I wandered out of the store, and settled onto a bench on the side of the main hallway. What to do, what to do. Amanda wouldn't be off work for hours and there wasn't a lot more mischief that I wanted to get into here. It was also occurring to me that I might have a long wait before anybody bought one of my gimmicked outfits.
I ducked behind a pillar where no one would see me. "I wish I was visible again." Instantly, I could see myself. I stepped out into the main hall and peered toward the main doors. I didn't have a car in the parking lot. Maybe I could wish one up. Before I could make any decisions, I felt someone brush up beside me. I looked over to see a young girl standing there. She had a cute enough face but her clothing was bizarre, hopelessly dowdy for someone her age.
She gazed directly into my eyes before unleashing a direct, deliberate smile. "Hi, Joe," she said calmly. "You've been pretty busy lately, haven't you?" There was something familiar about her but I couldn't place just what. Her clothes were so unusual but her eyes were even more so. They were confident, decisive, commanding., not at all the eyes of a young girl.
As I struggled to put the pieces of the puzzle together, she reached over and took my hand in hers. Before I could pull it back, she stroked my fingers firmly and pulled her own hand away. Somewhat dazed by her quick action, I realized that something had changed, that my hand was somehow different. I realized that I was no longer wearing my ring.
"Recognize me yet, Joe?" the girl asked, as she slipped the ring onto her own finger. She looked up again, her eyes capturing my attention. With a jolt, I recognized them, and, therefore, her. They were the eyes of the old woman who'd given me the wishing ring and who now had taken it back. "I see you know me now, Joe," she said with a faint smile.
"As I said," she continued, "You've been busy. I thought you might take weeks to wish for something that could be of use to me and it only took you a day." She unbuttoned the top of her ridiculous blouse, flashing the sight of the top of a tight-fitting blue undergarment. It didn't suit the blouse; it wasn't the sort of thing any girl would wear under her clothes. It was more like the top to a...
...bathing suit.
A navy blue one-piece swimsuit, just like one I'd wished on earlier today. "You're the old lady who gave me the ring yesterday," I blurted.
"Very good. I've been keeping an eye on your antics since then. Your wish on the swimsuits was just the sort of thing I'd hoped for, but I thought it would take you longer to get around to. I would have wanted for an older age but 17 is acceptable. It's better than 74, that's for sure," she finished with a wink.