I Time Traveled with a Genie

Before, you start reading, I want to warn you, this story has a VERY stupid ending.


I stood there at my father's funeral, crying silently. I was only four-teen. I looked at the words on his gravestone.
A Loving Husband. A Caring Father. A Great Friend.
"He surely was." I heard a voice creep up from behind me.
I turned around. "Hello?" No answer. "Is somebody here?"
A small pot rolled out from ... nowhere. I picked up. It was gold and kind of heavy. I shook it. Something squeeked from inside. I rubbed it. I small red blur came out of the pot.
"W-what are you?" I asked.
"A genie, stupid!"
"But, why are you so small?"
"How do you think I manage to get in and out of there?"
"But, most genies are big and ... wait, does this mean I get like three wishes or something?"
"No, not three. Just one."
"Well, then I wish for more wishes."
"That wish is in the NOT WISHES book by yours truly" - he pointed to himself - "me."
"Well, I don't know what to wish for yet! You'll have to come with me. But, I can't take the magic lamp or whatever it is, 'cause it's much too heavy."
I grabbed him and stuffed him in my backpack pocket.

We made it to my house and walked upstairs to my room. I pulled him out of my backpack. I watched his ghostly little red tail move.
"OK, I know what I want to wish for ... I want to go back in time, 3 months before my father died."
"OK ... "
My eyes widened as he mumbled something under his breath and we went through a hugh colorful tube. I almost fell asleep, and then I woke up in my bedroom, my father calling me from downstairs. I ran downstairs, and I saw him. I actually saw him. I ran over to him and gave him a hug.
"What was that for?"
"I'm ... just really glad to see you."
He nodded. I sat down next to him and just stared him down.
"Alright, what's wrong, Shawn?"
"Dad ... Did anyone ever want to hurt you?"
"What kind of question is that?"
"Just tell me."
"Well, my customer got mad at me once because he blames me for getting him fired. He said he was going to come to me and murder me. Trust me, Shawn, that will never happen." He patted me on the shoulder.
"What's his name?"
"Um ... Jerry Gladiolas."
"Thanks." I got up and walked to my mother. "I'm going out."
I took my laptop and walked over to the Starbucks to use the free Wi-Fi. I googled Jerry Gladiolas. A huge thing came up about him on the news.

Jerry Gladiolas, New York City, killed an entire family November 17th. The family was found dead by their neighbor, Cecila Gladstone, that next morning. He is now in jail and on trial. His fate is yet to come.

I googled again to find his address. After twenty minutes by paying with Dad's credit card, I found him. I walked over to his house. Then I realized that I had no clue what to do. I couldn't just walk in or something.
I rang his doorbell. I listened to the long and fancy ding-a-dong-a-ding. His wife answered the door.
"What do you want."
"I want Jerry."
"He's in jail."

I slammed the door and walked away.

I made it to the jail and watched as he managed to open the barred window and jump through.
"Hey!" I yelled. He started to run away from me. "Wait! I just want to talk." He turned a corned and was back in a flash. I saw shadows of policemen as a bullet flew through the air. He pulled me to a McDonalds with him and into a bathroom.
"Who are you?" he asked me.
"I'm Shawn Adams. My father is -"
"I know. You're all he talks about. I'm going to kill him. First I'm going to kill you!"
This guy must be insane! He was going to kill me in a McDonald's restroom!
I pushed him through the bathroom door as his pocket knife flew out of his hand.
The policemen rushed inside and saw us. They ran over and grabbed him and took him back to the police station and put him in a 'special cell'. I got an award. Some money. I put it in my college fund. Jerry Gladiolas went to jail and never came out. My father never died.
I went back to my own time with the genie.
"Thanks so much."
But he was gone. I walked to where my Dad was buried, but there was no gravestone, and there was no lamp. I ran home. My Dad sat there, reading the newspaper.
"Honey," he said to my mother, "did you know that my customer, Jerry Gladiolas was in jail for murdering a family, and then he went to jail, and got caught by a fourteen-year-old boy, and put back in jail?"
"No, I didn't. That's very interesting."
"Yes, it is ..."
I walked by my father. He grinned at me as I started reading the newspaper.
"Did you want something?" he asked me.
"No ... It's just always great to see you."
He smiled at me and patted me on the shoulder.