I Wish

Chapter 1
Chapter 1

LuAnne Stevens had just picked up her daughter from her parent’s house. She had two children. Sara recently turned 8 while Kyle was already 9. Being divorced with two kids meant that LuAnne had to balance a rather hectic schedule and budget around her time and limited income. Fortunately, her parents were great about taking care of the kids whenever she needed. They were in great health and had plenty of money thanks to winning the lottery a few years earlier. At 38, raising two kids alone was taxing her greatly. Due to her earlier marriage, her faith in relationships had been too shaken to seriously consider another.

Bob, her ex-husband, was totally out of her life. When she had first met Bob she thought everything would be great. They seemed like perfect soulmates. Her parents had tried to warn her about Bob but she wouldn’t listen. She was sure that they were wrong.... and for the first few years she thought that she was right. Everything seemed perfect except that her parents wouldn’t accept him. Soon after her parents took an overseas trip that they had saved their entire lives for, things begin to fall apart for LuAnne. On the other hand, everything seemed to get better in her parent’s lives. Upon returning home from their trip they found that they held a winning lottery ticket. Although Bob had always said he wanted to make his own way and only wanted friendship from LuAnne’s parents, things changed drastically when her parents suddenly became rich.

LuAnne had admired her husband’s will to make it in life on his own. She still preferred making her own way rather than relying too much on her parents for financial help. Bob’s sudden change of personality soured their relationship beyond repair.

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Sara grandmother Carol, LuAnne’s mother, waved as the car drove off. LuAnne’s father was back at work at the college where he was employed.

’Did you have fun at grammy’s?’ LuAnne asked as she drove to the school to pick up Kyle who had Little League Baseball practice.

’Ya, We went through a bunch of old boxes in the attic and found all kinds of neat stuff’ Sara replied as she fumbled with an object that looked like a coin.

’Grampa sure has a lot of stuff saved, doesn’t he?’ LuAnne asked her daughter.

’All kinds of stuff!’ Sara answered as she saw a carload of young adults obviously heading for the lake with a small boat in tow. ’How’s come we never go to the beach?’ Sara asked suddenly sounding a bit disappointed.

’I’m just too tired for that kind of thing by the end of the week. Besides, I’m too old for beaches anyway.’ LuAnne told her. ’Maybe one of these days we can go’

’I ~hope~’ Sara replied while still fumbling with the coin that she had gotten at her grandmother’s house. ’I wish you weren’t too old so you’d wanna go to the beach’ she said.

The coin seemed to warm in Sara’s hand. She looked at the coin. It didn’t look any different and seemed normal. Sara looked back toward the front and noticed her mother pulling her windblown long hair back. Only moments before, her mother had short hair...she didn’t have long hair! Sara expression turned from disappointment to confusion. Suddenly, her mother turned around and looked back at her. Sara saw a much younger version of her mother staring back at her.

’Maybe tomorrow we can go to the beach?’ A fresh faced 25 year old LuAnne told her daughter.

’Mommy? What happened to you?’

’What? You said we oughtta go to the beach sometime and you’re right! By the time we get our suits and stuff it’ll be too late today.... but we have all day tomorrow!’

Sara thought for a moment. Obviously, her mother didn’t notice anything unusual. She thought about what she had said and how the coin had seemed to feel warmer for an instant. ’Could it have granted her wish?’ she wondered. ’What else could it be?’ she thought to herself.

LuAnne pulled into the school grounds to pick up Kyle. Sara figured she might have some explaining to do with her mother suddenly looking years younger. She decided to test her theory about the coin having the power to grant wishes. ’I wish you were back to normal’ Sara stated.

The long blonde hair seemed to retreat. Suddenly, LuAnne had her short hairstyle again. Sara could see the lines on her mother’s face deepening in the reflection of the rearview mirror. By the time Kyle ran to the car everything was back to normal.

’How was practice?’ LuAnne asked.

’OK, we’re getting pretty good’ Kyle told her.

’That’s good’ she answered as they drove off.

Whatcha got there?’ Kyle asked as he motioned toward the coin in Sara’s hand.

’Nothin’....just a magic coin’

’Magic?’

’Yip. It grants wishes’

’You’re stupid!’ Kyle blurted out.

’HEY! Don’t call your sister names!’ their mother shouted.

’Want me to show you?’ Sara asked her brother.

’Yeah, make a wish with your dumb ol’ ~magic coin~’ he replied.

’I wish Mommy would stop and get us ice cream!’ Sara said confidently. She felt the coin go to work as it warmed in her hand.

’You kids want to get some ice cream? I’m going to get some.’ LuAnne said as she pulled into a local Frosty Treat Shoppe.

She rarely bought ice cream at places like this because it was too expensive compared to getting ice cream at the grocery store.

Sara quickly exclaimed ’YEAH!!!’ while Kyle was a bit more subdued. LuAnne too their orders and then went up to get in line.

’See? I told you it was magic!’

’This doesn’t prove anything! She heard you say that and just played along.’

’Nuh huh! It is ~really~ magic!’ she argued.

The Frosty Treat Shoppe was a located near the high school and so it was a natural hang-out for area teens. There was a group of girls wearing their cheerleader outfits also waiting in line. That gave Sara an idea.

’Watch this’ she ordered and pointed toward her mother. ’I wish mommy was a cheerleader just like those girls!’

Kyle smirked but Sara felt the coin again warmup.

LuAnne’s hair lengthened. She seemed to be getting shorter and skinnier. Kyle’s eye’s grew with each change! Even her ’body language’ changed as she stood in line. Her hair magically pulled back into a ponytail while her legs were suddenly exposed as her pants morphed into a skirt just like the cheerleaders around her were wearing. Her shoes changed into athletic shoes with the same color scheme as the short skirt. Her blouse also changed, morphing into a midriff baring top matching the other cheerleaders. When the transformation was complete, LuAnne was a 16 year old cheerleader. A quick scan of the crowd revealed that no one even noticed anything strange! Not only had LuAnne become a 16 year old cheerleader, but she was accepted as ’one of the them’. Kyle could see them all talking and giggling.... like a bunch of school-gilrs! It was as if she had always been with them! The ’wish’ had taken care of everything!

’Where’d you get that? How?’ Kyle stammered.

’From grammy. She said I could have any of the old stuff they had stored away. I thought this looked neat so I took it. I didn’t know it was magic though! I found out by accident!’

’We could be rich! I wanna try it!’ Kyle said.

’NO! It’s mine. Grammy didn’t give it to you!’

’C’mon. I’m your big brother and I say give it to me! I’ll give it back’

’NO!... I wish you weren’t my ~big~ brother!’

’HEY.......’ Kyle said as his voice faded as he shrank into his clothes. They now fit rather loosley on his 7 year old frame. His shoes threatened to fall off and his sleeves and pant legs were much too long. Sara giggled. Kyle didn’t complain. Once again the ’wish’ had taken care of everything. Kyle saw nothing unusual about being the younger sibling but still wanted his ’turn’ with the ’magic coin’.

Teenaged LuAnne returned to the car with the ice cream. She didn’t seem to notice anything strange with either herself or Kyle.

’Sorry I was so long but Debbi had to tell me about Mark. He dumped on her bad and so she, like, was all whacked out and stuff. He’s been going out with her while he’s had the hots for like this ~freshman~...AS IF! Anyway, Debbi just found out and so, like, she dumped him big time a little while ago! She called him or something and he goes ’Don’t break up’ And she’s like ’~Right~ ’ real sarcastic and stuff and, like, hangs up on him. So he, like, calls back on her cell phone and pages her and stuff. That’s when I got in on it. Anyway, she finally had Fran talk to him an he apologized again and so anyways they’re gonna get back together for a ~test~ kinda thing but still, like, see other people too. So it’s cool now.’

Sara just wanted her ice cream. She didn’t care much about her mother’s new friends or their dates. As a matter of fact, she wasn’t exactly sure what her mother had even said! She figured as soon as she downed her ice cream she was going to have to make another wish before her mother’s cheerleader persona drove her crazy!