Bryan and Paul were both speaking now, but Bryan's wish was shorter and finished first: "I wish you would obey me!" he cried out, followed quickly by, "now back OFF!" Paul immediately took two steps back and struggled to move forward again but discovered he couldn't.
Bryan smiled a disquieted smile. On the one hand, every kid dreams of having total control of their parents. On the other hand, what had gotten into his father? This wand had definitely not been good to the man.
Bryan stood up, and Paul stepped back another step to maintain his distance. "Look dad," Bryan said trying to sound calm, "I don't know what's gotten into you, but you are acting really weird. So, you'd better start by chilling out." Paul relaxed visibly, and Bryan adjusted his inflated equipment before turning to go upstairs. "If I find there really are two little captives upstairs, you can just forget about ever getting this wand back. My father would never do something like that unless something was really wrong with his head."
Paul didn't follow as Bryan marched up the stairs and threw open the door to his father's bedroom. There were indeed two little men on the dresser, both of whom jumped as the door slammed against the wall. One seemed to be a teenager about Bryan's age, but a lot more slight. The other was a man, but they were both totally unrecognized by Bryan.
Jim spoke first when Bryan drew close. "I see you have found the wand, Bryan" Jim said.
Bryan replied, "Who are you, and how do you know my name?"
"We used to be your neighbors, but your dad wished all that out of existence. At this point we've been reduced to two insignificant captives in your house." Jim answered.
Bryan nodded slowly, "Something strange has happened to dad. He just isn't acting like himself at all."
"Well, magic wands can be very addictive," Jim said. "From the fact your father hasn't charged up here already, I assume you have already made your first wish. But be warned! The wand can exact a heavy price."
Bryan smiled, "So far, I kinda like its price!"
Jim nodded, "OK, maybe it hasn't been bad so far, but how will you feel when you've made 10 wishes? Or 100? Because you can be sure that unless you give up that wand, you will always find an excuse to use it. The only safe thing is for you to give it back to me."
Bryan tapped the wand against his palm as he thought about that. He had JUST got his hands on the wand, and how this stranger wanted him to give it up. It was also very believable that once he started wishing for stuff, he would find something else to wish for. As a result, his genitals might go totally out of control like dad's had.
Jim realized that he needed to up the ante to close this deal. He continued, "Tell you what. If you turn the wand over, I'll take you as an apprentice. You'll learn how to use magic without fucking up your life -- literally as well as figuratively!"
"Couldn't I just wish for that anyway?" Bryan asked, really not wanting to give in so easily, even though this guy was pretty persuasive.
"Sure you could. But it would cost you, like everything else you do with that wand. And the cost can't be undone through further use of the wand -- meaning that nothing you learned would ever undo the price the wand made you pay. And who knows how high that will be by the time you learn some alternatives."