WISHES GONE WRONG
One lazy summer evening, Piper and Phoebe sat in the glass enclosed conservatory while the low sun shone through the colored glass creating rainbows on the opposite wall. Piper used her laptop working on the projected figures for her new enterprise, P3. Phoebe was quietly perusing through the Book of Shadows caressing each page like it were her own child.
"Don't you ever get tired of looking through "The Book", Phoebe?" asked Piper as she closed up her laptop and put it aside.
As first Phoebe didn't hear Piper. Then she looked up and replied "No, not really." Patting the ancient green binding she continued, "The Book of Shadows is truly magical. It's never exactly the same each time I look through it. Spells come and spells go all determined by some higher force. I don't really understand it, but it makes looking through it an adventure," explained Phoebe.
Piper sighed looking at her chronically unemployed younger sibling. "I find enough adventure whenever we find a warlock or an innocent around the next corner. Try battling evil and running a nightclub at the same time. Does it tell you how to do that in that magical book of yours?" asked Piper tired from all her paperwork.
"Of course not! It's for us to help others, not ourselves. Life would be a lot easier if it did. But that not how real magic works," said Phoebe glancing off into the distance.
Piper stood up. "Yep. There are always those little consequences. I'm sorry it disappoints you."
"It's not just the disappointment. There are lots of things I'd like to do if I could snap my fingers," said Phoebe now staring straight into Piper's eyes. Her face looked a bit flushed or was it the late hue from the setting sun?
Piper tilted her head to one side. "Or just wiggle your nose?" she asked cutely.
Phoebe gave just a slight nod of her head. "That too. It's not just any one desire. There are SO many stories out there of witches who can fulfill their wildest dreams. But due to the reality of magic and those lovely consequences that just isn't possible. So why can we do it for others? Look here is a spell that allows someone to grant wishes for others. That's neat! I could really help people then," said Phoebe rising one eyebrow.
Piper turned around looking slightly peeved. "And what have we been doing, knitting? In a whole year of battling demons, we have helped out of lot of people, Phoebe! I have the scars and Wendigo marks to prove it," replied Piper pulling up her left hand sleeve. "See?"
Phoebe put her hand on her chest looking defensive. "I certainly realize that, Piper. But wouldn't you like to fulfill other people's wishes? All those innocents we saved were threatened by outside supernatural forces. Why can't we help others with their lives?"
Piper threw her hands up and then blocked the setting sun from her eyes. "Whoa! You WANT to live in a bottle and come out saying, 'Your wish is my command'?" asked Piper questioning her sister's marbles.
Phoebe shook her head. "No, I just want to have a new power to make their wishes come true. Like a fairy godmother, but not just limited to one Cinderella. And I STILL want to kick a lot of demon ass with my two Charmed sisters," explained the youngest witch.
Piper crossed her arms and looked deep in Phoebe's eyes using a more Prue-like stance. "Umm, Phoebe. Come back to reality! We are witches, not a supermarket for unfulfilled desires. Besides, I don't think we're supposed to intervene in the regular world that way. We're supposed to veer everyday people away from supernatural thingies. Not give into them. Look, I'm going to start dinner. Don't try and turn into Tinkerbelle while I'm gone. Aladdin would really miss her, Phoebe dear," Piper said as she headed to her favorite place of serenity – the kitchen.
Phoebe bit her lip as a little smile crossed her face. She thought to herself, "Piper has all of her fairy tales mixed up. I'll have to tell her kids bedtime stories myself." She dragged the book back onto her lap and put her finger on the page. "If I can't help myself, then I can help others. This will be so cool!"
And Phoebe read out loud:
"Blow ye winds at this hour,
Bring to this witch a new power,
Birds and bees and insects and fishes.
Give me the power to grant wishes."
A sweet pink smoke flowed down from the ceiling and instantly filled the conservatory blocking Phoebe's view. She coughed and hacked as the oxygen was depleted. As the mist cleared she found herself in a small room behind a storefront on some anonymous side street. Only a bed and dresser sat in the dimly lit, badly painted room. Looking in the one luxury, a full-length mirror, Phoebe saw herself wearing a coarse beige robe and hood over an extremely colorful gypsy costume. She turned sideways and saw a pierced bellybutton, five or six earrings in each ear and at least one fancy ring on EACH finger. The Book of Shadows was no where in sight. In the front room there stood a table, two chairs, a crystal ball and walls covered with thick red drapes. In the reverse of the window she could read:
"Madame Xamus, Foreseer and Solver of Problems"
Phoebe walked into the front room fingering drapes and then ran her hand over the lettering on the dirty windowpane.
"What have I done to myself? I have completely turned myself into someone else!" she said angrily. Phoebe placed her hand on the crystal ball to bring up a premonition. Nothing happened.
Phoebe slammed her fist onto the rickety table. "A great foreseer I am turning out to be. Can't bring up one lousy little itty-bitty premonition. I've turned into a powerless witch! I WISH I knew what was going on!" she looked up crying to the ceiling.
A brief wind blew as a scroll made of ancient papyrus floated down landing in her hand. Phoebe pulled off the bright blue ribbon and unrolled it looking at the classically beautiful calligraphy. It read:
"Congratulations Phoebe. You are now a Jin, a species of wish granter. As requested, you now have the power to help others. You can choose whom to help and when, though they must be worthy of the gift. You will know who is among the worthy. Their wishes can neither harm others nor cause great changes in the mortal world. You can grant small requests for yourself to make your life easier just as you have always wanted to do. Any large changes would upset the delicate natural order of the world. To grant wishes to others, you must give up everything yourself. You have great gifts to bestow on the world, Phoebe. Good luck."
Phoebe's heart began to pound as she rolled up the scroll. It vanished with a small pop.
"Whoa! This is not how I wanted the spell to turn out. I have got to get home and reverse it," said Phoebe as she hurriedly exited the front door.
She hailed the first cab and headed straight to Halliwell Manor.
Noticing she carried no purse and had no pockets in her current outfit she wondered how she would pay for the cab. Thinking for a moment, she said rather timidly, "I wish I had the cab fare?" The fare and a good tip appeared next to her. "Cool! I could have used this power long ago!"
Stopping in front of the Manor, she quickly paid the cabbie, ran up the walk and knocked. Prue answered the door.
"Yesss. Can I HELP you?" Prue said with an especially unnaturally happy expression on her face.
"Prue, it's your sister Phoebe," she said looking through Prue's blank expression.
Prue furled her brow not quite understanding what Phoebe had said, looked over her shoulder and called out. "Phoebe, I think she wants you!"
A chill ran down Phoebe's back. "No, Prue! That's not what I meant..." was all Phoebe could say when another woman came to the door. She was dressed in black leather, smoking a cigarette and had a wild tattoo on her right arm. She was taller than Phoebe and had a redder shade of hair.
"Thanks, Prudy. What's up? Who are you collecting for? I don't mean to be rude; but I really have no interest in your cause. My sister was just trying to be polite," she said nonchalantly.
Phoebe wondered who this biker chick that called Prue her sister was. "I'm her sister, too. I'm Phoebe Halliwell," explained Phoebe.
The woman's mouth fell open as a slight sneer appeared on her face. "Yea, like I would dress in that getup. I don't even like Hungarian Goulash, sister. For your misguided misinformation, I am Phoebe Halliwell. I would know if there was another one of me wandering around. There are like ONLY three of us Halliwell sisters. If you'll excuse me, my boyfriend and I have a gig to get to," she said snuffing out her cigarette on the door jamb and turning to leave.
Phoebe tried to pass them to get into the Manor.
"What's going on here?" asked Piper as she literally stomped into the hallway.
"This gypsy claimed to be Phoebe," said Prue giggling. "She's really weird!" she continued rolling her eyes in her head.
"Prue?" asked Phoebe. "What's wrong with you?" asked Phoebe as a pain struck her heart.
Piper looked up and down at Phoebe ending with a sneer. "There is NOTHING wrong with my sister!" screamed Piper. "Now get OUT of here! You don't want to mess with us!" Piper warned showing her to the door.
Phoebe put her hands together pleading. "Please Piper, Prue. Something has happened to me and you have got to help me out!"
"I'll help you out and off our property," yelled the other Phoebe.
Piper through her hands up in disgust. "I can't take this anymore! Prue get rid of her," ordered Piper.
Prue waved her hand and Phoebe flew across the yard and landed next to the street scraped and scratched. The door slammed and Phoebe was left alone on the curb with one big migraine. She had never felt more alone.
Back in her humble little storefront residence, Phoebe sat down to think. "To gain the power that I requested, I have lost everyone I love and they don't seem better off after all the changes. This is not the way I pictured myself when I cast the spell. I wish I hadn't cast that dammed incantation," she thought to herself. Nothing happened.
Phoebe looked very disappointed. "All right then. Let's explore my current power. I wish I had a veggie burrito," she yelled to the ceiling.
The best burrito available in San Francisco appeared next to Phoebe. She ate quickly since she hadn't eaten since she had left her world.
Afterwards she wiped her face and then considered her next move. "OK, I wish I had a million dollars." Nothing happened. "I wish I had next month's rent." Then 695 dollars appeared next to her. "Not bad. I wish I lived in a penthouse at the Hyatt." Nothing happened. "I wish I lived in an apartment overlooking the Bay."
Puff! The air again filled with the sweet pink smoke and Phoebe found herself in a loft in an old house with a gorgeous view of the Golden Gate. "Cool. Now we're REALLY getting somewhere. I wish I had my old wardrobe in the closet." Puff! "I wish I had Prue's wardrobe next to it in the closet." Nothing happened. "Too much, huh? I wish to get rid of these earrings and body piercings!" Puff!
Phoebe changed into some familiar clothes that gave her a feeling of comfort and normalcy. She stood up straight and then asked her unseen benefactors. "Now I wish that Piper would call me and know who I was." Nothing happened. "I wish that the world would recognize me as a member of the Charmed Ones!" Nothing happened. "I wish that I was a witch!" Nothing happened.
"That's just great! I have got to know what happened to Piper, Prue and whoever is claiming to be me. I WISH I knew that!" Puff! Another scroll appeared and drifted down into Phoebe's hand. It detailed a brief history of the current Charmed Ones.
Her counterpart had never been involved with Prue's fiancé whom Prue did marry. She found him cheating on her and she threw him out. Afterwards she lost her confidence and was never completely sure of her actions again. Prue was still working at the museum and Piper was still working at Quakes. The two alternative sisters had never given her the money to open P3. Piper was the main breadwinner and the strongest of the three. She had also developed a hard edge and a darker prospective on life far from the personality of the optimistic sister that Phoebe knew. The responsibly of caring for three sisters and the Charmed Ones had hardened her. And Phoebe Two? Instead of a free-spirited sister full of good old common sense, she was a wild and woolly biker chick who played in a local band. Piper was the sister who actually found the Book of Shadows several months before Phoebe had found it. The prophesy of Melinda Warren had been fulfilled with a different set of Halliwell sisters. They still had THE SAME powers and were dealing with evil just as well, but their lives were completely different. And definitely not any better.
Phoebe put down the scroll and let out a desperate sigh. "Whoa. What a difference a spell makes. I can't change back with my current power. So I have to check out the Book of Shadows. Somehow I have got to convince Piper to let me see it. I'll head down to Quakes to talk to her without her sisters around," Phoebes said to herself.
Quakes had not changed much noticed Phoebe as she found a secluded booth near the back if the restaurant.
Piper walked over. "Can I get to something to drink?" she asked not quite as chipper, but still very friendly.
Phoebe came out of hiding and grabbed her hand. "Piper, you have got to help me!" Phoebe pleaded.
"You again?" said a slightly frightened and perturbed Piper as she vanished.
Phoebe quickly came to. "Great! I can be frozen just like anyone else. But then I am no longer a good witch. How do I get close to her?" thought Phoebe.
She got up and walked into the kitchen. One of the waitresses told her she wasn't allowed back there, though she ignored her. Phoebe saw Piper brooding in the corner of the kitchen.
She called out, "Piper, you have got to talk to me. And stop using your power on me!"
Piper looked up and vanished again.
"This is not going to be easy!" Phoebe again thought. She decided to wait until late when Piper wasn't on guard as much. Phoebe left Quake's and headed back to her storefront. She got a strange feeling, an intuition, to turn onto Market Street. There she found a little girl sitting in a rundown doorway crying uncontrollably.
Phoebe's heart went out to her. "What's wrong, little girl?" asked Phoebe.
Even though she didn't usually talk to strangers, something inside her told her that she could trust this smiling person.
"My Mommy's not well. They say she's going to die. If my Daddy doesn't return I am going to end up in a foster home," she cried wiping her tear-streaked face
Somewhere deep inside Phoebe the Jin knew that this girl had always been good and that she deserved happiness. Without a moment's hesitation Phoebe wished for her father to return.
"Little girl. Look over there," Phoebe said with a big smile on her face as a figure came around the corner.
The girl looked up as yelled, "Daddy! Daddy! Daddy, you came back! I wished and I wished and there you are!" she said jumping up and holding him tightly.
He cried in her arms too. "I know. I know. I'm sorry I was away. I missed you so. I know Mommy was ill, but I just couldn't take it. But now I'm back. I, back to stay!"
A tear rolled down Phoebe's cheek as she turned to leave feeling pretty good inside. Making people happy was a much bigger thrill than vanquishing demons. A Charmed One sometimes gets unnecessary gratitude from those who realize what happened, but here you are giving people their hearts desires. It is so much more personal for them. And much more personal to Phoebe too. If she couldn't fulfill her own fantasies, then she could take pride and live through the fulfillment of others.
Phoebe hurried back to the gypsy storefront to see how much other good she could do. She changed into one of the outfits left in the sparsely furnished backroom and put up the "Opened for Business" sign. Several of her customers were looking for their fortunes told or for spiritual advice. Phoebe using her own common sense felt like 'Dear Abby' for these people. A few special people came in who were pure of heart and had special needs. One had lost a job and needed the final payment for his mortgage. One had lost her wedding ring and did not know where to find it. Yet another was looking for a long lost brother. Another soul was looking for a final chance for happiness. Each time Phoebe gave them some place to go or some task to do. More importantly she knew they deserved their wish. Late that night she headed back to her apartment feeling like she had done more good in one day than in all the demon fights she had had in the last year.
Late that night the moon shone on the parking lot as she waited for Piper to come out of Quake's. Piper exited the employee's door and grabbed her keys as she unlocked her Cherokee. Glancing in the back seeing nothing, she jumped into the car and pulled the door shut.
Phoebe wished that Piper would be locked in the car and not able to drive away or signal for help.
Piper turned the key and the car just went 'click-click- click.' Not only wouldn't the car start, but she couldn't get her cell phone to work either.
"I don't believe this!" she yelled pounding loudly on the dashboard.
When Phoebe approached the car, fear filled Piper's eyes. After trying to freeze her she started to beep the horn that also wouldn't work.
"Good!" thought Phoebe "She can't freeze me thought the window." Phoebe walked over to the Cherokee.
Anger filled Pipers eyes as she started beating on the glass. "Let me out of here, you little #$$&& gypsy. I told you earlier that you didn't want to &$& with us!" yelled Piper not ceasing her pounding on the glass.
Phoebe had never head Piper in such a angry mood. She would get sarcastic, but never was as abusive or using such language.
Phoebe knew that Piper would not be easy to convince. Phoebe walked up to the glass and looked at her animated sister seething with anger. Phoebe said, "I know you and your sisters are witches. I was one of them too."
Piper stopped banging on the window and looked closely at her tormentor. Phoebe quickly ran through her own history and what had happened to her earlier that day.
Showing compassion for the first time, she yelled though the glass. "All right, all right! Let me out of here and I'll see about trying and help you," she said leaning on her elbows in what still seemed like an impossible situation.
At a local coffee shop sitting behind double lattes, Piper took a deep breath and then sounded more like her old self. "A lot of what you described never happened to me, but you had enough obscure details that you couldn't have just made it up. And I really am going to open a nightclub? I know I have greater ambitions that running Quake's all my life," said Piper dreaming while she took a sip from her cup.
"But what happened to Prue? She was so ambitious and decisive," asked Phoebe.
Piper thought for a moment. "Prue. Well, after she broke up with Roger, she was never sure of any of herself again. ALL the spark had gone out of her. She backed into her shell and had never really come out of it. I had to take over all the family responsibilities. It's been awfully rough. You seem to have quite a spark. Our Phoebe wants to help the Charmed Ones, but her music is really her life," explained Piper. "So what happens if we help you?"
Phoebe shook her head. "I don't know exactly, but I'm hoping that I can find the answer in the Book of Shadows. I want to return to my world and hopefully you will be able to continue here, "said Phoebe.
Piper seemed to turn sour again. "That's only a theory, Phoebe. If you're wrong, then our Phoebe might cease to exist," said Piper. "I have a very big problem with losing my baby sister."
"But you and Prue will be a lot better off. And I will get my life back," pleaded Phoebe.
Piper crossed her arms and looked Phoebe deep in the eyes. "After YOU messed it up in the first place! Just because YOU wanted more power," Piper reminded Phoebe. "We are supposed to wait for them to grow, not say, 'Abracadabra' and to hell with the consequences!"
Phoebe had to agree. "Yes, that part was my fault. I do tend to jump in and never worry about the consequences, but this time I wanted to help others and lost everyone I loved," said Phoebe sadly. "Will you help me out?"
Let's see what the book says," replied Piper. "But if we can't help you, then you are just going to have to LIVE WITH IT. Think about that!"
At Halliwell Manor Phoebe poured over the Book of Shadows and found nothing to help her. The original spell she had used was not in the book and neither was something to turn her back into one of the Charmed Ones.
Phoebe Two looked on rather impressed. "You sure know your way around that book, Jeebie. I never found much interest in it. If I can't use it to help out my life, what good is it?" asked Phoebe Two.
Phoebe closed the book and then gently caressed the Triquetra, which was the ancient symbol of the Charmed Ones. "Believed me I have tried to help myself by using magic, but that's just not in the cards. However, we have helped a LOT of people with it and it has saved our lives on more than one occasion," explained Phoebe. "You have to have an ardent affection for the craft. That's what a passion is. It's emotion, drive, intensity. That's why I look through the book. That's why I want to continue as a witch. That's why I want to come back to the fold," said Phoebe looking off in to the distance. "But I just don't see a way."
Piper cocked her head to one side. "Umm. Look, uh, Phoebe. Why don't you make up a new spell? We've done it here. Or that I have. First think. Can you remember the spell that you cast?"
Phoebe shook her head shaking the dreamlike state. "Sort of. We have written some of our own spells before, too. So maybe we can put our heads together."
Prue tried to say something, but nothing came out. The she said very fast. "Won't that get us into trouble? We're not supposed to help others. We're supposed to help ourselves!"
Starting with an annoyed and then a loving expression, Phoebe Two replied, "Prudy, you mean we're not supposed to use Wicca things to help ourselves. Think before you speak."
Prue looked up totally annoyed with herself. "Like sorry. I'm always doing that," said Prue "Sorry guys!"
"That's OK!" said Phoebe "You are so NOT Prue. Now here's what we could try..." started Phoebe.
"Now wait one minute. If we're going to help you I have one important stipulation," said Piper sternly. "Since OUR sister here may have been created due to YOUR mistake to become "Jeannie" you should be willing to help HER out! Hey, it's in your nature."
"Help her out?" asked Phoebe not quite getting it.
"Take her with you. At least she wouldn't be sent into oblivion," said Piper. "This whole world might be gone after you leave. In my prospective I remember helping to raise Phoebe here from an infant. I don't want her thrown into that great coffee grinder in the sky!" She obviously loved her Phoebe as much as Phoebe's Piper loved her.
"I don't like the sound of that!" exclaimed Phoebe Two. "Neither option about disappearing nor changing my whole lifestyle."
"What is she going into do in my world?" asked Phoebe shrugging her shoulders deeply.
Phoebe Two stared at Piper. "Yea, Pipe? Why am I going to do with them? Even if all of this is true, I don't know anyone there. My life is here!"
"Isn't it better than no life at all? Prue and I at least exist in some form there. While we may not see eye to eye, I don't want to lose you in whatever form you turn out in," explained Piper. "I love you hard headed dimwit!"
To Phoebe it sounded more like the Prue-Phoebe relationship in her world. "Two Phoebes?" she thought, "Can the magic still work? Will the world survive?"
"Phoebe, you'll have the same problem I'm having now. You'll be a stranger in a strange land, but at least you'll have a life," explained Phoebe. "And I'll be right there to help you out. I'm willing to take her if she's willing to go. What do you say FEE-BEE?"
Phoebe Two pt her hands on either side of her head "I don't know if I can take this. Jeez follow Jeebie to her world?"
"Phoebe it may be YOUR only chance!" said Piper more tenderly than Phoebe had yet heard from her.
She shook her head in the affirmative. "All right! I guess I'm game. I'll have to start up a new band, How about Phoebes Jeebies in honor of my former life?" asked Phoebe Two.
"Sound wild," replied Piper.
Phoebe had a slightly sour expression. "I hope not," she thought.
After several drafts they were finally ready the various Halliwell's went up to the attic, surrounded the cauldron and began to recite.
"Blow ye winds in this hour.
Take from this witch new power.
Send away the Phoebes as we wish.
From her sisters whom she'll miss."
Phoebe who did not participate felt a little dizzy as a sweet pink smoke filled the attic. Before she passed out she saw Phoebe Two also getting weak in the knees.
When the smoke cleared she was sitting back in the conservatory with the Book of Shadows on her lap. Piper came ruining in.
"Phoebe! Phoebe! What is with all the smoke? Did you try that hokey spell?" asked Piper.
"Yea, sorry. But I had to reverse it. It didn't really work. So how's my favorite sister?" asked Phoebe.
"You know that's not really fair to Prue. She works so hard at Buckland's to keep us afloat " explained Piper.
Phoebe thought,"Everything sounds like its back to normal. Then she asked Piper, "Are there any other Phoebe's running around here?"
"Umm. Should there be? You haven't been multiplying your powers have you \Phoebes? asked Piper "Don't you think that one of any of us is enough?"
"You're right sis. You're absolutely right!" beamed Phoebe.
That night at P3 the band and the music was knocking the plaster off the walls.
"Great band, Piper, " exclaimed Phoebe as her sisters sat around the bar. Phoebe was sipping in her beer when someone tapped her on the shoulder. Phoebe turned around and saw her other world counterpart standing there.
"Phoebe, where did you come from?" gasped Phoebe.
"Are you all right, Jeebie? That's your cousin Dee-Dee," said Prue cocking up one eyebrow at Phoebe.
"Our cousin?" asked Phoebe almost falling off her stool.
"Come on, Jeebie. Cut me some slack. I know we're not exactly best friends, but we're all Halliwell's here. I'm in town with my band and we're playing P3 tomorrow night. Piper's a great bro for giving me the chance. So Piper let's go over the stage setup for tomorrow," Dee-Dee said to Piper.
"Whoa. Holy Twilight Zone! I'm the only one that knows the difference. Well, at least she still has the life and we have a new cousin. Since I have my life back, I can live with it. Except for the Jeebie part! No more personal spells for me I have learn my lesson Phoebe," thought to herself. She smiled thinking about how much she had learned and grown from her trek from one reality to another.
Calling excitedly to her new cousin she asked, "Hey Dee-Dee. Let's cut out of here together. How about a ride on your motorcycle?"
The End