The Wish Stealers

by Trivas, Tracy

  “Sorry, Mom. My music was too loud.”

  “Is everything okay?” she asked.

  “Yeah,” Griffin said with a shrug, avoiding her mom’s eyes.

  “I’ve been calling you. The phone has been ringing off the hook,” said her mom, holding the phone in her hand. “Libby called and said call her right back. She has to tell you something really important. Also the dentist called and said she made a mistake. She said she was looking at the wrong X-rays. She doesn’t have to pull your back molars after all, and a Garrett Forester called.”

  Did Griffin just hear her mother right? The dentist didn’t have to pull her molars? Her wish had come true! Maybe giving the “no homework” penny to Mr. Luckner had done something good! Maybe she could do it. Maybe there was a way to stop the curse. Griffin jumped up and down, ran up to her bed, and cartwheeled off. “NO WAY!” she shouted. “I CAN’T BELIEVE IT! I AM SOOOO HAPPY!”

  Griffin’s mother stared. “Is this because that Garrett boy called?”

  “WHAT?” said Griffin, stopping mid-cartwheel. “No! Oh, my gosh, Mom, no! I just can’t believe that the dentist said she doesn’t have to pull my molars. You don’t understand!” Griffin twirled around the room again.

  “I guess not,” said her mom, staring at Griffin oddly. “Who is this boy?”

  “Mom, please! Garrett is my science partner for science night. We got assigned to work together.”

  “Okay,” said her mom, still staring.

  “I better call Libby back! Thanks, Mom!” said Griffin, now dancing around her room. It worked! She didn’t have to have her back molars pulled! Maybe giving Mr. Luckner the penny counted! Her intention had been sincere to help Kristina, too. Maybe Kristina could be the “most beautiful” dancer and another of Griffin’s own wishes would come true! She couldn’t believe how Kristina’s mom had talked to her about dancing—just like a Wish Stealer. She could never imagine her parents talking to her like that, stomping on her dreams.

  I’m on a roll! she thought. Griffin cartwheeled off her bed again. I refuse to be a Wish Stealer! Take that, Mariah! Another cartwheel made her dizzy. Then again, Griffin thought, if it’s working, that means I need to return more wishes so the opposite of my other wishes won’t come true! Griffin remembered her wish for her grandma to get well. She thought of the new baby on the way. She had to work even faster to return the wishes.

  “You’re growing up, Griff,” said her mom, all teary-eyed, watching her from the doorway.

  “Mom, please!”

  Just then the telephone rang.

  “Forester Garrett,” read Griffin’s mom off the caller ID. “He’s calling again?”

  “Mom, it’s a science project! I gotta take this.” Griffin took the phone from her mom’s hand, waved good-bye, closed the door, and flopped onto her bed.

  “Hello?”

  “Griffin, hi, it’s Garrett. Sorry, I was going to leave a message ’cause my mom and I are going out for pizza.”

  “Yeah, thanks for calling. We need to pick a science project idea. I have a couple ideas.”

  “Maybe we could blow something up, show how explosions work, or grow something really gnarly,” said Garrett.

  “Huh,” said Griffin, thinking. Maybe we could make a force field against Samantha? she thought. But instead she said, “Can you meet me at the town library after school tomorrow? We can look at some books and decide on a topic. I can talk more with my parents tonight about it, okay?”

  “Okay,” he said, “but I gotta be quick. Band practice.”

  “Cool,” said Griffin, feeling her face getting warm.

  “Griffin, are you coming? Dinner’s ready,” called her mom.

  “Garrett, I gotta go eat dinner,” she said.

  “All right,” he said. “Bye.”

  “Bye,” she said, surprised her heart was beating so fast.

  Quickly Griffin dialed Libby. “Hey, Libbs, what’s up?”

  “I have the most unbelievable news ever! But first, I think Garrett Forester totally likes you. Audree agrees with me. She said he totally flirted with you in science class.”

  “What?” said Griffin, blushing again alone in her room.

  “He smiled at you twice by your locker! I know he thought the picture of you playing bass was supercool,” said Libby.

  “Libby, I was standing in a puddle of toilet paper! Who wouldn’t be smiling?” said Griffin.

  “Trust me,” said Libby.

  Griffin shook her head. Just as she was about to tell Libby that Garrett had called, Libby said, “Anyway, I just heard that Samantha did not win the Fresh Face contest because she broke out in an unexplained rash on her face right before the finals! She has bumps all over her face that look like lizard skin!”

  Griffin’s heart plunged. Suddenly she remembered the horrible wish that had popped into her head at the bakery when Samantha had called her mom’s cake a “nerd cake.” I wish Samantha looked like a queen lizard with warts all over her face!

  Oh, no! thought Griffin, sinking into her bed. Samantha was cruel, but Griffin hadn’t really meant for her to break out in warts. Had she? Griffin ran to the mirror and looked at herself. Her eyes had an odd yellow tint … like Mariah’s.

  “Griffin, are you there?” said Libby.

  “Yeah. Sorry, Libbs, my mom’s calling me for dinner.”

  “Okay. But isn’t this just like in English class? Something wicked this way comes!”

  “Yeah. Something wicked. See you tomorrow.”

  Griffin clutched herself. Had one of her hurtful wishes come true? She thought back to Mariah’s letter. If you are a Wish Stealer, only your evil wishes will come true.

  Griffin lurched under her bed, scooped up the amethyst stone for protection, put it into her pocket, and went downstairs for dinner.

  “Is everything all right, Griff?” asked her mom when she sat at the table.

  “Yeah,” she said.

  “Who is this Garrett?” asked her dad.

  “Mr. Luckner made Garrett and me partners for our science night project. The only problem is that I get the feeling that Garrett doesn’t do any homework. Is it okay if I walk next door to the town library after school tomorrow to meet him? Then can you pick me up when I’m done?”

  “Okay. Just call when you want me to get you. Do you have any science project ideas? I used to love science fairs when I was in school,” said her mom, smiling.

  “That’s because you won them all,” her dad said with a laugh.

  “I really want to do something about the environment,” said Griffin. “Garrett wants to grow something weird or blow something up.”

  Across the table Griffin’s parents raised their eyebrows at each other.

  Make a wish together

  and change the world.

  Chapter

  14

  At school the next day Samantha came in with a thick coat of makeup on her face, looking deeply tan or orange, depending on the light.

  Griffin gulped.

  Samantha, Martha, and Sasha passed out reminders for her birthday party, sticking chocolate chip cookie magnets on the invited kids’ lockers.

  Walking by Kristina, Griffin heard her mumble under her breath, “I’m never invited to cool things.”

  Another girl cried when every locker surrounding hers had a chocolate chip cookie magnet on it except hers. “Whoa,” said Robert Winbell, passing by Samantha, “you wear more makeup than my grandma.”

  “It’s called a tanning bed,” said Samantha. “You are so not invited to my party.”

  Griffin narrowed her eyes. She started to wish the party was ruined or no one showed up—NO, NO, NO, I DO NOT WISH THAT! Do I? thought Griffin.

  How easy it was to wish awful things when she was upset.

  Griffin tried to focus on making it through the school day and meeting Garrett at the town library instead.

  Griffin spread five books across the library table. Garrett was nowhere in sight. She checked her watch. For
fifteen minutes she had been waiting, and she wondered if he’d remember, even though she’d reminded him in science class. Walking toward the library computers, Griffin spotted Garrett sitting on the floor between two bookshelves, reading a guitar magazine.

  “Garrett,” she said. “I thought you forgot.”

  “Hey, Griffin,” he said. “No, I got here twenty minutes ago. Just getting some ideas. Never been here before. It’s pretty neat. I mean, man, I found some wild stuff.”

  “Band Magazine?” she read aloud, standing over him. “What’s that?”

  “Just reading about this band called the Austin Alchemists—got their name from wizards or something,” he said.

  “Can I see?” Griffin asked. Garrett stood up and gave her the magazine.

  She read aloud from the article interviewing the lead singer. “‘We got our band’s name after the ancient alchemists who were, like, radical wizard scientists, man. They tried to find a secret formula to turn lead into gold. Just like we’re gonna get a gold record when our CD sells a million copies!’”

  “Cool,” said Garrett. “If I could make gold, I’d buy my mom all the stuff she ever wanted.”

  Griffin continued reading the interview, “‘Alchemy was like the bridge, this awesomely long bridge between superstitions and modern science. Our band is, like, modern, man.’ I never heard of their band. But maybe Mr. Luckner would let us do our project about turning ordinary metals into gold.”

  “This could be so cool!” said Garrett. “Maybe we could do an experiment at the science fair. Blow all the kids away! Like take a penny and turn it into gold!”

  Like turning a penny into a wish, thought Griffin, but she didn’t say that aloud.

  “Let’s ask a librarian for help, okay?” she said, leading Garrett to the information desk.

  Mrs. Eve, the nicest librarian in the library, happened to be at the help desk. With her huge smile, sparkling eyes, and framed photo of her new baby on the counter, kids felt like they could ask her anything.

  “Hi, Mrs. Eve,” Griffin said.

  “Hi, Griff. Great to see you. Looks like you brought a friend,” she said smiling.

  “This is my science partner, Garrett.”

  “Hi, Garrett. Nice to meet you,” said Mrs. Eve.

  “Hi,” said Garrett.

  “We’re looking for info about the ancient alchemists,” said Griffin. “It might be a totally weird topic …”

  Mrs. Eve said, “Weird? Not at all! Ancient alchemy is one of the most fascinating topics you could research. Turning lead into gold, the transmutation of ugly things into beauty—the study of alchemy is a great choice! Let’s go to the ancient books section. All of our oldest and most valuable books are locked up down there.”

  She reached for a huge loop of keys behind the counter. Down two creaky flights of stairs, Garrett and Griffin followed behind Mrs. Eve. Underground caverns of books appeared in long rows stretching like a silent city beneath the library.

  “I never knew this existed,” said Griffin. Sounds of a metal door being unlocked echoed through the crypt of books.

  “Ancient Alchemy,” said Mrs. Eve, pointing to the last row of books by the wall. “Amazing things inside. You two may never want to leave!”

  “Thanks,” said Garrett and Griffin at the same time.

  WISH! she wanted to shout, but bit her tongue instead. She didn’t even want to think about that.

  Just then the phone rang inside the ancient book vault. Mrs. Eve reached to answer it. “Hello?” she said. “I’ll be right there.” She hung up the receiver and said to Garrett and Griffin, “I have to run. We usually don’t let people unsupervised down here, but, Griffin, I’ve known you and your family for years.” She smiled at them. “I’ll be back in ten minutes, okay?”

  Griffin nodded her head. “Thank you so much.” Mrs. Eve’s footsteps echoed through the silent underground room as she walked up the stairs.

  Griffin stared at Garrett when the door slammed. They were left alone.

  “Cool,” said Garrett. He pulled a giant book from the shelf. “The Dictionary of Ancient Alchemy, 1785.”

  The book weighed a ton. Dust flew off it like a poisonous cloud. Garrett opened the antique book and placed it on a reading stand set up at the end of a bookcase. Griffin and Garrett stood side by side in front of the book. Garrett read, “‘We start with Z. Zosimos of Panopolis.’” His voice bounced off the walls of the tomblike room.

  “It’s kinda creepy down here, don’t you think?” said Griffin.

  “Not really. I stay at home by myself all the time,” replied Garrett, shrugging. “Look at this!” He continued reading. “‘Zosimos, called the father of alchemy, believed only four metals could be changed into gold.’”

  “What are the four metals?” asked Griffin, now centimeters away from Garrett.

  “‘Lead, tin, silver, and copper,’” read Garrett.

  “Copper!” said Griffin, leaning her head over the book. Her long, shiny hair brushed the page.

  “‘Maria Prophetissa, the most famous woman alchemist, made the first laboratory equipment. It was called a tribikos, to make gold,’” she read excitedly.

  “Your hair smells like strawberries,” said Garrett.

  “Really?” said Griffin, jerking her head away.

  Garret and Griffin stared at each other across the book, and they both blushed at the same time.

  “I—I guess it’s my shampoo,” she said, her face now bright red like a giant strawberry.

  Do I have green food stuck in my teeth? thought Griffin, and she suddenly became self-conscious. Quickly she looked down and continued reading. “‘Basil Valentine, said to have lived in Paris in 1394, believed in the properties of a metal called antimony. This strange, poisonous metal fascinated Isaac Newton.’”

  “Look at that,” said Garrett, pointing to a picture. A black shiny circle was drawn on the next page. He read, “‘This circular black ob-sid-i-an mirror can be seen today in the British Museum. It was believed to have been stolen from Aztec priests by the conquistadors, who transported it to Europe. This magic mirror was used by the ancient alchemists to see the future.’”

  Griffin glued her eyes to the page. The magic mirror was just like the one she’d seen in Mr. Schmidt’s shop.

  Turn something ordinary

  into something extraordinary.

  Chapter

  15

  Six times the town bell rang outside, reminding Garrett and Griffin they had been researching for two hours. “Wow! That went by fast,” he said. Pushing through the heavy wooden doors, they emerged into the library’s front courtyard, each with a stack of books.

  “CDs! Buy your violin CD here,” called a sad-looking sidewalk musician standing by the flagpole. In one hand he clutched his violin and bow, in the other he held up his self-produced CD for sale. Before him lay a stack of unsold CDs and an open violin case. Not a single coin had been tossed inside. People walked in and out of the library and passed by him as if he were a lamppost. With his head bowed to the ground, he picked up his violin. Slowly he played a haunting, melancholy song. Griffin stared.

  “Griffin?” said Garrett. “You okay?”

  “Yeah. His violin case is empty,” she said.

  “What are you going to do?” Garrett said. “Give him some leftover lunch money?”

  When the violinist stopped playing, Griffin walked up to the forlorn man. Although he wasn’t that old, his face sagged. “You play really great.”

  “Thanks,” he said, not meeting her eyes.

  “I play bass guitar.”

  “Good for you. Hope you don’t end up a failure like me.”

  Griffin’s mouth fell open. “You’re not a failure,” she said. “Your music sounds incredible!”

  The man smiled sadly.

  “Griff! I’m parked right here,” called Dr. Penshine from the open car window.

  “I gotta go,” she said, turning to Garrett. “That’s my mom. Do you need a ri
de home?”

  “No, I’m gonna walk,” he said.

  “Don’t you have band practice like you said on the phone?” asked Griffin.

  “Nah, we bailed,” said Garrett.

  “Okay. Well, we got a lot done. Thanks. See you tomorrow,” she said.

  “Tomorrow’s Saturday,” he said, and smiled.

  “Oh, yeah.” She blushed.

  “Hey, are you going to Samantha’s party?” he asked.

  “Uh, no. I …,” she said.

  “Yeah, it will probably be lame. I ate that cookie anyway.”

  Griffin laughed.

  Garrett smiled at her again.

  “Griffin!” called her mom.

  “Gotta go,” she said, running to the car and slipping into the front seat.

  “Hi,” said her mom. “Is that Garrett over there?” Her mom pointed to Garrett, who was talking to the sidewalk musician.

  “Yes,” Griffin said.

  “Does he want to have dinner with us?” her mom asked.

  “Who?” Griffin said.

  “Garrett,” said her mom.

  “I don’t think so.”

  “How is he getting home?” asked her mom.

  “He said he’s walking,” said Griffin, staring out the window.

  “At night? By himself? I don’t think so!” said her mom. “Why don’t we eat across the street at Friendly’s? Dad’s working late. Maybe Garrett would like to have dinner with us? I can drop him off afterward.”

  “It’s okay, really,” Griffin said.

  “He shouldn’t be walking home in the dark,” her mom persisted.

  “All right,” Griffin said. She got out of the car and walked up to Garrett. “Hey, Garrett. Do you want to go to Friendly’s with us? Then my mom can drop you off.”

  “Friendly’s?” he said with a huge smile. “I love their Reese’s Pieces sundae.”

  “Yeah,” said Griffin.

  “Okay,” he said.

  Settled into the restaurant booth, Dr. Penshine asked Garrett, “Do you want to call your parents and let them know you’re eating with us?”