Gatesy sighed and stared dejectedly at the huge pile of fan mail in front of him. It covered most of the desk, and a few envelopes had even fallen on the floor.
"This is going to take forever," a voice on the other side of the pile groaned. Gatesy nodded, even though Yon couldn't see him.
"C'mon guys," Scod's cheery voice piped up. "These people took the time to write to us - the least we could do is take the time to write back."
"The price of popularity," Gatesy said with a mock sigh. Yon laughed.
"Besides, if we each take only about a minute to open and read these letters, then another two or so minutes to reply, we'll have finished by the end of the day - and still have time to watch Startrek!"
Gatesy and Yon peered around the mound of mail to stare at Scod.
"Don't tell me you just worked that out in your head?" Gatesy asked in disbelief. Scod shifted uncomfortably.
"Well�I had to simplify it for you guys, but yeah."
Yon shook his head.
"You are way too smart for your own good Scod."
"Must be the glasses," Gatesy said with a grin.
Scod ignored them both and reached out to open the first letter. The other two mimicked his actions. For the next few hours they stayed that way, the silence only broken by the rustling of the paper and when one of the boys found something funny enough to read out loud.
"Helllooo�" Gatesy said quietly to himself as he noticed a parcel amongst all the letters. "What's this?" Picking it up, he noticed it was rather heavy.
"Hey guys," he called the other two over. "We have a gift-bearer over here." The other two got up and sat beside him.
"Maybe it's a bomb!" Yon said with a smirk. Scod and Gatesy laughed, then all three looked decidedly uneasy as the parcel rattled.
"Umm�maybe you should open it Scod," Gatesy said hurriedly, handing the parcel over to Scod. Scod glared at him, then inspected the package, carefully turning it over.
"If this was a bomb�" he whispered to himself. Quickly he worked through all the different ways a bomb could be set off in a package like this, relying on what he knew about chemistry and physics. He shook the package slightly, listening intensely to the sound it made.
"It's not a bomb," he said finally. Before the other two could stop him, he ripped the parcel open. Sure enough, inside was only a collection of small boxes with their names printed on various ones.
"Oh boy - presents!" Yon cried, forgetting his anxiety from the moment before. He picked up the box with his name scrawled across the top and opened it.
"Cool!" he laughed as he pulled out a Yoda figurine. There was a tiny note attached, with an arrow pointing downwards and a small scribbling.

'For Yon, I heard you liked Star Wars�'

Following the arrow, Yon peered at on the bottom of the figurine.
"Oh my god," he whispered.
"What?" the other two craned their necks to see. Wordlessly Yon turned the figurine around so that Scod and Gatesy could see the bottom as well. It was littered with signatures. There was Mark Hamill, Harrison Ford and all the other actors that played lead roles. Scod and Gatesy's mouths dropped open.
"Yon�do you have any idea how much that figurine is worth?" Scod finally asked. Yon could only nod in amazement.
Gatesy was the first to recover, and quickly opened his box. Peering inside, he pulled out what looked like an egg with tiny gold legs. He quickly read the note attached.

'For Gatesy, thank you for putting music in my heart. Maybe this will help put music in yours.'

Gatesy frowned slightly, turning the thing over. It was heavy, and was probably the main cause of the weight of the parcel.
"What is it?" he asked the other two. They just shrugged. The thing was a pearly colour, and the tiny legs were gold. It was studded with what looked like precious stones. But they couldn't be - otherwise this thing would be worth a fortune�right? Gatesy noticed that one of the stones was slightly bigger than the others.
"Hey, look at the size of this one," he said, pointing to it. He pushed the stone and there was an audible click.
The thing slowly opened, and a haunting melody began to play. Inside there was a tiny figure, playing a harp. As the music played, her hands glided gracefully along the strings in time to the music.
"It's a music box," Scod said in wonder. None of them had ever heard such a sweet tune before, its methodic playing filling their ears.
"Its beautiful," Yon whispered.
Gently Gatesy closed the box, cutting off the gentle music. He offered the others a shaky smile as he clutched it to his chest.
Scod took a deep breath and peered down at his box, the only one left. What could he possible get that would be as precious as the other two? Slowly, he opened it.
Inside was a tiny blue stone. Reaching in to pull it out, Scod read the note that was attached.

'Scod, I know you sometimes don't feel as though you belong. Maybe this will make all your wishes come true.'

Scod studied the small stone. It was about the size of a five cent piece, and perfectly round. It was deep blue in colour, and seemed to absorb the light in the room, rather than reflect it.
"What is it?" Yon asked, leaning in for a closer look.
Scod shrugged, unable to look away from the depths of the stone. The strangest feeling began to creep over him, almost as though�He stopped, mentally shaking himself. It was almost as though the stone was talking to him - but that was ridiculous! He looked up and suddenly noticed the other two starring at him strangely.
"You ok there Scoddy?" Gatesy asked, his voice slightly concerned. Scod nodded in puzzlement.
"I'm fine. Why?"
Gatesy glanced at Yon.
"You sort of zoned out there for a moment that's all," he said with a shrug.
"Oh." Scod frowned slightly. Had he? "Sorry," he said, although he wasn't really sure why he was apologizing.
"Maybe all that thinking about the bomb wore out his little brain," Yon said with a smirk.
Gatesy laughed. "Maybe you've got limits to your superior intelligence after all!"
Yon gasped mockingly. "You mean those glasses don't know everything?" Laughing together, Yon and Gatesy got up and left the room, clutching their precious gifts to their chest.
Scod sulked slightly, and stayed where he was sitting. He knew that they didn't mean anything by their words and that they were only teasing, but he couldn't help feeling a little hurt. When he was little he had always been the nerd, the geeky kid in the corner, and even though he had changed on the outside all the self-consciousness and low self-esteem he had felt had followed him throughout his life. It certainly didn't help when other people told him the same thing.
Scod sat back and gazed at the tiny stone in his palm.
"I wish you could help me," he told it before slipping it carefully in his pocket. He didn't notice the stone turn red and pulsate slightly as he got up and headed towards his room.

Scod was awoken the next morning by a loud thud, followed by laughter. He briefly wondered whether to get up or not, but decided he probably should. Sleeping in with two immature housemates living with you was never a very good idea.
With a reluctant sigh, Scod clambered out of bed and pulled on a pair of reasonably clean jeans on the way to the kitchen. Rubbing the sleep out of his eyes and perching his glasses on his nose, he peered into the room. It was empty. Hearing giggling coming from the living room, Scod followed the noise, wondering what was going on.
He found Gatesy and Yon bent at odd angles on a twister mat. Michelle, their manager, held the spinner board and was laughing hysterically at the two.
"Left hand blue," she said between her fit of giggles. Yon and Gatesy both groaned - neither could reach the spot in question without doubling in on themselves.
"I give up," Yon said with a laugh and collapsed in an exhausted heap.
"Yay!" Gatesy yelled, straightening up. "I win!"
"No you don't!" Yon sat up quickly. "I gave up - which means it's a draw!"
"No it doesn't," Gatesy argued. "It means you admitted defeat. I didn't give up, so I win."
"Do not!"
"Do so!"
"Do not!"
"Do-"
"Guys!" Scod yelled to get their attention. They both stopped and looked at him. Now that he had their attention, Scod really didn't know what to do with it. He had meant to stop them fighting, but hadn't really thought of anything to say.
Luckily, Michelle saved him.
"Scod, great - you're up," she said in a business-like manner, climbing up out of the chair in which she was sitting. "I was getting worried that you'd sleep all day."
"She wouldn't let us throw cold water on you," Yon said helpfully.
"She said the sheets would get wet," Gatesy added.
"Thanks," Scod muttered dryly, wondering whether or not to be relieved that he was saved by expensive bed linen.
"Hurry up and get dressed," Michelle ordered, ignoring Yon and Gatesy. "We have a sound check to do before tonight."
"Tonight?" Scod asked, his still half-asleep struggling to remember what was happening that night. Michelle starred at him.
"Yeah, tonight," she replied. "We're playing at the Prince Pat - remember?"
Scod blushed. "Oh yeah." How could he forget that? They'd been planning it for weeks! He turned and hurried to change. Pulling on a t-shirt and a change of pants, Scod turned and headed out of the room. A glint of blue caught his eye just as he was about to leave.
Curious, he walked back in to see what had caught his attention. It was the blue stone that had come in the mail yesterday. He had totally forgotten about it. Picking it up, he was surprised to find it was warm to touch.
"Must've slept on it or something," he muttered to himself. Again, he found his gaze captured in the icy depths of the stone.
"Scod!" Michelle's annoyed yell brought him out of his near trance. "Get a move on!" Trying to shake off the strange feeling the stone gave him, Scod lightly chucked it onto his bed, before turning and running out of the room.

Michelle was waiting impatiently for him by the front door, car keys in hand.
"C'mon, move it bucko!" she scolded with a grin. "I'm not getting any younger!" Scod returned her grin sheepishly and ran out the door, pulling on his jacket as he went. Yon and Gatesy were already waiting in the car.
"It's nice not to be the late one for a change," Gatesy said light-heartedly. Scod thought of a comeback, but decided to keep it to himself. He didn't want to pick a fight just before a gig. As it turned out he didn't have to - Yon did it for him.
"As opposed to coming to soon?" he said with a smirk. Gatesy, who was sitting in the front seat, turned around to hit him, but Yon dodged and Scod ended up being smacked in the nose.
"OW!" he yelled, clutching his face.
"Oops. Sorry Scod," Gatesy said apologetically. He quickly turned around to face the front. Just then Michelle climbed in the car.
"Ready to go boys?" she asked cheerfully, sticking the keys into the ignition. She noticed Scod clutching his nose, his glasses pushed up. She turned around to face him, her face concerned.
"What have you done to yourself?" she asked, half joking.
"Gatesy hit me on the nose!" Scod wailed, hoping that he wouldn't start bleeding everywhere.
"I didn't mean to!" Gatesy protested when Michelle turned to glare at him. Yon snickered.
"Oohh - Gatesy's in trouble!"
Gatesy turned around to hit him again, and Scod flinched back thinking he was going to be hit again, but Michelle stopped him.
"For goodness sake!" she cried, exasperated. "I wish you two would behave for once!"
"Me too," Scod muttered, rubbing his still sore nose. Suddenly his pocket grew very warm, and he heard a strange humming. Reaching into his pocket, Scod's fingers wrapped around something warm. Pulling it out he was surprised to discover it was the stone. He frowned slightly. Had he put it in his pocket? Before he could follow that train of thought, Yon and Gatesy both chorused, "We apoligise Michelle. We shall try to behave in future." There was no hint of sarcasm in either of their voices.
Michelle looked a bit taken aback. She glanced at Scod, but he could only shrug as he absently placed the stone back into his pocket. He had no idea what they were up to.
"Well�good," Michelle said finally. Giving Gatesy another uncertain glance, she turned the keys in the ignition and pulled out of the driveway.
Scod turned to Yon, who was sitting with a straight back and his hand folded in his lap.
"How come you're sitting like that?" he asked, mystified by his friend's sudden change in behavior.
"Correct posture is the key to success," Yon said, turning his head to talk but keeping his body in the same position. It reminded Scod eerily of the Exorcist.
"Huh?" he asked, not sure if he had heard right.
"Correct posture is the key to success," Yon repeated patiently. Scod caught Michelle's worried gaze in the rearview mirror.
Scod peered around the seat at Gatesy. He was sitting in exactly the same position as Yon.
"Alright guys, cut this out. This isn't funny any more - it's just plain creepy," Scod said. Gatesy looked over his shoulder, keeping his back straight and his hands clasped in his lap.
"I do not know what you are talking about Scott my friend," he replied, his tone polite.
"That does it!" Michelle cried, pulling the car over to the side of the road. "We're not going anywhere until you two stop behaving like jerks!"
"Forgive me Michelle, I mean no disrespect, but you seem a little agitated," Gatesy said. "Is something the matter?"
"Stop it!" she cried. "What the hell is wrong with you?!"
"I do not know to what you are referring Michelle," Yon replied from behind her. "Steven and myself are feeling quite well, although thank you for asking."
Scod grabbed hold of Yon and shook him.
"Snap out of it!" he yelled.
"Forgive me Scott, but I do believe you are hurting Simon," Gatesy piped up from the front of the car.
"I do believe Steven is right," Yon managed to get out.
Scod let go of Yon with a growl.
"I wish you guys would act normal," he complained. Instantly his pocket warmed up again and he could hear that distant humming again. Yon slouched back on the seat.
"Are we there yet?" he grumbled.
Gatesy immediately began to fidget with all the buttons and knobs on the radio, and moved around restlessly as Gatesys tend to do.
Scod glanced at Michelle, who simply shrugged and stuck the keys back in the ignition. Scod pulled the stone out from his pocket and stared at it. It was the thing causing the humming.
"What's that?" Yon leaned over to get a closer look at the stone. Gatesy turned around too, his face curious.
"It's the stone I got in the mail yesterday, remember?" Scod replied, rolling his eyes at how they could forget so quickly.
"Huh?" Yon looked confused.
"You didn't tell us you got a rock in the mail," Gatesy accused. Scod starred at one, then the other.
"But you guys were there when I opened it," he objected. "I didn't think I'd have to tell you!" Yon and Gatesy frowned, glancing at each other.
"We didn't get any mail yesterday Scod - it was Sunday. The post man doesn't deliver on Sundays." Scod blinked. It was too - today was Monday. He starred down at the stone. If he didn't get it in the mail, then where did it come from?
"You didn't get a Yoda figurine?" he asked Yon, who's baffled look gave him his answer. A chill settled over Scod as he starred back down at the tiny rock. Where the hell did it come from?

Scod bumbled his way through rehearsals that afternoon - he couldn't stop thinking about the tiny stone nestled in his pocket.
"That does it!" Gatesy yelled finally, after Scod had stuffed up the same chord three times.
"What the hell is wrong with you?" Yon demanded, just as angry as Gatesy.
"Sorry guys," Scod mumbled, studying his shoes. "My mind's just not on rehearsal today." Yon looked slightly sympathetic, but Gatesy still looked peeved.
"Well, you had better get it back *on* the rehearsal," he growled. "This is the only one we've got before the gig!"
"I said I was sorry, didn't I?" Scod replied, getting slightly annoyed himself. Who did Gatesy think he was? He could remember plenty of times when he and Yon had given him space after a particularly bad rehearsal.
"I don't care if you did say sorry!" Gatesy yelled back, glaring at him. "So long as you quite stuffing up!"
Scod stood up, an angry retort on his lips, but Yon grabbed his arm.
"Just let it go," he pleaded quietly. Scod glared at him for a moment, then sighed. Maybe he was just overreacting. He turned back around to apologise, but Gatesy interrupted him before he could say anything.
"How 'bout we take a quick break, then try again?" he suggested with a sigh. "Maybe then you'll have time to get your act together."
"That does it!" Scod yelled, his anger coming back remarkably quickly. "I don't have to take this s--- from you!"
He grabbed his guitar and stormed out of the room, slamming the door behind him.
"Good!" Gatesy yelled at the closed door. "We don't need you anyway!" Yon stared at him in disbelief.
"What the hell did you just do that for?" he demanded. Gatesy glared at him.
"He needs to get his mind back on what we're doing!" he protested.
"And you'd thought you'd do that by making him storm out of the room?" Yon retorted, crossing his arms across his chest.
Gatesy hesitated.
"You think maybe I was a bit too harsh?" he asked finally. Yon rolled his eyes.
"Yes!"
"Okay - maybe I could have been a bit more tolerant," he admitted. "So now what?"
"So now you go and apologise!" Yon declared, pushing him towards the door.
"Alright, alright!" Gatesy grumbled. "I'm going." Muttering to himself, he stomped off to find Scod.
He finally found him sitting in their dressing room, angrily strumming his guitar. Clearing his throat loudly, Gatesy knocked on the door. Scod ignored him and continued playing, only stopping every now and then to tune the guitar.
"Scod," Gatesy began, but Scod drowned out his words by playing even harder. Scowling, Gatesy walked over and grabbed the neck of the guitar, pulling it out of Scod's grasp.
"Hey!" Scod yelled. "Give it back!"
"I will when you stop acting so immaturely," Gatesy snapped back. As soon as the words were out of his mouth, he regretted them.
"*I'm* the one who's being immature?!" Scod cried, jumping to his feet. "Who was the one playing Twister this morning? Who is the one that eats Coco Pops for breakfast every day? Who is the one who still has a *teddy bear*?"
"Mr Fluff 'n' Stuff has nothing to do with this!" Gatesy yelled back. With an angry cry, he spun around and punched the wall. "You make me so f---ing mad!" He screamed, turning around to face Scod again. "I wish you'd never joined the group!"
"I wish the group had never even been formed!" Scod yelled back. Before he'd even completed the sentence, he felt his pocket warm up and once again the strange humming from before filled the air. Pulling the stone from his pocket, Scod gasped. It was glowing red and pulsating slightly.
Suddenly there was a bright flash of crimson light, before everything went black.

Scod woke up with a pounding headache. He groaned as he tried to sit up, pulling back his doona as he did so.
"Last time I go drinking with the boys," he muttered, slowly climbing to his feet and trying to stop the world from spinning. He glanced blearily around his room, then stumbled towards the bathroom for a shower. There was something not quite right about all this, niggling at the back of his mind, but his headache made it impossible to think clearly.
Once he'd had his shower and changed, Scod was feeling slightly better. He wandered into the kitchen to please his grumbling tummy.
"Morning honey," his wife greeted him, kissing him on the cheek.
"Morning," he replied, sitting down to the bacon and eggs she had made for him. He frowned slightly as he stared down at the food, the feeling he had felt before coming back. Something was wrong with this picture, but he couldn't figure out what it was.
"Is something wrong with the food?" she asked. He smiled at her.
"No," he replied, pushing the feeling away and settling down to eat.
Later that day during work, as he finished typing up the software program he had been working on for the past few months, the feeling came back again. Scod stopped what he was doing. What the hell was wrong with him? Why did he keep getting this strange feeling? Maybe he had been working too hard, and just needed some fresh air. Climbing to his feet, Scod turned around to go out the door, and froze. Yon walked past in a smart business suit, seemingly not noticing him. All at once, everything that had happened came flowing back.
"Yon!" Scod cried, chasing after his friend. He grabbed Yon's arm and turned him around. "What are you doing here?"
Yon frowned at him.
"I'm sorry, but I think you have me confused with someone else," he said, shrugging off Scod's arm. "My name's Simon, and I'm here to do your company's taxes."
Scod stared at him.
"Taxes?"
Yon nodded, then turned and disappeared into one of the offices. Scod stared at the shut door for a moment in shock, then wandered back into his own office, dazed and confused. Yon didn't remember him?
Scod thought about the wish he had made, and the strange stone that glowed. Surely it hadn't�Scod's eyes widened.
"Oh my god," he whispered. He had unwished Tripod!
It was such a weird feeling - he could remember everything from his life with Tripod, but he could also remember everything from the life he had at the moment. He could remember studying technology, all the computer courses, marrying his wife�Scod clamped a hand over his mouth to stop himself from crying out. He was married! He was too young to be married!
Scod tried not to panic. Obviously he had a few things to cope with. Simple enough - he was good at problem solving. Focusing on calming his breathing, he tried to think what to do.
"I just need to wish everything back to the way it was," he whispered to himself. Simple. He reached into his pocket for the stone. Then he reached into the other pocket. Frantically he patted himself down, but it was no use. It wasn't there.
"Must've left it at home," he muttered. He got up and sneaked out of the office, making sure to avoid being seen. He didn't want to get yelled at by his boss, despite the fact that he was off to unwish this reality. 'Borrowing' a car from the company parking lot, Scod broke nearly every road rule in the book in an effort to get home as fast as possible. Miraculously, he wasn't pulled over.
With a screech of rubber, Scod pulled into his driveway. Racing up the steps, he yanked open the door and ran inside. Or tried to. THUD! He collided with the locked door and stumbled backwards. Feeling slightly dazed, he adjusted his glasses, and was surprised to see someone stick their head out of the house.
"Who the hell are you?" they demanded.
"I could ask you the same question!" Scod cried, indignant of being locked out of his own home.
"I'm the owner of this house," the man snapped back. "I've lived here for nearly five years." Scod looked around. He was at the house he shared with Gatesy and Yon - before he had made the wish. Oops.
"Sorry, wrong house," he offered by way of explanation even as he turned around and jumped back in the car. Ignoring the weird look the man gave him, Scod revved the engine and charged off to his alternate home.
Pulling into the driveway, Scod leapt out of the car and raced up the steps. This time he made sure the door was unlocked.
"Scott?" his wife called, surprised. Scod shoved the disturbing image of marriage from his mind - in a moment he wouldn't have to deal with it. He raced into his room and began to search frantically for the stone. His wife came in.
"Scott? What are you doing?" she asked hesitantly. Scod ignored her as he searched for the tiny stone. "Scott?" she tried again.
"Where is it?" he cried, flinging clothes everywhere.
"Where is what?" she asked, mystified.
"The stone!" he yelled, stopping to look at her. "Did you take it?"
"What stone?" she asked perplexed.
"The little blue one!"
"Scott, are you feeling alright?" her face was worried. "Do you want to have a lie down?" Scod was ready to scream in frustration. Where the hell was it? He had had it in his hand when he�Scod froze.
"Oh no�" he whispered, shakily sitting down on the edge of his bed. "Oh no." If he had unwished Tripod, and the band had never formed, then of course he didn't have the stone. It had never been sent to him in the first place. You can't get gifts from fans of something that doesn't exist.
"How bout I make you a nice cuppa?" his wife said, guiding him back into the living room. Scod let himself be lead over to the sofa. His wife turned on the tv, and handed him the remote.
"You just sit here and watch some cartoons," she said soothingly. "I'll get you something to drink." She turned and headed into the kitchen.
"The stress companies these days are putting on their employees," he heard her mutter as she disappeared around the corner. Scod sat, remote still in hand, in a state of shock as he stared at the tv. It took several moments for the image to sink into his consciousness.
"Hey! That's Gatesy!"
He stared open mouthed as Gatesy bounced across the screen, acting out a story.
"Gatesy's on Playschool?" Scod shook his head in disbelief. He had ended up a computer programmer, Yon had ended up an accountant, and Gatesy ended up on Playschool? It was too much to think about. Scod flopped back on the sofa in defeat. How the hell was he going to fix this mess?

The next several days were a living nightmare for poor Scod. He kept seeing people he knew who had no idea who he was. He knew that if he could forget about the 'Tripod reality' as he had come to call it, then he would probably be happier with his current life style. But he couldn't. Scod sat at his desk at work, idly linking up paper clips, thinking about what had happened. Not a moment went past when he wasn't think about all the fun he had with Gatesy and Yon, and all the stuff they used to do together. He had no one like that in this reality.
Except his wife. Scod shuddered. Oh god his wife. She was a nice enough woman, but she bugged him non stop. The Scod from this reality, who had never known Tripod, had been infatuated with her. But Scod from the Tripod reality was different - he did not like her at all. She nagged him all the time, and seemed perfectly happy to puddle around all day doing household chores. It was like there was a huge hole were her personality should be.
Scod sighed and flicked paperclips across the room and into the bin one by one. Who would have thought that one tiny wish could make such a difference?
"I have to get through!"
Yelling distracted Scod from his paperclip flinging, and he peered out the door of his office. Barry, the security guard for his building was blocking someone's path. Peering closer, Scod could see it was a woman. She was very short - especially compared to Barry - and had a figure that could only be described as dainty. She had dark eyes, and dark hair that was pulled up into a loose bun, so he couldn't tell how long it was.
"I'm sorry miss, but Mr Edgar isn't expecting you." Scod's ears pricked up at the sound of his name. "You will have to book an appointment, or wait until after business hours."
"Of course he's not bloody expecting me!" the woman said angrily. "I didn't bloody tell him I was coming!" She tried to shove past Barry, who just blocked her path again. Scod's curiosity got the better of him.
"It's alright Barry," he said, stepping out from his office. "You can let her through." Obediently Barry stood aside and let the woman past. She glared angrily up at him and poked out her tongue, before marching straight into Scod's office.
"How can I help you?" Scod asked politely, and with a trace of amusement. The woman turned on him.
"What the hell did you do?" she cried. Scod blinked.
"Excuse me?"
"All my Tripod posters and CDs just vanished! And why the hell are you at an office job? Where's Yon and Gatesy?"
"You know who Tripod are?" Scod demanded, racing over and grabbing her by the shoulders. She shrugged him off, looking slightly confused.
"Of course I do."
"But how?"
"Huh?"
"How do you know about them?"
The woman stared at him for a long minute.
"Oh you didn't," she whispered. Seeing Scod's slightly guilty expression, she groaned. "You did! What the hell did you wish that for?"
Scod shook his head. "How did you know I made a wish?"
The woman had begun to pace quickly. "Because I was the one who sent you the Wishing Stone!" she cried.
"Oh."
He watched her pacing, wondering if it would be wise to say anything. He decided not to - she looked mad as it is. Despite her size, she intimidated him. Finally she stopped pacing and stared at the carpet, before swearing loudly. "This is going to get complicated," she told Scod.
"Huh? Why? Can't you just get the stone? Then I can unwish all this."
She sighed.
"It's not that simple," she replied. "I created that stone just for you. So, if Tripod never formed then I had no reason to make it. At the moment it doesn't exist."
"Oh," Scod said, sitting down at his desk slowly. "So can't you just make it again?" The woman shook her head.
"I used a certain magic to create it. A magic, that in this reality, I've never had a use for. So I haven't learnt it."
"Are you some kind of�witch?" Scod asked, almost afraid of the answer. The woman laughed.
"Yeah, I guess I am. I never thought of it like that."
Scod allowed for this to sink in. "Okay," he said slowly. "So what are we going to do?" The woman frowned slightly.
"I think we'll have to go back in time."

"Excuse me?"
"We'll have to go back to before you made your wish," the woman informed him.
"You can do that?" Scod asked, amazed. The woman shifted uncomfortably.
"In theory," she replied uneasily.
"In theory?" Scod repeated, slightly alarmed. "You mean you don't know?"
"Hey, I've never had to do it before ok?" she protested. "I've never stuffed up this big!" Scod blushed.
"Sorry�uh," he broke off, realising he didn't know her name.
"It's Myf," she said with a small smile.
"I'm Scod," he replied with a grin, holding out his hand. Laughing, she shook it.
"Nice to meet you Scod."
"So�how do we go back in time?" he asked. "Do you just wave your arms around and say some magic words?" Myf burst out laughing before she realised that he had been serious. "Ah no," she replied, trying to stifle her giggles. Scod ignored her obvious amusement at his ignorance.
"So how do we do it?"
"We'll have to pop over to my place and get a few things first," Myf said absently, already heading out the door. Scod jogged to catch up. "Then we'll have to�" she trailed off, running through the list in her head. Scod followed obediently.
"We'll take the company car," he suggested when they got to the parking lot. Myf nodded, still running through her checklist. Scod steered her towards the car that he had borrowed the other day. As he made to climb into the driver's seat, Myf stopped him.
"Oh no you don't," she said with a grin. "I'm driving." Scod opened his mouth to protest, but she cut him off. "You don't know the way anyway," she added smugly.
Grumbling, Scod conceded defeat and climbed into the passenger seat, a pout on his face. Glancing over at Myf, Scod knew he was in trouble. Her feet barely reached the pedals, but before he could say anything she revved up the engine with a roar, and with a squeal of rubber, they shot out of the parking lot.
"Arrggghhhh!!" Scod yelled as they went tearing down the street.
"Wohoo!!" Myf cried, her face one big grin.
"Watch out for the-!" CLANG. "-garbage can."
Myf slammed on the parking break, spinning the car around a corner. Shifting gears, she lowered her foot hard on the accelerator and they were off again.
"Car! Letterbox! Bin! TREE TREE TREE!!" Scod yelled frantically, clinging to his seat. Myf laughed, swerving the car out of the way at the last possible second every time.
"Want to see how fast this baby can go?" she asked with a smirk.
"NO!"
She ignored him, shifting gears and slamming her foot down on the accelerator. The engine roared, and the tires squealed in protest, as they took off.
"Wohoo!" Myf yelled in excitement. Scod covered his eyes.
"I'm going to die. I'm going to die," he whimpered. Myf ignored him, swerving through side streets and tearing across intersections. Finally she pulled into her own street. Slamming down the hand break, the car spun in a full 180 degrees before coming to rest, perfectly parallel to the curb.
"We're here," she said lightly, unbuckling her seat belt.
"I think I'm going to be sick," Scod moaned.
"No time for that now," Myf said, pushing him out of the car. "We're on a mission."
Unlocking the front door, she went inside, with Scod following meekly behind still waiting for his stomach to catch up with him.
Myf puddled off to her room, and as he started to feel a bit better, Scod took note of his surroundings. It was a neat house, with clean furniture and everything in it's place. Like the sort of house you'd see in a magazine. He followed Myf into her room. It was just like the rest of the house - it looked like it had come straight out of a catalogue.
Myf pulled a very big leather book off her shelf, struggling under its weight. Being the gentlemen we all know he is, Scod took the book from her hands, grunting in surprise under the unexpected weight.
"Thanks," Myf said with a smile, indicating he should follow her as she led the way along the hallway. "That thing's bigger than I am, and probably twice as heavy."
She lead him out a side door he hadn't noticed before, across a short walkway and into what looked like either a studio or a garden shed. Pulling a fancy looking key from her belt, Myf slid it into the lock murmuring something in another language as she did so. Following her inside, Scod gasped.
It was what could only be described as a witch's coven. Feathers, dream-catchers, beads, and various other things dangled from the ceiling. Jars of strange looking substances, all labeled, lined the walls. Pentagons and strange symbols were painted everywhere, and there was incense burning in the corner. Books on magic and leather-bound diaries were stacked and lined the shelves that were fairly low to the ground. Scod couldn't help but stare.
Myf inhaled deeply, spreading her arms as though to welcome the room, and turned around to smile at Scod. "Home sweet home."

Scod offered a hesitant smile in return. He didn't really know what to make of all this. If Myf noticed his uncertainty, she didn't show it.
"Let's get down to business," she said briskly. Taking the enormous book from Scod, she plonked it down on the floor, and flopped down next to it. Flicking though the pages, she soon became absorbed in what she was doing and forgot that Scod was even there. After waiting a few minutes, he decided to take a look around.
He inspected a few of the jars, peering curiously into each one. Wandering along the wall, he stopped in front of one the symbols. It was such a strange design; he leant closer to get a better look. He reached out to touch it, wondering what it was painted in. Immediately there was a bright flash of light, and a searing pain shot up his arm. The shock was so severe, he cried out and fell over backwards.
Myf glanced up from her book, a slight frown on her face.
"I probably should have warned you, most of the symbols in here are female oriented. No male is ever allowed to recreate them, or interfere with them in any way. That includes touching them." She turned back to her book.
"Now she tells me," Scod muttered, rubbing his still sore arm and climbing up from the floor. He started looking around again, although he was careful not to touch anything this time. A glint of light caught his eye, and he wandered over to the corner. A table was set up, sporting every single crystal he had ever heard of, and many he hadn't. All were polished and in immaculate condition.
"Found it!" Myf cried in triumph, startling Scod out of his thoughts. He walked over and stood next to her, squinting down at the strange text.
"What does it say?" he asked curiously. Myf was already on her feet, gathering various items from the shelves and placing them in a pile next to the book. Scod watched silently. Finally she had everything she needed.
"Alright, put this all in a bag," she told Scod. He blinked in surprise.
"But I thought we were going to do the spell here?"
Myf shook her head.
"We have to cast the spell at the place in question. Which means going back to the Prince Pat - that was where you made your wish?" When Scod nodded she continued. "And there's one more thing we need�" she hesitated.
"Which is�?" Scod asked, dreading the answer. She sighed.
"The situation must be identical, or very close to when you made the wish," she replied, looking him right in the eye. "Which means we have to find Gatesy."
"How the hell are we going to do that?" Scod cried. "And if we do find him, he won't remember who I am! How are we going to convince him to come with us? And even if we manage that, how are we going to explain it when we start working some mumbo jumbo on him?"
Myf sniffed.
"We'll figure that out when we come to it," she replied, packing the pile of items next to her book into a bag. "Pick that up, please." She indicated the book.
"Huh? Why?" Scod asked, even as he did what he was told. "Because I don't know the spell," she replied.
"I'll have to read it from the book."
"Are you kidding?" he cried, nearly dropping the book. "We have to cart this thing around? People are going to notice!"
Myf stopped and looked at him, then at the book.
"Hmmm�good point," she conceded. "Alright." She walked over to her crystals table, which Scod had been looking at before. Scanning the collection, she finally pulled out a small cyan coloured one, which was about the size of a golf ball. Walking over to Scod she started muttering in another language again, waving the stone about the air. Gently she placed it against his forehead, then lightly she tapped the book with it.
"There," she said with a satisfied smile. She placed the stone in Scod's front pocket. He looked at her, confused.
"What did you do?" he asked.
"I made you invisible," she replied, turning around to pick up the bag. He blinked and looked down.
"You did? Then how come I can still see myself?"
"That's because you know that you're there," Myf explained patiently, ushering him out of the room and locking the door behind him. "It only works if you don't know about it."
"So you can see me?" Scod asked, going back through the house to the car. She nodded, following him, then locking the front door behind her.
"Oh no you don't!" he cried when she began to climb into the driver's seat of the car. "This time *I'm* driving!"
Myf grinned.
"But Scod," she replied, looking innocent. "You have to carry the book. It's much to big for little old me to look after."
Scod glared at her, but he knew she was right. He didn't want his one ticket out of this mess to end up flying out the window, or so damaged that it couldn't be read. Grumbling, he climbed into the backseat so he could nurse the huge book on his lap.