"People aren't going to notice..." was all Sherry could say.
"Um, Mom, people not noticing isn't all the problem, and anyway, how could they not notice?"
"Because when I made the first wish on you Zoe and Mikey weren't here and they didn't notice. They thought it had always been that way."
"First wish?"
"The one where I wished you were more like me."
"You made a second wish?"
"Umm..." Sherry was confused, but then it occurred to her. "Yes, I did, Jon. You were becoming like me in lots of ways and I made a second wish to reduce the damage so it was only one way. I think I get it. You didn't hear the second wish, so you don't remember it, but you do remember the first wish. So you don't remember it being worse, you remember it being one way all along."
"Wait a minute, Mom, it was worse?"
"Yes, it was. You watched the TV shows I liked. You got long hair and bigger hips. Your voice started changing. Your nipples got bigger, I think... I'm not really sure." She wasn't in the habit of staring at them normally, after all, so comparing them was hard.
Jon noticed she didn't mention the vagina, but stayed quiet about it. "Mom, whatever. Can I just have my stone back?"
"You'd make things worse."
"And you wouldn't?"
"I'm your mother. You're my child. It's my responsibility to keep you away from things that are very, very, dangerous. And this stone is very, very, dangerous. If even a grownup can make that kind of mistake, do you really think that you're going to do any better?"
"Do you know how it feels to not have your own body? It's creepy. Mom, you've got to do something!"
"I... I don't know. All right. I wish that until I can fix this you're comfortable with being like this and with the feelings you get from it."
"Mom, no. I didn't mean...." His voice trailed off. "Maybe you're right. Even if I do get weird feelings I need to get used to them. I'm not crippled or anything, and there's really nothing wrong with liking guys and wanting babies. Lots of people do that... the human race wouldn't survive if we didn't. And if everyone remembers me like this I must already have a way of dealing with gym class."
