Genie-Us

Chapter 25

Chapter 25

Once I was back at school, my time to seek out Jene's lamp lessened. I had explored most of the antique stores that I knew of. Once I'd crossed all of those off my list, I'd taken the search to more obscure places. I had no luck in any of them.

I'm sure I'd met half the genie population, but it never turned out to be Jene's lamp. Every genie I met showed the same amount of shock that I wouldn't accept their rules or their wishes. I normally added in an apology for wasting their time, which in turn baffled them.

My hope dwindled, and with every new lamp found, my disappointment grew. Every time it wasn't his lamp, I felt as if I'd let Jene down. I hated myself for not finding his lamp. He depended on me to find his lamp.

Jene and I had been separated for months now. I had grown used to the ache of missing him. There were no pictures of our time together to remind me, only my memories of him. Loneliness still gripped me when I least expected it too.

My way of coping with my loss was to spend more time with my family. Unfortunately, that often included Harrison, who still lived at home in this reality. Harrison spent his whole time glowering at me, so I ignored him a great deal.

Candy had turned into a surprisingly close confidant of mine. Sure I hadn't told her any of the truth about Jene or how his wishes had changed all of our lives, but I appreciated having her as my sister.

She would be down visiting from school this weekend, so I would head home and visit her. If she came and stayed at my place we could at least avoid Harrison.

I'd found one more possible antique sort of shop to try before I drove home to see my family. It was an almost impossibility to douse my hope that always flared. Maybe this time Jene's lamp would be right there awaiting me.

This store was a popular spot. Instead of the normal grungy, dust covered items, everything sat clean and tidy on neat shelves. The owner was a sprightly elderly woman with bright eyes, who helped me find the teapot section. That's usually where I found the genie lamps.

My eyes scanned the shelves and saw nothing but teapots in all shapes and sizes. The last item on the top most shelf caught my eye. I huffed when I couldn't reach it. The shelves were all made of glass, so I didn't want to put my weight on them in case they broke.

Grabbing one of the other teapots, I stood on tiptoe and tried to use it as a lever. The genie lamp toppled from the shelf. I went to snatch it, forgot I still had the teapot in my hand and dropped everything. I heard the crash and winced.

I stared at the lamp and my heart dropped to my toes. This wasn't Jene's lamp. This lamp had a more flared handle than his. Disappointment gripped me hard, along with the embarrassment of breaking items in the store.

"Is everything okay over here?" the elderly owner of the shop approached me.

"Yes, thanks. I'll just buy this one I broke as well as the other one." I said with a flushed face as I tried to pick up the pieces.

"There's a reason I put that on the highest shelf, only the keenest would bother to search there." She winked at me.

"Oh, I see." I said when I couldn't think of anything else to say.

"I've had my chance, so the magic won't work for me. If you've never had a genie then today could be your lucky day." With another wink, she toddled off to the front of the store.

"You've had a genie?" I asked as I gathered my things and rushed after her.

"Why yes, dear. Lovely genie he was too. Of course I was a young, foolish thing when I had my chance, so I squandered my wishes. At that time, I received my hearts desire and I returned the lamp to him, as are the rules." She sighed but a soft smile came over her features.