wave of your hand

“You mean to tell me that with a wave of your hand you can do anything?”

A wild haired young man slowly nodded to the younger boy’s question. He slowly held up his left hand and extended his pinkie finger. The wild haired young man whispered, “Anything.”

“Wow, can you do my homework?”

“Can you do my chores?”

“Can you feed my dog for me?”

“Can you clean my room?”

“Can you get rid of cooties?”

“Anything,” he replied to the crowd of young children standing around him. He then continued, “But at a price. What if I did your homework, and it cost you your sister’s health? What if I could feed your dog for you, but a car would hit him the next day. I could clean your room, but you would break your leg that afternoon. Magic comes at a price that you must be willing to pay.”

None of the children said anything. None of them asked for anything. One child even started to cry when the wild haired young man looked at him.