Genie in the bottle

Fourth chapter

We arrived at the last week of the summer, which meant it was time to put everything in place and clean it up and take out the school stuff. In the middle of the big cleaning, I grabbed my little bag, which I took to work and opened it.

"I forgot about that." I said out loud and took the lantern out of the box so I could examine it more closely. Maybe it could have been made of copper because it didn't look like the color in the fairy tale. Still, I liked this color. It fits the flower next on my table. I got up from my bed and I almost put down on the table when I noticed a pattern on it. Lifting closer to my eyes, I realized that it wasn't a pattern but words. I looked at the strange words because it wasn't English. Shrugging, I went to my phone and started typing the word into the google translator. "Rub it. Good joke." I rolled my eyes. "Okay." I said a minute later. What can I lose? I started rubbing the lantern and hung up. "I knew it." I whispered and walked to my bed. I heard a sound as if something was burning so I turned around. "What the...!" A white and purple mist rose from the lamp. "Oh. No. No. No." I started shaking the fog with my hands, but I rather quickly opened my window. Suddenly I heard a yawn and I turned in fright. Something or called it a girl, she was floating in the middle of my room in purple pants and a purple blouse, and her long straight brown hair hung in a ponytail to her waist.

"Hello." She said. "Are you okay?" She frowned. Either because she came closer or because I hadn't seen anything more beautiful than that yet, but I sat down on the floor and looked up at her. "You don't look sick." She hovered in front of me, resting her left fist under her chin and placing her right arm under her left arm. She opened her mouth. "Are you deaf?" I shook my head. "I'm sorry I was disrespectful. I haven't even introduced myself. I'm Amanda, your genie. And you...?"

"I'm...I'm Liz?" I cleared my throat. "I'm Liz." I actually nodded to myself.

"Nice to meet you." She grinned.

"How do you get here?" I asked still in a surprised voice.

"You rubbed the lamp. You forgot?" She said happily and sat on my table.

"Hey! Get down from there you'll destroy something!" I stood up and walked to her.

"You mean, like, this flower?" She said in a sad voice and extended her hand to the flower that went through the vase. "I can't touch anything." She looked at me. Her beautiful brown eyes were covered with golden dots, and she looked at me so sadly that I felt like someone had touched my heart. She sighed loudly and she started looking at the things in my room. Because she turned her back to me, I could look at her better and had to find out that I had never seen such a perfect being. From the soles of the feet to the crown of her head. Impressive. "I'm amazed you rubbed the lantern." She spoke up after a while and smiled then looked back at pictures on the wall. Maybe he noticed I was staring. I swallowed.

"Why?" I don't know how I should react to that.

"My master wasn't a princess yet." She said softly, as if stroking.

"I'm not a princess." She looked at me and tilted her head a little to the right. Now she looked at me from my feet to my head. I blushed. She smiled smugly as if she wanted to and looked at one of my paintings. It was as if she remembered something turned around.

"I forgot to tell you the rules. I've been outside for a long time. So, you can wish for three, but there are three conditions for that. First, you can't wish for more wishes. Second, I can't change people's thoughts and feelings about anything. Third, I can't revive anyone, and I can't connect with them in any way. The most important thing you have to rub the lantern. If this does not happen I won't be able to fulfill your request. Question?" I shook my head. "Did you paint this?" She pointed a painting behind her.

"Yeah." I looked at my painting of the cherry tree. This is my favorite painted what I made.

"You're talented." She went closer and held out her hand. I almost said to her not to touch it, but I realized she was incapable of doing it. "Don't even worry about me. Feel free to wish at any time." She looked at me, but I didn't say anything, so she stared the painting again. "I was still in Japan three hundred years ago. The emperor was my master." She said and stopped talking. I went closer and sat down on the bed.

"Please, continue!" I said in a soft voice. After a few moments, she nodded as if she was wondering if she really had to tell it to me or not.

"He made the wrong decision." She whispered.

"What he wished." I asked.

"Unfortunately, I can't tell. I cannot say the wishes of others and I cannot influence anyone." She looked at me with a half smile.

"If you were in my place, what would you wish?" I asked.

"This whole situation is so complicated that there is a small list of words I can't say, or I will be in pain." She said in a trembling voice. I don't know why, but I clenched my fist.

"Who is so cruel to do this?" I mumbled.

"An evil prince." She whispered.

"Hm?" I asked.

"Nothing. It's a long story." I nodded.

"Have you ever been here in America to be more precise in Florida?" I asked.

"Yes and no." She said.

"Can you take on a human form?" I asked.

"It's a wish?" She asked. I shook my head. "Don't worry. Only the user of the lamp can see me or who had already rubbed the lantern once." She said.

"Cool. Let's go for a walk." I stood up.

"You don't want to unpack them, or should I put them in order?" She smirked. Do you want to go beyond my mind and play with my wishes? I didn't think a genie would be so manipulative. I shook my head and happily walked out the house with her.