You decide to head home before playing around with the ring, as you feel a bit stupid at the idea of standing around in public pretending magic exists. Since you were silly enough to get ripped off, you might as well keep the embarrassment private.
You hurry on your way, annoyed at yourself for staying out so late as you trot along in the dark, broken only by a random streetlight and a bit of light spilling from nearby buildings. While you weren't in a dangerous part of town, the darkness made it hard to see your footing on the uneven pavement, especially when going by empty lots or parks, where light was even more sparse. After numerous near-tumbles, you curse, wishing humans were built to see in the dark.
After taking a few more unsteady steps, you stop suddenly as a thought hits you out of the blue. You wanted to get home before taking out the ring, but what was the harm in trying it out now? After all, hardly anybody was on the street, and it's not like you wanted a major change. You just wanted to be able to see in the dark. Anyway, if it didn't work, you could just chuckle to yourself, since you wouldn't be any worse off than you are now.
Digging the ring out of the small paper bag in your pocket, you feel silly for a moment, but then slide it on your finger. You don't really want to take this seriously, but some gut instinct is warning you to be cautious. Therefore, instead of concentrating on a vague desire to see in the dark, you decide to make your wish more specific in order to avoid unintended side-effects...just in case. "I wish I had the eyes of a cat," you whisper to yourself and stare intently into the blackness, but nothing happens. Laughing quietly at your own folly, you start carefully feeling your way forward again. However, to your surprise, you can see a little better, although everything seems tinted slightly blue. Startled, you look down for the source of the light. Holding up your hand, your breath catches in your throat. The blue stone on the ring is glowing.
Suddenly, the blue light winks out. You let out the breath you didn't realize you had been holding. Looking around, you find that you can see the path before you quite clearly, and even the outlines of trees further away. You can hardly believe it, but maybe the ring actually works! Could you really have come across a treasure? You are so excited, you nearly forget about something important...the old man said the ring was defective. However, this has slipped your mind at the moment. You giddily step forward, now easily able to distinguish your surroundings, excited to get home and see if there is any visible indication of the change.
However, as you step forward, you feel a little strange, more so than having suddenly being granted night-vision. You pause for the sensation to pass, but it just goes stronger. Concentrating on the odd feeling, your stomach drops as you remember the old man's warning. You come to the sickening realization that the defective ring has not only given you night vision, it appears to have...