Genie Boomerang

by shalimar

 

The Late Summer Festival was an annual event for our town with the proceeds going towards the many charities that needed our support. My employer, Compton Industries, was one of the major sponsors. I worked in the IT department. Because I was unfettered by a girlfriend I worked a substantial amount of overtime.

Mr. Compton made sure that everyone who worked for the company, even us nerdy IT workers, would be able to attend this carnival, and sort of let us know that attendance was expected.

So, alone, I walked the length and breadth of the grounds before I saw Carol, who lived across the street, working a “Fortune Telling” booth. A mother of three, she looked and seemed more as if she was twenty, not the thirty she admitted.

“How about I do your fortune, Bob?” she asked.

“I don’t know,” I replied.

“It has been slow lately, and the money will go to a good cause.”

“Well…”

“It’s just for fun,” she insisted.

“How much?”

“Five dollars,” she replied.

“OK.”

She looked into her crystal ball for what seemed liked five minutes, mumbling some incantations as she moved her hands in circles around the ball, before telling me, “You are a lonely man. Expect a few changes on All Hallows Day. However, I must warn you, you won’t like the changes in the beginning.”

After she told my fortune she seemed to awaken from a trance. What she said scared me so I tried to get the disturbing things she said out of my mind by going to one of the food booths where I had a hoagie and a Coke before walking the five blocks back home to watch TV for the rest of the evening. At least Halloween was ten weeks away, I thought, and then finally laughed at what she’d said.

In the morning I got dressed and, as was my habit, walked the tree-lined blocks to Compton, less than a mile away. My trip took me past the elementary school Carol’s oldest child attended, and as I passed, I waved to Carol and the other ladies who had taken their children to school.

Speeding passed me as I walked into the parking lot was Matt Shilling in his 280Z. Management liked this hotshot salesman for our company because he was all sleaze and show. He almost always had the highest monthly sales amounts for the entire company. Even the bachelor pad he maintained had been designed solely to impress the girls. Fortunately for me, I wasn’t a girl so couldn’t fall under his unsavory spell.

He was friendly enough and I did like him enough that sometimes we had lunch together. It was rare, though as our schedules usually conflicted. However I usually enjoyed those rare times.

“Hi, Bob,” he greeted me as he got out of his sports car.

“Hey, Matt. Have a good weekend?”

“Always do. Met this girl in Tarrytown and took her to my place. She was a tiger in bed. Maybe I’ll keep her around for a few weeks.”

I pitied Matt for his lack of understanding women and even more, I pitied the poor girl who was his latest victim.

I should’ve also pitied myself, as I didn’t even have a girlfriend and had minimal prospects.

The days passed and finally it was Halloween. Working late I had missed the sweet little trick or treaters. Fortunately, I had also missed the extortionist teenagers and was angered, but not surprised, to see the toilet paper hanging from the trees in my yard. In addition to the usual junk mail in my mailbox was a note, “Don’t squeeze the Charmin.”

That was almost certainly because my full name is Robert George Whipple and the kids in the neighborhood had been told by their parents about the old time television ad. I certainly would like to forget it. The paper ruined the view of the changing leaves in my yard. If it weren’t for those older kids, Halloween would be an enjoyable experience.

I immediately called work and left a voicemail that I would have to spend the next day cleaning my yard, and wouldn’t be in. The next morning I started cleaning the yard of the dozens of rolls of toilet paper by bringing out a ladder and some garbage bags. I used the ladder to climb the first tree as high as I could. It was tedious work, but I finished by three in the afternoon. I brought the garbage bags to the curb and prepared to put the ladder away.

As I took down the ladder for the last time, I tripped over a yellowish metal object barely sticking out of the ground. I put the ladder away and brought out some tools to helped me extract the object out of the dirt.

It was an “Arabian lamp,’ just like you see in the story of Aladdin. It didn’t look like anything special, but I thought it might make an interesting novelty, so I took it into to the house and began to clean it. I had just turned it over when I saw the words, “Made in Djibouti” That’s when things got weird. The cap fell off and I felt I was being sucked into something, and when the sucking finished I felt nothing.

No time.

No space.

No feelings.

Just nothing.

I knew that I still existed, even though I wasn’t corporal. The four dimensions experienced by humans: length, width, thickness and time had no meaning in my new existence. I suspected I was in that lamp I had found, but knowing that was not important. Nothing seemed important. Then just as quickly I felt myself being pulled out of where I had been.

I was back in my body, as it became corporal again in my living room. In front of me Matt was holding the lamp and next to him was a policeman.

“What do you wish, Master?” I asked.

“Master?” The policeman said with astonishment. “What’s going on here?”

“Matthew Shilling is my new Master.” I said, my words surprising me as much as they did Matt and the policeman.

The policeman said, “I didn’t see you come in.”

“Bob!” Matt exclaimed. “Thank G_d you are alive. I went to your department to have lunch with you and was told you had been missing for over two weeks. Finally I convinced Mr. Compton to let me get off early and come here. I called the cop before entering. Did you just come out of the lamp?”

“What do you mean, Master?”

“I wish I knew what is going on,” Matt continued.

“Granted. I am now the genie of the lamp, Master, and am here to grant you your wishes.”

Why am I constantly calling Matt Master?

“Did I just waste a wish? How many wishes do I get?”

“As many as you would like, Master.”

“I wish the cop wasn’t here.”

“Done.”

Just as quickly as I said it, the policeman was continuing the patrol that he had been on before Matt called the police.

The patrolman was about to return to my home when Matt made his second wish, “I wish I hadn’t called the police, because I have a key to your house.”

“Done,” I said, as all memory and police records of Matt’s call had been wiped clean, and Matt’s key chain sported a new addition.

“You know, Bob, you have a nice house.”

“Thank you, Master.”

“This is a Victorian?”

“Yes, Master.”

“It is spacious, yet the feeling I get is that it is a cozy home. I’m surprised you don’t have a girlfriend. Women like cozy. I envy you. I wish this house was mine.”

“Done.”

“I didn’t mean it as a wish, Bob.”

“It was stated as such, Master. You can only wish for your wish to be undone or move out. I must warn you, your apartment as you knew it no longer exists.”

“Oh. I’d better be careful what I say, and how I say it.” Bob’s face brightened suddenly as if he’d won the lottery. “I can pretty much have whatever I want?”

“With a few restrictions,” I said, somewhat worried about what it was he wanted to do.

“Next, I wish you were the owner of this house.”

“Not necessary, Master. A genie has no need for a house.”

“Girls, I like girls, fine looking girls. Bob, I don’t understand you. You owned this chick magnet, yet you never took advantage of it to attract a woman. Is that because you really are a woman? Let’s find out. I wish for you to look more like a woman. I might as well make you pretty, so look into my mind and become the girl of my dreams.”

“Done, but only the physical part, Master.”

Quicker than I said it I had big breasts, a narrow waist, long blond hair and all the applicable female body parts. I looked like a living Jessica Rabbit.

“Only the physical part?”

“You asked me to become the girl of your dreams. According to the jinn code, I need to change my body to your wish, but I don’t have to change my personality, Master. My sexual needs are MY sexual needs. I may change them to what you need, but only if I wish.”

“You mean I can’t change you into a horny bitch?”

“I don’t bark, Master.”

“Sorry. I didn’t mean anything negative.”

“It is still derogatory, Master. Women don’t like to be referred in that way, not even me.”

Did I just say that?

“I’ll remember that for the future, but I’m very horny right now. Is there anyway you can accommodate me?”

I almost gagged.

“No. You can beat yourself, Master.”

“Why?”

“I will not answer unless you make it a wish, Master.”

“I wish to know why?”

“What I will say will be the truth, but it may be hurtful to you, Master.”

“I wish to know why you won’t have sex with me. Tell me the truth.”

“Before this all happened, Master, I liked you, but I thought you were slime, especially with women. Now you have come to my home and have taken it from me without any regard for my feelings. You then changed my sex without asking me if I wanted that. As I have the right to decide if I will join you in sex, I say, ‘no.’”

“What right do you have to refuse?”

“It is part of the agreement, Master.”

“Agreement?”

“Between our union and the League of Masters, Master.”

“Union? Why would I want to know about a contract involving the League of Masters? I’m not a member.”

“On the contrary, Master, as soon as you made your first wish you became a full member, with all the privileges of membership as well as all the obligations. In this case, the contract with our union, local 1031, WWBEFIGOD.”

“WWBEFIGOD?”

“Witches, wizards, brownies, elves, fairies, imps, genies, ogres and dragons, Master.”

“If I can’t change you, then I wish to change my mind so that I could be attractive to you.”

“I cannot. It is part of the contract.”

“Why?”

“I can change how you appear physically, but if I change your mind you are not you, and therefore not my master.”

“There has to be a way. I wish to have a copy of this contract.

“Done.”

On the living room floor of what was now his house were several piles of paper as much as six feet high.

“I can’t read all that!” he exclaimed. “I wish to know and understand this contract.”

“Done.”

“This contract just gave me a headache. I wish to lie down in my bed.”

“Done.”

He disappeared into my former bedroom and was lying down on my former bed.

“I wish for you to relax,” I heard him shout from my former bedroom. “If that means going back into your lamp, then do it.”

I reentered my lamp.

When I was pulled out of my lamp again, I was once more standing in front of Matt. I noticed the sun was shining through the window of the living room, so I knew it was at least the next morning.

“What do you wish, Master?”

“Bob,” he said then stopped. “I wish you had a name.”

“I have a name, Master. It is Robert, or the nicknames Robby or Bob, if you prefer. Some people even call me Bobby.”

“It doesn’t fit the way you look. I wish for you to have a female name.”

“Would Regina do?” I asked.

“Regina would be excellent. I wish your name to be Regina.”

I knew that from that time forward I would only respond to Regina until someone changed my name.

“Regina, I wish to find the section involving appeal. I especially wish to find the part involving what would happen if I wish to change my mind.”

I pulled out some papers from one of the piles and said, “Here it is, Master.”

“Ah that’s what I’m looking for,” he said. “Section 2763 Paragraph 1: ‘A master can appeal to the Witch’s Court if he or she wishes to change their personality.’ So I can change my personality.”

“Paragraph 2: The court does not need to grant the petition, and will only do so under extreme special circumstances.’”

“Oh, oh! Paragraph 3: ‘The court may change the master in ways other than the wishes of the master.’ What does that mean?”

“I cannot answer, Master. That is part of the rules, you need to make it a wish.”

“I wish to know what might happen if I do appeal to this court.”

“Master, it means that if you petition the court for such a change you may or may not get the change. You would need to have a special reason that is especially pertinent to your situation. The court may grant me the ability to change you the way you want or it may require me to change you in a way you don’t want, and haven’t even thought of, such as, I might have to turn you into a toad.”

“So I would need to be careful to as to how I petition this court.”

“Yes, but you cannot lie, either. If you do, you will be lucky to be a toad.”

“I wish to know if there is more I should be aware of.”

“Be careful what you wish for, because you may get it and not like it, or not be able to handle the changes.”

“Like what?”

“If I understand you correctly, Master, you would wish to be honest, loving and truly friendly, the exact opposite of the sleaze and the superficial friendliness you are now. You may not be able to be a salesman anymore, or you may not like me the way I am either.”

“You are right. I wish to be truly loving, friendly, honest and generous.”

“That’s a good start, Master,” I agreed. “Why?”

“How about, ‘I didn’t like what you said about me the other day, because although it is me, it is not what I want me to be.’ I needed to have money to get things, so I sold. Sometimes I sold in ways that weren’t always honest. Eventually, the more I got, the more aggressive I became, but because of the way I got it, the more I got, the less I enjoyed what I had, and the less I liked me.”

“It sounds good so far, Master.”

“What do you suggest?”

“I cannot make a suggestion, Master. It is part of the rules.”

“I wish for you to suggest something, Regina.”

“I suggest you think about this, Master. Write down everything you can think of. Then put at least the most important parts into a proposal. After that wish me to suggest any changes that will help.”

“Then relax. I wish that you could stay out here if you wish. I wish that you could return to the lamp if you wish. I wish that you could go back and forth if you wish.”

I decided to go back and forth so that I could check on and help his progress as he worked on the proposal. Several times he wished for my suggestions, and most of them he accepted. I was beginning to admire him for what he wanted.

It was about that time he wished for me to call him Matt, instead of Master, and not always to use any title. I appreciated that as he was beginning to treat me like a true person and an equal. He also wished that we could have normal conversations if we so desired. I was impressed.

I began to enjoy our conversations and stayed out longer. My new feminine feelings were starting to kick in, and I began to see him as someone with real possibilities, although his slime ball effect on me continued. Despite that, I was actually starting to be attracted to him.

There were times he was honest with me and I saw the true Matthew, the one that he wanted to be, and tried to be most of the time, but there were other times that he was insincere. I confronted him at those times.

“That is why I’m making the petition,” he once told me. “If I could do this on my own, I would. You’re helping me just by being around, but I think that I need more help and quickly. I think that if I were to do this on my own it would take too much time.”

Once, he took me out to dinner. Although I didn’t need to eat anymore I appreciated the gesture. We had a good time and, surprisingly, he didn’t ask for sex when we arrived home. That pleased me greatly.

He said, “I will wait until you are ready. You are one woman that I respect.”

If he respected me, he might actually be getting better.

It was soon after he told me he respected me that he made one of his last wishes, “I wish to be financially independent, but not super rich, so I can stop selling. When I sell I get trapped doing or saying things I really don’t like or believe. It is taking me away from my goal.”

“Done.”

“How are things different?”

“You are on the board of directors of Compton Industries. To accommodate your financial needs it is now a much larger company, with the headquarters and one of the research facilities here in town. The company has more of the land in town and surrounding area. Your main focus at Compton is research and development. You also have some investments that are paying you enough money to live on. Financially, you are comfortable, but not rich.”

“Good enough for now. I didn’t want too much money and I don’t see a need for any more other than for inflation or charity. I like the idea, as I am more of a hands on kind of person. I hope my education qualifies.”

“You could make it a wish.”

“I wish to have a PHD in Physical Engineering.”

“Done.”

“Could I have the honor of your company at the Compton’s tonight? I am having dinner with them.”

“I’d love to.”

It was a nice evening and Marjorie Compton was an excellent hostess. I found out that she was more than “just” a trophy wife and proved it by working for her husband and some of the charities in the area. She was also a strong independent woman that made things happen in the community. She invited me to join her with her work, and I told her I would consider it. The only problem I had with her suggestion was that as a genie my time was not my own.

The next day Matt asked me to take a walk with him.

“Where are we going?” I asked.

“Just for a walk. It is something I used to do until just after I became a salesman.”

“OK.”

As he put on his jacket, I changed what I was wearing to something appropriate for outside. The weather wouldn’t have affected me, but I knew I needed to look the part. Our first walk was just around a few blocks. We discovered that we knew some of our neighbors.

One of the couples that we talked to was Carol and her husband, John.

“Welcome to the neighborhood,” John said. “I’m John and this is Carol.

“Matt, and this is Regina.”

“I see you bought the old Whipple place.”

“Yep.”

“Do you work for Compton?”

“I work with the engineers,” Matt replied who didn’t need to puff himself up by saying that he was on the board of directors.

“Have any kids? We have three.”

“We’re not married.”

“I’m sorry. I thought you were a couple.”

“Maybe,” I replied, surprising me.

I thought I saw a smile on Carol’s face.

With the exception of inclement weather, we took a walk every day. Sometimes we walked the neighborhood, enabling us to get to know the neighbors. Sometimes we walked to the center of town where we did some shopping or had dinner. A few times we walked to the park nearby and watched the children play.
.
The first time we did that he told me, “I don’t want it to be a wish, at least right now, but I see the joy in these children and I want that in my house.”

“I would love that,” I replied, my maternal instinct asserting itself.

That was when I realized I wanted to have his children and be their mother.

We kept on watching the children from a safe distance. Later, I went back into my lamp and cried, at least as much as any jinn could cry in that dimension. It was then that I knew I was beginning to love him.

Finally, the proposal was done, so he asked me to type the petition on my former computer, and then submit it to the court.

“I have bad news, Master,” I said when I returned from filing the petition. “Hajj the Great will be the judge at the trial. He’s the worst if he doesn’t like your petition. It is not too late to back out.”

“I need this, Regina. I need to be a better person. I’ll take the chance.”

I shed a tear. I was afraid that he would go up against the meanest judge in the universe and fail miserably. Realizing Matt was determined I decided to be with him, not just because I was his genie, but because of his strength of action. I couldn’t let him down. I realized then that I really loved him.

A few days later, I took him to the court, which was in another dimension. Hajj sat ten feet above the floor.

“Why should the court grant your petition?” Hajj boomed.

“I didn’t put this into the petition, because I didn’t want to affect her decision. I love Regina. I started doing this for me, so that I could possibly win her heart, but now I’m also doing this for her, so I can be the man she needs.”

I cried, put my hand in his, and crossed my legs towards Matt. That was the moment when I realized that I loved him as much as he loved me.

“Are you crying, Regina?” asked the great jinn.

“Yes, your honor.”

“Why?”

“I love Matt, your honor and I now know he loves me.”

“In view of the sincerity of the petition and the evidence, including Regina’s tears, I grant the petition.”

Suddenly, we were back at Matt’s home in his living room. He swept me off my feet as we kissed. I magically changed my clothing into a sexy nightgown just before he took me into his bedroom. We made love, and I enjoyed my first female orgasm that afternoon.

Afterwards, as I lay in his arms, he asked me, “Could you get pregnant because of what we did?”

“No,” I sighed. “You are human and I am jinn.”

“Is there anyway that could be changed? I eventually want us to have kids.”

“Sort of,” I explained. “I would not be a genie anymore. I would be human, or if I retain my powers, I would be a witch.”

“What are the differences?”

“As a witch I don’t have to grant your wishes. I don’t even need a wish to do anything. In other words, I would have more freedom. You would lose the power of the wish over me. Also my beauty would fade over time so you wouldn’t have a young bride for your entire life, though in fact, I would age slightly more slowly than a normal human.”

“You will always be beautiful, my dear. Could you make me a witch?”

“I didn’t know you wanted to be a girl.”

“Is there a male version of a witch?”

“A wizard. That I could do. You’d also have the powers I have.”

“This a complicated wish. Please don’t grant it until I’m finished. I wish for you to change yourself to a witch and me to a wizard. The next part of the wish is that we are married and own this house as husband and wife with no mortgage. I wish for everyone to have no memories of us except for you as Regina and me as your husband. Finished.

“Done, but there are complications.”

“Complications?”

“You don’t have that sports car now, but transportation more appropriate to our needs. Yours is a town car and mine is a mini-van that is usually called a taxi.”

“Why?”

“Three reasons.”

“Waaaa!” we heard from one of the other bedrooms.

“That’s one of them,” I explained, as I put on my nightgown and robe to go into the other room to see to our daughter. “The other two are older.”

As I started to leave the room, I stopped and looked at Matt, “Better make that four reasons. We just had sex, and as I’m mid-month I’m quite sure we succeeded.”

I went to our youngest daughter picked her up, cuddled her, and then changed her. Barbara had given Matthew and me enough time to enjoy ourselves before she woke up. I still had to hurry because I had to pick our six-year-old, Robert, at elementary school and four-year-old Ruth at nursery school. I gave Barbara to Matt to play with while I quickly got dressed.

“Would you like to help me pick up Bobby at school?” I asked her after I finished.

“Yeah,” she agreed.

“Honey,” I continued. “I’m running late. Could you pick up Ruthie at the nursery school?”

“Sure,” Matt replied. “I’ll be dressed in a few minutes. Do I have a child seat?”

“What will you do if you don’t?”

“Got it!”

Eventually, he will. I did.

I hurried with the baby carriage to the elementary school two blocks away. Carol was already waiting for her boy, Steven. Bobby and Stevie were already best friends.

“I see you have a nice glow,” Carol said. “Making love in the afternoon?”

“Yes,” I smiled.

“Did you come?”

“I’m very satisfied.”

We giggled.

“So the changes are good?”

“Extremely.”

“Are you ready for the coven tonight?”

“Yes. You did this to us.”

“We in the coven wanted you both to be happy.”

Bobby came up to me, gave me a hug and showed me a picture he’d painted, knowing he’d just given me a Rembrandt to hang on my refrigerator. How could I not be happy?

This story is based on Bill Hart’s “The Morning After.” There is a quote from the disco song, “Gloria.”

I wish to thank Angela Rash and Holly Logan for their editorial assistance