...a young girl, around 8, wearing a small black frock and small black shoes. She had straight hair and green eyes. As she turned, I saw red marks across her face, almost like a handprint. I wished I knew where they came from. And then, I knew straight away.
The girl was being abused by her mother. She was slapping her and repeatedly verbally abusing her. The girl had run away a lot, but she had always come home crying for her mother, only to get another smack. She never knew her father.
I wished that time would pause around everyone except me and the girl.
Suddenly, everyone froze like statues, only with humans. The girl looked around, bewildered.
"M-mom?" she exclaimed, gently speaking to her mother. The naked women stood posed in a silent scream.
Then she saw that I was still moving. She froze. This was the kind of thing that teachers told her about, with strangers and things. I could see the terror in her eyes.
"It's okay." I said calmly. "I'm nice. I promise."
"Who are you?" the girl said, still frozen in fear.
"I'm Leo. What's your name?"
The girl relaxed a little. "Laura." she was nervous. "Do you know what's happened to my mom?"
I kneeled down. "I stopped her for a minute." I said. "I wanted to talk to you."
The girl was astounded. "Is that magic?"
I laughed, and nodded.
"My friends tell me there is no such thing as magic." she said softly.
I smiled. "Magic is definitely real, Laura. I can prove it."
"Do you like your mom?" I asked.
"Well," she began. "I mean, I suppose I have to-"
"Laura." I exclaimed. "Your mom hits you and makes you feel bad inside. She smokes a lot and rarely goes out. Right?"
The girl thought, and nodded slowly.
I continued. "That's not what moms are supposed to be like. Moms are nice people, people who make you laugh, who play games, and who love you."
She was astounded.
"Do you really like your mom, Laura?" I asked finally.
She shook her head. I knew that was her answer.
"Can you make my mom nice, Mr Leo?"
"I can try."
I stood up and wished silently that Laura's mom was kind and a good person. However, something seemed to go wrong. The air that ran through me when I made those wishes earlier, it wasn't there. I hoped it was a fluke. I tried again. And again. The girl was getting impatient. I wished I knew why it wasn't working.
In my mind, I instantly knew. The ring couldn't change any basic personality traits, because it breached some kind of law of nature. I shrugged.
"Laura, I'm sorry." I exclaimed. "But I can't do it. You mother was born not nice. There's nothing I can do unless she changes herself."
Laura looked down to the floor.
"But I can change her physically." I said. The girl looked up again.
"I can punish her, if you want me to. I can change how she looks, I can make her go away."
The girl considered this. Then, she said, "I want to punish her."
I smiled. "What do you want me to do to her?"
She thought, then said, "You choose."
I racked my brains for ideas. What about...