WISH CHILD

The legend of the Wish Child in China is 1200 years old. The legend states that 400 years ago the Wish Child was reborn as a warlord's son. It was a violent time, and after a great battle, the warlord's whole family was killed, but the Wish Child was unharmed except that a patch of his hair had turned white. The child wandered through the mountains alone and confused with no memory of the attack until a bandit chieftain found him and captured him. He recognized him as the Wish Child and sold him for a fortune in gold, because the legend states that if one links his soul to that of the Wish Child, he will be granted immortality.

While records of the miraculous child date back four centuries, most people no longer believe in the legend, however there are still some who do. Stone, a criminal, thief, and swindler, saw an opportunity to use the legend to prey upon those willing to believe it. He had made the acquaintance of Paul Chan, a 14-year-old boy from Santa Monica who had also lost his parents in an accident when he was young and who also had a patch of white hair. Stone convinced Paul to portray the Wish Child, and Paul agreed, believing that Stone was a friend who could be trusted and that their scam was a harmless way to make a lot of money.

Lee Wenying, an elderly Chinese businessman, was among those who believed in the legend, and he sought immortality for himself. He paid Dr. Shen Wei, an expert in the legend, to meet Stone and Paul in Chinatown and to determine the legitimacy of their claim. Dr. Shen produced the Rock of Shin Tze, from the dynasty of the Wish Child. According to legend, the true Wish Child would find the soul of the rock and bring forth a sign. Using sleight of hand, Paul deftly switched the rock for a small block bearing the sign of the Wish Child, and this feat was enough to convince Dr. Shen that the Wish Child had indeed returned in modern times. He delivered the news to Lee Wenying, who arranged with Stone to meet the child.

Paul Chan was a friend of MacGyver, and when MacGyver went to Chinatown to pick up Paul after a birthday party he was supposedly attending, MacGyver witnessed the ceremony of the Rock of Shin Tze and recognized that Paul was in danger from those seeking to use him. MacGyver was knocked out by Stone's bodyguard, Ji, and shanghaied aboard a ship. He managed to escape, and then sought his friend Sammy to learn more about the legend, and he was led to the Golden Era Museum. There Dr. Shen explained the historical background and directed him to Lee Wenying's freighter where the boy was being taken, just as Lee's bodyguard, Teng, shot and killed Shen to ensure there were no loose ends.

Meanwhile, Stone and Paul met with Lee Wenying aboard his ship. Stone had secretly agreed to sell Paul to Lee in exchange for a million dollars in gold, and once Paul was locked away in the forward hold of the ship, Lee presented Stone with the chest of gold, then ordered Teng to knock him out and throw him overboard with the chest of gold strapped to his body.

MacGyver was able to make his way aboard the freighter before it set sail, and he rescued Paul from the hold where he was imprisoned. As they made their escape and ran from the ship, Lee Wenying desperately pursued them until he suffered an apparent and likely fatal heart attack. With Paul Chan rescued and all the involved parties now dead, the legend of the Wish Child was once more put to rest.

Cross Reference: Paul Chan, Chinatown, Golden Era Museum, Ji, Lee Wenying, Rock of Shin Tze, Sammy, Shen Wei, Stone, Teng

Episode Reference: The Wish Child