Nowhere

         



Nowhere







*  *  *





         Standing just outside of the cracked driveway, where all the items the owner had set out to sell, Loola began to skim over the surface of the visible tables. On some tables, there was neatly arranged nick-knacks and little playthings that looked to be antiques. Every table was setup in a way that showed the organization skills of the owners.  Patrons started parking their cars and getting out to surf the tables. Loola moved out of the way for a lady with a baby stroller to make her way up. Nothing seemed to interesting to Loola, so she walked around the block to find another house that might selling valuables. She never thought that "one mans trash is another mans treasure" would ever apply to her.



         Loola only had a handfull of change that her mother had given to her, but it was surely enough for something. Before long, she found another house, except this house was taken care of, and the driveway was not cracked. This house was differant though, for there was one, single table holding a lamp. Loola scrambled up the steep driveway to the lonely lamp. The lamp glistened in the sun, like it was a solid piece of molded gold. It had delicate carvings on it that looked like they would break if Loola attempted to touch them. She ran a finger over them anyways as she picked up the treasure, searching its gold for a hidden price tag. Hope was in he mind that she had enough. A rustle in the dim-lit garage caught Loolas attention and she moved her eyes to it.



         An elderly man, maybe in his 50's or 60's, limped out. He wore brown slacks, a matching brown jacket, and even a brown cap. With him, he carried an old, battered cane, and a corncob pipe in his mouth. Smoke steadily rose from within it. The man made his way to Loola and abruptly snatched the lamp from her. He mumbled something incomprehensible and turned to make his way back into the garage.



         "Wait," called Loola, "I want to buy that." The man stopped walking and turned a shiny blue eye toward her.



         "What would you need this for?" His reply was coarse, like he had that pipe in his mouth for his whole life.



         "It's very pretty, and I want to give it to my mom," she was afraid that the man would catch on to her lie. Loola actually wanted to take it home and rub it. She was a genie fanatic.



         "Well then, my names Anderson. How much do you offer me," he asked as he turned to waddle back to Loola.



         "I have," as she pulled out the change, "three dollars and eighty three cents."



         He eyed her carefully and turned back to his garage. Loola wondered if he was getting dizzy, doing all that turning and spinning.

         

         "Wait! I can work off the rest of what I owe you on Saturday. I am not busy then." Anderson flipped around to face her once again, studying Loola and deciding whether or not to trust her. She wasn't very comfortable with him this close.

         

         "Aye, you can. I need some able hands to tend to my gardens. My back isn't what it used to be," Anderson rubbed his back with a pale hand, "come back here 1PM sharp on Saturday. I'll be waiting." With that, he collected the amunt of money Loola had and handed her back the lamp. "Don't forget," he said as he walked back to his dwelling, leaving his table out. Loola offered to help put it away, but Anderson said he would get it later.



         

*  *  *





         Loola excitedly ran in the direction of her house, dodging the sprinklers that were watering the lawns, wiggling with excitement now that the gold was finally in her hands. Upon closer inspection, she found that there were many small scratches here and there. There was a black smudge on the bottom of the lamp. Loola wiped it away, surprised with how easy it was to remove. As she made her way to her house, she seen more garage sales. At one, a potential buyer was bartering with the salesman to lower the price of something, she could not see what it was. When she finally arrived home, Loola threw herself the formal, oak door and sprinted up the stairs.

         

         At the top, she fixed her droopy curtains to cover the window so no ray of light would penetrate the thick fabric. On the bed, she covered herself and the lamp with a warm blanket, making sure no light would beam its way through. She began to rub the lamp. Three times her hand went over the smooth metal, and three times to no avail. Loola thought back to her genie books. "Rub the lamp three times," mumbling to herself, "and a genie will appear. That's the most renowned way, how do I do this?" After half an hour of failed attempts, Loola punched the blanket from her and tossed the lamp onto a dresser. She gathered up a towel, her pajamas and stalked down the hall to the bathroom. As she started closing the door, there was a loud booming sound. Loola jumped into the bathroom and peeked her head out into the hallway.







*  *  *





         The door to her room was completely blown off it's hinges and was lying in the hallway, surrounded by various parts of wood. Loola had no courage to walk back to see what was happening. Smoke bellowed out from her open doorway. It blew itself to Loola, it was close enough to touch. She was hesitant at first, but she still ran her hand through the smoke. The hand was immediatley sopping wet with cool water that dripped from her. Lolla pulled her hand out, startled. She brought her hand to her face, wanting to taste the pure looking liquid. Before it got to her lips, however, a figure stood from clouds in her doorway.

         

         Standing there was, what Loola assumed, a genie. He wore blue jeans that looked faded and torn in several places.The genie had dark brown hair that was neatly cut and combed down. He walked down the hallway toward Loola, his bare feet making wet slapping noises with each step. When he was near her, he looked at Loola and then sighed deeply.

         

         "Were you the one rubbing the lamp," his voice was rugged, "that isn't how you would think to call a genie." He turned his attention to the clouds and hushed them away with a lazy flick of his wrist. Loola only stared as the genie continued, "My name is Evan. I'm, as you can see, a genie. You might already know you only wish three times before I'm sucked back into my lamp by some unseen force. You cannot wish for more wihes." He walked into the bathroom and looked at Loola. "Do you mind? I've been in there a long while." Loola felt her face go red as she turned to leave, closing the door behind her.

         

         She had no idea of what to do. She never planned on it actually working, hadn't thought of anything to wish for. While searching her thoughts, she heard him finishing up and washing his hands. Loola straightened her hair and examined herseld through a pocket mirror.

         

         "Have you got a bite to eat? Magic can't do everything."



         "Yes," exclaimed Loola, "I can make you something!" Evan agreed and followed Loola down the stairs and into the kitchen. She prepared some sandwiches and a glass of water for him. Evan downed the food faster than Loola thought possible and belched quite loudly, without excusing himself.



         "I...do I get three wishes? Like you said, right?" She could not wait for his answers.



         Evan, like old Anderson had, eyed her carefully before saying: "Aye, you do. Be careful what you wish for, as I will grant it exactly like you say it." He looked at his surroundings playing with the cup in his hands.



         "I want," Loola paused for a moment, "to be popular. I wish to be popular, I mean." She felt her face go red again.



         "Done," he simply said, "what else do you have?"

         

         Evan looked distressed, as if something were bothering him. Loola thought about what to ask for next. She had always wanted a pet, but her parents could easily buy her one. She also wanted to get out of her promise to tend to old Andersons gardens. She repeated it aloud.''



         "You cannot use a wish to get out of an oath you've made with another, is isn't right, nor is it honorable." The change in his tone sent a wave of nervousness throughout Loola's body.



         Her reply came back sharply, "Can you tell me the rules of magic before scolding me?"



         Evan let out another big sigh and shifted in his chair.  Stretching his legs out onto the top of the counter. He began to explain all the things that were not allowed in the magical world.  When he finished, Evan looked around at his surroundings, once again fondling the cup in his hands.



         Loola thought for a while before saying: "I wish the rules would not apply to me,  and that I didn't have to work the rest of my debt off." She looked at Evan, feeling smart for the way she played with words. There was silence for a while, except the birds chirping in the trees outside. The genie dropped the glass to the floor and marched up to Loola, toppling his chair.



         "I don't care what you want, the rules apply to everyone and cannot be broken, even by magic. I've been inside that lamp for centuries, waiting for someone to stumble upon it to let me out. I'm not about to break a simple rule to be eaten back up by that cursed lamp." When he was done, Evan looked at the glass crystals, spread out across the blue tile floor. The genie muttered something and the glass reassembled itself and shot back into his hands. He walked to the back door.



         The backyard of Loola's house was a complete war-zone. The rosebushes grew out of control; the grass was dead and yellowed, suit more for a horse than a lawn. There was a cat sitting on the dead, rotting fence. It had an odd look in its eye, like it knew what was happening, or or about to happen. Evan turned to Loola, unbelieveably, he was shocked.



         Loola looked away, "We don't really use the back, so no one takes care of it." She finished the statement more quietly then when she had started.



         "How do you plan on taking care of Andersons garden when you can't tend your own home?"



         She looked away again, and stood aside him silently. All around she could hear the laughter of children and adults alike, wishing the genie would be nicer, like the ones she'd seen in the movies. Loola looked at the genie and said "I wish I could have my own place, my own kingdom where I was the ruler. Anything I wanted would come true. And I also wish I wasn't allergic to cats." Loola glared at the orange cat, still sitting on the fence. Evan stiffled his laughter.



         "You want your own place? Aye, I will grant it then," his expression turned serious. "But you must remember to be at Andersons on Saturday, else you share the fate I did." Before Loola could ask what he meant, Evan snapped his fingers and said: "Creo sua mundus, sua regnum!" Evan the Genie had disappeared.









*  *  *







         There was a blinding flash, the clouds appeared again and started eating Loola into their smokey secrets. She didn't scream though, for she knew that this is what happened when genies granted big wishes. Loola stood and waited for it to dissapear. When Loola could feel herself again, she felt water on her. Though, it felt as the the liquid was a part of her, not too cold, and not too hot. Again, there was a blinding flash and everything disappeared from sight.

         

         She waited, and waited. Loola dared not to move, and accepted it. Her eyes were shut tight, and her mouth kept closed. She could not feel her limbs, so Loola opened an eye to peer down and make sure she was still a humanoid. Everything around her foot was white. Looking up, Loola saw that everything around her was white as well. She was somewhere where she could be the ruler, like the first female dictator. Unsure of what to do, she took a step. When her foot reunited with the ground, it felt like she had stepped on paper.



         Loola bent over and touched the floor and, almost instantly, the floor took the texture and feeling of wood. Jumping back with surprise, she took a look at everything around her,this place was turning into her house! Loola began thinking on how this happened when a young boy walking into the door and took a seat in front of Loola.



         "Welcome," his voice sounded like it didn't belong to him, "to Nowhere!" The boy smiled at her and blinked. Loola stared with awe, each time this boy blinked, his eyes would change color. He had short hair that was a deep brown, and he wore trousers that looked ages old.



         She asked the first question that popped in her mind, "How did I do this," pointing to the recreation, "without any knowledge of magic?"



         "Magic? There's no such thing as magic. You were subconsciously thinking of home. Anything you think of will come true, just mutter the right words, and it will happen!" He looked down at himself and changed his clothes to that of a nobleman from the Middle Ages. "I can do it without the words though. Call the Sqeeze for anymore help! Creo ego abeo!" The boy vanished in an instant.





*  *  *





         Dumbfounded, Loola looked around Nowhere. The genie had granted her wish, but not to what she expected it to be like. "The Squeeze?" she thought as she walked toward the door to what should be outside. The thought continued to tumble within her head till she opened the door to find: white. Exactley what she expected.  Loola thought real hard, then touched the white. Nothing happened. She though again, blokcing out everything else unrelated and touched the surface again. This time, a green speck stood where she tapped.



         The white started to ripple, like water. Slowly, the green began to spread, spread until it covered all of Nowhere. "I need some help," she thought aloud, "nothing works." Without skipping a beat, a puff of purple smoke blossomed.



         A purple raison, a very large, purple raison, stood where the smoke had cleared. "The Squeeze at you're service!" It bowed and it's monocle fell off. The raison reattatatched it. "I am here to help with whatever you may need, Domina Two-Eye"