Interesting - thats different from the Strugatsky Roadside Picnic novel the Tarkovskys film is based on. There it was a floting golden ball that would grant yo

Interesting - thats different from the Strugatsky Roadside Picnic novel the Tarkovskys film is based on. There it was a floting golden ball that would grant you a single wish. The problem was that to get to it you had to pass via a phenomenon they called "the grinder". Anyone stepping inside it would be mutilated into pulp in short order, after which it will deactivate for long enought to let you reach the golden ball. So the dilemma is different there - can you live with the fact that you need to take another uknowing human with you to feed to the grinder for you to have a wish, any wish, granted ? (Well unless the wish could be "Give me unlimitted number of wishes." Then you can just "respawn" your victim without loosing the wish. ;-) )