At first the boy looks like he wants to kill you, but then he seems to calm down. He sighs.
“Fine, I give up. I can’t beat you,” he says sounding defeated. “I just wish I was normal again.”
You say, “Very well, Master. Your wish is my command.”
When you clap your hands this time, the sound echoes all over like thunder or the rumble of an earthquake.
For a moment, the shaking and noise distract the boy. When he looks around again, he sees that he is in the mall. Looking down at himself, he is shocked to see that his body appears to be unchanged by the wish. He is still a cute little 5-year-old boy.
“What’s going on?” he asks. “I thought I just wished for you to turn me back to normal.”
He looks up at you to see that you are now wearing ordinary clothes. Your genie outfit has been replaced by a pair of jeans and a white T-shirt.
Before you can respond, a woman walks up an says, “Bobby, what are you doing over here?”
“Mom?” says the boy. “Wait, I can explain why I look like this. I found this bottle…”
“Why did you run off from your sister like that?” she asks completely ignoring what he is saying. “You know you’re not supposed to do that.” She grabs the boy by the shoulder and gives him a quick spank on the butt.
“Oww!” he shouts and stares up at her in surprise and fear.
The woman looks up at you and says, “I’m sorry about Bobby. I hope he didn’t bother you too much. He has a way of running off.”
“No problem at all,” you say and smile. “He’s been a perfect gentleman. He was just telling me this story about a bottle he found with a magic genie inside of it. I guess I’m supposed to be the genie.” You smile and make a face as if to say, "Aren’t kids silly?"
“But,” says the boy. “She is a genie, a real one. Look at me! She just turned me into a little boy.”
His mother, playing along with her son’s game, looks him over and says, “Hmmm, well you look the same as you did the last time I saw you. How old are you supposed to be?”
Bobby groans. He really seems to hate being treated like a child.
“I’m fifteen! I’m in high school. Don’t you remember?” he shouts sounding desperate.
His mother just smiles and gives you a look that seems to say, "Kids have such imaginations."
“Really,” she says condescendingly, “and here I was thinking that you that you are just about to turn six in a few weeks."
“No!” he shouts in frustration. “Listen, she turned me into this little kid ‘cause I wished to be cute, but now I just wished to be normal and nothing happened to me and you don’t remember me being older anymore…”
Just then a girl about 8 years old runs up and says, “Oh good, you found him, Mom.”
His mom says, “And it’s a lucky thing too. Who knows what could have happened to him? You were supposed to be keeping an eye on him at the little playground over there. How did he run off?”
“I’m sorry mom,” she says. “You know how he is. He’s always running off like that. I just turned my back on him for a second. Why do I always have to watch him anyway?”
“Because you’re his older sister, Kimmy. That’s why,” says her mother.
The girl looks outraged. “But, that’s so not fair. My friend Janie isn’t stuck looking after a stupid little brother all the time,” says the girl. “And anyway, he’s such a brat. He never listens to me.” She looks very grumpy and casts a mean look at the boy.
“Wait!” says the boy. He appears worried to be looking up at the larger girl. “I’m your older brother! I’m fifteen! You’re my bratty little sister. I mean, you’re seven years younger than I am.”
“What are you talking about, Shrimp?” asks the girl. “From where I stand you look like the ‘little’ one.” (This is true. She stands a full head taller than him.) “Is this another one of your fantasies? I really don’t feel like playing along right now.”
“But…” he starts to say but his mother interrupts.
“That’s enough Robert William Johnson,” she says to him. He cringes at hearing the sound of his full name from his mother’s lips. That’s never a good sign for a kid. Then, she looks up at you and says, “Thank you for keeping an eye on him until we got here.”
“No problem,” you say. “Like I said, he’s been a real gentleman, and I got to hear a nice story about magic and wishes.” You pick up your bottle and say, “Well, I really need to be on my way. Bye, Bobby. Don’t lose that imagination of yours.”
“Come on Bobby,” says his mother. “We have to buy you your school supplies. You’re going to be starting Kindergarten in a few weeks. Isn’t that exciting? You get to go to school now just like Kimmy does.”
Bobby’s eyes go wide at the mention of attending Kindergarten. “This can’t be happening,” he says, apparently slipping into denial.
Smiling, you say, “Good luck!” and turn to walk off, but Bobby runs up and grabs you by the hand and screams, “You tricked me again! I wanted you to make me my ‘normal’ age again. I didn’t want you to make me being a little kid ‘normal’ for everyone else. Change me back! You’ve got to make me older again.” Then he stares at you with desperation in his eyes. “Please, I can’t be her little brother. I can’t be a Kindergartener again. I couldn’t stand it. Just make me fifteen again, please.”
“You will be fifteen…” you say and a flash of hope appears on his face. “…in another ten years.” You smirk at him ironically. “You’ll just have to wait like everyone else does.”
His shoulders slump, and he looks completely crestfallen.
His mother walks up to him, grabs his hand and drags him away. “That’s enough, Bobby. You’ve bothered this nice lady enough for one day. We’re leaving now. And don’t think that you’re not going to be punished for this. You’re getting no desert tonight and no TV either.” She looks at you and says, “Again, I’m sorry about him.”
“Come on, Shrimp,” says his older but formerly younger sister. She gives little Bobby a mean look, as if she has her own secret punishments planned for him later.
As they walk away, Bobby looks back at you with horror in his wide little eyes. Then, the three of them turn a corner and they’re gone.
“Bye, bye, Master,” you say quietly to yourself. “Enjoy your new life.”
Then, as you turn to walk off, happy to be free of your last master, your bottle magically uncorks itself, and a great force pulls you back into it in a swirling puff of smoke to wait for your next master.