Concerning Wishes: Terms & Limitations

“But they’re so nice,” Francis grinned. “So big and round, well-proportioned to your body, and so much of them are showing!”

“Fine,” the Genie snorted. “Stare at my breasts. Let’s see how fast your wishes go with that attitude.”

“Oh, yeah! Wishes!” the young man exclaimed, wrenching his eyes from her heaving bosom. “How many do I get?”

“Three,” the blonde woman snapped.

“Only three? Could there be more?”

“Only three,” she said, sitting down on heavy, dusty trunk in the cramped attic. “And you can’t wish for more wishes. That’s one of the rules.”

“There’re rules? What are the others?”

“First, I can’t raise people from the dead. Two, the wishes can only affect the future, so you can’t change the past or the present. Three, any and all wishes are unable to spontaneously create objects. For example, if you wanted money, it would have to come from somewhere, which brings us to the fourth rule: The Rule of Consequence. It’s an obvious one, but I might have to explain it to you.”

“I’m not that thick,” Francis glared at the blue-eyed Genie. “So, I wish for something and you grant it, I can deal with that. Is there anything else you can do?”

“Until you’re done wishing,” she sneered. “I’m at your beck and call.”

“So you have to do what I say? Any limitations on that?”

“I’m just like you humans in that regard. We Djinn no longer have the powers we once had.”

“Interesting,” Francis said, fingering his shoulder-length, curly black hair. “So if I told you to clean this attic naked, y’know dust and stuff, you’d have to do it, right?”

“You wouldn’t,” her blue eyes blazed.

“I’m the master, right?”

“Yes,” the woman nodded, frowning. With a sigh, she began to slide her arms out of the short, pink jacket.

“What are you doing?” Francis asked, suddenly frowning at his Genie.

“I’m getting undressed,” she snapped, pulling her arm out of the sleeve. “You wanted to me clean this pigsty naked, so I’m going to do as you commanded.”

“That wasn’t a command,” the young man said. “That was a hypothetical.”

“Make up your mind,” the Genie rolled her eyes.

“Now look,” Francis said sharply. “I don’t know why you have such an acerbic attitude, but it’s awfully annoying. Lighten up, will you? We are going to have to get along, you know.”

“Why’s that? Three wishes and I’ll be back to the lamp. Poof! Not much fun in that.”

“Your attitude might have something to do with it,” the young man pointed out. “Your previous Masters may not have liked listening to that tart tongue of yours, and, yes, I’m not enjoying it either, but I’ve never had servant before, let alone a woman, besides my late mother and grandmother, have such a long conversation before. I will get my money’s worth out of you, understand?”

“Fine,” she slumped against the dark wardrobe behind her. “I’m going to be your **** for life. Big deal. Never done that before.”

“I guess that Master must have commanded eternal silence from you.”

“Mistress actually,” the Genie smiled. “She was the nicest out of them all. For the most part, I was her maid and hand-servant. Never really wished for anything. Guess she didn’t want much, aside from my tongue every now and then.”

“And you enjoyed that?”

“To be honest, no. Sexual activities, though I have suffered more than I wanted, haven’t interested me in a long time. If you do it too much, it loses its charm.”

“That’s good to know,” Francis said. “My stomach’s beginning to rumble and you must be hungry as well after so much time stuck in the lamp. What’s say we head on down to the kitchen and get a bite to eat?”

“Sounds like a plan,” she said, standing up to follow her Master. “Lead the way.”