“What do you mean you don’t know?”

My lips teased him as the words hid stubbornly in the back of my throat. Despite the silence, my jaw jutted indecisively from open to closed, the beginnings of a thousand answers lost into the night air.

“I just, I don’t know it’s all so, well-” I rambled, by now my voice was a worn out gear in the engine of my brain, whining endlessly until a more irritating noise drowned it out.

“I’m offering you the world; riches, beauty, time itself. Your deepest desire is a mere word away, say it and your command I shall obey.” enticed the mystical figure.

“Yes, you’ve said this, it just seems like a big decision-“ I began but his voice of velvet draped itself smoothly around my shoulders, promising me shelter from the cold cruelty of the world while he graciously held out a heavily jewelled hand.

He was undoubtedly handsome, as you would expect a heroic merchant to be, but even his marble eyes were retiring into pebbles as this conversation dragged reluctantly onward.

He started up his same routine of “This simple request will change your life forever” before I cut in.

“Woah woah steady there this is what I mean. Don’t you think you’re being a little pushy? What if I choose the wrong thing? This is my entire life we are talking about, I’m only 16 how do I know my deepest desire yet? Oh God it’s like picking GCSEs all over again”

“Hang on slow down” he intruded, but I was on a roll, it had to be said.

“You hang on. There’s people starving, being abused, stuck in war zones. But you had to choose me, didn’t you? The healthy teenager gets to have anything they want but the third world countries don’t get a look in? Huh, the grandparent generation are going to love this; just another reason why “kids nowadays” have it easy. How is it going to make me look if I don’t use this gift to end world hunger. How, ey? Riddle me that!”

The words tumbled in an unorganised fashion out of my mouth and chased determinedly after him. His face twisted into a stance of confusion, silently screaming at the unconventionality of my response. The figure shrivelled further into his long, wispy cloak and he held his poor pounding head in his unsteady hands. He was the picture of defeat.

Then, out of nowhere, a laugh. It rose up from his hood and played blissfully across the wind. He faced me once more, beaming.

“You know, this was a lot easier a thousand years ago.”, he admitted lightheartedly, and with a flick of his robes he descended into the night once more.

I was alone. No richer, no prettier, no wiser. All I had was mild pride in my recent act of selflessness. Ironically, this didn’t last and I soon kicked myself for turning away a literal genie. Thank you, indecisiveness, thank you.