Jeanie

"I'm coming, I'm coming," I huffed as the doorbell rang over and over again. I closed my eyes and followed the swirl of smoke whirling from my bottle. As my body changed from vapor to flesh, I patted my silver curls. Three decades had passed since I'd been out in public but I hadn't forgotten how the transformation tangled my hair into unsightly knots. I coughed at the lingering smoke and waved it away with wrinkled hands. The faint smell of prunes wafted away with the haze. A man stood in front of me, clutching a red and white bottle. I sniffed at the sight. It always got to me how small my home really was in the mundane world.

I pursed my lips as I dredged up the proper response for my release. Ah, yes. There it was.

"You've got three wishes, darlin'," my voice sounded like gravel. Funny, last time I'd said those same words my voice had sounded sultry and smooth. I cleared my throat as the man's mouth opened and closed like a fish out of water.

"You . . .you're. . ."

"A genie. From a bottle. Which you should already know since you're holding said bottle. Now, enough with the pleasantries, sweetie. Let's get this over with. I've got a quiche in the oven and my shows are going to be starting soon."

"But . . ."

I ignored the shocked look on his face and adjusted my apron, realizing all too late that it was splattered and stained. I should have taken the time to change into something fresh before going out. I glanced at the man and bit my lower lip. Hopefully he was so caught up in the fact that he'd found a real life genie that he wouldn't notice my attire.

"You get three wishes. And everyone knows the basic rules," I held out a hand and began counting on my arthritic fingers. "Number one, no wishing for more wishes. I figured that out my first time out. Despite all my training, I was mesmerized by this hunky young man with a Scottish accent. I agreed to a million wishes without thinking. His wishing exhausted me so much that I eventually had to trick the poor guy into asking to be a star. He's still twinkling up there, near Orion's Belt, nice and quiet."

"I . . ."

"Number two, I can't make anyone fall in love with you. I tried it a couple times but the results were rather," I paused and grimaced at the memory, "icky."

"Can I . . ."

"And finally," I interrupted, "Numero tres. I can't bring anyone back from the dead. Well, technically I could and I was mighty tempted to when Lincoln was assassinated but he would have just come back as a zombie and that's even ickier than forcing someone to fall in love. Not to mention the long-term issues. My brother, Gene, brought Elvis back and it has caused problems ever since."

"What . . ."

"So to recap, no wishing for more wishes, no wishing for someone to fall in love with you, and no wishing for the dead to be brought back to life. Now, whadd'ya want?"

"I only have one wish."

"Only one, eh? Well then, spit it out." I rapped a long red nail against my wristwatch and frowned, "I've got five minutes until that quiche burns. . ." I tapped my orthopedic-clad foot against the floor as the man took a step closer. My impatience grew as he licked his lips and reached out a trembling hand.

"It's you, Jeanie. I've only ever wanted you."

I narrowed my eyes and crossed my arms over my chest.

"Look, mister, I might grant wishes but I'm a slave to no man. Now if you're not going to ask for something serious, I'll be on my way." I lifted my hands to the ceiling, appalled at how my upper arms jiggled and wiggled, and felt my feet go wispy. The man placed a hand on my shoulder, stopping my transformation, and I about spit my dentures into his face.

"You best remove that hand before I turn you into a rat," I hissed.

"Don't you remember me, Jeanie?"

I squinted into his withered face, kicking myself for forgetting my glasses on the way out the door. My eyesight had gotten so poor, of late, I had taken to keeping a pair of spectacles in each room of my home. Staring into his blue eyes, a glimmer of recognition fluttered through my heart.

"It's me," he whispered, "Benjamin. We met at the fair — "

"Forty years ago!" I gasped as the memories surged, "You pulled me from the bottle and rescued me from Morty the Magnificent."

Benjamin's grin nearly spread from ear-to-ear. "He wasn't that magnificent."

My mind tripped over my adventures with Benjamin until I came to our parting.

"Yeah, well neither were you," I grumbled. "As I recall, you promised to free me from my bottled prison with your last wish. We were going to get married but, instead, you wasted it on — "

"She tricked me!"

"— that horrible blond girl." I could feel my lips pressing into one long, hard line as I glared at the man I had once loved. "Was it worth it? Did you marry her and have lots of kids and live happily ever after?"

Benjamin blushed. "No, I didn't marry her. In fact, I never married. After your bottle disappeared I spent the rest of my life traveling the world, trying to find it again."

"Well," I snorted, "you're too late. You've gotten your three wishes. You don't — " I yelped as a thread of black smoke swirled out of the bottle.

"What in the . . . ?"

"My quiche! It's burning!" I lifted my hands again and let myself vanish into vapor.

"Wait!" Benjamin yelled, jerking the bottle away from my smoky form. "Give me another chance, Jeanie!"

I thumped back into solid form and shook my finger at him. "How could I do that, Ben? You ran out of wishes years ago. There's no way I could become mortal and be with you." A lump jumped to my throat and I fought back tears.

"Then let me come with you," he begged. "We could be together, forever, in that bottle of yours."

I cocked my head and thought about it for a moment. "You'd become a jinn, for me?"

"Absolutely!" He reached out a liver-spotted hand and I tentatively took it.

"I'm still mad at you," I sniffed.

"I'll spend eternity making it up to you," he winked.

Relishing the warmth of his fingers intertwined with mine, I smiled and transformed us both into misty wisps. The bottle dropped and rolled under an old torn couch as the smell of Old Spice and peppermint followed us into our new life, together.

_________________________________________________________________________________
Written for "Invalid Item" — Genie Badge