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Printed from https://www.writing.com/main/view_item/item_id/2006569-The-Lamp
Rated: ASR · Short Story · Fantasy · #2006569
A strange lamp is found at the end of a tunnel.

"Harry, hurry up. I think I found a hiding spot," Jenna whispered as she crouched next to a dark space that was hidden in the undergrowth. She moved the branches to reveal a sort of hole, very similar to a rabbit's hole, but large enough for her to fit through. Harry would have no difficulties as he was smaller than she. She wasn't sure how deep the hole was but she figured that if she and Harry squeezed together very tightly and with the branches as cover, they'd probably be hidden from the guards that were chasing them.
"I'm here," Harry panted as he arrived at Jenna's side, "and they're right behind me."
"Then get in there!" Jenna cried as she roughly pushed her brother in the hole and crawled in after him, pulling her legs against her chest. The hole was deeper than she had initially thought and there was plenty of room for both her and Harry. Jenna tried be as quiet as possible as the guards ran past their hiding spot with a lot of shouting. After waiting for five seconds and the last footstep was heard, Jenna slowly let go of her breath, thankful that it was dark.
"I can't believe all this happened because you stole an apple," Jenna muttered angrily to Harry, "What's the people at the orphanage going to say when they realize that one of their charges is a thief?" Jenna was expecting a comeback or a complaint of some sort, mostly likely about the lack of food, something that Jenna's stomach was already well aware of, but Harry remained silent. Jenna thought that was a bit strange until she realized that that was because Harry wasn't there at all.
"Harry?" Jenna called out, as she crawled towards the back of the hole. The hole, Jenna quickly discovered, wasn't a hole at all. Rather, it was tunnel. A very long tunnel as Jenna had already traveled a few meters and she still had not found Harry.
"Harry, if this is a joke, it's not funny. You better get back here right this instant or I'll be very cross with you," Jenna shouted as loudly as she dared in case the guards had come back. She was rather annoyed at Harry and less scared of where he was, as he had pulled this disappearing act several times, despite all of her complaints of near heart attacks.
"Jenna! I'm at the end, it's not far," Harry replied.
"Oh, he's in trouble now. Wondering off like that. As if I don't have enough on my hands," Jenna muttered angrily to herself. On and on she crawled through the tunnel until after a while, Jenna was able to see a light. The light grew larger as Jenna neared the end.
"There you are. You took ages, I was wondering what happened to you," Harry said as Jenna emerged from the tunnel and into the cavern. Jenna rolled her eyes at the irony of that statement as she was usually worried about where Harry was. Jenna wasn't sure how, but the walls of the small cavern gave off a soft golden light. The cavern was about three meters tall and six meters wide in a vague, circular shape. There were various pedestals, each holding a small jewel, except for the middle one, which held a very dirty lamp.
"What is this place?" Jenna asked as she tried to shake the dirt that had gotten lodged in her hair.
"I don't know, but look! I bet if we sold them, we'd be rich!" Harry cried happily as he spun around the room, arms opened wide as if he  were embracing all of the jewels as a whole. 
"Harry, watch out!" Jenna cried as Harry knocked into the middle pedestal. The lamp teetered for a moment before falling to the ground, breaking into a thousand pieces. The broken pieces were scattered across the dirt floor as a strange, green mist erupted from where the lamp had been. With the mist, a strong wind appeared, rushing around the cavern and creating a dust storm. Jenna had to squeeze her eyes shut but she was still able to hear the sound of the other pedestals being knocked over as well.
"Who has freed me from my lamp prison?" A large voice boomed.
"Um, I did?" Harry called weakly, the sentence coming out more like a question than a statement. Jenna wanted to kick him. You don't sound weak in front of a strange, seemingly all-mighty being. Her heart pounded in her chest, wishing that she could see or feel Harry, worried that he'd do something stupid.
"Then I grant you two wishes that are within my power as genie. You may not ask for more wishes, or more genies as there is only I," the genie said. Jenna held her breath in anticipation as she realized that this could be the answer to their problems! They could escape the orphanage and maybe find a family who would properly take care of them.
"I thought we got three wishes?" Jenna asked. The words were out of her mouth before she even thought about them. She regretted them instantly and wished that she didn't have such a loud mouth, hoping that the genie would not take offence by that.
"My power has been somewhat diminished as you broke my lamp," the genie said. Although Jenna couldn't see him, she was sure he had shrugged.
"I wish this cavern was clean with no wind!" Harry shouted. Instantly, the wind disappeared, as did the dirt storm. The air was a lot less stale and the floor was a tidy as a dirt floor could be. However, much to Jenna's dismay, the pedestals and the jewels were gone as well. Jenna could also see Harry and the genie now. Harry had wildly wind-swept hair, and was standing across the room from her, looking a little lost, but determined as well, like whenever he gets asked a hard question that he doesn't even really know what the question was, but he was going to answer it anyways. Jenna could also see the genie now. He still looked more like green mist rather than anything with substance, but Jenna could still see that the genie resembled the top half of one of those guards who had chased them: stern face and large arms crossed over an even larger chest. The bottom half had no legs, just more mist. The genie was perhaps very tall, the top of his head brushed the ceiling of the cavern.
"What'd you wish that for?" Jenna cried, anger and annoyance hiding the disappointment at losing a wish.
"I couldn't see and I was tired of the wind and dust," Harry said defensively, "Besides, we still have one wish left. I'll just wish that we're a prince and princess who get to live in a big, fancy castle."
"Is that your wish?" The genie asked in such a way that made Jenna wonder why he was locked in the lamp in the first place. She had read that genies were all mischievous spirits.
"What'll you do when you've granted our wishes and you're free?" Jenna demanded.
"I'll probably travel a bit, meet some people," the genie said with a smile, showing his unnaturally pointy teeth.
"And eat them I bet. Or cause havoc for fun."
"That is of no concern to you."
Harry listened to the conversation with wide eyes. He knew what he had to do, although he didn't have to like it.
"Genie, I wish that you will not harm any person or thing, nor shall you cause any trouble or mischief," Harry said. With a smile, and an eager look at his freedom, the genie vanished.
Looking at Harry's sad, disappointed face, Jenna walked over and gave him a hug.
"It's alright; we don't need a genie. Long as we've got each other, we'll be just fine," Jenna said as she and Harry made their way home.

© Copyright 2014 Eliza Rose (flowermonkey at Writing.Com). All rights reserved.
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