. . . = Yugi's thoughts
~ . . . ~ = Yami's thoughts
"I can't believe that you're finally getting rid of this stuff," Yugi said, eyeing a cardboard box in a corner of his attic.
"Well," Grampa explained, "it's about time that I either sell this stuff, throw them away, or give them to a museum, and nothing in here looks quite like museum material. Pretty soon, I'll be going on another expedition, so I'll have NEW stuff to throw in this box." He laughed.
Yugi reached into the box and pulled out a hollow, wooden totem. "Are you sure none of these things are of real value? I mean, you haven't even looked at all of them very closely, have you?" He held the totem up to the light.
Grampa laughed. "Well, if YOU think there is real treasure in here, then you're free to take whatever you want. But from all my years of experience, I think I know a gem when I see one."
Since Yugi already had the totem in his hands, he decided to keep it. "I don't know what it is, Grampa, but this particular stick feels special."
"Let me see, boy," Grampa said. He held the totem carefully. "Now that I think of it, I don't want to part with this just yet." He put it on the floor. "As for the rest of this stuff, I'll be going to an antique shop right about now."
"Okay, Grampa," said Yugi. "Do you want me to come with you?"
"That won't be necessary, Yugi," said Grampa. "Besides, I need someone to watch over the store while I'm gone." He picked up the box and headed downstairs.
Yugi picked up the totem and took it to his room. "He forgot to put this away," he said to himself. "I'll just watch it for him while he's gone."
~What have you got there?~
It's Grampa's weird wooden stick. I'm just watching it for him while he's at the antique store.
~I sense that it is MORE than just a stick, Yugi.~
Yugi nodded. I know; I had the same feeling. What do you think it is?
~I'm not sure.~
Yugi's mom walked in just then. "Hello, dear. Where is Grampa?" she asked. She eyed the totem. "What is that?"
Yugi smiled and handed her the totem. "It's Grampa's," Yugi answered. "Doesn't it look cool?"
His mom stared at it. "It looks dirty, dear. Let me clean it for you." She pulled a rag from her apron pocket and began to wipe it down. "This looks so scary. It's got three monster heads on it. I think . . . I think it's from India."
"How do you know, mom?" Yugi's eyes widened.
"I once took a class on Indian art," she explained to her son. "This appears to be a 'wish totem.'"
"Wish totem?" Yugi asked. "That's impossible. Grampa was about to sell this."
She nodded. "You're probably right. I don't remember very much from that class, anyway." She laughed. "How silly . . . But, if it had been one, I learned that they way they used to use it was to turn it upside- down, and say your wish three times, like this." She turned the totem upside-down and said, "I wish for a new apron" three times.
And just as she had said, she was wearing a new apron.
"No way!" Yugi exclaimed, grabbing the totem. "I want to try now!"
His mother looked very stunned. "Hold on," she said, taking a small piece of paper from Yugi's desk. "I'm writing everything I know about this totem here before I forget." She put the paper inside the hollow inside of it and handed it back to Yugi. "Now be careful, hon. You know what they say about making selfish wishes." She left the room.
Yugi smiled. "Don't worry, mom." Now, what to wish for . . .
Grampa stormed into the room, interrupting Yugi's train of thought. "I forgot about this!" He grabbed the totem. "I was headed out the door to sell that box of stuff when I remembered that I left this lying around. I was going to see if any of the shop owners know anything about it."
"It grants wishes!" Yugi said quickly. "Just flip it over, and say 'em three times!"
Grampa scratched his head. "Does it?" He eyed it. "We'll just have to see about that. I'll just take this out for a stroll. Don't worry, I'll bring it back." He left the house with the box of things, and the totem.
Yugi's mom came back a short time later. "Where is the totem?" she inquired.
"Grampa took it," Yugi said.
Her eyes became wide. "Does he know about the wishing?"
Yugi nodded. "What's wrong?"
"Nothing, I guess," his mom replied. "I don't remember everything about these totems, but I know there were some implications of some kind . . . I just hope he doesn't do anything he'll regret."
Finally, when Yugi's mom left, he wondered what he should wish for when Grampa returned.
* * *
Grampa was almost at the door of a local antique shop, when he saw a parked car on the side of the street. It was an antique car. His eyes glowed; he always wanted an antique car.
"I guess it wouldn't hurt to see if this totem really works," he said quietly to himself. He held the totem upside-down and said, "I wish I owned this antique car" three times.
The next thing he knew, there was a key in his hand. Grampa was elated. He got into the car, placed the box of things in the backseat, and began to drive. He laughed joyfully, as he stopped at a red light.
"Who needs to trade in stuff when this car is all I need?" Grampa said. He took the totem from the backseat and kissed it. "This thing is wonderful! It's sensational! It's - "
A popping noise, coming from the engine, interrupted him.
"What's that?" Grampa asked. "Sounds like trouble." That was when he finally noticed a small paper stuck to the right of the ignition. "Danger. Antiquated vehicle. Obsolete engine. Do not use," he read.
The popping noise became more frequent, and smoke was coming from the engine. Grampa quickly flipped the totem upside-down and said, "I wish this engine would be fixed" three times.
Soon, flames were bursting from the engine. Grampa, knowing that an explosion was imminent, jumped out of the car. In his great panic, he didn't realize that as he jumped, he had thrown the totem clear across the street.
The car burst into flames. Luckily, firemen showed up within a few minutes. Grampa just stood there, confused.
* * *
Meanwhile, Téa was headed to the park to practice her dancing. She was so busy watching firemen put out a car fire, that she almost tripped on an ugly, wooden stick.
"Ugh," she said, picking it up. "What in the world is this?" She looked inside the hollow stick and found a paper inside. She read it aloud. "This 'wish totem' is from India. To make wishes, turn it upside- down and say your wish three times."
She skipped around happily. "If this is true, then I know exactly what to wish for!"
* * *
Back at Yugi's house, Yugi walked into the kitchen. "Hello, mom," he said, as he noticed the apron his mom had wished for in the sink, charred to near-ashes.
His mom laughed nervously. "This is why you don't make selfish wishes."
(To be continued.)
"I can't believe that you're finally getting rid of this stuff," Yugi said, eyeing a cardboard box in a corner of his attic.
"Well," Grampa explained, "it's about time that I either sell this stuff, throw them away, or give them to a museum, and nothing in here looks quite like museum material. Pretty soon, I'll be going on another expedition, so I'll have NEW stuff to throw in this box." He laughed.
Yugi reached into the box and pulled out a hollow, wooden totem. "Are you sure none of these things are of real value? I mean, you haven't even looked at all of them very closely, have you?" He held the totem up to the light.
Grampa laughed. "Well, if YOU think there is real treasure in here, then you're free to take whatever you want. But from all my years of experience, I think I know a gem when I see one."
Since Yugi already had the totem in his hands, he decided to keep it. "I don't know what it is, Grampa, but this particular stick feels special."
"Let me see, boy," Grampa said. He held the totem carefully. "Now that I think of it, I don't want to part with this just yet." He put it on the floor. "As for the rest of this stuff, I'll be going to an antique shop right about now."
"Okay, Grampa," said Yugi. "Do you want me to come with you?"
"That won't be necessary, Yugi," said Grampa. "Besides, I need someone to watch over the store while I'm gone." He picked up the box and headed downstairs.
Yugi picked up the totem and took it to his room. "He forgot to put this away," he said to himself. "I'll just watch it for him while he's gone."
~What have you got there?~
It's Grampa's weird wooden stick. I'm just watching it for him while he's at the antique store.
~I sense that it is MORE than just a stick, Yugi.~
Yugi nodded. I know; I had the same feeling. What do you think it is?
~I'm not sure.~
Yugi's mom walked in just then. "Hello, dear. Where is Grampa?" she asked. She eyed the totem. "What is that?"
Yugi smiled and handed her the totem. "It's Grampa's," Yugi answered. "Doesn't it look cool?"
His mom stared at it. "It looks dirty, dear. Let me clean it for you." She pulled a rag from her apron pocket and began to wipe it down. "This looks so scary. It's got three monster heads on it. I think . . . I think it's from India."
"How do you know, mom?" Yugi's eyes widened.
"I once took a class on Indian art," she explained to her son. "This appears to be a 'wish totem.'"
"Wish totem?" Yugi asked. "That's impossible. Grampa was about to sell this."
She nodded. "You're probably right. I don't remember very much from that class, anyway." She laughed. "How silly . . . But, if it had been one, I learned that they way they used to use it was to turn it upside- down, and say your wish three times, like this." She turned the totem upside-down and said, "I wish for a new apron" three times.
And just as she had said, she was wearing a new apron.
"No way!" Yugi exclaimed, grabbing the totem. "I want to try now!"
His mother looked very stunned. "Hold on," she said, taking a small piece of paper from Yugi's desk. "I'm writing everything I know about this totem here before I forget." She put the paper inside the hollow inside of it and handed it back to Yugi. "Now be careful, hon. You know what they say about making selfish wishes." She left the room.
Yugi smiled. "Don't worry, mom." Now, what to wish for . . .
Grampa stormed into the room, interrupting Yugi's train of thought. "I forgot about this!" He grabbed the totem. "I was headed out the door to sell that box of stuff when I remembered that I left this lying around. I was going to see if any of the shop owners know anything about it."
"It grants wishes!" Yugi said quickly. "Just flip it over, and say 'em three times!"
Grampa scratched his head. "Does it?" He eyed it. "We'll just have to see about that. I'll just take this out for a stroll. Don't worry, I'll bring it back." He left the house with the box of things, and the totem.
Yugi's mom came back a short time later. "Where is the totem?" she inquired.
"Grampa took it," Yugi said.
Her eyes became wide. "Does he know about the wishing?"
Yugi nodded. "What's wrong?"
"Nothing, I guess," his mom replied. "I don't remember everything about these totems, but I know there were some implications of some kind . . . I just hope he doesn't do anything he'll regret."
Finally, when Yugi's mom left, he wondered what he should wish for when Grampa returned.
* * *
Grampa was almost at the door of a local antique shop, when he saw a parked car on the side of the street. It was an antique car. His eyes glowed; he always wanted an antique car.
"I guess it wouldn't hurt to see if this totem really works," he said quietly to himself. He held the totem upside-down and said, "I wish I owned this antique car" three times.
The next thing he knew, there was a key in his hand. Grampa was elated. He got into the car, placed the box of things in the backseat, and began to drive. He laughed joyfully, as he stopped at a red light.
"Who needs to trade in stuff when this car is all I need?" Grampa said. He took the totem from the backseat and kissed it. "This thing is wonderful! It's sensational! It's - "
A popping noise, coming from the engine, interrupted him.
"What's that?" Grampa asked. "Sounds like trouble." That was when he finally noticed a small paper stuck to the right of the ignition. "Danger. Antiquated vehicle. Obsolete engine. Do not use," he read.
The popping noise became more frequent, and smoke was coming from the engine. Grampa quickly flipped the totem upside-down and said, "I wish this engine would be fixed" three times.
Soon, flames were bursting from the engine. Grampa, knowing that an explosion was imminent, jumped out of the car. In his great panic, he didn't realize that as he jumped, he had thrown the totem clear across the street.
The car burst into flames. Luckily, firemen showed up within a few minutes. Grampa just stood there, confused.
* * *
Meanwhile, Téa was headed to the park to practice her dancing. She was so busy watching firemen put out a car fire, that she almost tripped on an ugly, wooden stick.
"Ugh," she said, picking it up. "What in the world is this?" She looked inside the hollow stick and found a paper inside. She read it aloud. "This 'wish totem' is from India. To make wishes, turn it upside- down and say your wish three times."
She skipped around happily. "If this is true, then I know exactly what to wish for!"
* * *
Back at Yugi's house, Yugi walked into the kitchen. "Hello, mom," he said, as he noticed the apron his mom had wished for in the sink, charred to near-ashes.
His mom laughed nervously. "This is why you don't make selfish wishes."
(To be continued.)