’t know what to believe. I wish you would never lie to me ever again mom. Both of you, I wish Karyn would never lie to me ever again either.”
“Jon,” his mother whimpered, “no time limit?”
“Oh did you want to make a habit of lying to your son?” Jon asked.
“Yes!” his 10 year old mother shouted out, before her eyes went wide at the realization at what she said.
“Do you really love me mom?”
“No, I really wish I had a girl instead, you remind me so much of your father, and I resent you for not being what I wanted my child to be,” his mother said, crying.
It kind of hurt actually hearing it. Maybe it would have been better not knowing, Jon thought. “Would you rather we just go our separate ways mom? Just to be rid of me?”
“No!” his mom sobbed.
“All right,” Jon said in relief. “So you do care for me, but maybe love is just too strong a word.”
“Only a little bit, I’m mostly attached to you because you’ve been with me for a long time and I don’t like change, but if you left me, I wouldn’t get any more child support payments from your father, and even though I don’t really like you very much, you’re all I’ve got and I’d be so lonely!”
“Well that clarifies things,” Jon said sourly. “How would you like to get to live in a mansion with millions of dollars and a girl version of me who thinks she has always been your daughter and a robot butler that will obey your every order and never break down, as well as 5 very affectionate cats, which the butler would feed and change the litter boxes of?”
“That sounds pretty good, but I would still feel so guilty and ashamed since you know the truth,” his mom whimpered.
“Not to worry mom, I wish you would get that life I just described with the girl me and the mansion and the butler and and the cats and you would forget about everything that happened since you made your first wish with the rock and think that everything was great,” Jon said.
His mother disappeared.
“I wish for a robot android mother that would look just like my real mother but would actually love me and that I would forget she wasn’t my real mother and forget the last few minutes.”
A 10 year old girl, or rather a terminator style cyborg looking like one, appeared in the room.
“Oh no, mom, is that you? How did this happen to you?” Jon asked in confusion.
“Oh son, your old mom just wished to be young again, don’t you worry about that,” the robot said convincingly in Jon’s mother’s voice.
“Oh mom, you weren’t old, but if this is what you want, I don’t mind. Whatever makes you happy.”
“I love you son,” his terminator robot childlike mother said adoringly. “Don’t forget I’m still your mother and I’ll always be there for you.”
“Damn, you’re just too cute, this is pretty weird for me. Whatever just happened is all a blur to me, but I feel like I need a break,” Jon said as he walked out of the room, leaving the stone behind on the floor.
If Karyn could make a sound without her activation button being pressed, she would have yelled in frustration.
Jon’s new childlike robot mother stepped over to Karyn, now an inanimate plush toy raccoon that couldn’t move and could only speak for 4 seconds after a button on her back was pressed. She picked Karyn up, and looked coldly into her even more lifeless plastic eyes.
“You, however, Karyn Scott, I do not love. After what you just did, you are clearly not worthy of my precious, precious boy. Anyone who threatens his well-being, is in for a world of regret.” She took a few more steps, leaned over and picked up the stone.
