Either this was the most elaborate prank ever, or in front of him was an actual genie.  Honestly though it couldn't be the second one right? All that was mumbo jumbo, otherwise there would have to be people who lived forever, or individuals that had such a vast sum of money, or ultimate powers, there was no one like that in real life though was there?

No, so this had to be a prank.

He didn't know who set him up, but he did appreciate the gesture, at least someone was trying to cheer him up.

So he was just going to roll with it.

Honestly though, whoever had set this up was pretty impressive, the smoke, the shaking, the girl.  Speaking of the girl he took a closer look at her, she really was a beauty.  Dark skin, bright green eyes that matched her clothes and jewelry.

And that hair.

Dan doubted he had ever seen a woman with longer hair, if she was not standing straight up it would have likely brushed up against the ground.  As for her figure, it was perfect, she was a nice hourglass shape, with a wide set of hips and a curvaceous torso.

“So what, I get three wishes then?” he asked with a smile on his lips.

“One,” she answered, holding up one finger.

“One?” Just one? Wasn't it supposed to be three?

“One,” she nodded, her long black hair bouncing with her head’s movement.”I was captured young, so I only have the ability to grant one wish.”

“Captured young?”

“Yes, I was only 4,000 years old when I was captured.”  she nodded, and seeing his confusion she continued her explanation. “The older we Djinn get the more powerful we become, the more wishes we can grant to anyone who captures us.” she shuddered at the word capture.

“I would imagine being captured is not so pleasant.”  he said after seeing her shudder, honestly where had they found this girl, she had to be one of the best actresses he had ever seen, it was like she almost believed herself…

She shook her head sadly, her eyes dulled with a distant memory. The flames, the runes traced around her, the pain.

The golden shackles on her wrists and ankles.

“Do you miss your family from back before you were captured?”

This book is hosted on another platform. Read the official version and support the author's work.

“Djinn don't have families.” she said, looking at him with a strange curiosity in her eyes, none of the other masters had ever talked with her, they simply made their demands and went about their way. She had merely been a tool for them, something to use and then sell or trade for even greater riches.

“No?”

“Djinn are the spirits of nature who after time have gained consciousness, we have no kin.”

“Hmm, must be nice.”  he said, she was surprised to hear a hint of anger in his voice.

“Why is that?”

“If you have no family then you don't have to watch them die.” he said, looking at her. “So one wish huh? Anything I can ever wish for?”he asked, changing the subject.She nodded. “What would you wish for?”

She paused, she had never actually considered it, she was only a young genie, she only had one wish she could grant, had she been captured later she might have found a kind master who after getting one other wish, set her free.

Seeing however that she had only the power to grant one wish, she doubted anyone would ever give her freedom, she had resigned herself to an eternity of isolation, all alone in that bottle.

“Wait, don't say it, let me guess.”  Dan smiled, “Freedom.” the girl dropped her head and gave a simple nod, damn this woman was good he thought, it was almost like she actually was stuck in a small bottle for thousands of years with no hope of getting out, give this girl the Emmy.

“I would like nothing more than the chance to go home.”  she said softly, a small tear tracing its way down her dark cheek. “It has been so long.” she whispered to herself, her head still down, and her face obscured by her long black bangs.

“Done,”

“Wha-?”  she looked up at the man standing in front of her. What had he just said?

“I know what it feels like to be trapped, I wish you were free.”  with a bright flash the golden braces on her wrists and ankles fell off and clattered to the floor.  She lifted her hands up to her face and looked at them in shock.

Free.

She was Free!

With a huge smile she spun around in place, before stopping and looking at Dan.

“Thank you!” she said, with a smile as warm as the sun. she bowed as happy tears streamed down her face. And in a split second she simply vanished into thin air.  There was no smoke to obscure her coming or going, she had simply vanished like she was never there.

“EHH!?” Dan fell back on his ass in surprise, he had been staring right at her, and then she wasn't there. Did that mean?

It had to.

No other conclusion made since, besides the obvious one of him losing his mind.

She had been a real genie…

----------------------------------------

She was free.

Free!

For the first time in over 10,000 years she was free! She knew exactly where she was going, how could she forget? It had been her home for some 4,000 years.  She knew every detail of it, the small stream, the warm sands, her little oasis.  With tears in her eyes she transported herself home.

With a smile almost too large for her face she appeared at her home.

A screeching sound made her open her eyes, and a large metal object with a person inside it came to a halt just inches from her.

“What are you doing? Get the fuck out of the road! Do you want to die?!”  the man in the metal object yelled at her in anger.

Where was she? Where was her oasis?  She looked around, towering silver and grey buildings stretched up to the sky, denying that nature had ever had a hold here.

“Get out of the way!”  the man yelled out, and the metal object made a loud racket like an angry hippo.

“Sorry!”  she said and bowed slightly, before she transported herself several hundreds of feet above the ground.  The man in the car rubbed his eyes in disbelief, where had that girl gone to? Was he seeing things?

She looked around from on high at the busy network of streets and people as they went about their day.

Tears started to flow freely now.

It was gone, all gone.

Her home, the one thing that had kept her sane all those years in that bottle, it was gone now.  

She had nothing.

No one.

She drifted down to the ground and leaned up against a sign and cried to herself. “Welcome to Dubai”  it read.