... the old lady who had given me the ring!
"Young man!" she yelled at me. "What do you think you're doing!?"
I closed my eyes and tried to wish her into a baby. When I opened them again, she was still there, still the same age, and wasn't changing. I guess I really wasn't surprised.
"I gave you that ring because I thought you were honest! I didn't give it to you so you could perform grand larceny!"
"But -- I need money!"
"Fine! But you don't need to rob banks to do it! All you need to do is use the ring to put odds in your favor! You're a little too young to play the lottery! But there are plenty of contests around that you're eligible for! And game shows, and lots of other things! You can use the ring to cheat a little if you want.
"You've got an imagination, that's obvious! You did nice work on everyone in here! Put the money back, do what you want to with these people -- as long as you don't kill them, that's another no-no! But stay honest!
"This is the only warning you'll get! Steal something like this again, and I'll do to you what you did to these people -- except you'll STAY a baby! So stay mostly on the straight and narrow, or it's a lifetime of pabulum for you!"