Jack turned off his engine and sat in his driveway, thinking about his family. He had two sons, one of them already off to college and the other one a 15-year old freshman in high school. His older son Conor was smart, athletic, and overall successful, but his younger son Riley was always in trouble, sneaking out to be with girls and not doing his schoolwork. Jack felt too old to deal with his younger son sometimes. His wife Mary never wanted to make love to him anymore, was constantly nagging him, and age had not treated her well, growing fat, wrinkly, and saggy.
Sometimes, Jack felt like the only rest he got was in the car. At work he was constantly under pressure, and at home he was either dealing with his son or getting nagged by his wife. He just liked the few minutes of quiet he got in the car, and he almost cheered when he got into traffic, prolonging it.
Jack stepped out of the car when he saw his wife Mary looking out the window. As he walked into the house, he spotted a shining black stone, glimmering in the fading afternoon sunlight. He picked it up, feeling a strange pull towards it, and slid it into his pocket. He walked in the door and sighed, as his wife started yelling at him for a stain on his shirt and at their son Riley to get downstairs for dinner.
After dinner he sat watching baseball, turning the strange black stone over in his hand. He was entranced by it, and as he held it, he wondered why it seemed so special. Suddenly he knew exactly what the stone was capable of, including its 24 hour rule. He tested it out by wishing that the living room was cleaned up, and before his eyes the room straightened itself out, pillows flying onto the couch, magazine straightening themselves out, and trash blowing its way to the bin. He was amazed at what he saw, and starting thinking about what to wish for next. As he was thinking...