One Wish

The antique shop hadn’t changed- it still smelled like old perfume, the paint was peeling off the walls, and the old man at the front desk somehow hadn’t died yet. All the Vaudeville posters were still hung up and the Union Jack table was in it’s corner. (I wanted that table for everything I had, but after two years the old man hadn’t lowered the price on it.) I loved this shop, in all it’s familiarity. But then I noticed something- something shining in the back, something I’d never seen before.

 I curiously made my way to it. To my surprise, I found it was an oil lamp. One of those Aladdin style, shimmering gold genie lamps. 

 “When did this get here?” I asked myself.

 “I donno- but I don’t like it!” I jumped around, not aware any one else was here with me except for the old man. And I was right...nobody was there. I swear I heard somebody...

 “Hello? Is anybody, um, here?” No reply. I shrugged my shoulders and went back to staring at the lamp. It didn’t have a price on it, so I decided to ask the old man how much it was. As I was walking towards the front desk, I tripped over a crack in the ground and the lamp fell to the ground. I quickly picked it up and rubbed it with my shirt, make-shift cleaning it. 

 That’s when things got weird. A indigo colored smoke surrounded me, and I heard noises like someone...stretching?I waved my arms around in the air coughing, when the smoke cleared and a women stood before me. Her silver-blue hair was woven into tight braids around her head and she had liquid-amber eyes.

 “Thank Gawds you got me outta that thing!” She said, leaning over and touching her toes. I stared at her; dumbstruck. 

 “Ugh...you’re welcome?” I set the lamp down awkwardly. “Who are you?”

 “Les Femmes Dela Lampe- Lampe for showt.”

 “That’s a...interesting name, I guess.”

 “It means Women of the Lamp in French,” She explained. 

 “French? You have kind of a, I don’t know, Brooklyn accent thing going on there.” This was...odd. Very, very odd. 

 She laughed. “Ya, ya. Alright. But hey kid! Doya know what this means?”

 “Should I?”

 “Oh Gawds, you aren’t any fun at all. You must be, what, 14? The last time this happened I got a nice little 7 year old. Now he knew what he was talking about. But I’ll tell you anyway- you get a wish! So wadda you say? What’s the one thing you want?”

 “Let me get this straight: You magically pop out of a lamp, your name is French, you sound like you’re from New York, you’re eyes look kind of scary, and now you’re telling me to make a wish?”

 She chewed on her thumb nail and nodded slightly. “Eh- yeah.” I sighed.

 “Fine. I wish for...” What did I want? I could have anything in the world- well, maybe- and this was my one chance to get it. Oh my gosh. “One Direction!”

 “Wonda-who?”

 “One. Direction. I wish for One Direction!”

 “Oh, oh I get what you’re saying. You’re a weird kid. But whateva.” She snapped her fingers and I heard some twinkly backround music- which would’ve been strange if not for the situation. I waited to see what would happen. Nothing.

 “You didn’t grant my wish!” I said. “You’re a fake!” 

 She gaped at me.

 “How dare you say that you ungrateful little girl! Walk and you’ll see.” I raised an eyebrow and began to walk, but I stepped in a completely different direction. I tried stepping to the left, but I went right. I could only walk straight to the right.

 “This isn’t what I wished for!” I almost yelled. 

 “Yes you did,” She insisted. “You wished for one direction. I gave you one direction.”

 Then I got it. That stupid genie- did she not pay any attention to pop culture?

 “You’re joking, right? I can only walk in one direction? I asked for One Direction, you know, the band?”

 “Well that’s a horrible name fora band. But I can’t help you now- only one wish.”

  My mouth fell open.

 “You mean I can’t undo this?”

 “Nope. And that also means...” She suddenly began to shrink, and smoke once again filled the room.

 “No...No! Wait, wait, come back! Please! I can’t live like this!” I begged, but she was already gone. I spent the rest of my life only going in one direction- all because of that genie.