March 31, 2024
Your character comes across an old oil lamp which, when rubbed, frees an ancient and cranky genie.
The genie grants only one wish, and it can’t benefit your character. The request can only affect one person. (No curing cancer worldwide.) What does your character wish for?
I chose to pick on Jake Hennessey, my gentleman jewel thief for this prompt. He’s a complicated character, with an interesting set of ethics,. And what’s a better way to answer the question than to do it with a short story?
The deal had gone down as slick as Jake Hennessey could have wished for. By tomorrow, the diamond would be in a fresh setting and for sale in a different store. The gold from the ring would be melted down and used in a different piece. None of that was Jake’s concern. All he cared about was that he had enough money in his wallet to pay for his cheap motel room for another week and eat something besides fast food.
What bothered him was that the man who had just entered the store had all the marking of an undercover cop. The bulk around his waist covered by a dark shirt hinted that he was concealing something. His posture was too stiff. And his shoes—yes, he might be military, but Jake wouldn’t take any chances.
Jake needed a cover story, and fast. But that was easy enough in a pawnshop, with almost endless possibilities. He often bought books and read them during his lonely hours between jobs. But today was different. A dusty, odd-shaped object occupied a spot on the bottom of the bookshelf. It reminded Jake of the depiction of Aladdin’s lamp in a book he’d borrowed from the school library as a child. A squatty, not-quite-round shape with a long, narrow spout.
On a whim, he carried it over to the counter and plopped it down in front of the pawnbroker, a skinny guy whose hair had grayed too early.. He jerked his head towards the suspected cop, trying to convey an unspoken warning. “What kind of deal can I get on this?”
“Damn, I wondered where that got to.” The storekeeper scratched his chin. “I thought it got put in with the last load of random metal I got rid of. Give me a tenner and I’ll call it good.”
“Five and I’ll get it out of your way.”
The fake customer wandered closer, but Jake didn’t let his presence unnerve him. He was an expert at the game of cop versus robber.
“It’s a slow day. Five will work.” The pawnbroker pulled a used plastic bag from under the counter and placed the object in it. No padding, not even a layer of newspaper to cushion it.
Jake retrieved his wallet and retrieved a five he’d received just a few minutes earlier. One less meal before he had to find another sucker to steal from, but maybe if he cleaned up the lamp, he could sell it to an antique buyer. Hopefully, it would throw the police off his trail.
***
Jake didn’t have cleaning supplies in his motel room.
Luckily, the housekeeping cart was a few doors down, and he snagged a couple of fresh rags. Antique metalwork wasn’t his specialty, but he knew enough to do nothing more than to give it a good dusting. He’d return the cleaning cloths when he was done with them. Maybe he’d clean his room while he was at it, getting spots that Merinda, the housekeeper, couldn’t reach.
He stretched out on the single bed; the mattress sagging under his weight and his feet hanging off the bottom. Still better than the nights spent in abandoned buildings. He tucked his hands under his head and contemplated taking a nap.
But the strange object that he’d placed on the scarred dresser — was it a weird flowerpot? — drew his attention. Perhaps there were markings on the base that would give him a clue.
He started by removing the lid and peering inside. It was empty, as he expected. He turned it upside down, searching for a manufacturer’s markings. It was smooth, except for a few scratches.
So, he picked up a rag and to dust the lamp, starting at the top. How long had it been sitting in the shop? The dirt floated in a beam of sunlight as he rubbed. When a gust of wind disturbed the dust motes, he turned to the door to see who had opened the door. He had locked it, hadn’t he? Merinda had permission to come in if she needed to escape an abusive customer, but she always knocked first.
Jake turned back to see the dust swirling around the lamp. He blinked, and the dust cloud grew denser. It condensed and took the shape of a human. One with a large potbelly, but no legs. The open vest and turban completed the vision of a Disney genie.
He hadn’t used any illicit drugs. He hadn’t even had a drink. Maybe that’s what he needed. He reached for the whiskey bottle on the dresser.
The genie grumbled. “At least you could offer me the good stuff, instead of that rotgut.”
Jake stopped with the bottle halfway to his lips. “I wasn’t prepared for a supernatural visitor.”
“Nobody ever is.” The genie waved his hand. “Pour me a double.”
The motel-supplied disposable plastic glasses would have to do. Jake poured generous amounts into two of them, and handed one to the figure, who now had legs and was seated on the room’s tattered chair. He sipped his own glass, and realized that this was not the cheap stuff. It had been replaced with a high-quality Scottish brew. Jake took a second, deeper drink, before asking, “So what’s the story here? The standard three wishes?”
“Ha.” The genie emptied his glass. “No such luck. I’m old. Ancient. A prototype. An experiment. They hadn’t figured out the rules yet.”
Jake emptied his own drink, and refilled both glasses. Even so, the bottle appeared full. “That doesn’t sound promising.”
The genie’s eyes scanned the room. Jake knew every issue. The dirty curtains. The cigarette burns in the flimsy headboard. The worn spots in the carpet. The spider in the corner by the ceiling, the one Jake refused to kill. “Not for you,” he said, leaning back in the chair.
Jake waited. He was used to bad news. His whole life was a series of bad news events.
But the apparition didn’t seem to be in a hurry. He leaned back in the chair and sipped his whiskey. But if this was a game, Jake had the patience of a saint. That was the only holy thing about him.
“It’s like this,” the genie said. “You get one wish. And only one wish. And it can’t be for you.”
Well, that was a wrinkle Jake hadn’t expected. There went his vision of untold riches. “I can’t even wish for an unending supply of that whiskey?”
“No.”
Jake was good at finding loopholes. “How about if I get married and wish for my wife to get rich?” Even if they got divorced, he’d get a share of the spoils.
“That’s benefiting you and against the rules.”
Crap. How about an old standard? “A cure for cancer.”
“Again, no. Another part is that the wish can work for one person.”
That made it tough. Jake didn’t have a quick response. He didn’t have a girlfriend. Ot any real friends, a side-effect of his profession. His parents were dead. He had a cousin and an aunt, but they were set for money. Who could he help? “What do other people wish for?”
“Humans have no imagination. It’s always money. Money this, money that,” the genie grumbled.
Because money meant security to most people. Jake poured another shot for both of them and paced the small room, glass in hand. “How long have you been stuck in there?”
“I’m a prototype. They got the wording wrong.” The genie chuckled. “The creator tied me to the lamp, not in the lamp. I’m free to hang out anywhere I want until I get summoned. In fact, I wish you’d hurry and make your wish. You interrupted my stay on a beach in Hawaii.”
He might be fun to hang out with. At least he’d be a constant supply of good alcohol. “So, I could send you away and rub the lamp later and you’d come back?”
“Nope, one visit to a customer.”
Jake grimaced. No loopholes that he could find. He rubbed the back of his neck. This was harder than he’d expected. He stopped pacing to listen to the yelling coming from the room to his right. The resident addicts, starting their daily yelling match. He glanced at his watch. They were early. He hoped Merinda had finished her duties and was gone for the day.
“Just a minute,” he said, opening the outside door to check things out. The housekeeping cart was gone, and he didn’t spot her ratty old car in the parking lot. Good.
“What are you looking for?” the genie asked.
“Just wanted to make sure the housekeeper is gone, so she doesn’t have to deal with the assholes next door. She’s got enough on her plate. The family abuses her, her boyfriend takes all her money, the owner of this joint yells at her all the time, and there is nothing I can do to help her since I’ll be leaving soon.”
“But you can.”
“I’m not a good man and I don’t have a lot of money.”
“You have one wish.”
He did. Jake thought about it. He needed to make sure the wish couldn’t be twisted into something evil. “What would happen if I wished for Merinda to be safe, happy, and healthy?”
The genie rubbed his chin. “I can foresee nothing bad except that her boyfriend is left lonely and her employer has to hire someone new. As to her family, that I can’t predict. I warn you, the change won’t be instantaneous.”
Changes that major often weren’t. “Then I wish for Merinda to be happy, healthy, and safe. If you can throw in a bit of money without bad consequences, that would be great.”
The genie bowed. “As you command.” He crossed his arms and blinked.
When Jake came to, he was in bed. The lamp had disappeared. But the still-full whiskey bottle sat on the dresser. A photo leaned against the bottle, a picture of Merida with a handsome young man, his arm wrapped around her waist. Behind them was a tropical beach. The man looked like a younger version of the genie. Jake chuckled. That was one way to accomplish his wish.
His stomach growled. There was a mom-and-pop diner down the street he’d been wanting to check out. Out of habit, he opened his wallet to make sure he had enough money.
And got one last surprise. Inside, there were five one hundred-dollar bills. Not enough to solve all his money problems, but enough that he could eat well for a few days. And maybe upgrade to a better motel. He looked up at the smoke stained ceiling. “Thanks.” he said before he headed out the door.
What would your wish be? And what about the other authors on this hop? Check out the links below to find out.
As always, until next time, please stay safe. And watch out for oil lamps!
March 31, 2024
Your character comes across an old oil lamp which, when rubbed, frees an ancient and cranky genie. The genie grants only one wish, and it can’t benefit your character. The request can only affect one person. (No curing cancer worldwide.) What does your character wish for?
