Brad stumbled into his room, his backpack overburdened with every book the school provided. With a groan he dropped the bag on his bed and took a moment to collect himself before beginning his homework. Pre-algebra, history, writing, reading, chemistry, and he is behind in his art class... he will be lucky to get it all done, let alone have time to relax tonight, and this is normal.
Brad was just 14 and beginning freshmen year in high school. As this year began, suddenly, he and all his classmates were the least respected group in the school. Some kids were mean to him, and sometimes on bad days, he was mean too... He wasn't a bad kid, but he was stuck in a system built to ensure he has no free time outside of class, confused about his social standing, who his real friends are, and hormonal.
Adults have a lot to say about high school. Its the best or worst time of your life, you are finding yourself, it means so much or so little in the scheme of things. No pressure, right? So sometimes, he wasn't all that nice, if for no other reason that it made him feel like he mattered, he could change something, even if not in his own life. But he did try to be a good person, usually.
Brad had the house to himself until his parents came home. As Brad pulled out his history book to begin his assignment a foomp sound came from behind him. As he turned his head, alarmed, he saw something fall onto his bed behind his bag... he heard a metallic click as the object rested against his backpack.
Getting up he walked around his bed to see what it was. An unfamiliar oil lamp lay resting against his book bag. As any kid would do, he immediately rubbed the lamp to remove any chance of a Robin Williams style genie appearing. A second passed, then another. Convinced the lamp isn't magic he looked around the room hoping to determine where this artifact came from and how it fell upon his bed.
"I'm sorry master, I... I needed a moment to com...compose myself." came a woman's voice between light sobs... Gray mist spewed forth from the lamp and pulled itself into the form of a young woman somewhere between Brad's and his mom's age.
Brad's fight or flight response settled on pretend to be a statue until things make sense. The young woman had tears streaming down her face. "A duck!" she said in disbelief. "She turned herself into a duck, and things were going so well up until then."
"What?" Brad choked, his mouth dry and his heart pounding in his ears.
"My last master, Master. The curse. It got to her. Oh Master, I cant bear the thought of it getting you too, Wish me away, wish me upon your worst enemy, but don't wish for yourself!"
Brad stood there for a long moment, thoughts racing in his head, before asking, "What curse?"
The woman looked at the boy with deep soulful eyes and began her story. "I am a genie, and as such, grant my Master endless wishes. A long time ago, when I was just a young genie, I had a master who had desires for a woman he could not obtain. Her heart belonged to another and would not be swayed. Our magic cannot make people fall in love. He tried for weeks with my help to impress her. Then he wished harm on the man who did possess her heart. I couldn't kill him so my master instead wished him to become a cockroach. In her grief of her lovers disappearance the woman took her own life. My Master demanded I bring her back, which I also cannot do. He was enraged. he made a series of wishes to hurt me. He wished that any who try to undo or break the curse will instead make a wish to change themselves. He wished that once the curse is completed that I would be teleported to a new master. Finally, he wished that any who are my master other than himself would become filled with desire to become something completely different from what they were. He said, three times I have failed to do his bidding, and thus, three times I am cursed."
Brad listened realizing with a sinking heart that she had been referring to him as master. "What do you mean completely different... does everyone become an animal?"
"No, one removed themselves from existence. Most take on another life. An old man became a small girl, a young girl became a 35 year old father. A young family man became a single 58 year old business tycoon, and my last Master, she was about your age, became a duck. Oh Master! Please wish me away!"