Genie

It was a long time ago. I’ve forgotten how long have I been trapped there. Sometimes it was cold, and rain pattered above me. Other times it was hot, and I could hear leaves rustling. Mostly though a thick blanket of snow deadened all sound.

One day I heard a voice. “Hello, anybody in here!” The voice echoed inside my room. Shocked by the novelty of the sudden voice, I looked around. Outside the tiny window of my cell, I saw a huge eye staring.

“Hello, anybody in there!” The voice echoed inside my room.

I saw the eye had changed into a tiny little mouth. I was confused. I knew my cell was so small that a human could hold it in their hand, but I never thought humans could see or talk to me through that little window.

My lamp was rubbed, and I was thrown forcibly back into the human world. My body expanded like a balloon. I yawned and stretched. It felt good to be free again, though an invisible chain of pearls inside my lamp still held me captive.

“You have three wishes. Ask, and I shall deliver.” Why did I say that?

The man trembled, but finally said, “First, I want fancy clothes.”

I looked, and saw what seemed to me ‘fancy clothes. “You are already wearing them, Master.”

The man looked down at his clothes, and shook his head. “No, no, I bought these old rags last year. I want new cloths in this years fashion.”

I snapped my fingers, and the human was attired in the best and most fashionable clothes.

The man looked at his clothes, and nodded with a devilish smile.

The man showed me a picture of a blond kid with lovely small blue eyes, and a tiny little nose. “Now, I want you to transport me to this kid’s birthday party

I looked at the picture, and was filled with compassion and love. I had to blink to hide tears. “Transporting? Are you sure you want to waste a wish on transporting?”

“Yes, I’m sure that’s what I want. “

I winked, and the man and I stood on the kid’s doorstep.

The human hid the lamp in his pocket, and I was trapped again. I peered through the little window, and caught a glimpse of presents in colorful wrapping paper. The man’s lips blocked my view.

The man whispered to me, “my third wish is that you give the kid the biggest and best birthday cake. Now wait until your lamp is touched, and then deliver.”

I waited, and sensed an approaching human. It must be the kid.

A scream came out from the man who used to be my master, “No!”

The lid of my lamp was pulled open, and I was expelled into the human world accompanied by swirling clouds of color and lightning. The unexpected shock distracted me at a critical moment… well, I got the birthday cake part right.

It wasn’t the kid who opened my lamp, but the Mother. She was changed into the birthday cake, and my lamp fell to the floor. That was when I went a little crazy. My hair caught fire, and my skin glowed red from anger.

“The birthday kid was the one who had to touch the lamp. By Ignoring the rules, you brought this misery upon yourself!” I then realized that by opening my lamp the poor woman had broken my pearl chains, and I was free. Really free! I had delivered all my Master’s wishes, and there was nothing to pull be back into my prison.