Cassandra began to panic when she couldn’t find the ring, having already torn apart her bedroom looking for the magical trinket but coming up empty.
She then silently bemoaned its loss. There were a lot of things she wanted to wish for and now those wishes would never come true.
“Ugh, how could I have been so stupid to just leave it lying out in the open like that,” she chastised herself for being so dumb.
“Anyone could have come in here and taken it.”
Realizing what she just said Cassandra immediately had an idea of who could have possibly taken it.
She ran to her younger brother’s room. Ben was 12, a scrawny but feisty boy who liked to annoy her, including by taking her stuff.
“Ben, I know you took my ring. Give it back!” she seethed.
Ben was playing a video game with the ring on his finger. He paused and cheekily grinned at her.
“Nah, I kind of like it!” he said.
Cassandra was fuming now. “Ben,” she said, more calmly but through clenched teeth, “you can’t handle that ring. It’s too…nice.”
Ben’s face darkened. “You always treat me like a little kid, just because I’m a little younger and because I’m weaker. Well, I’m not! Sometimes I wish…”
Cassandra’s eyes widened in horror, but Ben didn’t notice.