Your Wish is My Command

Cole: Soul for a Soul 💞

The following week, Caroline sat with the lamp in her lap, her fingers tracing its ornate patterns. She summoned Zahra one final time.

"You've done so much for me," Caroline said. "You've changed my life in ways I never thought possible. But I can't stop thinking about you—how long you've been stuck in this lamp. I want to set you free."

Zahra's eyes widened, and for a moment, she looked vulnerable. "You'd do that for me?"

"Of course," Caroline said. "You deserve it."

Zahra's expression grew serious. "There's a catch. To break the bond, I have to trade places with another soul. Someone else has to become the genie."

Caroline frowned. "Who would do that?"

Zahra hesitated, then said, "There's someone. An old lamp user. His name is Jay—or was. I turned him into a version of me once, as punishment for not speaking clearly. He's technically already half-genie. It's cruel, but he's the best candidate out there."

Caroline bit her lower lip as she contemplated hard, "do it."

Golden energy surged around Zahra, crackling with power. In a distant apartment, Jay's body shimmered, his form transforming to a golden dust as the genie's magic engulfed him.

Back in Caroline's home, Zahra's body shifted, becoming fully mortal. Her ethereal glow faded, replaced by warm, human features. She looked down at her hands, tears glistening in her eyes.

"I'm free," Zahra whispered, smiling brightly.

Caroline smiled back. "Welcome to being a human, Zahra."

Zahra pulled her into a tight hug. "Thank you, Caroline. For everything."

Beside them, the golden lamp once labeled "Zahra" was now engraved with the name "Jazmine." With a sorrowful smile, the two girls threw the lamp into the garbage. That was someone else's problem now.

Together, they began their new lives, two women bound by a magical past but looking forward to a hopeful future.

Caroline eventually gave birth to a beautiful baby boy whom she named Zane, in honor of her dear friend Zahra, the Genie that gave her the life she never knew she wanted.

The End.