Dragon's Call & Other Stories of Magic and Mystery

Cat Burglar

It was just sitting there, right out in the open. George almost didn't take it, but you never knew what would sell, so he tossed it into the bag on his way out. Back at his place, a low-rent hotel room paid for by the week, he dumped out the bag to assess his haul.

The bottle looked shabby and old compared to the high-end electronics, but it seemed surprisingly at home among the pile of gold chains and antique jewelry. George sorted through the pile of jewelry, expertly separating the junk from the treasure and setting aside a couple of flashy, but worthless pieces for his girl of the moment, Amber. He knew just the place to offload the rest of the jewelry and had another guy for the electronics, but what was he going to do with this bottle? Maybe Amber would like it for her perfume.

It looked like something from that old TV show, the one with the blonde with no navel. It was shaped a bit like a light bulb, with a round bit at the bottom and a tall, thin neck and was made of blue glass held together with copper-colored metal. It felt heavier than it should when George hefted it. Maybe it wasn't empty, maybe it had some kind of fancy liquor in it. He peered through the glass, but it was murky and dusty and he couldn't see inside. He pulled his sleeve down over his hand and gave the glass a bit of a polish. The glass started to glow. He rubbed harder and the light brightened, filling the room with cool, blue light. George set it down on the night stand and stepped back in disgust. Just a cheap, trick light, one of those LED jobs, probably. Definitely worthless, but maybe Amber would like it.

He was just turning away to finish sorting through the rest of his haul, when the light brightened more and smoke billowed from the top of the bottle. Oh great, the thing was catching fire? That's all he needed. He waved the smoke away and headed back to the bottle, ready to search for an off switch when the smoke suddenly intensified and then solidified and he found himself nose to chest with another man. With a curse, he stumbled back and looked in shock at the dark-skinned stranger standing in front of his night stand.

"Who are you? How did you get in here?" George blustered, looking around for a weapon. This wasn't the first time he'd had to defend a haul, but how had this dude gotten in the room?

"I am the genie of the bottle, Master. What is your wish?"

George laughed, "Yeah, right. Genie. Very funny, man. Get lost!"

"Is that your first wish, Master? I only ask because I want to be very sure to fulfill your wishes correctly. I have no desire to cheat you or trick you. In fact, that is a common misconception about my kind, a rather insulting one, based on a few badly-trained genies. As a professional, my only desire is to give you your three wishes and ensure that you are content with your choices. If you truly wish for me to get lost, I will do so, but that will make it more difficult for me to fulfill our contract as to your second and third wish."

George examined the stranger and thought he looked the part of a genie. He was tall, dark, and muscular and was under-dressed for the winter weather with a pair of loose trousers and a vest that left his bare chest exposed.

"This has to be a joke, right? Am I on one of those prank channels on YouTube? Let me guess, you're here to scare me straight or give me a makeover." George casually threw a blanket over the pile of loot on his bed as he looked around the room, searching for cameras.

"I am not a YouTuber or a member of law enforcement. I have no desire to change you in any way other than as directed by a wish. I am a genie and I am 'for real'. All you have to do is make your wish and it will be done. To ensure customer satisfaction, we now offer a 24-hour guarantee. If you are, in any way, unhappy with the service provided, your wish will be canceled and you will be returned to the state you were in before you made it."