I raced across the room and tackled Parks. I NEEDED that ring. I'd never been a particularly athletic guy, and wrestled Parks' hand into my grasp without too much struggle. I grabbed the ring and . . .
Couldn't take it off.
I pulled some more, tugging and yanking with all my might, Parks screaming the whole time. But no matter what I did, the ring refused to budge.
"I wish no one could take this ring off my finger . . . ." The words I had so obediently spoken scant hours ago echoed in my head. Horrified, I realized I couldn't remove the ring, no one could. It was stuck, maybe forever, and so was I.
I let Parks go and stood up. "Maybe it could work," I thought, reeling in fear. "I have some skills, and I'll bet this body would make it really easy to get a job . . ."
It was then that a terrified voice whimpered, "Wh- who's there?"
I turned and looked. Parks had risen to his knees, still shivering. He was glancing around the kitchen, clearly frightened. It was obvious he was seeking his attacker, but his eyes never quite landed on me.
"He doesn't notice me," I thought. "He has no idea I'm here."
Slowly, Parks' expression changed, fear giving way to confusion. "Why am I on the floor?" he said to himself. "Did I trip? I- I should really be more careful." Still unsettled, but no longer frightened, Parks rose and stirred the pot.
I remembered my other wish, my wish that no one would notice me. "He can't see me at all," I thought. "And not only that, he thinks it's HIS fault he fell. His memory must have changed, or something. He remembers he fell, but not that an invisible person had anything to do with it."
I had become a ghost. A shade. Able to interact with the world, but unable to alert anyone to my presence.
Parks turned off the burner and strained the pasta in the sink.