Susan lay on the couch watching cartoons and sighed. "I wish I could change into animals and back." She said it mostly to herself, but she glanced at her older brother reading at the kitchen table. If he heard and maybe interacted with her, that would be a welcome side effect. She didn't notice the purple mist floating up from beneath the couch until a tall, muscled, shirtless man with a great big smile appeared before her. "Your wish," he boomed, "is granted!"

"Really?" Her eyes were wide. Vern was paying attention now.

"Oh, yes. Go ahead and try!" Susan squeezed her eyes shut in concentration and disappeared. Vern leapt from his chair to look over the back of the couch, where a tortoise slowly looked at its feet and then around, its flexible neck craning in all directions.

"Holy shnikies," Vern said. "I wish I had her powers!"

"Allllllllso granted!" boomed the genie, dissolving into a purple mist, quickly drawn away by the ventilation system's air return. Vern turned into a dog, then a monkey, then a snail, and back.

"This is amazing! Suzy! Suzy, why don't you change to something else?"

"You toooook her poooowerssss," said the vents.