I don’t know how long I was asleep; but the next thing I knew I heard Erin’s voice say, “Carly, come on out.”
Popping out of the lamp, I was surprised to see the sunrise out the window. Turning to Erin, I said, “What
time is it?”
Wincing, Erin looked at me and said, “It’s 6 AM.”
“What?” surprised, I said, “I’ve been in the lamp for 12 hours!?”
“I’m sorry.” Tearing up, Erin said, “I needed to read all the rules and history of genies before I tried
anything.”
Spotting the book on the nightstand, I sighed and said, “What did you find?”
Wincing again, Erin said, “You’re not going to like it.”
Getting nervous, I said, “What?”
“Once the new genie is inside the lamp for 12 hours; they become…its new resident.” Pausing, Erin gulped and
said, “Whoever summons the genie from the lamp becomes their new master.”
Starting to sob, I said, “So…I’m trapped?”
“Well…there was a way to escape, all you had to do was stay away from the lamp for 12 hours. But,” Tearing up
as well, Erin said, “There’s a catch.”
Seeing the worried look on Erin’s face, I said, “What?”
“Once your first wish is granted…the escape clause no longer works.”
I immediately crumpled to the floor, in tears, knowing that my life as I knew it was over. “Why did this
happen to me?”
Kneeling down to comfort me, Erin placed an arm on my shoulder. “Perhaps this curse could become a blessing.”
Turning to Erin, tears pouring down my face, I said, “I- I do -don't see ho- how.”
“You’ve got the power of a genie, Carly.” Looking at me, Erin said, “You can help a lot of people.”
“Yeah.” Pausing, I said, “Three wishes at a time.”
Looking at me, a serious look on her face, Erin said, “I wish that I’m your only master, you’ll only grant
wishes to me until such time that I wish you free or pass you onto a member of my bloodline.”
Before I could stop myself, I snapped my fingers and said, “Gr-Granted.”
“This way you won’t have to worry about becoming nothing more than a slave.” Embracing me, Erin said, “I’ll
still be your friend; but I’ll be your guardian as well.”