I was six years old in the summer of 1991, that was the summer of “The Wish.”

I’m the youngest of four children and very curious by nature. I’m also a real people person so I don’t really like to be alone. I woke up early in the morning one Saturday, so I got up to see who else was awake. I heard some commotion in my mom and dad’s room so I checked in on them. (Later that morning my mom and dad told me that I should always knock when entering a room. I told them that I did knock, I just knocked at the exact same time that I shoved open their door.) I’ve never heard my mom screech so loudly followed by my dad barking at me to, GET THE HECK OUT OF HERE! At least I think he said “heck.” Dad waved one hand at me while he was doing one arm push ups over my mom. I’m not sure why they were so upset and it really freaked me out.

Running from their room, I realized that I had to pee so I went into the bathroom. Because of everything that I just witnessed I was a little distracted and didn’t notice that somebody was in the shower. So I stood there, doing my business while whistling to myself when I heard another scream from behind me. My sister’s head poked out from behind the shower curtain. “GET THE HECK OUT OF HERE! Once again I’m pretty sure she said “heck.” I told her that I needed to flush but she threw her shampoo bottle at me, so I bolted from there.

I was so flustered that I ran straight into my brother’s room. He had a couple friends with him for a sleepover. Whatever they were talking about immediately stopped. My red faced brother screamed at me, “GET THE HECK OUT OF HERE!” Only this this time I know that he didn’t say “heck.”

Why is everybody so mean in this house?

Later that afternoon we piled into our minivan to go to the carnival. I love the carnival and every time I’m there I find the wishing booth. I put a nickel into it, make a wish and flip a little lever. If it lights a flame, I get my wish. It has never lit for me. I wished that I could become invisible (to see what all the fuss was about at home), and flipped the lever. BINGO! IT LIT!

I went right to bed when we got home and set my alarm so I could get up early again. Morning came and I jumped out of bed, looked into the mirror, and said, “I want to be invisible.” And POOF, I was gone. WOW, IT WORKED!

As I left my room I heard the shower going so I crept into the bathroom and heard my sister humming in the shower, she turned off the water and flung open the shower curtain. What I saw nearly blinded me! Now, I knew she was a girl and all, but I really didn’t know what that meant exactly. She had bumps on her chest and, get this, SHE HAD NO WIENER! My mind was blown so I cowered in the corner until she left the room. After that I heard the same noises as the day before coming from my parent’s room and I really wanted to see what that was all about. I slowly and silently slipped into their room and this time Mom was on top of Dad and telling him how naughty he was. They were both giggling. Well it started out as giggling, and then it looked like they were both in agony. And then the covers fell off of my mom’s shoulders and I saw that they were both naked and my mom looked just like my sister! AHHHHH! What is going on here, do I live with aliens?

As I ran down the hallway I heard voices in my brother’s room so I snuck in. They were all still their beds, having a farting contest and laughing. “Whew!” I thought, “At least someone in this family is normal.”

I went back into my room, stared into the mirror and pleaded, “I want to be visible again.” And I was, but what I had seen would haunt me all year, until I could go back to the carnival to take back my wish.