The next day once more Jessie went shopping (it was school holidays). This time she purchased for herself a long sleeved top. She kept it as a size 6 but got extra long sleeves.
That evening she once more locked herself in her room. Wearing the ring she put on her new top. When she measured herself, she had grown an extra quarter inch in height and her arm-span had grown by 4 inches. She took of her top and pinned the cuffs so they were an inch shorter. Putting the shirt back on she found her arm-span shrank by 2 inches, but this was still two inches longer than it had been earlier. Her height was unchanged, still a quarter inch above yesterdays’ measurement.
She repeated the process of cuffing up the sleeves so that her total arm-span was only ½ an inch above yesterdays’ measurement. Satisfied she hid the ring once more changed back into her earlier clothes and joined the rest of the family. No-one appeared to have noticed her changes.
For the next 4 days Jessie used the ring each night and by rolling down the cuffs of her jeans and the new top and increased her height and her arm-span by 1/4 an inch per day.
After 6 days Angela noticed that her daughter was noticeable taller. Initially she wasn’t sure whether Jessie had grown or whether she had continued to lose weight. She certainly looked skinnier. She asked Jessie about the change.
Jessie was honest with her mother ‘I’m actually taller Mom. I’ve grown over an inch in the last week. I told you all I was going to have another growth spurt’
Angela measured the girl. She certainly had grown. She now measured a touch shy of 5’6. She had to ask ‘Jessie! Your not taking any drugs or hormones are you? It’s not natural to grow so quickly’
‘No Mom. I’m not taking any hormones. It’s my magical ring that is helping me grow’
Angela wasn’t sure what to think. She did not believe in magic but her daughter was growing unnaturally quickly. She wondered whether this was an example of the power of the mind? Was Jessie wishing she was taller somehow making it happen? That evening she discussed her observations with Brendan.
Brendan didn’t get the chance to talk to Jessie until the next evening. By the time he was home Jessie had already grown herself an extra quarter inch.
One look at his daughter confirmed that what Angela had said was correct. The girl really was going through a rapid growth spurt.
He also asked Jessie whether she was taking growth hormone or some sort of drug. The girl denied this and instead gave an explanation about a magical ring. Brendan listened to his daughters explanation but couldn’t follow her reasoning.
Brendan’s suggestion to Angela was that she take Jessie to the doctors and get her checked out.