One wish. That’s all I had left with the genie. I never thought I’d wish for this.

“I wish to be young again,” I spoke, and the genie nodded, then vanished, and I whirled through eighty-four years of life in the blink of an eye: divorce, deaths, the growth of my children, meals, books, movies, regrets, accomplishments. They all showed themselves to me again for a split second as my wish was granted. I closed my eyes under the weight of it all.

When I opened them again, I felt different. Not myself. I hadn’t been specific enough; I had wanted to be my younger self again to live my life once more, enjoy it more, feel it more …

But I had become the man I hated most.

It’s been this way since the Domesday Book. So convinced no one would need ever take an arrow in the eye again.

An arrow in the eye, there are other ways to blind, or to be blind. There’s an exhibition of driftwood washed up on the river.

Washed up on the river, choked to shallows by uncut reeds. They slashed the hospitals, knocked on the doors of the ill and workless

Ill and workless, fleeing borders. Dancing while we tried to keep our parent’s throats from burning. But he’s here to talk about pylons

Here to talk about pylons, cheeks blazing, not with shame, but misplaced sunscreen. And he realises too late about red coats and foxes;

Red coats and foxes don’t solve every problem The river is the centre of the valley. The river is always the centre of the valley. That’s how erosion works.

That’s how erosion works. Erosion of truth, trust and tolerance, so all that’s left are hollowed stumps. It’s no surprised we want you gone. And to be fair, I think you knew that.

In the end, I think you knew that In the end, the pylons didn’t make us angry anymore You had no concern That the river never turned from brown to blue And nor had your national shirts And neither had you.

7:00 am and Benjamin’s phone vibrated. Rolling over, he stretched into his warm flannels. As Benjamin opened his eyes, he turned. A six foot eight inch violet hued figure loomed at Benjamin’s bedside.

“Good morning Master and waddya say? How are we this fine sunshiny day?”

Benjamin groaned flinging his forearm over his eyes.

“It wasn’t a dream. Goddamn!” Benjamin howled.

Alarmed Zessl the Djinn shrank back. It wavered into near invisibility.

“Master let’s have some fun. How about a wish for one?”

“God help me. No wishes. Red fish, blue fish I won’t do ish. Didn’t I tell you to quit with the doctor suess act?” Benjamin said.

Tossing his comforter aside, Benjamin stomped into the bathroom. Over the vanity he splashed cold water on his face. Eyes closed, last night’s comedy of horrors flashed before him. He had boxed up the last of Lena’s stuff. For a minimalist she had a lot of crap. Benjamin had been willing to let go but f whatever she wanted just to put a period on this dreadful love sentence. A lamp he had bought for her fell out of the closet whacking his head.

Tarnished metal the antique oil lamp cut his head. One hand on his head, Benjamin had wiped a speck of blood off the gravy boat shaped thingy. His nightmare began.

When pungent gray smoke fumed from the ornate lamp, Benjamin freaked. When an iridescent purple spectre materialized from the smoke and began undulating, Benjamin fainted. Zessl revived him gave him orange juice and za comically large head bandage. Then in iambic pentameter the djinni offered him a singular wish. Benjamin hoped he was concussed.

Benjamin steadfastly refused any wishes. The mystical being cajoled it’s reluctant master for hours. It turns out wishes can be discarded or traded. By the time it broke into freestyle Benjamin had fallen asleep.

“Yo wash yer face cleaner, over that soapy dish, I don’t wanna get meaner, Bens make that wish.”

Benjamin screamed at the djinni in the toilet. It vanished in a puff of smoke and glitter. After his morning routine Benjamin glanced around for his unwanted magical being. Nothing. Relieved he dressed.

“I know your heart’s broken, your diary is tragic, wish for Cupid’s token, why not accept magic?” A forlorn voice rasped from his underwear drawer.

Sighing Benjamin opened his drawer. Zessl’s head floated over his boxers.

“I can’t accept a wish. Yes my life sucks right now and it’s been lousy for a while I admit. But this is my pain. The sum of my choices and craptastic fate. I don’t want any of your mumbled jumbo. Besides I read,” Benjamin said shutting the door.

Benjamin made coffee. In vibrant Hammer pants, Zessl hovered above the sugar cubes with a long face.

“Save the puppy eyes playa. I’ve read Monkey’s Paw, Edgar Allan Poe, and I’ve seen every episode of I Dream of Jeannie, bra. I’m not going in the market for life freaking lessons. Just the other day I read about this siren her promises added up to a watery grave. I wish you would be honest.”

Grabbing his jacket and coffee, Benjamin headed for his front door. Zessl started to argue but then shrugged defeated.

“You’re right my wishes are trickery. Money wishes are inheritanced or settlements of injury, love wishes lead to STDs or misery. I’ve tricked mortals for many a century. Wait what have you done to me! You cursed with honesty.”

Clapping a big purple hand over its mouth, Zessl disappeared in an angry pouf. Benjamin laughed for the first time in weeks.

I stared s at the shimmering form of the genie, his presence a swirl of azure and gold, filling the cramped space of my living room with an otherworldly glow. He hovered above the tarnished old lamp, which I had discovered hidden in the attic of my family's old house, among boxes of forgotten memories. His eyes sparkled with anticipation and a hint of mischief, aware of the gravity held within my final wish. "One wish left," he reminded me, his voice a melodic echo that seemed to bounce softly off the walls. I had pondered long and hard, knowing the stories where wishes turned sour, where desires came with unforeseen consequences. My first two wishes had been impulsive: wealth, which brought comfort but also isolation; and fame, which shone bright but faded fast, leaving me more hollow than before. Now, with my last chance to make a change, I sought something deeper, something lasting. I looked around my lavish, yet lonely home, feeling the weight of my earlier choices. "I wish for happiness," I said simply, my voice steady but humble. The genie's smile widened, his eyes twinkling with a depth of understanding. "A wise choice," he approved. "But true happiness often comes from within and through connections with others, not from magic." I nodded, expecting perhaps a lecture on the virtues of self-actualization. Instead, the genie waved his hands, and a soft breeze filled the room. The air seemed to pulse with potential, with new beginnings. "As you journey to find your happiness, you will not be alone," the genie said, and with a final shimmering flourish, he was gone, the lamp now dull and cold. In the days that followed, I discovered changes in my daily life. Opportunities to help others appeared, and with each act of kindness, my spirit lifted. I reconnected with old friends and found joy in simple moments. Happiness, it turned out, wasn't housed in a wish—it grew from a series of choices, relationships, and the love I chose to spread. The genie had granted me more than a wish; he had guided me on a path to fulfilling my truest desires, not through magic, but through life itself.

𝖮𝗇𝖾 𝗆𝗈𝗋𝗇𝗂𝗇𝗀 𝗍𝗁𝗂𝗌 𝗀𝗎𝗒 𝗐𝖺𝗌 𝖼𝗅𝖾𝖺𝗇𝗂𝗇𝗀 𝗁𝗂𝗌 𝖺𝗍𝗍𝗂𝖼 𝖺𝗇𝖽 𝖼𝖺𝗆𝖾 𝖺𝖼𝗋𝗈𝗌𝗌 𝖺𝗇 𝗈𝗅𝖽 𝗀𝖾𝗇𝗂𝖾 𝗅𝖺𝗆𝗉 𝗌𝗈 𝗁𝖾 𝗋𝗎𝖻𝖻𝖾𝖽 𝗂𝗍 𝖺𝗇𝖽 𝖺 𝗀𝖾𝗇𝗂𝖾 𝖺𝗉𝗉𝖾𝖺𝗋𝖾𝖽

𝗍𝗁𝖾 𝗆𝖺𝗇 𝗌𝖺𝗂𝖽 "𝗌𝗈 𝗒𝗈𝗎 𝗀𝗂𝗏𝖾 𝗍𝗁𝗋𝖾𝖾 𝗐𝗂𝗌𝗁𝖾𝗌?"

𝗍𝗁𝖾 𝖦𝖾𝗇𝗂𝖾 𝗋𝖾𝗉𝗅𝗂𝖾𝖽 "𝗒𝖾𝗌 𝖻𝗎𝗍 𝗐𝗁𝖺𝗍𝖾𝗏𝖾𝗋 𝗒𝗈𝗎 𝗐𝗂𝗌𝗁 𝖿𝗈𝗋 𝗒𝗈𝗎𝗋 𝗆𝗈𝗍𝗁𝖾𝗋-𝗂𝗇-𝗅𝖺𝗐 𝗀𝖾𝗍𝗌 𝖽𝗈𝗎𝖻𝗅𝖾."

𝗍𝗁𝖾 𝗆𝖺𝗇 𝗌𝗂𝗀𝗁𝖾𝖽 𝗍𝗁𝖾𝗇 𝗍𝗁𝗈𝗎𝗀𝗁𝗍 𝖿𝗈𝗋 𝖺 𝗆𝗈𝗆𝖾𝗇𝗍 𝗍𝗁𝖾𝗇 𝗅𝗈𝗈𝗄𝖾𝖽 𝖺𝗍 𝗍𝗁𝖾 𝖦𝖾𝗇𝗂𝖾

"𝖨 𝗐𝗂𝗌𝗁 𝖿𝗈𝗋 𝖺 𝗆𝗂𝗅𝗅𝗈𝗇 𝖽𝗈𝗅𝗅𝖺𝗋𝗌." 𝗍𝗁𝖾 𝗆𝖺𝗇 𝗌𝖺𝗂𝖽 𝖳𝗁𝖾 𝗀𝖾𝗇𝗂𝖾 𝗌𝖺𝗂𝖽 "𝗈𝗄." 𝗍𝗁𝖾𝗇 𝗌𝗇𝖺𝗉𝗉𝖾𝖽 𝗁𝗂𝗌 𝖿𝗂𝗇𝗀𝖾𝗋𝗌

𝗍𝗁𝖾 𝗆𝖺𝗇 𝗅𝗈𝗈𝗄𝖾𝖽 𝖽𝗈𝗐𝗇 𝖺𝗇𝖽 𝗌𝖺𝗐 𝗍𝗁𝖾 𝖻𝗅𝖺𝖼𝗄 𝖻𝖺𝗀 𝖿𝗎𝗅𝗅 𝗈𝖿 𝗈𝗇𝖾 𝗆𝗂𝗅𝗅𝗈𝗇 𝖽𝗈𝗅𝗅𝖺𝗋𝗌 𝖺𝗇𝖽 𝗇𝖾𝗑𝗍 𝗆𝗈𝗆𝖾𝗇𝗍 𝗁𝗂𝗌 𝗉𝗁𝗈𝗇𝖾 𝗋𝗂𝗇𝗀𝗌

𝖺𝗇𝖽 𝗁𝗂𝗌 𝗆𝗈𝗍𝗁𝖾𝗋-𝗂𝗇-𝗅𝖺𝗐 𝗌𝖺𝗂𝖽 "𝗈𝗁 𝗆𝗒 𝗀𝗈𝗈𝖽𝗇𝖾𝗌𝗌! 𝗂 𝗀𝗈𝗍 𝗍𝗐𝗈 𝗆𝗂𝗅𝗅𝗂𝗈𝗇 𝖽𝗈𝗅𝗅𝖺𝗋𝗌! 𝗆𝗈𝗋𝖾 𝗆𝗈𝗇𝖾𝗒 𝗍𝗁𝖾𝗇 𝗒𝗈𝗎 𝖼𝗈𝗎𝗅𝖽 𝖾𝗏𝖾𝗋 𝗆𝖺𝗄𝖾 𝗈𝗁 𝗂𝗆 𝗌𝗈 𝗁𝖺𝗉𝗉𝗒!."

𝗍𝗁𝖾 𝗆𝖺𝗇 𝗁𝗎𝗇𝗀 𝗎𝗉 𝗍𝗁𝖾 𝗉𝗁𝗈𝗇𝖾 𝗍𝗁𝖾𝗇 𝗍𝗁𝗈𝗎𝗀𝗁𝗍 𝖺𝖻𝗈𝗎𝗍 𝗁𝗂𝗌 𝗇𝖾𝗑𝗍 𝗐𝗂𝗌𝗁 𝗍𝗁𝖾𝗇 𝗌𝖺𝗂𝖽

"𝖨 𝗐𝗂𝗌𝗁 𝖿𝗈𝗋 𝖺 𝖥𝖾𝗋𝗋𝖺𝗋𝗂." 𝗍𝗁𝖾 𝗆𝖺𝗇 𝗉𝗂𝖼𝗄𝖾𝖽 𝗈𝗎𝗍 𝗍𝗁𝖾 𝖼𝗈𝗅𝗈𝗋 𝗍𝗁𝖾𝗇 𝗍𝗁𝖾 𝗀𝖾𝗇𝗂𝖾 𝗌𝗇𝖺𝗉𝗉𝖾𝖽 𝗁𝗂𝗌 𝖿𝗂𝗇𝗀𝖾𝗋𝗌 𝖺𝗀𝖺𝗂𝗇 𝗍𝗁𝖾 𝗆𝖺𝗇 𝗅𝗈𝗈𝗄𝖾𝖽 𝗈𝗎𝗍 𝗍𝗁𝖾 𝗐𝗂𝗇𝖽𝗈𝗐 𝖺𝗇𝖽 𝗌𝖺𝗐 𝖺 𝖿𝖾𝗋𝗋𝖺𝗋𝗂 𝗂𝗇 𝗍𝗁𝖾 𝖽𝗋𝗂𝗏𝖾𝗐𝖺𝗒.𝗍𝗁𝖾 𝗆𝖺𝗇 𝗐𝖾𝗇𝗍 𝗈𝗎𝗍𝗌𝗂𝖽𝖾 𝖺𝗇𝖽 𝗌𝖺𝗍 𝗂𝗇 𝗍𝗁𝖾 𝖻𝗋𝖺𝗇𝖽 𝗇𝖾𝗐 𝖼𝖺𝗋. 𝗍𝗁𝖾𝗇 𝗍𝗁𝖾 𝗉𝗁𝗈𝗇𝖾 𝗋𝗂𝗇𝗀𝗌 𝖺𝗀𝖺𝗂𝗇

𝗍𝗁𝖾 𝗆𝗈𝗍𝗁𝖾𝗋 𝗂𝗇 𝗅𝖺𝗐 𝖼𝖺𝗅𝗅𝖾𝖽 𝗌𝖺𝗒𝗂𝗇𝗀 𝗁𝗈𝗐 𝖺 𝗀𝗎𝗒 𝖽𝗋𝗈𝗉𝗉𝖾𝖽 𝗈𝖿 𝗍𝗐𝗈 𝖿𝖾𝗋𝗋𝖺𝗋𝗂𝗌 𝖺𝗇𝖽 𝗐𝖺𝗌 𝗌𝗎𝗉𝖾𝗋 𝗁𝖺𝗉𝗉𝗒. 𝗍𝗁𝖾 𝗆𝖺𝗇 𝗁𝗎𝗇𝗀 𝗎𝗉 𝗍𝗁𝖾 𝗉𝗁𝗈𝗇𝖾 𝗍𝗎𝗋𝗇𝖾𝖽 𝗈𝖿𝖿 𝗍𝗁𝖾 𝖼𝖺𝗋 𝖾𝗇𝗀𝗂𝗇𝖾 𝗍𝗁𝖾𝗇 𝗍𝗁𝗈𝗎𝗀𝗁𝗍 𝖺𝖻𝗈𝗎𝗍 𝗁𝗂𝗌 𝖿𝗂𝗇𝖺𝗅 𝗐𝗂𝗌𝗁. 𝗌𝗈 𝗁𝖾 𝗐𝖾𝗇𝗍 𝖻𝖺𝖼𝗄 𝗍𝗈 𝗍𝗁𝖾 𝗀𝖾𝗇𝗂𝖾 𝗂𝗇 𝗍𝗁𝖾 𝖺𝗍𝗍𝗂𝖼 𝖺𝗇𝖽 𝖺𝗌𝗄𝖾𝖽 𝖿𝗈𝗋 𝗁𝗂𝗌 𝗍𝗁𝗂𝗋𝖽 𝗐𝗂𝗌𝗁

"𝖨 𝗐𝗂𝗌𝗁 𝖿𝗈𝗋 𝗒𝗈𝗎 𝗍𝗈 𝖻𝖾𝖺𝗍 𝗆𝖾 𝗁𝖺𝗅𝖿 𝗍𝗈 𝖽𝖾𝖺𝗍𝗁." 𝗍𝗁𝖾 𝗀𝖾𝗇𝗂 𝗌𝖺𝗂𝖽 𝗈𝗄

𝖺𝗇𝖽 𝗍𝗁𝖾𝗇...

𝗇𝗈 𝗆𝗈𝗋𝖾 𝖼𝖺𝗅𝗅𝗌 𝖿𝗋𝗈𝗆 𝗁𝗂𝗌 𝗆𝗈𝗍𝗁𝖾𝗋 𝗂𝗇 𝗅𝖺𝗐

I have one wish left So I wish for…

No, I can’t say it It’s too painful to remember He’s too painful to remember

How he left, how He makes me feel How he liked someone else No, I can’t say it It’s too painful to remember

‘I’ll go back into My lamp until you’re Ready.’ The genie whispered In his scratchy voice

I sat on my couch, Thinking No, I can’t say it It’s still too painful To remember

Finally, I get up ‘I think I’m ready.’ I whisper to the genie

He emerges from his lamp ‘Okay. Go on.’

‘My last wish, is To bring him back.’

‘I’m sorry,’ The genie says ‘But you’re going to have To elaborate on who HE is.’

‘I wish-‘ I pause. ‘I wish to bring my love back.’

In a quiet chamber, lamp aglow, I faced a genie, my heart aflutter, so. With one wish left, my spirit sighed, For dreams and hopes I couldn't hide.

A wish, a longing, deep within, To mend a heart, where love had been. I never thought I'd wish for this, To mend a love I sorely miss.

The genie's eyes, a mystic gleam, He asked, "What's in your secret dream?" I pondered long, my heart afloat, On love's sweet note, I'd cast my vote.

"I wish for love," I whispered low, "A love that's pure and bound to grow. A love that's endless, just like the sea, A love to set my spirit free."

The genie grinned, a playful glance, His mystic powers in a cosmic dance. With swirling smoke and sparks of light, He wove my wish into the night.

Then, in a moment, my heart did soar, For love arrived at my heart's door. A love that's boundless, truly divine, A love that's yours, forever thine.

With each new sunrise, our love would bloom, In gardens of joy, dispelling gloom. A wish fulfilled, a love so grand, United souls in this enchanted land.

The title, my dear, would aptly be, "Whispers of Love," for all to see. A tale of wishes and love's sweet song, In this enchanting journey, lifelong.

I will never forget when I found that blue stainless steel water bottle while hiking in the desert on my 19th birthday, the harsh sunlight beating down on me. The bottle was just sitting there in the sand near some cacti and tumbleweeds. As soon as I opened it to take a sip of cold water, out came this male genie who told me that I was his master and I had three wishes.

My first wish was to be the most beautiful woman in the world. Obviously. What I didn’t know was that the love of my life would be killed on the day of our wedding as he was driving to the venue. A drunk driver collided with his car causing both vehicles to spin out of control and my fiancé was killed. The driver had some broken bones but nothing else and got no jail time.

The second wish is revenge. I wanted the drunk driver who killed my fiancé to be murdered. The genie granted my wish, but what I wasn’t expecting was to be standing over the body holding a knife and police officers telling me to put the knife down.

I got life in prison without any chance of parole, 27 years old and my life is over. I still have one wish left and it’s been years since I last saw the genie. Sitting in my jail cell, I yell, “Genie, I have one wish left and I want to use it now.” The genie popped into my cell and asked, “Master, you look so good. What is your last wish?”

“Isn’t it obvious!? I wish I was anywhere but here in prison,” I snarl. Next thing I know, I am somewhere even smaller and colder than my jail cell. It’s so dark in here, wherever here is. All of a sudden I am being thrown around and feel whatever I am in fall over.

Four Years Later: An elderly man walks through the desert and finds a blue stainless steel water bottle. He picks it up and a woman comes out. He sees that she is young and beautiful. She puts her hand to her heart and sighs before proclaiming, “Master, you have three wishes. How may I be of service to you?”

The genie stared at the old lady incredulously. “That’s your final wish?”

She nodded.

“I’ve made you wealthy, given you 30 extra years of life , and now you call on me for — this?”

“I’ve given it a lot of thought,” she said.

“There’s no predicting what will happen,” the genie said.

“I understand the risk,” she said.

“Well, you are the master. I cannot deny it, whatever wish it may be.”

“Thank you,” she said. “Will it hurt?”

“I don’t know,” he said. “Now close your eyes.”

She closed her eyes.

In another place, another time, a newborn baby opened its eyes and cried out for the first time.

“Good luck,” the genie thought, observing the newborn in the maternity ward. “You’re going to need it.”

All I wanted at this point was for everything to end. For it all to go back to the way it was before I found that stupid genie hat. Yes Hat! A genie living in a hot shoulda been my first clue.

1st wish was for loads of money, like any other self respecting genie finder. Oh I got the money all right but it came with a requirement to wed a certain individual. I sighed but completed the requirement.

2nd wish was for a happy healthy child. Oh I got a child all right but not the one I dreamed of or wanted. My new spouse cheated on me and the paramour left the child in a basket on our steps.

I never thought I’d ever wish for thr last two wishes to be revoked.