Jon, sandwiched between Mikey and Zoe in the back of the Gibson family's old minivan, was doing his best to freak out. He'd definitely made an accidental wish, again, but before he'd even had time to process it his mom had hustled him into the car. They were on the road before he could blink and only as they pulled onto the interstate did he realize the wishing stone was back at the house, sitting on his bed.
"Uh, why are we going on a retreat now? Spring Break's over tomorrow?" Jon asked. He was seriously suspecting the sudden family trip was caused by his wish, but in any event the timing didn't make any sense.
"Oh, Jon, don't you remember?" his mom, Linda, called back from the front passenger seat. "They extended spring break to a whole month this year, so we still have three whole weeks of vacation to enjoy." She gave her husband a sideways glance, "I for one could certainly use the break."
Jon's dad grumbled something in reply, but he wasn't paying attention to that. His parents bickering was nothing new, but Spring Break taking up a whole month was definitely something that hadn't been true until a few minutes ago and basically confirmed for him this whole thing was a result of his errant wish.
"Why are we calling it a retreat," Zoe complained from his left, the goth's arms crossed and her face scowling. "It's just a dumb vacation."
"The travel company calls it a retreat, and considering they're paying the bill on this one, I'm not about to argue," their dad, Pete, explained. "God knows I was due for a win, and this sweepstakes just goes to prove it." Pete had a bit of a gambling problem, but it seems like for once he'd hit the jackpot.
Okay, Jon thought as the car zipped down the road towards the airport. As far as accidental wishes go, a free vacation is a pretty benign outcome. Heck, the wish guarantees its going to be interesting, so this might even be fun. He let himself relax a little. After all, it was just a vacation, what could possibly go wrong?
