Four Wishes

FOUR WISHES
The antiques shop seemed to call to Jake as he passed. He backed up and glanced into the windows. He loved to collect old and odd bottles of all kinds and this shop seemed to be full of them. Opening the door, he smiled as he heard the sound of an old-fashioned bell announcing his arrival.
"Can I help you?" A squat old woman came out from behind a beaded curtain. She climbed up on an old stool behind the glass display case. Her face crinkled as she smiled at the tall, balding man in front of her.
"Just looking, Mam," He said returning her smile. "You have quite a shop here."
"Yes my husband and I have been in business for many, many years." Her eyes flashed just for a second behind her owl like glasses.
"I love collecting odd shaped bottles. It has been a passion of mine ever since high school." He said as he looked at the items on the dusty shelves.
"I have a very special bottle you might be interested in." she replied as she reached over to a shelf behind the counter. As she grabbed it, the bottle reflected like a rainbow from the sunshine streaming through the shop's windows.
"What an intriguing looking bottle. I'd love to buy it for my collection." His eyes sparkled as he ran his hand over it.
"Good choice. Good choice. It'll cost you $100." The old woman said as she watched the man before inspect the bottle.
Jake started to put the bottle back down on the counter.
"That's a little out of my league," he said.
"If you really want it that badly, I'll sell it to you for half price." She pushes the bottle back him.
"Fifty dollars. I think I can handle that." Jake reached for his wallet.
"Shall I wrap it up for you?" She said as she rang up the sale.
"No, no, I want to take it like this." He shoved the money into her hand and grabbed the bottle.
"You know that this is antique. You can tell by the white topper."
"Yes, yes thank you. I am sure glad you showed it to me." He hurried out of her shop before she had a chance to change her mind about the price. "I'll be back again I'm sure." He said as he closed the door.
Jake got in his car carefully placing his prize on the passenger's seat. As he started the car, a sound came from the bottle. He switched off the car and held the bottle up to the light.
"Clear as a bell." Jake said aloud." Let's see where that noise is coming from."
He popped the white top off the bottle and wisps of red smoke rose from the open top.
"Okay that's weird. Where's the Genie?" Jake laughed nervously as he turned the bottle upside down. Nothing happened so he put the top back on the bottle.
"Rip off." Jake tucked the bottle next to him and headed for home.
As he entered his home, he put his new possession on the table by the front door. He glanced at the mirror that sat above the table and he saw a much younger looking man. Startled he looked closer in the mirror. He realized it was his reflection but about twenty years younger. He ran his hand through his thick hair and patted his firm stomach.
"If I wished for anything this would be it." He laughed wildly as he grabbed the bottle. "Maybe there is a genie in the bottle." He said to the mirror as he turned to look again at his image. Jake held the bottle up the light again and still saw nothing.
"Okay, you may not be a genie but you made me twenty years younger." He popped off the top again and turned it upside down.
"Let's see if anything else happens." He said as he put the bottle back on the table. A green mist shot out from the top of the bottle and the bottle made a "Pffffft" sound. He quickly closed the bottle and looked again in the mirror.
"Okay, I didn't get any younger." He looked at the bottle with disgust "I guess it was a fluke." Jake headed upstairs for a long shower.
"It's been a weird day." He said as he undressed. "But Boy do I look good." He stood in front of his full-length mirror turning so he could get a good look at himself. He turned on the shower and just as he started to step in he heard the doorbell ring. As he flipped the shower off, he grabbed his towel and headed downstairs.
"What do you want at this hour?" he shouted as he opened the door. Cameras flashed in his face and he almost dropped his towel. Adjusting his eyesight, he saw two men with balloons and a cameraman in tow.
"Congratulations, you have just won the publisher's sweepstakes." One man extended his hand to shake Jake's.
"Here is you check for ten million dollars." The other guy said in a loud voice as he handed him a large cardboard check. Jake's mouth hung open as his neighbors came out to see what all the noise was about. The camera flashed again as Jake just stood there with a look of frozen surprise on his face.
"I don't believe this." He said as he took the cardboard check with his free hand. "Thank you Thank you"
Jake closed the door after he signed for the giant check and promised to come to their office in the morning to fill out more paperwork.
"Unbelievable." He said as he shook his head in amazement. He looked down at the bottle and touched the top.
"I guess I don't need to make wishes only dream them."
He carefully picked up the bottle and headed to the living room. Confidently he opened the white topper again. He turned the bottle upside down as he had done before.
"This time I am going to make a wish. I wish for a beautiful young girl to be my partner for the rest of my life." Turning the right side up he heard the "Pfffft" sound again and blue smoke appeared.
Jake, still in his towel, sat on his couch as he waited for his wish to come true.
As he became sleepy, he heard a knock at the door. As he opened the door the most beautiful woman he had ever seen stood there.
"My car broke down in front of your house. Can I use your phone?" Jessica said with a slight smile on her lips and a child-like look in her eyes.
Jake unable to speak waved her into his living room. He escorted her to the phone and stood over her as she dialed.
"Oh gee. The auto club can't get to me until tomorrow. Do you know of anyplace I can stay until then?" She said with a wide-eyed innocence.
Jake's eyes almost popped out of his head as he blurted out,
"I have room. Please stay here tonight. You'll have your own room and I don't always answer the door dressed in a towel."
"I don't know if that is such a good idea since I don't really know you." Jessica watched as Jake's face almost hit the floor in despair.
"Please think about it" he pleaded.
"Okay, I guess I'll stay. After all I will have to thank you for all your help." Jessica sat coyly on the sofa.
"What is your name?" she asked staring at Jake with ice blue eyes.
"Jake Wilson, at your service." He said as he bowed with the towel firmly wrapped around his waist.
"I'm Jessica," she said as she pulls back her long blonde hair. "I think I need a drink. Do you have something?"
Jake ran into the kitchen and grabbed a glass. His hands shook as he tried to put ice cubes into a glass. He filled it with water and hurried back into the living room. Jessica stood there like a goddess and Jake almost dropped his towel at the sight of her. As she reached for the glass, her hand brushed against Jake's and he melted into the sofa.
"I feel like I've known you all my life." She said as she ran her fingers across his arm sending chills up Jake's back.
Jake jumped up and lost his towel. He grabbed her hand and kissed it with passion.
"Please come upstairs with me." Jake pleaded. Jessica smiled thinly as she nodded in agreement. Like a slow motion picture, Jake and Jessica make it up to his bed and kissed passionately. He made slow love to this goddess loving every bit of her body. As they lay together in his bed, he brushed the hair from her face.
"I love you." He murmured.
"Really." Jessica cried as she jumped out of the bed grabbing a sheet to cover her. She ran downstairs to the bottle.
"Wait, Jess, Baby. I do love you." Jake cried as he followed her wrapped in his blanket.
As he reached the bottom of the stairs, Jessica pointed the bottle in his direction. As she popped off the white top, black smoke engulfed Jake. The smoke returned to the bottle taking a screaming Jake with it. Jessica popped the top back on the bottle.
"You see Jake, you do know me very well because I have loved you for a very long time." She said as she walked back to the bedroom. She set the bottle on his bed as she dressed.
"I loved you in high school. I loved you so badly it hurt. You never even knew I was alive. You laughed when the others made fun of me. You hurt me most of all."
Jessica picked up the bottle and headed downstairs.
"So lucky you." She said as she headed out of the door.
"You see I found a bottle that granted me three wishes. Can you guess what my last wish was?"
As she past a construction site she carefully placed the bottle in a cinder block in the foundation. She poured some dirt over the top so it won't be noticed in the morning when the workers came.
"Now," she said as she dusted off her hands, "You get to live with yourself for all eternity regretting the day you turned me away."