Tom watches as every muscle on Jake's thin, 8 year old frame rippled to life. The waves started small, but with each new wave, Jake's muscle crested higher and thicker. After just a few seconds, the short eight year old had the body of a well toned teenager. His shoulders widened. His arms thickened. Even his chest and legs balled up with new found strength.
Tom stood in amazement at his brother's slight but none-the-less dramatic transformation. Ten extra pounds on an eight year old was no small thing. Oddly, Jake just stared blankly at his brother. Hanging his arms wide at his sides, forcing veins to appear along each arm, Jake casually said, "So does that thing work or what?"
"What?" Tom didn't understand.
Jake steps closer. "Sure, the bolt of light was cool. But I thought you said it was going to make me bigger. I would love that. I just can't seem to add any more on."
Tom slowly realized what occurred. "The wand..." he whispered, staring at the jeweled tip.
"What about it?"
Tom stared intently at the wand before jolting his eyes back over to his brother. "The power of the wand changes reality AND muscle!"
"Huh? Now you lost me. It glowed for half a second and then stopped. It didn't even have sound effects."
"No, Jake. You don't get it." Tom pointed the wand back at Jake. "You're muscles DID grow---"
"No they didn't."
Continuing uninterpreted, "---AND your mind was altered so that... you wouldn't notice?"
Tom had lost his brilliant thought. "Sounds like a lame power to me. Why wouldn't you want to notice? I'D want to know if I had grown bigger."
Tom twirled the wand in his hand, lost in deep thought. In a zombie like state, he grabbed his brother's thickened bicep and pulled Jake to his closet door. Tom opened the door to revel a full length mirror attached to the other side.
"Tom, what are you doing. I get it. You're a clean freak."
Releasing Jake's arm, Tom continued thinking out-loud. "If no one noticed then you would never have to explain. I could use this wand on anyone, but no one would ever be suspicious if there was nothing to be suspicious of. Right?"
Jake stood dumbfounded and anxious. "You're asking me? What are you even babbling about? Come on, lets just play my game."
"But if I use it on myself, would I notice the change, or would I be changed with it? If HE used it on me," pointing the wand at Jake's reflection, "would I not notice then?"
Without thought, Tom flicked the wand at his own reflection. A short bolt of hot blue light leaped out of the jewel tipped wand, bounced off the mirror and hit Tom square in the chest.
Tom could feel the oddest tingling sensation massaging all of his muscles. With each pulse throughout his body, he felt his clothes tighten around him. His reflection was transforming. Muscles swelled from places they had never existed. His chest filled out, casting a deep shadow on his tightening stomach. His neck thickened and rose, straining the tight collar of his graphic tee.
In moments, the same growth that had changed his brother had also changed Tom with one difference...
"I remember!"
Jake was really confused now, and even a little agitated. "Remember what? Again. There was a flash of light and that was it!"
"And you DON'T remember."
"Don't what?!"
"Can't you see my muscles?" Instinctively fevered to prove his point, Tom grappled Jake's hand and shoved it onto his chest. "See!"
Jake tried to pull away, but his brother's strength was too much. "See what?! You've always been muscular. At least now I know what MY chest will feel like in a couple of years."
Tom could feel all of the pieces falling together. "Only the wand user knows anything has changed. Everyone else thinks that nothing happened."
Jake was actually envious of his older brother's size. Feeling the thickness of Tom's chest just reminded him of how young he was and how old Tom was. And more importantly, Jake had had enough of this. If the wand was so important to Tom...
Jake could see Tom falling back into his own thoughts. Tom's grip loosened on Jake's hand as well as the wand. With a sudden jerk, Jake pulled back from his brother, taking the wand with him.
"Enough Tom! Stop being crazy and lets just go play a game."
"Perfect!"
Jake heaved a sigh of relief. "Finally. I got our Halo 3 game all set up."
"If you fire the wand at me, then you will understand."
"Not again!" Jake face reddened. His new muscles flared. "I'll show you that all of this is so stupid! Then maybe you will stop being nuts!"
Jake flung his arm back and fired the power of the wand at...
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