There was no time to lose! The world is a really big place, and if I'm going to make it better, I'll have to start as soon as I can. But how do I start? The enormity of this task is a little daunting, I'll admit...
Maybe I should just walk up to people and ask them what their deepest desire are. Yeah, as if that would work. "Hi there, my name is Jon, nice to meet you, may I improve your life?"
I should start with my friends and the people I know. They can spread the word, once I've granted their hearts' desires. Besides, if I know them, it'll be easier to find out what they want. I should get started. Who'll be my first customer? No, customer is the wrong word, there's be no charge for happiness. Ooh, that's got slogan potential right there...
Right then, who do I know that would make a worthy first... patient?
I could ask my mother, maybe. What would she want more than anything else? Ugh, I'm not sure I want to think about that... no, my mother can come to me if she needs anything.
Mikey, my little brother. I think he's really too young to know what he wants. He'll probably ask for the latest computer game or something - which would probably be a safe wish, actually... I'll think about it.
Karyn's already had a go. I'm sure she'll want another wish, but I think she's got enough on her chest right now... er... I meant... never mind.
What about Tom? Heh, I bet that pervert only wants one thing - a girlfriend. I could ask him when we're in Chemistry later.
Steve... talking about girlfirends, Steve got dumped last week by Lucy. She blew him off to hang with her 'cool' friends. He's still pretty down about it.. I'll bet he's in the library right now. I should go see him.
Jon walked into the school library. Under the light from a tall window, he saw the stocky form of Steve Bushell hunched over a hardback book. Steve's hair was long and blond, tied into a pony tail that reached the bottom of his shoulder blades. Despite his build, his face was slender and would look quite feminine, if not for the large hook of his nose. Quickly and quietly, Jon walked over to him and sat down opposite.
"Hi Steve," he whispered.
"Jon," acknowledged the reader.
After a second of thought, Jon, turned and grabbed a random book from the shelf behind him and opened it on the desk in front of him. The pages settled, and suddenly Jon was looking at diagrams of the human reproductive systems. Jon's face burned red and he quickly scanned the room, but no one had noticed him. He swiftly leafed through the book until he reached a page full of boring, safe text.
"Steve," he said again, "how are you holding up?"
"How do you think??" Steve replied in an angry whisper.
"Sorry, sorry," said Jon, quickly, "I just thought, if you need to talk about it... I'd like to help, if I can."
"How? How could you help at all? Have you heard what Lucy's been saying about me to the whole school??"
Jon had heard alright. In the days following their split, Lucy had started a rumour about the size of Steve's equipment. "My life is over," Steve added.
"It's not over," Jon attempted a comforting sentence. "No one believes her."
"It doesn't matter whether they believe her or not, it's out there now. I shall forever be remembered in our generation as the guy with a dick like a cashew. 'Who's that guy?' 'Why that's old Stevey.' 'Steve Bushell??' 'Yeah, you know him?' 'Nah, but I heard he's got a tiny prick!' I'll never get a date in this town again!"
"It's not that bad."
"It is. You know the worst part of it? That bitch Lucy is already going out with someone else!"
"No way!! Who?"
"Harris London, the jock with the face like a hairy ass!"
"That... really sucks, Steve. I'm sorry... is there anything I can do?"
"No... unless you've thought of a way to make the lives of Lucy Wrangler and Harris London a living hell that I haven't"
Steve flashed the cover of the book he was reading to Jon. The cover read 'Encyclopedia of Diseases (A-H)'. "Curtrently I'm browsing this lovely tome and wishing every interesting affliction I can find on those two lovebirds."
"Wishing?"
"Yeah, wishful thinking. I always was an optimist," Steve grinned a wide grin. Jon stifled a laugh.
"What I'd really like, though, is something that I won't find in a book of diseases..."
"What do you really want?" ventured Jon, knowing this is what he came to hear. Steve looked around, then pushed a folded up piece of paper across the table towards Jon. He picked it up.
"I got the idea from a story I read on the internet a few months ago - don't look at it here!" hushed Steve. "Anyway, class is about to start, I gotta go."
"Oh, okay," replied Jon. He opened his rucksack and hid the paper in his folder. "Tell me that story sometime, okay?"
"It's all on that paper, more or less," Steve nodded in the direction of Jon's bag. "See ya around."
Jon sighed, got up and walked to the Chemistry lab.
