“What do you mean?” I ask, confused.
“Let us imagine, for example, that you were in love with a man, and that this man was in love with another woman.”
He makes a very long pause and observes me with a knowing stare that makes me very uncomfortable. As I start awkwardly shifting positions in my chair, he resumes his explanation.
“I simply could not dissipate said sentiment, as true love is sacred and it is not to be tampered with.”
“Ok, no falling out of love,” I repeat as indifferently as I can, scribbling it down on my notepad.
“You cannot ask for extra wishes.”
“Yep, pretty basic,” I say, unimpressed.
“All wishes must concern you in some way or another.”
“That is to say…?”
“For example, you could not wish for Napoleon to lose the war. By the bye, has he lost?”
“Yes, he has lost! He died alone in exile and misery. Are you satisfied?”
“Ah, ah. I knew old Wellington would take him down.” He laughs contentedly. “But back to us. Where was I?”
“Wishes must be self-centered.” Not bad, this one; no one can accuse me of being selfish for not asking for world peace. “Wait a second, does this mean that I can only use magic on myself? Or I can use it on others as well?”
“As long as you do not break any rule, you can use your wishes as you see fit.”
“But if I can use it on others as well, how do you determine if a wish is about me or not?” I ask, a bit puzzled.
“Let’s say, for example, that a person you know was challenged to a mortal duel.”
“Not very likely these days,” I observe.
“Likely or not,” he continues, unfussed, “you could wish for that person to win the duel, or not to get injured or die during it. On the other hand, if he was a soldier you could wish for him to never die in battle. However, you could not wish for no one to ever get wounded or die in a duel ever again, or for wars to have no more casualties. The magic has to affect you in some way or other.”
“Mmm. So, for example, could I wish for my best friend to have smaller boobs, like right now?” I am not being a bitch here; she hates her abundant D size, even though her boyfriend would probably kill me if I did something like that.
“I am not exactly sure what boobs are. Anyhow, to make anything happen to someone else you need to be in their proximity. But in theory, yes, you would be able to express that sort of wish even if it does not involve you directly, because it is about someone you know.”
“Makes sense. Anyway, I’ll have you as a consultant if I’m ever in doubt. Anything else?”
“Ah, yes. You cannot ask for immortality.”
“Oh, I hadn’t thought of that, but it sucks!”
“Trust me, eternity can be very tiring,” he comments mysteriously.
I want to ask him to tell me more, but I know there’s no point, so I patiently wait for him to re-start with his list of rules.
“No time travelling.”
“But why?” I complain, disappointed. I’ve always been fascinated with the past and, lately, obsessed with the future. Time travelling was definitely going to be one of my wishes. Stupid rules!
“Actually, it is very simple. Time only exists in the present—it comes and goes in the blink of an eye without leaving any vestige to come back to.”
“Whatever.” I shrug, annoyed.
“This also means you cannot ask to know the future, or to travel there. It has not happened yet, thus it does not exist.”
Go figure. I make a face and add it to the list.
“Can I at least teleport myself?” I ask, struck by a sudden inspiration.
“From one place to another in the present? Yes, you could ask for that.”
“So, could I also ask to be able to teleport other people?”
“Yes, exactly—it is another good example. You could ask to have a particular ability and ask to be able to use it on others. As long as you are near them it would work.”
“Cool! I’ll think about it. If I was able to teleport myself I could see the whole world. I would never have to take a plane ever again. Wow!”
“What is a plane?”
“A machine that flies.”
He gives me a blank stare.
“With people inside,” I further explain, “you know, to move from one place to the other faster.”
“Mankind can fly?”
“Mmm-hmmm.”
“How marvelous.”
“Yep. Can we get back to my wishes now?” I ask eagerly.
“I am glad to have you interested at last.”
“So, are the rules over? Can we start?”
“Hmm. No, they are not. A few more remain.”
“Bummer. Go ahead, then.”
I feel as if I were a child again. Whenever I had a new toy, especially if it was a cool electronic one, my dad wouldn’t let me use it before we went through the whole instruction manual. I couldn’t wait to try my new game, but no, I had to listen to endless boring instructions instead. And here they keep coming.
“You cannot ask for all my powers.”
“Ok.”
“You cannot wish me free of my curse.”
“Have you been cursed?” I stare up at him.
“Yes, as I told you before.” His face becomes a mask of pain and regret.
“Sorry,” I say sincerely. “I must have been over-excited by the whole situation. I didn’t hear you. What happened? Who did it?”
“I do not wish to talk about it.” His tone suggests that I’d better back off, but he can’t just say something like that and then refuse to talk about it!
“Is the curse unbreakable, or can it be broken in some other way?”
“I know it can be broken somehow, but I most certainly was not told how.”
“We could try and find a way, though, right?”
“I’ve tried before. Nothing has ever worked.”
“That doesn’t mean we have to stop trying.”
“Trust me, it is a painful endeavor, made of false beliefs that never prove truthful.”
“I’m sorry,” I mumble. “It must have been hard for you. But we can stay positive and keep hoping. Something will come up, I’m sure.”
“Hope is a good breakfast but a bad supper,” he comments cynically, shaking his head at my optimism.
From his bitter tone, I get the impression that the topic, once again, is making him uncomfortable. I’m sure he will be more ready to open up once we get to know each other better, so I’ll let it be for now. But I’m not giving up. If there’s a way to free him, we just need to find it; he simply needs some faith.
“Genie—” I try to lighten the mood by changing the subject. “Could I give one of my wishes to someone else? I mean, as a gift?”
“Absolutely not, and this is the last rule.” A note of strain is still audible in his words, but he seems relieved that the conversation has moved on. “You cannot speak to anyone about me, the wishes, or the coffer. It would make it all disappear the moment you voice your first word.”
“Ugh! I hate to keep secrets. I’m not very good at it, either,” I grumble.
“I am afraid you will have to keep this one.”
“But when I am done, could I pass the coffer on to someone else and make them discover its secret?” I ask hopefully. “This way I would not need to break any rule. I wouldn’t be telling anyone. Can I do that?”
“No, most definitely not.”
“Why?”
“The coffer has its own will. When you are finished with it, it will go to whomever it sees fit. Ahem, here I was, thinking I had finally found my liberator…whereas you are already trying to hand me down like one of your possessions.”
“I—” I blush vividly, looking down in mortification. “That’s not what I…ummm…” I stutter. “I wasn’t really…I mean, associating the two things in my head, I…” I look at him and see that he’s messing with me; he
’s hardly suppressing a grin. “Oh, forget it!” I tell him, my face still very red.
Upon being discovered, the genie roars with laughter at my embarrassment. He’s even more gorgeous when he’s not sulking. I only wish it wasn’t at my expense.
I look at him morosely. “Are you having fun?” I ask pointedly.
“Please excuse my incivility—I could not resist the temptation.” He chuckles. Then, still grinning, he asks, “Is all that we discussed clear?”
I nod grudgingly and look down at my pad to do a mental recap.
RULES
No killing
No resuscitating the dead
No falling in or out love
No extra wishes
Wishes must be self-centered
Proximity rule for magic on others
No immortality
No time travelling :(
No future telling :(
Teleportation ok
No Genie superpowers
No freeing the genie
No telling anyone anything
No gifting the coffer
Note to self: investigate Genie’s curse, age…
Even with all these stupid rules, I can still do a lot of damage. I smile in satisfaction, anticipating my first wish.
Get I Wish for You now!
About the Author
Camilla was born in 1984. She’s an engineer that has always had a vivid imagination and a more creative approach to life. After working in a corporate job for some years, she left everything to follow her husband around the world in a new adventure. Upon finding herself with loads of free time for the first time in a long while, she decided to begin pouring some of her fantasies into words…
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[email protected] Acknowledgments
First, I’d like to thank you for reading this book and for making my work meaningful.
A special thanks goes to book bloggers for welcoming me in their community with open arms and for all the help and support.
Many thanks to my two editors, Mary Yakovets and Michelle Proulx. Thank you to my proofreader, Emily Ladouceur.
Thank you to my beta-readers Alex, Desi, and Jennifer.
Many thanks to Lizzie Gardiner, for designing the best cover I could have hoped for.
Finally, thank you to my friends and family for always supporting me. No matter the adventure I decide to embark on, I know I can count on you.
Camilla Isley, A Sudden Crush
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