It was early morning, and already Susan Jameson was having a rotten day. A thirty-four year old woman with a few extra pounds she didn't want to be carrying, Susan was a low paid receptionist at a prominent, downtown investment firm. Her husband Pete was a decent guy, but earned little at his blue collar factory job. With two children in school, Susan badly needed this job to make ends meet... but it frustrated her, spending every day dealing with either wealthy clients or her investment broker bosses, who reaped massive bonuses while she struggled along at little more than minimum wage.
Fortunately, the first client of the day was one of Susan's favorites – an unusually kind and friendly woman named Karen. She was fabulously wealthy, yet had a caring and down-to-earth family. And Karen was drop-dead gorgeous, to boot. She easily could've found work as a fashion model, had she not already been fantastically rich.
“Good morning, Mrs. Ellis!” Susan said cheerfully.
“Oh, please, call me Karen,” replied Karen Ellis, with a smile. “I know you're not supposed to... but trust me, it's all right.”
“What can I do for you this morning?” asked Susan.
“I'm actually here to see you,” answered Karen. “Not the bosses. Listen, Susan – I know this will sound crazy... but until this morning, the world was a very different place. Reality has changed in a lot of ways that only I remember... well, and maybe a few other people, but we needn't go into that. The point is, you only remember the current history. But I remember the way things USED to be... and I used to be a receptionist right here at this company, just like you.”
“What? I don't under-” interrupted Susan.
“Please, wait. Let me finish,” said Karen. “I can prove everything I say. I worked the same dead-end job as you, until someone gave me this.”
Karen pulled out a fist-sized, dull, green rock. It looked something like a roughly uncut emerald, probably quite valuable, though not particularly attractive in its current state.
“It's called a Grellstone,” continued Karen. “It can be extremely dangerous. But it can also be extraordinarily wonderful. Look at me – I used it to change my life around completely. I used to be a plain-looking, doughy, middle-aged frump of a woman... stuck in the same job as you are... and chained to an abusive, drunken, unemployed bum of a husband...”
“But Charles is a wonderful man!” interrupted Susan.
“You only remember my NEW husband,” said Karen with a mischievous smile. “And he is wonderful. My old husband Fred is now... well, we needn't go into exactly what I put him through. But I would love for you to drop by for dinner some evening; you should meet our sturdy, hard-working housekeeper Freda.”
“Karen, are you all right?” asked Susan.
“I'm better than just 'all right,'” answered Karen. “And now you will be, too. I'm through with the Grellstone, and I'd like you to have it. We were best friends in the old reality that I remember. I'd love for that to be the case again, Susan. Just be very careful how you use the stone. It has the power to do... well, basically ANYTHING. But you must be angry in order to make a wish. And sometimes it's hard to keep a clear head about what you want to wish for while still having enough rage in your heart to power the stone. But if you try to use it without being angry... well, sometimes nothing happens and other times really weird, almost random things can happen.”
Karen handed Susan the large, green rock.
“And one last thing, Susan. For God's sake, don't let this stone fall into the wrong hands. Anyone who touches it and has enough anger inside can use the Grellstone to make a wish. I've heard some strange and terrible stories about the insane power this rock can wield. Be careful, and good luck.”
With that, Karen smiled, waved, and walked back out the door to enjoy her wonderful new life.
Susan sat there, contemplating the dull, green rock that sat lifelessly on her desk. Just then, she was interrupted by...
Who?