Gayle couldn't believe it. She got it! She had The Wishing Stone in her possession. She could do anything she wanted with it. She knew the rules: she had only three wishes for a lifetime. She would have to be careful, but she knew what she wanted.

Gayle was a plump woman, 27 years of age. Plump wasn't the right word, she was fat. She knew she was fat. Gayle believed that her weight was hurting her self-esteem and thus she was shy too. She did have a boyfriend though. His name was Brian. He had been with her for a couple of years now. She wished he would marry her, but Brian hadn't given any indication that he would ask her. Maybe if she was thinner, Brian would propose. She didn't know, but that was her hope. Gayle supposed that she could make him marry her with her third wish if push came to shove.

Gayle took The Wishing Stone into her hand and was immediately inundated with the knowledge of how to use it. It was simple: hold The Wishing Stone in your hand and state your wish out loud in a clear voice. Only wish for one thing at a time. Be simple and direct.

The instructions seemed reasonable to Gayle. She knew what she wanted. Nothing complicated. She just had to state what she wanted and be clear about it.

Gayle's first wish was to be 'thinner'. But that didn't sound right. She could lose two ounces and be thinner, or she could shrink away to nothing if she stated her wish like that. Gayle took some time to think about her wish. She found the proper wording. Nothing could go wrong if she worded it like this.

"I wish my weight would be healthy for my height and bone structure," Gayle said out loud in a clear voice.

Gayle felt the transformation immediately. She had weighed well over two hundred pounds. She didn't know exactly since she was afraid to weigh herself, but her body slimmed. Soon, she had dropped over a hundred pounds. She hadn't a scale to know exactly, but her weight dropped to 110 pounds. This was an ideal weight for a woman who was five foot three inches tall such as Gayle. She was amazed at the change.

Gayle looked in the mirror, she was thin. It was the best day of her life. She looked great. She felt great. The wish worked out properly. There was only one drawback. None of her apparel fit her anymore. Even her pantyhose was big on her. She would have to buy a whole new wardrobe. That was a small price to pay for her new size.

Gayle found a sweater. It was big on her, but if she tied a belt around it at the waist, then the sweater became a pseudo-dress. She could go out in public like this. None of her panties fit her and certainly not her bras. But the 'oversized' sweater and some shoes were good enough to go out in. She only needed them until she could buy some apparel that fit her new frame.

The shopping trip was heavenly. She loved seeing herself in apparel made for a much thinner woman. But she still had some lingering doubts. Now that she was thin, she could wear more formfitting apparel. But even though she had the body, she didn't have the confidence to wear such garments. All the pretty dresses and tight skirts, which would look great on her body, she couldn't bring herself to wear them.

Gayle took the Wishing Stone into her hand. She thought of how to word her wish. Asking for confidence, just like asking to be thinner wasn't right. She had to add and stated, "I wish I had the confidence to do what is best for me."

Gayle wasn't shy anymore. She had an assertiveness she hadn't had before. She put down the clothing she had selected and looked for other apparel that would flatter her body much better. Apparel that was tight in the right places and more revealing in others.

Gayle tried on her pretty clothes and loved her new self. Her confidence made her look prettier even without her new apparel. She thought about how Brian would like her improved appearance. He would never put her down again. "Put me down?" Gayle thought. Gayle's new attitude allowed her to see her relationship with Brian in a new light. He wasn't very nice to her. They had been going together for a while, but it was only now that she could see their relationship the way it truly was.

"Brian wasn't a very nice person." It was only that Gayle was too unsure of herself to see how badly he was treating her. She didn't want to stay with him any longer. Why should she? She deserved someone much better than Brian. She knew that she always had, but never let that fact occur to her conscious mind. Not only didn't she want Brian to ask her to marry her, but Gayle also wanted to punish him for all the cruel things he said and did to her in the past. She didn't know what she would do, but she would do something.

Gayle returned home with her packages. It cost a lot of money to look good. But it was worth it. She tried on the apparel she bought. She mixed and matched her garments to discover which combinations worked and which did not. On her body, most combinations looked fantastic. She felt like a girl in a pageant, as she put on and took off each combination one after the other.

An idea occurred to her. Gayle clutched The Wishing Stone in her hand and made one final wish. This one wouldn't be to benefit her, but to punish Brian...indirectly.

"I wish my boyfriend Brian had always had an overwhelming but secret desire to win the Kansas Little Miss Beauty Pageant," she stated. Then she would give Brian a gift of The Wishing Stone and see what happens. She assumed that he would use the stone to make himself into some dizzy teen beauty queen. Then he would be out of her hair.

Dressed in a smart outfit that included: a sleeveless U-neck bodysuit, pushup bra, capri-length leggings, and a thong, Gayle walked over to the stationary store and bought a small box with wrapping paper, colored tissue paper, and a ribbon for a bow. She placed the stone on the tissue paper and put it in the box. She wrapped it up and tied a bow around it. It would be the best give she could ever give someone. When she saw Brian next, she would give it to him.

Brian picked Gayle up for her date. She tried to see if her final wish had changed Brian. She couldn't detect a thing. She called the new desire overwhelming but secret. If the stone made any changes to his lifestyle she couldn't tell. Maybe he was watching YouTube videos of pageants and wishing he was part of one? She didn't know.

"I got something for you." Gayle handed Brian the wrapped present.

"What is it?"

"You'll have to open it to find out."

Brian reached to rip open the wrapping paper.

"NO, NOT NOW! Wait until you get home."

"Why are you giving me this?"

"It's for being the type of boyfriend you are! You'll love the gift. I promise. But don't open it now." Gayle would have liked that Brian would open it and start wishing. But he might be too 'bashful' to wish what he truly wanted if she was around. It would be better if he opened it in private.

Gayle made up an excuse to end the date early. She wanted Brian to open his present and start wishing. She hoped that her wish about Brian wasn't too wordy. She tried to be as specific as she could.

Brian forgot all about the present. It was left in the back seat of the car. He noticed it the next day when he entered his car. The bright paper was visible when he looked inside. Brian picked up the gift and did what he wanted to do when he first received it. He hadn't any idea what might be inside. The box was in the shape of a four-inch cube. He ripped off the wrapping paper and used his key to scrape open the tape. He unfolded the flaps. Pulled out the tissue paper and soon The Wishing Stone was in his hand. As with Gayle, the stone communicated its purpose and way of activation.

"WOW!" Brian exclaimed.

Where Brian had been going wasn't important anymore. He wanted to take the stone to his room and use it immediately. There was one thing that he wanted, but he thought he could never receive. But with The Wishing Stone, all things were possible.

Brian ran back to his apartment and then into his bedroom. Somehow making the wish within his bedroom seemed to be the best place. He could do it; he could experience what it was like to win the Kansas Little Miss Beauty Pageant. He had always wanted to know what it was like. He remembered seeing the pageant on TV or somewhere. He saw the winner, she looked so happy. He wondered what it was like to win something like that. He knew it was impossible, but that didn't mean he didn't want to try it himself. He couldn't explain why he felt this way, it was like an obsession. It was an obsession that he couldn't tell anyone about. He didn't want to be a girl, he just wanted to know how it felt. It didn't make sense, but he couldn't help how he felt.

Up until now, he knew it was impossible. The best he could hope for was to secretly watch the pageant and dream, but now he could make it a reality. he had three wishes. He could do it with one wish and then undo it later. No one would know.

Brian's first wish was, "I wish I had all it took to win the Kansas Little Miss Beauty Pageant."

Brian changed immediately. He became younger, thinner, and decidedly female. The pageant was only for girls, not women so he became a teenager. Her head filled with the information she needed to win. She was a she now. She had all the talents necessary to not only compete but to win the tournament. She knew how to walk, stand, smile, pose, as well as sing, and dance for the talent portion of the competition.

Brian had a grace and poise she hadn't ever dreamed of before as she almost glided from her bed to her closet. Inside was the pageant dress that she would need to win. It was a large ballgown in violet kept clean inside the plastic wrap. On the floor was a shoe box that she knew contained the matching shoes to accessorize the dress. There was also a backup dress and many other things she would need on her quest to win.

Her room had also changed. One look and a stranger could tell a pageant contestant lived here. There were posters on the walls as well as trophies. Although the trophies weren't for the winner. They were for various runner-ups positions through the years. But this year she was going to win. There wouldn't be any doubt. The Wishing Stone had made sure of that.

The problem was that the pageant, the Kansas Little Miss Beauty Pageant, which was the only one she cared about, wasn't for another ten months. she would have to spend the next ten months as a young lady. she would also have to dedicate herself to winning. she would have to monitor her weight. She would have to continue her dance and singing lessons so as to not get rusty (and maybe improve more). Her hair and complexion would have to be monitored continuously. She couldn't let up for a minute if she wanted to win.

Then Brian remembered how she worded her wish. She said, 'I wish I had all it took to win the Kansas Little Miss Beauty Pageant.' But that didn't mean she would win. It meant she had the potential to win if she worked hard enough for the next ten months.

Brian kicked herself for such a badly worded wish. She could win but she might not. This was her last opportunity. She would be too old next year. "OH MY GOD, next year?" She wanted to win, but not spend two years doing it. She needed to make another wish.

"I wish I was the winner of the Kansas Little Miss Beauty Pageant."

That did it, Brian was the winner. She was last year's winner. She found herself where the current winner had been. She was in her high school history class. Brian's name is now Samantha Kerry Elisofon. She is seventeen years old. She is a senior at Cedar Vale High School. All the information about Samantha's life was in Brian's head now. Including her win at the last Kansas Little Miss Beauty Pageant and several others. Brian had her life in every way. She didn't want that.

"Samantha, are you reading the assignment?" the teacher asked. The new Samantha knew her teacher was Mrs. Dubilier.

"Yes, Mrs. Dubilier," Samantha said in a melodious voice. The same voice that she used to a cover of the song 'Take My Breath Away' at the pageant.

Samantha was the winner, but that wasn't what Brian wanted. She had the trophy and sash to prove it, along with other pageants and other achievements that Samantha had realized. Samantha could return to her former life having been the winner, or she could stay in this life. What Samantha wanted to do was compete and win herself. She wanted to experience every moment as it happened. Not just remember winning after the fact. If she wanted to win, she would have to use the stone one last time. She would have to spend the next ten months preparing and then she would win if she worded the wish right. She knew she would never be Brian again. She would be 'stuck' as a woman for the rest of her life. Was it worth it? It was something she always wanted. When she won, she would be left as a pretty and talented woman. There wasn't anything wrong with that. So, she wouldn't be a man? What was so great about being a man? Women could do anything men could do these days. Samantha decided to go for it.

Samantha thought about her wish carefully. This was the last time she could use The Wishing Stone. Samantha put the stone into her hand and grasped it as hard as she could. She knew what she must say, she wanted to be herself and she wanted to be the next winner of the Kansas Little Miss Beauty Pageant. She spoke the words out loud. She didn't care who heard her since she would be whisked away from here as soon as the final words was spoken.

"I wish that I was Brian Lynn Canning (Brian made sure to use her own full name so there wouldn't be any mistake) the next winner of the Kansas Little Miss Beauty Pageant."

Three-year-old Brian (pronounced Bri' Ann) was in her bedroom. It was a room for a toddler. She was now three years old. There are many classes of winners of the Kansas Little Miss Beauty Pageant, they start with Tiny Miss for 4-5, then Little Miss for 6-9, Preteen Miss 10-12, Junior Teen miss for 13-15, and Teen Miss 16-18. (Samantha won the teen miss two months ago.) The next winner would be the youngest thus Brian was entered in the Tiny Miss category. She was three now and still in diapers, but by the time of the pageant, she would be four and out of diapers; she might even be out of trainers by then too.

Brian's mommy had been preparing for the pageant even longer than Brian had been. She recognized the talent in her daughter immediately and prepared her the best she could. There was a pageant theme to Brian's room even though she hadn't won anything yet. In ten months, Brian would live her dream of winning the Kansas Little Miss Beauty Pageant, but it wouldn't be the only time. She would win it every year until she turned 19 and was ineligible.

Brian looked around her room in wonder. She never expected anything like this to happen.

Brian had changed a lot. She didn't only change physically, that was undeniable as she became a beautiful three-year-old girl. She also had qualities that exceeded her current age such as poise, grace, and posture. But she also changed psychologically. Not only did she have a very pretty smile, but Brian smiled at every opportunity. Her smile reflected her joy in life. To smile this much, she lost interest in the events of the world, focusing on simple things. Her mind even at three and for the rest of her life became simple for her age and superficial. Complex thoughts would always elude her. It was easier to smile and be optimistic when she couldn't see the big picture. She became a people pleaser, always wanting to do what was best for the people around her. The words that best described Brian from now on would be: vivacious, friendly, positive, cheerful, and girlie. These traits would suit her well in the minds of the judges. She didn't need to be smart or independent in any way. It was best to have a genuine smile than a genuine thought.

Her thoughts were interrupted when her mommy called out, "Brian honey, get into your leotards and tights. Your dance tutor is coming over soon."

Brian dutifully did as her mommy demanded. She knew she had to practice all the time to win. She pulled off her leggings and top leaving her only in a diaper. Then she sat down to pull the tights over her legs. She pulled them over her diaper. Then she did the same with her leotard. It was sleeveless and went up easily. She smiled taking pride at even her young age she knew how to put on her own clothes. Mommy promised she would be out of diapers soon and into training pants. She would be completely potty trained by the start date of the pageant. Brian wasn't sure what that meant exactly, but if mommy says so, then it must be true.

Ten months later, Gayle who was the only one who knew about Brian's dream was in the audience at the next Kansas Little Miss Beauty Pageant. She insisted that her new boyfriend take her. Gayle clapped louder than anyone when Brian won.

After Brian's big win, Gayle insisted that she see her after the pageant to congratulate her.

"You really did great," Gayle gushed.

"Thank you, Gayle."

"You know my name?"

"Oh course, I do. I've missed you. Want to find a quiet place where we can talk??"

"Talk?"

"You know, in my diaper, I'm still a man when it counts. Go out with me."

Gayle couldn't help herself. She immediately felt a warmth in her heart for Brian. "I would love to," she enthused.

"Mommy, I'm going with Gayle. I'll be right back," Brian told her mommy.

"OK."

Brian and Gayle left arm in arm. Gayle and Brian started to date again that very day. It was then that Gayle realized her wish had come true. "My boyfriend Brian had always had an overwhelming but secret desire to win the Kansas Little Miss Beauty Pageant." She couldn't help but to love her little pageant winner.

End.