"Magic? Are you for real? That stuff is all make-believe," the youth huffed in exasperation.
The elder remained unperturbed. "What makes you so certain?"
"Ugh! I... I tried it all, ok? The incantations, the ritual components, the freaking wands! I wished over and over again and nothing happened, and right now I just need this to end, so I'm not wasting my time with all that trash again."
Still unperturbed - but now with a glimmer of understanding - the elder placidly responded. "Ahh, yes, you've been taught the usual lies. No matter - the truth is easy enough to learn... if you'd like."
The youth was obviously still skeptical, but offered no objection.
The elder spoke - quietly at first, growing more and more animated with every word, until the room itself seemed to struggle to hold the conversation.
"A wish, my dear, is not a commandment which we use to impel reality to become different for no reason! No, this is silly! Of course what you were told didn't work, because none of it is true! A wish is an invitation - it is the feeling of reality asking us if we'd like to be a part of changing it! That is the way the magic flows. And if we say yes, well... that's when things get interesting!"