The Wishing Stone Read Free Page B

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.”
    â€œThere 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?”
    â€œI didn’t say the nerd word,” Cindy said quickly.
    â€œBut she was obviously thinking it,” Sally said, still holding the stone out to him to take. “Improve your image, Adam, what can it hurt?”
    â€œYou 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.
    â€œBut it only works if you really want what you’re wishing for,” Cindy said.
    â€œI 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 andsaid 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.
    â€œWhat good is a wish like that?” Sally asked.
    Adam shrugged. “It’s something I’d like. For everybody to live in peace.”
    â€œWasn’t world peace big enough for you?” Watch asked.
    â€œWe’ve been talking about people on other planets,” Adam said. “Why should I leave them out?”
    â€œBut get something for yourself,” Cindy said. “A new skateboard at least.”
    â€œYeah,” 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 newoutfits 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.
    â€œNext 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.

4
    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.
    â€œI am the Collector,” he said in a strangely mechanical voice. “I am here to collect on your debt.”
    â€œI was worried something like this would happen,” Adam muttered.
    â€œThis character surpasses the worst fear I had,” Sally whispered, her voice shaking. “What are we going to do?”
    â€œMaybe you could give him some of your cash,” Cindy said anxiously.
    â€œI don’t think this guy can be bought off,” Watch said.
    â€œLet 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