As part of her job, Michelle Dunham was to make occasional visits to the various prisons around the nation. And today, the prison she picked was Woodstock Prison, in the state of New York, the primary political prison of the country.
There was a prisoner in particular that she wanted to visit. Although he might have been a friend in a past life that she no longer remembered, he wasn't now. She was visiting purely because he was about to be executed the next day and it was her job to visit condemned prisoners like him before their life was ended.
"Open it up!" the guard yelled and the door to Cell-block 15 opened. Michelle waddled through the opened door, followed closely by three guards.
Down the narrow hall they went, with prisoners yelling through the bars, things of hate and disgust. All day, she was thinking of what Jon Palin had told her. Sure, she had fixed him, made him think that the world was fine the way it was, but she still wondered what her life could have been like in that other world. She, of course, didn't want that life, but she was still curious. She reached into her suit pocket and fingered the stone lightly. Yeah, she had the stone with her. Considering how powerful it was, she'd never let it out of her sight ... or touch.
"Prisoner 159. Stand up!" one of the guards yelled, after they stopped in front of one of the cells.
All of the prisoners in this prison were political enemies. Normally, they'd just reprogram them, but the people incarcerated here couldn't be brainwashed. Either their brains were abnormal or their will was too strong. They couldn't let them stay in public, obviously, so they were put in here.
The old man stood before them. It was hard to believe that a man this old could be a threat to anyone. But he was. His liberal views could destroy this great nation.
Michelle looked at the man, whose name was Joseph Apple (a former slave of the Apple Computer Corporation), but he was born as Joseph Biden.
"I wish ... I remembered that other reality that Jon talked about," she whispered absentmindedly, for the moment forgetting that she was touching the wishing stone. Suddenly, memories of some other version of herself rushed into her mind, causing her to almost faint. One of the guards caught her and propped her up for a moment.
"Madam Secretary, are you alright?" the guard asked.
Joseph Apple didn't look concerned.
"Oh my ..." Michelle uttered. She knew all of these people. All of these prisoners were her closest friends and colleagues ... in that other reality. She actually liked them. Her look of shock and recognition then turned into one of rage and disgust. Now, even more than ever, she didn't want anything to do with that life. Her eyes shifted to Prisoner 159. She clearly remembered him as being the Vice President in that other reality and she felt revulsion again. This man in such a powerful position? It horrified her.
She reached into her pocket for the stone, intending on wishing away these memories, but her fingers grasped ... nothing! When she nearly fainted, the stone must have fallen out of her pocket. Where did it go?! She frantically looked around for it, but with her great round size, she couldn't easily bend over and look.
"Did you drop something?" one of the guards asked.
"Yes, I did."
"What is it?"
She was about to say, but then shut her mouth. If one of these people found the stone before her, they might use it, even if just on accident. Could she trust them enough to not?
Joseph turned his gaze slightly towards the floor and spotted what looked like a small stone near his cell door. Could that be what this corrupt bitch of a woman was looking for? But why? It was just a stone. No one should get that worked up over a stone.
