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First two of six chapters talking the misadventure with a genie and his bottle..... |
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A BOTTLE, nsA GENIE, AND ME! A Story from Will Durse A Bottle, A Genie and Me A Story from Will Dursens 1 – A Bottle 2 – A Genie 3 – Introducing the Wish Requests 4 – The Wish Request Discussion 5 – The Wish Requests 6 – The Wish Request Consequences (A story that came from a writing prompt description that read – ‘You bump into a genie and she offers to grant you three wishes. What are your wishes and why?’) 1 – A Bottle For some reason, despite already having more stuff around my house than I will ever know what to do with, I found my inner self pulling me toward wanting to make a visit to a new local flea market with the idea of ‘just looking’. Of course, just looking for many folks is not as easy as one would think, especially at a flea market while having a personality like mine that finds interest in nearly anything and everything. Heading down the first aisle I find a booth with nothing but old comic books and record albums, you know the ones you played on a phonograph. Next to the them was an interesting menagerie of collectable type house items – anything from wall hangings, to flower vases, to handmade large coffee mugs, to a few fancy lamps and even some very interesting, artistic storage containers and decor for a kitchen. As I moved on down through the flea market there truly seemed to be booths for nearly anything and everything you can imagine – old license plates made into a variety of things from lamps to flower pots, several candle sellers and makers, wooden toys that most kids anymore would not have an imagination enough to play with, a t-shirt guy who could make you a personalized shirt while you waited, old outdated antique furniture and hardware, and even a couple of booths geared toward dog and cat lovers. Yep a menagerie of anything a person could seemingly imagine. As I stopped at a few booths to just look, my mind was reminding me to just look, while the heart was looking for something to fall in love with, something artistic but would most likely not have any place in my house to lay rest. It was then when I did come across an interesting booth with what seemed to be a collection of old gypsy style clothes and household items. Not sure why I stopped at this one peculiar looking booth, but as I was glancing through some hats and caps, I saw it! A reflection from something on it caught my eye and as I focused in on it, I realized after it was too late, that the item had caught my interest as strong as the hook which caught that rainbow trout I worked on earlier in the week along a creek up in the Black Hills of South Dakota. And I do mean this item had my heart racing to look at it, to hold it, to ask questions about it – my heart had already told my inner self that this was coming home with us no matter the price. What was the item? Silly as it sounds now, it appeared to be a bottle such as one would find in those wise old fairy tale stories of ‘Genies’. Plus, it was so similar to that ‘genie’ bottle made so famous in the mid-1960’s from that famously silly television comedy ‘I Dream of Jeannie’. Yes, I could say it was similar, but seemed to have much more flare and glitter to it, with brighter jewels and gaudier colors, complete with a what seemed to be a solid gold or gold-plated cap for the top that was shaped like a puff of smoke rising from the ashes. I picked it up, brought it up close to my face to get a real personal look at the colors, the jewels, the condition it was in. I pulled the cap off the top and tried my best to peer down deep into the belly of the bottle, only to find what appeared to be just a black hole of darkness, though I am not sure what I expected to find as my mind was laughing at me and yelling, ‘You fool, what did you think you would find inside that bottle? An Ancient Arabic tent type set up like in the fictional tv show you watched as a kid! You really have lost it.’ My heart made sure my inner self ignored the laughing from my mind as it gently persuaded me to step over and ask the vendor in charge of the booth about the bottle itself. “Excuse me ma’am, but I am interested in this bottle and was wondering what you could tell me about it?” I asked. “Well, the place I got it from claimed it was a genie bottle and that it may be up to a thousand years old, or at least that is what they claimed,” the Vendor, a mid to late aged gal with beautiful middle of the back-length gray and black hair, plus a body that says no doubt she works to stay in that kind of shape, casually responded. As much as I wanted to laugh, I could not because my heart was saying other things like, awesome we found ourselves a Genie, can she grant wishes. “Okay, maybe that explains why I see no markings like ‘Made in China or Mexico’ on it, and little bits of it seems much more worn that others, especially around the outside of the belly part of the bottle toward the bottom,” I noted in reply. “So, if I can be told, what may you be asking for it and why are you selling it?” “Almost a funny story with that bottle,” replied the Lady, now carrying a smile that seemed to glow with embarrassment. “I came across that bottle some 45 years ago while on a trip through Egypt, from a gift shop where the fellow told a big tale of how the bottle was truly a ‘genie’ bottle and that the ‘genie’ was allowed to only come out of the bottle every five years and when they did – we were told that the ‘genie’ would grant three of the bottle owners wishes and then pop back into the bottle for another 5 years.” I just shook my head and looked at the vendor lady, while trying not to laugh, saying “and I suppose you believed that tall tale of nonsense?” “Well you must remember I was just a teen-ager near the age of 17 when I came across this bottle and that mid-sized, very handsome, dark-skinned Arabic fellow with those unbelievably dark green eyes trying to sell it to me,” continued the vendor lady. “Being as starstruck as I was to this handsome fellow and his overly polite manner of treating me, I took the story hook, line and sinker – especially after he said the current five-year wait was due up in just a few months. So yes, having been convinced that in a few months I would rub the heck out of the outer belly of the bottle and get a ‘genie’ to pop out and grant me those wishes, of course I pulled out some of my hard earned traveling money I had with me and made the fateful decision that that ‘genie’ bottle was going to be my number one keepsake of my trip through the Middle East.” While it was a story pretty much to laugh at, my heart was now screaming at me to get the damn bottle and go home. “How much did you say you would take for the bottle?” I quietly asked. “Well I would like to get $75 for it, but for a fellow who looks like a history and story buff, I can give it away at the bargain price of $50,” she noted in return. “That is, if that works for you. I’m just saying that you seem like a person that will take care of the bottle and its long-time secrets, from a historical sense you know.” Without any hesitation I found myself reaching for my wallet, grabbing the one $50 bill I had with me and commenting, “Awesome, I will take it and take great care of it, $50, right?” as I handed her the money. “Yes, $50 and it is yours to take home, take care of and enjoy,” responded the vendor lady as she grabbed the $50 out of my hand as if she might be afraid that I would change my mind as she then hustled to the other end of her booth. As I turned away to leave, my mind finally got a bit of control with the situation and had me turn around and ask a question that maybe I should have asked before I spent the cash, “By the way, did you ever get a ‘genie’ from the bottle? And when is the current five years up, so I can rub its outer belly enough to claim I at least tried to conjure up my own ‘genie’ experience.” “Oh, did I not say whether I did or did not get a ‘genie’ out of the bottle,” the vendor lady sheepishly responded with her eyes growing very wide. “Let’s just say, you will find out on your own and the surprise may be on you. As for the time, well the current five-year time period is due up 24-hours from now.” “Oh, okay, I think,” I replied. “So why did you say you are selling it?” “Because I have had my surprises with it for 45 years and now it’s time for someone else to enjoy the mystery of the ‘genie’ bottle,” finished the vendor lady as she turned to help another customer. And so, I turned and headed for my car now that I had spent my full $50 of allotted spending money on this gaudy looking bottle, while my mind told me I should be thankful I had no family at home, especially the wife, to explain why I purchased what could be just a fancy toy for $50. Just for the sake of it, I marked on the calendar of my smart phone the next day with a big reminder to take time with the ‘genie’ bottle and try rubbing its belly so I could at least feel like I tried. Note to myself, do it while nobody is a round or you may pay a price of humiliation. 2 – A Genie Since I had the following day off and the wife was out of town for several days visiting her oldest daughter and family, it was easy to not worry much about others being around as I had planned to stay home and catch up on some duties long overdue around the house. Surprising myself, I seemed to grow anxious as I awoke the next day and even while trying to get my mind off that darn bottle it just seemed to stick in my head like a cross between a nightmare and a comedy routine as I knew not what to expect. Then it dawned on me, what if the bottle is real and that old-time fairy tale of a ‘genie’ is a reality, and what if I rub the outside belly of the bottle and bunch of smoke rises up out of the bottle followed by some type of some being emerging from the smoke and, oh crap, talks to me! Now it seemed my days of watching ‘I Dream of Jeanie’ was catching up with me, because I for one never really believed in those tales of magic genies who would watch over you and act as if you were their master or something. It’s time maybe I took a cold shower, these thoughts were now rambling on into pure nonsense. Then I remembered the final comments from that vendor lady, about ‘the surprise is now with you’. What did she mean by surprise? Would it be that I simply will be left looking foolish for spending $50 on a silly decorative bottle, and trust me $50 is an expense for me as I live on disability from a lung and heart condition, or would it be that there really is something inside of that bottle that will surprise me and hopefully not scare the life out of me! Maybe I should think twice about rubbing the outside belly of that bottle after all. Since I bought the bottle on my way home yesterday, I knew it must have been around 4:00 in the afternoon, so I figured the 24-hours would be up by then which means I must take the time to at least try rubbing the outside belly of the bottle before I forgot. Besides as I began thinking that the vendor lady didn’t specify when in that 24-hour period the time was up so I really had no idea when for sure the time would be up - so maybe I should just do it now and get it over with. With that thought I went looking for the bottle, forgetting where I had set it down. I’m thinking this all seems so silly for a guy in his early 60’s to be getting this wrapped up about some old decorative bottle that claims to have mythical ‘genie’ powers. But then, I have been known to wonder off on my own path of silly things in the past, all of which are stories for another day. Yep, there the bottle was, sitting on the kitchen counter right next to those bags of bananas, apples and potato chips I stopped to get at the store on my way home after I did that flea market fling. Taking a deep breath, or at least as deep as my COPD would allow me, I grabbed the bottle by the thinning neck and cautiously began to rub the outside belly of the bottle. Nothing was happening, so I rubbed a little harder and still nothing was happening. Ok, just like my one thought told me, a wasted $50 on an old decorative bottle that doesn’t even match anything or any room in our house. Guess the joke was on me I was telling myself as I set the bottle back down on the counter for now until I could decide what to do with it. As I turned to walk away though, I heard a ‘kerplunk’ behind me and as I turned around, I saw the bottle had fallen over and was rocking back and forth, strange as it seemed to be. Okay, maybe I just didn’t set it down properly or let go before it was level on the counter, so with that I picked the bottle up and set it back upright, making sure it was level and steady. Once again as I turned to walk away, ‘kerplunk’, the bottle fell over once again and was rocking back and forth as if something was inside trying to make it rollover enough to fall on the floor, something which I could not let happen especially since I spent 50 bucks on the darn thing so I sure as heck wasn’t going to let it break in less than a day. I grabbed the bottle again and as I went to set it down it seemed to move around in my grip, as if something was inside the bottle itself. Wait a minute, could there actually be something down deep inside that empty looking hole of darkness I peered into the day before when I first laid eyes on the bottle. Then I noticed my error, what was I thinking when I rubbed the outside belly of the bottle without removing the cap! Boy, what a brain cramp I had on that one, I mean how could I know if a ‘genie’ really was inside the bottle when I didn’t open the door, or I mean the cap. Stepping back for a moment with the bottle still making movements while in my grip, I thought to myself – what the heck am I doing, am I talking like I believe in these old wise fairy tales of magic genies popping out from a bottle to really grant the wishes of their master. Okay, I think I was beginning to lose it, I had lost grip with reality and my mind at the same time. But my heart was still saying, go ahead pop the cap and rub the belly – PLEASE go ahead and do it! So, while acting a little bit like a kid trying not to get caught doing something I wasn’t supposed to be doing, I pulled the bottle closer to me and with my other hand I pried the cap off – something that happened surprisingly easy. Without looking back down into the darkness of the bottle like I had done the day before when I found nothing but darkness, I held the bottle at an angle pointing away from me and began to rub the outside belly of the bottle gently with my free hand. After no immediate response, I then rubbed a little harder. Just as I was ready to give up and accept defeat a loud pop sounded came from the bottle, followed by a bellowing small cloud of white something. Not an enormous amount, but enough to make me close my eyes for fear of not knowing what it was and how it would affect me, plus with my eyes closed I felt just a bit less fearful of not knowing just what it was that was happening! When I reopened my eyes, the white something had somewhat dissipated, and nothing seemed to be there – or so I thought. “Hey, I presume thanks is the first word I should use with you, even if you were the crazy one trying to gas me out by rubbing the dang bottle without taking the cap off,” came a deep voice from behind me. I slowly turned around, not knowing what I was going to find and that brought my heart rate to speed up and my forehead to break into a sweat. At first, I did not notice where the voice came from, only to realize the deep voice came not from a person of large size as you would imagine that type of a deep voice would, but instead I laid my eyes for the first time on a little guy of maybe four feet in height, not built like a dwarf or little person, but built as most guys would be – only built very short. “SURPRISE! Bet you were thinking I might be six-foot-five or something,” teased the little fellow. “But then again, I don’t stretch very well, and I don’t have pointed ears like a leprechaun, so that leaves you with one choice – hey you got A GENIE!” “Wait, you are my ‘genie’?” I asked with sincere hesitation. “Well of course, what the heck were you expecting when you rubbed that bottle,” noted the little guy. “Oh wait, by the look of your facial expression I’ll bet you have seen them old television shows or movies about genies popping out of a bottle and looking like some hot gal with skimpy clothing that dances around wiggling every crevice and curve of her body. Yep, I’ll bet you are one of them and now you’re thinking darn what a letdown, I just got a little guy with a wise ass personality.” “Well you are right,” he continued. “I am just a little guy and I do have a little edge to my personality, so just deal with it and get this over with I was busy on my journal writings.” I just stood there, bewildered a bit by several things – like I was listening to a little guy not more than four feet tall, dressed in a red vest over a very tight black t-shirt looking outfit with short legged blue jeans and red tennis shoes, who just appeared to have popped out of an old bottle and now is claiming he is truly a ‘genie’ who also appears to be expecting me to request some wishes from him to be granted. On top of that he is claiming to be writing a book or journal! “Wait a minute, you really came out of that bottle in that cloud of white something?” I asked. “Of course, where did you expect me to come from – that hole in the wall you have by the garage where your friendly mouse gets in?” responded the little guy, and yes, he did so with a bit of smart-ass attitude. “Well I am sorry, I guess this whole ‘genie’ in a bottle thing has me wondering several things about what I always thought were just old wise fairy tales, like how the heck do you get in and out of that bottle let alone survive inside of it when the cap is on?” I questioned the little guy. Before he could respond with what I was hoping would be a clarifying answer to the physical and scientific thoughts about the whole idea of a ‘genie’ I blurted out another question to him that had a touch of sarcasm, adding, “Oh and by the way do you actually have a name or something or can I just call you shorty?” “So, you do have a bit of personality there do you,” the little guy replied with a nod of his little head and a half smile showing he was impressed with my spec of sarcasm. “First of all, don’t call me shorty if you value your life and second, you can call me Fra-Jay, which is short for the name I was stuck with which is Francisco Jayson. As for the way and how I may pop in and out of that bottle, well let’s just say it is best you not worry about that because I am sure, and you should agree, that whatever reason or how and why it happens will all be beyond the files in your mind from whatever you may have learned about physics, science and the can and can nots of the body form.” Ok, so he has a name and somehow, he figured right about the physics and science stuff, it would all be beyond my education level as a genius I am not. “And while we are answering questions, does you my current human have a name, or can I just call you Homo Sap for being a ‘homo-sapien’?” “Oh, yes, my name is Will,” I responded as the sharing of names to have put a release of much of the tension that was building in the room. I then admitted my lack of a solid scientific background by adding, “Ok Fra-Jay, let’s look beyond the fact that you survive within a bottle roughly the size of a large salad bowl at the bottom and come in and out through a bottle neck no bigger than maybe a C cell battery, you are here as of now so just what the heck do we do now, have lunch or something?” “A meal, sure that might be good depending on what it is you eat,” Fra-Jay answered with a look of satisfaction. “But wait, will that be one of your wishes – me eating with you, like having a regular meal and conversation with a real ‘genie’?” Oh heck, I had totally forgotten about the whole wish thing that the old wise fairy tales claimed went along with any ‘genie’ coming out of a bottle. “No, it is just me being polite, plus I myself being hungry,” I replied as I finally set the gaudy bottle and cap down on an end table before heading for the kitchen. |
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