in distress and escaped alive.

As he was walling home from school he was suddenly joined by a small man in a green suit. The man was almost as short as John and he had on funny shoes with curly toes. Now John had done a lot of reading and he knew an elf when he saw one. The elf said “ I saw what you did on the playground  today . It was a brave and kind deed. It was so brave and so kind that I am giving you two wishes instead of the usual one. What would you like to wish for?”

Now John had read all those elf stories in the library. He knew that elf wishes were dangerous and could backfire. “ I have to think about it”, he told the elf. So the elf gave him the usual magic whistle and told him  to blow it when he was ready to wish.

John rushed home  and climbed up into the tree house his father had built for him. He was soon joined by his best friend Luke. Luke lived next door and

Was a year older than John. They had been friends forever and ever or maybe even longer. Luke’s parents sent him to  St. Wilma’s Catholic School, though he wasn’t even Catholic. They said something about getting a better education. So Luke didn’t know Billy he only knew Freddy the Catholic bully.

John made Luke swear not to tell anybody what he was going to tell him. He had to swear on the life of his dog and if he told his dog would be run over by a logging truck. So Luke swore never to tell anyone and John told him about the elf and the two wishes.

Luke suggested they make a list of possible wishes and they did.

1.      Wish for Luke and John to be bigger and tougher than the bullies.

2.      Wish that both bullies would move to Chicago.

3.      Wish that both bullies would get sick and have to stay out of school.

4.      Wish that when either bully  started to pick on somebody they would begin to sneeze and it wouldn’t stop until they did.

5.      Wish that Luke and John’s parents would suddenly become very rich  so they would move to a mansion and be taught by tutors instead of going to school.

6.      Wish that Billy and Freddy would turn to stone. On the bottom of which would be engraved “ A Bully’s End”