19. Djinn There, Done That

Jovat The Abominable

You'd think after sleeping for years, I'd be better rested. Some days, I'd swear I wouldn't be able to summon the energy to drag myself out of my lamp.

But I had a job to do just like the rest of the world, so I poofed out, trying to rub the grit from my long nap out of my eyes.

"I can grant three wishes," I said, the words a crushing weight on my soul.

It was a lie my kind had perpetuated for as long as we had existed, and trust me, seeing the same kind of people day in and day out, century after century, had definitely tainted my view of people.

I mean, sure, they weren't all bad, but the ones I'd dealt with hadn't been shining examples of humanity.

"You what?" A young woman stared unblinking at me.

For a moment, I was speechless. I'd seen women over many centuries, but this one was by far the fairest.

Her heart-shaped face had a glow that came from being kissed by the sun and was framed by wild golden curls. Large dark eyes peered up at me, pulling on heartstrings I didn't think I possessed. There was a sweet openness in her expression rather than the greedy glint I was accustomed to.

I hadn't heard her wish, but I knew she was the one who'd awakened me, which meant she'd made a wish while rubbing my lamp.

"This can't be real." She slowly looked down at my home in her hands. "Besides, I thought your kind were in lamps?"

I crossed my arms. "What do you mean, your kind?"

She blushed, and a flash of embarrassment crossed her features. Intriguing.

Humans sure had changed a lot over the centuries. The last one I'd granted the wishes for had been a woman in long skirts. She'd worn so many layers, she looked like a bell. This one had on brown man pants, black boots that came up to her knees, and a black shirt that left her shoulders and arms bare.

"I kid, I kid." I chuckled, watching the fear drain out of her features. "We are typically found in lamps, but when one's home is broken, sometimes one has to improvise."

There wasn't much of a story to tell there.

Besides, I didn't mind the jade. It suited me and matched my eyes. I'd call that a win-win situation.

Turning slowly, I took in the room around us. The space was a dusty little closet lined with shelves and filled with old garbage. How had I come to be here?

"So why were you in this?" Her eyes were shining with curiosity as she lifted my jade container.

Huh.

Nobody had ever asked me that before.

Most people jumped right into the wishing. I wish, I wish, I wish.

Blah, blah, blah.

But this one… she seemed more curious about me than what I would do for her.

"There's not much to tell." I waved away her question, but she seemed to be hanging on my every word. "Fine. An emperor, upset that he'd been granted his final wish, cast me out, cracking my lamp and forcing me to find a new home."

"What was the emperor's name?" she asked.

I lifted both shoulders. "Most people don't introduce themselves to me, and the ones that addressed him merely called him ‘Emperor'."

A thought dawned on me. "You could wish for that information."

Her lips twitched. "Maybe I will. How long have you been slumbering?"

"What is the date?" I asked.

"2024."

I scratched my head. "My last owner used me in 1929. Something about getting revenge on her rich lover and his uppity family by disappearing their generational wealth."

Her eyes widened. "The stock market crash? That was you?"

I shook my head. "No, that was her wish. I merely granted her wish."

"That was devastating for a lot of families, not just that one family your owner wished it on." She sounded disappointed, and it bothered me.

Something in me wanted to smooth things over, to see her smile again.

"Contrary to popular belief, we can do anything. But some Djinn have their own code of ethics that prevents them from granting certain kinds of wishes, and they say that upfront. Riches are a common wish, although it was the first time I'd ever had someone wish for another person to lose their wealth. I didn't realize the devastation it would cause." I lifted both shoulders, well aware I couldn't atone for sins I'd taken part in in the past. "I do know I never want to anger a woman with a penchant for revenge."

She nodded her head as though agreeing with me.

"So, what wish can I grant for you today?" I repeated the question, wanting to get this handled swiftly.

The sooner I handled her wishes, the quicker I'd be able to get back to slumbering. I'd rather be sleeping than doing literally anything else.

"I don't want a wish." She looked up at me with those large brown eyes of hers.

"Come again?" I cupped a hand behind my ear, thinking maybe I'd misheard her.

Nobody had ever uttered those words in that order to me before.

"How come you don't talk all old-timey?" She tilted her to the side. "If you've been locked up for almost a century…"

I could practically see the wheels in her curious mind turning and found myself offering her the truth. "It's inherent. I don't actually speak your language, but we all have a curse—or blessing—that allows us to converse naturally with our lamp-holders. It helps to make sure there aren't any unfortunate mistakes during the wish granting." I bit the inside of my cheek to keep from laughing, then added, "And it isn't foolproof. Like that time when my last owner wished her ails away, and I thought she was talking about having a drinking problem… I'd made ale disappear and accidentally started the prohibition."

"That's horrible!" she exclaimed, but her lips twitched in amusement.

Her voice and expression both led me to believe she was truly interested in me, and it caused an odd heat in my chest. Was this the heartburn humans complained about?

"But enough about me. I can do anything you want except kill somebody." I smiled at her.

"Although, you could kill people if you wanted…" She arched a brow.

"Yes, I could, but please don't make me do that." I pinched the bridge of my nose.

"I was only teasing." She giggled. "I don't want to hurt anyone. Are you happy living in this?" She looked down at the jade piece in her hand. "I could find another vessel for you if this one isn't comfortable."

"I like my home," I replied, although I was touched by her question.

This human was unlike anyone I'd ever met, and I couldn't help but be curious about her.

"I don't exactly know how to tell you this, but you're going to be auctioned off to the highest bidder tomorrow." She worried her bottom lip between her teeth.

"Unacceptable. You woke me. I am yours until you exhaust your wishes."

The blonde shook her head. "I don't think my boss would find that an acceptable reason to allow me to keep you."

"So you must buy me." It was the obvious solution.

She let out a laugh. "Listen, I don't have that kind of money."

"You will." I crossed my arms over my chest.

The beautiful woman laughed harder, but I said nothing and simply basked in the glow of her joy.

Watching her wipe tears from her eyes, I found myself determined to make sure I stayed in her hands.

She didn't need to know I had lied. I could accept her refusal, return to my home, and go back to sleep until I was roused by my next owner, but I wanted to stay with this odd human and figure out how her strange mind worked. In a few short minutes, she was making me question everything I thought I knew about her kind.

And I was growing more curious about what she had wished for when she'd awakened me…