Jason "Jay" Gregg was heading to the gym when the apartment house he was walking by started to flicker. He turned and stared as the impossible happened. The brick and mortar building quivered, shook and then started to shrink. As Jay watched the building shrink, a man stuck his head and torso out of the window. His bare torso was covered with white feathers. The feathers continued to spread across his torso, and sprouted rapidly in his hair. The man shouted, but it sounded like a chicken clucking. Jay couldn't believe it. The apartment building was now a wood and wire chicken coop, and the occupants of the building were now all apparently chickens. An object seemed to fall from the sky, bounced and rolled toward his feet.
Jay reached down to examine the brass lamp. A wisp of smoke receded into the open end of the lamp. Jay noticed the police car pull up, so he quickly stuffed the lamp into his backpack. He stood up and walked across the street. He didn't look back. He was afraid the police might stop him to ask what had happened. He didn't know if they'd believe him, but he didn't want them to take the lamp - at least not before he had a chance to use it. He had never thought that genies could be real, but now he knew better.
As he walked purposely down the street, Jay had no specific destination in mind. His gym was back beyond the chicken coop, and his home was a bus ride away, and the bus wouldn't run again for another 25 minutes.
Instead, Jay's mind raced with the possibilities. Oh, the standard ones wealth, fame and success flickered through his mind, but Jay had a few odd ideas that had been merely fantasy until this moment. But that genie had the power to transform humans into chickens, so presumably he could transform people into other creatures and things. Jay licked his lips. This was an opportunity to get revenge on a certain bully who had made his life hell in school. Kevin Larchmont seemed to have some sort of fixation on Jay and Jay's underwear. He'd been wedgied more times than he could count. Kevin had also stolen Jay's jockstrap, and gagged Jay with Kevin's jockstrap. That dumb jock, thought Jay with a grin. This was the opportunity to right some wrongs.
Maybe he could get that dog that he always wanted...immediately, this thought triggered the memory of his former best friend Doug. Their friendship had ended only a few months ago, it had been all over a girl. Now maybe Doug could be Jay's best friend again.
There was a pang of concern, what if the genie only granted one wish? He had to be careful to choose the right wish or wishes. He doubted that the henhouse on the corner had been the intended wish. I mean who'd want to be a chicken, and Jay was sure that the lamp had fallen out of the morphing building.
He noticed red and white on his left, and the smell of cooking chicken filled the air. He was walking by a fast food chicken restaurant. He suddenly didn't feel like ever eating chicken again...