The Wishing Stone (2 page)

Sally squealed with delight. “Wow! This is absolutely awesome. I'm going to have everything I ever wanted before I turn thirteen.”

“You can get us some things, too,” Cindy said.

Sally laughed at her.
“Now
you change your mind.
Now
you think I did the right thing.”

Cindy was indignant. “I just don't think you should be greedy, that's all.”

Sally patted her on the back. “Don't worry, girl, you can have what you want. All I ask is that you act nice to me.”

Watch turned to Adam. “I think the three of us had better not expect anything.”

Sally smiled. “That's not true, I can grant you guys some wishes. But first I want to get a few things for myself.” She gestured for them to stand back. “I don't want you crowding my presents.”

“Wait!” Adam said. “We don't know what these wishes might cost.”

Sally stared at him as if he were nuts. “Why should they cost me anything? This is a Wishing Stone. It's not a bill collector.”

“But you don't get anything for free in this world,” Adam said.

“But,” Sally countered, “this stone, Watch says, did not come from this world.”

“She has a point there,” Watch said.

Adam was still worried. “I think you should be happy with your new shoes and leave it at that.”

Sally laughed again. “You have to start thinking big, Mr. Adam Freeman. You don't accept getting a lousy pair of shoes when you have the whole world available. Now quiet down and let me think what I want.”

“You should get some new clothes,” Cindy suggested.

“Maybe a new watch,” Watch, who always wore four watches, said.

“Shh,” Sally said, closing her eyes and letting her smile grow larger. “I have something. Yes, this is what I want.” She paused and then blurted out the next words. “I wish I had a million dollars!”

A million dollars suddenly appeared.

Hundreds of stacks of one-dollar bills, which literally stood in piles above their heads. Adam could hardly believe his eyes. Reaching out he grabbed one of the stacks and studied it. The bills appeared genuine. Sally squealed again with joy.

“I'm rich!” she said.

“You should have asked for hundred-dollar denominations,” Watch said. “You're never going to be able to get all this stuff back to your house.”

“Even if you could,” Cindy said, “you couldn't fit it in your house.”

Sally snickered. “You guys are just jealous! I'm a millionaire and you're not.”

“Well, maybe you could give us all loans,” Watch said.

“I want some new clothes,” Cindy said suddenly.

“Wait a second,” Adam said. But no one was listening.

“What do you want?” Sally asked Cindy.

Cindy rubbed her hands together. “I'd love a black leather jacket and some black leather boots. Then I need some clothes for school. How about a Gap sweater and skirt? Light yellow to match my hair.”

“You need this to go to school in Spooksville?” Watch asked.

Sally waved her hand. “It doesn't matter. If she wants it she wants it.” Sally closed her eyes, then spoke out loud and wished for what Cindy had just requested.

The clothes did not appear.

Sally opened her eyes and studied the stone. “It can't be worn out already. Watch?”

“It's possible Cindy has to make her own wishes,” he said. “You don't really want these clothes, not the way you wanted the million dollars. Give Cindy the stone and we'll see.”

“I'm not giving her the stone,” Sally said quickly.

“I'll give it back,” Cindy said.

“How do I know you will?” Sally asked suspiciously.

Cindy was insulted. “When have I ever stolen anything of yours?”

“When have I ever had a Wishing Stone before?” Sally asked.

“This is getting ridiculous,” Adam interrupted. “The stone is already causing problems. Let's put it back.”

“There are a couple of things I would like,” Watch said.

Adam was stunned. “But I thought you agreed with me?”

Watch smiled. “I did until I saw the million dollars.”

“I'll give Watch the stone first,” Sally said. “As an experiment.”

“What's wrong with me?” Cindy complained.

“Nothing's wrong with you,” Sally said impatiently. “But I've known Watch longer than you. I know for a fact he'll give the stone back when I ask for it.” She went to hand the stone to Watch and then stopped. “You will give it back to me, won't you?”

Watch shrugged. “Sure.”

“Swear on your life,” Sally ordered.

“It's not good to swear,” Cindy said.

“I swear to whatever you want me to swear to,” Watch said.

“All right.” Sally reluctantly handed over the stone. “Don't break it.”

Watch held the stone close to his heart and closed his eyes. For a moment he concentrated deeply. Then he spoke. “I wish for a six-inch refractor telescope with clock drive and computer-assisted star finder.”

The telescope appeared just off the path.

“Cool,” Watch said.

“Let me try!” Cindy exclaimed.

“It's my turn,” Sally snapped. “Watch, give me the stone back.”

“Just a moment,” Watch said, closing his eyes once more. “I wish for a laser pistol.”

A black pistol-shaped device materialized at his feet.

Watch knelt and picked it up. He pointed it at a nearby rock and pulled the trigger. There was a flash of red light. The rock exploded into a thousand pieces. The gang jumped, except for Watch. He studied the weapon closer.

“It's interesting,” he muttered.

“It's very powerful,” Adam gasped.

“What I mean,” Watch continued, “is that the Wishing Stone was able to materialize something that doesn't even exist on this planet. That's proof that it must be from another world.”

“I'm waiting,” Sally said with her hand outstretched.

“Just a second,” Watch said, closing his eyes once more. “I wish for the finest portal power shield generator in the entire galaxy.”

A small black, oval-shaped object appeared at his feet.

Watch knelt and picked this up as well. There were a series of buttons on the side and he experimented with them for a moment. Then he handed the laser pistol to Adam.

“I want you to shoot me,” he said.

Adam shook his head. “No way. Do you think that force field generator will protect you? What if it doesn't? You'll die.”

“I have set the laser pistol on stun,” Watch said.

“How do you know for sure?” Adam asked.

“Shoot Sally and see if it knocks her out,” Watch said.

Sally jumped back and held out her hands. “Don't shoot me! Shoot Cindy!”

Cindy didn't look too happy about that suggestion. “Don't shoot anybody!” she shouted.

“Shoot a tree then,” Watch said. “It really is set to stun.”

“You can't stun a tree,” Sally said. “They're permanently stunned.”

Nevertheless, Adam turned and shot the nearest tree. Once again a red beam of light struck out, yet it left no noticeable impression on the tree bark. Adam decided it was safe enough to fire at his friend.

“You sure you have the force field on?” he asked Watch, taking aim.

“Pretty sure,” Watch said. “The force field
must be invisible. But the worst that can happen is I'll be knocked out.”

“Give me the Wishing Stone first,” Sally said, moving to retrieve the stone from him. But as she neared him it was as if she smashed into an invisible wall. She bounced back in midstride. Adam and Cindy laughed.

“The force field is definitely working,” Cindy said. “Watch, you should leave it on all the time.”

“That way Sally will never get the stone back,” Adam added.

“Don't worry,” Watch reassured Sally. “You'll have it back in a second. But stand back right now. Adam, fire away.”

Adam once more took aim with the laser pistol and fired. The red beam sprayed over a point two feet from Watch's body, but it didn't touch him. Adam ceased firing and Watch turned off the force field. Adam handed the laser back to his friend. Watch admired the two instruments.

“I've always wanted gadgets like this,” Watch said.

Adam was happy for him even though he continued to be afraid of the Wishing Stone. “I'm sure they'll come in handy living in this town,”
Adam said. “Especially if the Cold People or the demons come back.”

“Thank you very much,” Sally said, snatching the Wishing Stone from Watch's hands. “You already have more than I do, and I'm the one who found it. Stand back, all of you. It's Christmas time in Spooksville.”

“But what about my new clothes?” Cindy asked.

“You'll get those when I'm through,” Sally said.

She then proceeded to order new clothes for herself: a new bedroom set, a new TV and CD player, and another million dollars—in hundred-dollar bills. When Cindy finally got her hands on the Wishing Stone she didn't hold back, either: more clothes, a new bike, hundreds of CD's, boxes of books, and every known computer game. Soon the path was littered with so much stuff it would have taken several large moving vans to haul it all away.

Adam said as much. “Most of this is just going to go to waste out here. You should have made your wishes back in town.”

“We can bring the stuff back piece by piece,” Sally said, stuffing her pockets with hundred-dollar bills. “That reminds me, Adam. What do you want?”

Adam shook his head. “Nothing.”

Sally held out the Wishing Stone. “Come on, don't be a moralist. At least get yourself some new clothes. You look like your mother dresses you.”

Adam was insulted. “My mother does buy all my clothes.”

“There you go,” Cindy said, trying on a sweater over her T-shirt.

Adam was even more insulted. “You really think I dress like a nerd?”

“I didn't say the nerd word,” Cindy said quickly.

“But she was obviously thinking it,” Sally said, still holding the stone out to him to take. “Improve your image, Adam, what can it hurt?”

“You might want to get yourself a laser pistol,” Watch said. “We could play war games together.”

Adam reluctantly accepted the Wishing Stone. “I'm not going to wish for anything for myself,” he said.

“But it only works if you really want what you're wishing for,” Cindy said.

“I can really want something and it doesn't have to be only for myself,” Adam said. Holding the Wishing Stone tight, he closed his eyes and
said with as much feeling as possible, “I wish for galactic peace!”

Nothing happened, of course. Nothing that they could see. The others stared at him as if he had lost his mind.

“What good is a wish like that?” Sally asked.

Adam shrugged. “It's something I'd like. For everybody to live in peace.”

“Wasn't world peace big enough for you?” Watch asked.

“We've been talking about people on other planets,” Adam said. “Why should I leave them out?”

“But get something for yourself,” Cindy said. “A new skateboard at least.”

“Yeah,” Watch said. “You're making the rest of us feel guilty.”

Adam handed the Wishing Stone back to Sally. “Maybe later,” he said. “I don't need anything right now.”

For the time being that settled that discussion. They spent the next ten minutes trying to figure out how much they could carry back to town. Even though it was a warm day, Cindy had gone behind a bush and dressed herself in
two
new
outfits at once. Sally was mainly preoccupied with carrying away as much cash as possible. And Watch quickly discovered he couldn't move his telescope very far, and ended up taking only the laser pistol and the portal force field generator with him. Adam helped Cindy with her new bike.

“Next I'm going to wish for a gold credit card,” Sally said as she skipped in front of them with the Wishing Stone in her hand.

T
hey were ten minutes on their way when a man in a red, hooded robe appeared on the path in front of them. The shadow cast by the hood obscured his face, making it a black well of mystery. But in the shadow two eyes glittered out at them with a wicked red light. The man was tall with exceptionally long arms. He raised a hand as they stood stock-still, stunned by his sudden appearance. It was only then that Sally and the others realized his hands were identical to the one they had found sticking up from the granite boulder where the Wishing Stone had been.

“I am the Collector,” he said in a strangely mechanical voice. “I am here to collect on your debt.”

“I was worried something like this would happen,” Adam muttered.

“This character surpasses the worst fear I had,” Sally whispered, her voice shaking. “What are we going to do?”

“Maybe you could give him some of your cash,” Cindy said anxiously.

“I don't think this guy can be bought off,” Watch said.

“Let me try talking to him,” Adam said, hesitantly taking a step forward. He waved to the figure and cleared his throat. “Hi, my name's Adam Freeman and these are my friends. What exactly is this debt you're talking about?”

The cloaked figure lowered his right hand and a metallic scroll mysteriously appeared in it. He read from it in his peculiar computer-animated voice. It didn't sound as if he were living, but rather something built in an alien laboratory.

“Sara Wilcox—ten thousand and sixty-four gratoms,” he said. “Cindy Makey—one thousand and eighty-two gratoms. Watch—With No Known Last Name—nine hundred and forty-one
gratoms. Adam Freeman—you owe . . .” The dark figure's speech trailed off. “Your debt has yet to be totaled, but it looks as if it will be large.” He paused. “These were all placed on the same order.”