Then Joan got an idea. There was something that she might have tried if it really had been three wishes. Maybe Mrs. Miller would believe her.
"Don't you get it?" she said. "What my third wish is?"
"If you're going to tell me something, Joan, tell me. Don't fool around with me. I'm not one of your classmates."
"I was going to write a lot of different things on a piece of paper, then wish that everything on the piece of paper comes true. You see, I wasn't going to waste the wish getting rid of the fake pregnancy and nothing else. There's no need for you to make the wish just to be sure I won't 'waste' it. Besides, I need the stone back to figure out if there's a way to get more wishes."
"You're awfully eager to get that stone back," said Mrs. Miller.
"Of course I am. My life could seriously be ruined here."
"Very well. Write a lot of wishes down, and so will I. I'll wish that we get all the wishes. Mine will take precedence, of course."
"It's a private thing," said Joan.
"I won't ask to look at your wishes."
Joan sighed. "Fine." It was a possibility, anyway. Besides, people who hear the wishes know that wishes were made. Even if all you hear is "I wish for what's on this paper", you still heard the wish. She wouldn't have to read Mrs. Miller's wishes to know what was changed. Of course that didn't mean they weren't a problem, if she wished for something bad.
"Now, young lady," said Mrs. Miller, "get a pencil and paper from your bookbag and start writing down some wishes."
Joan followed the order and started writing the wishes down. But since she knew the stone's wishes were unlimited and she didn't really need to make them all now, she didn't write down much. Just "I wish Joan isn't wearing the pregnancy suit" and "I wish Mrs. Miller will let Joan have the stone back now," along with a lot of trivial wishes for new CDs and stuff like that.
Mrs. Miller wrote down her own wishes and took out the stone. "I wish the wishes on these two pieces of paper would come true, but my wishes would override Joan's."
There was a bright flash and Joan felt Mrs. Miller put the stone in her hand, saying "Here's your stone, Joan." That part was okay. But what else had happened?
