Zack shivered as a tangible sensation of something rolled through his body. His vision blurred, and the man smiled at him. “Go ahead,” he encouraged Zack, “Try it out.”
Zack paused, trying to think of something to say. It had to be a joke-some weird prank pulled on him to further humiliate him. There was no way this could be legitimate. Zack wasn't stupid-he knew that for it to be a real con or practical joke, the man (and any accomplices) were hoping he would make a small and easily fulfilled wish. So Zack smirked and figured he'd put a stop to this immediately. He'd say something they couldn't possibly rig. “I have a thousand dollars in my wallet,” he said with a grin of triumph. Zack almost thought he could feel his empty wallet thicken in his pocket, though he knew that was impossible. With a grin, he reached in to his pocket and...found it almost impossible to remove, due to how packed with fifties it was. It was to the point of bursting, it seemed, and as Zack thumbed through the bills incredulously, he stared at the man.
“This is..this is real?” Zack said, staring in utter confusion.
The man smiled indulgently. “Oh yes, young man. Quite real. As I said, anything you state becomes truth.”
“Oh..oh wow..this is incredible!” Zack said, laughing with excitement. “You have twenty thousand dollars in your cash register,” he told the man, who smiled appreciatively.
“So considerate!” The man said with what seemed to be genuine delight. “Though I don't need the money-as you can imagine, I have ways of getting what I need. But I appreciate your thinking of me. Now go, make your life better!” He gestured to the door genially.
Zack started to walk toward the door, then paused. “How long does this last?”
“It varies from person to person,” the man replied, a vaguely cryptic tone in his voice.
“It won't wear off until I say that it has,” Zack replied knowingly.
“You catch on very quickly-you're a sharp young man,” he said to Zack. “I will be interested to see how the world bends to you.” With a smile, Zack stepped out onto the street.