Although the nearby trees were close together, sunlight occasionally pierced through the branches to land on the stone. The stone was as large as a normal manвЂ™s hand could comfortably hold, at most two inches on a side. The fingers were not completely open, but were clenched around a cube-shaped crystal stone. It rose right out of the rock, its palm pointed toward the sky. Sitting atop a granite boulder nestled between two thick trees was a perfectly sculpted black hand. Sally had indeed found something, an extraordinary something. вЂњIвЂ™ve found something! IвЂ™ve found something!вЂќ

The teacher used to work for the CIA.вЂќ Watch added, вЂњBut I think they got rid of him.вЂќ вЂњWe had a half-dozen explosions last year. вЂњYou have explosions at school?вЂќ Cindy asked. Then, if there is an explosion or something, at least one of us will survive.вЂќ вЂњI hope we get to be in a lot of classes together,вЂќ Adam said. вЂњThey had a great all-night graduation party.вЂќ вЂњWhat about the other half?вЂќ Adam asked reluctantly. Last year only about a dozen people graduated from junior high, and half of them were missing body parts.вЂќ Not that many kids live long enough to graduate. вЂњYouвЂ™ve been here long enough to know the answer to that. вЂњThey just want to give us a chance to finish our studies,вЂќ Watch said. вЂњWe donвЂ™t all want to grow up to be rocket scientists.вЂќ вЂњWhy do they do that?вЂќ Cindy, who was also new, asked. They give you so much homework, you have to work all weekend.вЂќ вЂњYou donвЂ™t know the teachers in this town. Watch shook his head as he passed the juice to Adam. вЂњWeвЂ™ll have plenty of time to hang out and have fun.вЂќ вЂњWeвЂ™ll have the weekends free,вЂќ Adam, who was new in town, said. вЂњWe wonвЂ™t have many more days like this.вЂќ вЂњAnother ten days and school starts,вЂќ Watch said, taking a deep gulp of the juice and letting out a satisfied sigh. Cindy had brought a bottle of apple raspberry juice and passed it around. Adam, Cindy, and Watch plopped down on some boulders in the shade while Sally went off on her own. The summer was almost over but obviously the sun didnвЂ™t know. вЂњI want to search the area one more time. вЂњThen we can go get ice cream.вЂќД«ut Sally was unconvinced. вЂњYes,вЂќ Cindy said and added sarcastically, вЂњJust being out in the wilderness with you makes me tremble in my shoes.вЂќ вЂњBut strange is not necessarily good,вЂќ Cindy said. There must be something strange out here.вЂќ вЂњPerhaps some debris from a crashed flying saucer,вЂќ Watch added.Д«ut Sally was unconvinced.

вЂњIt was probably just a trick of light,вЂќ Adam said. When they reached the spot, they searched the area without seeing anything unusual. They hiked in the direction of the supposed flash Sally had seen. вЂњBut itвЂ™s better than being dead,вЂќ Watch said. вЂњItвЂ™s not safe to be alive out here,вЂќ Sally said. вЂњWe should probably all go together,вЂќ Cindy said. It shouldnвЂ™t take long to hike over there.вЂќ Sally had pointed to the far side of the gully they were presently hiking through. вЂњAnd you used to be so adventurous,вЂќ she said. вЂњAnd we might run into a strange animal and have our internal organs ripped from our bodies,вЂќ Watch added. вЂњIf we go off the path, weвЂ™ll get all dirty.вЂќ вЂњI donвЂ™t know,вЂќ Cindy said, fingering her long blond hair. вЂњObviously,вЂќ Sally said, leading the group. вЂњIt could have just been a reflection,вЂќ Cindy said, standing behind them.

вЂњNeither do I,вЂќ Watch said, removing his thick glasses and cleaning them on his shirtsleeve. вЂњI donвЂ™t see anything,вЂќ Adam, who was shorter than the others, said. вЂњWhatвЂ™s that?вЂќ she asked, brushing aside her dark bangs. The gang was only hiking in the foothills of the foothills when Sally stopped and pointed toward a sparkle in the trees, maybe a quarter of a mile off the path they were taking through a gully. However, no place in or around Spooksville was really safe. Since dealing with PanвЂ™s leprechauns and fairies in the thick forest high in the hills overlooking the town, they had been staying closer to Spooksville, not wandering too deep into dangerous places that were hard to leave. She and her three friends-Cindy Makey, Adam Freeman, and Watch-were not far outside of Spooksville, their hometown, when they first spotted the stone. She was a strong-willed girl, and rather impulsive. But even if Sally had known, she probably would have made the same wishes anyway. The more that was asked of it, the more it demanded in return. That was probably the same reason she suffered more than the others from the stone. For that reason she felt it belonged mainly to her. Sally Wilcox saw the Wishing Stone first.

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