7.      Wish that both bullies would be caught by a teacher and never        allowed to go on the playground.

The list got much longer because John and Luke were very creative.

But then they discarded all those that changed them. They were happy being who and what they were. They felt rich already and didn’t  want to change that.

They discarded anything that hurt the bullies. They did not want to hurt them. They didn’t even want them to sneeze.

They discarded sending them to Chicago because there they would just bully somebody else.

Then John remembered something he had read about empathy . In one book there was an empathat , a person who felt other people’s pain. They could wish that when Freddy and Billy picked on somebody they would feel everything that person felt. They would begin to understand the pain they were causing and because now they had to experience it as well they might change.

Luke and John argued over the exact wording for a long time but finally John blew the whistle and the elf arrived in the tree house. John wished that Billy and Freddy would feel whatever their victims felt.

“ As you wish so shall it be” the elf said.

The next day was Wednesday and Billy met John at the door to the school.

“The lunch money , stupid”, Billy said ,looking as mean as ever.

John forgot About the wish. He was terrified and he already felt hungry since he knew he would get no lunch.

But a funny look came over Billy’s face. It was  a look of terror. It was a look of pain. The wish was working. Billy sat down and John rushed into the building with his lunch money. Billy just sat looking confused.

John went out to the playground at recess and watched Billy. Billy stayed away from him but he was soon picking on Elmer  a second grader. But then Billy began to shake his head. There was something

wrong. He just didn’t know what. John almost felt sorry for him. But he needed to know the pain he had caused.

So Billy ceased to bully. In fact he became a protector of others against