William woke to the sound of cookware being used in the kitchen and the delicious smell of bacon, eggs, and something sweet in the oven. For a moment he thought he may be dreaming but as he rubbed his eyes the feel of his binds on his wrists reminded him that he was in the home of his new master. Mina. Surprisingly, he slept well on the cot that she had put together for him. His bed in his bottle was comfortable enough but waking to sunlight peeking through the curtains was a treat he was happy to enjoy.

He rose, straightened up his outfit and excited the small painting room. "Good morning," Mina stated from the stove.

"Morning," William grumbled, his voice still thick from sleep. "I'm gonna straighten up and be back." He said as blue smoke began to gather at his feet.

Mina nodded and he disappeared into his bottle. Mina wondered what kind of magic that bottle held. She wondered how he ate, showered, and lived within that little bottle. Whatever the magic was it was strong. William returned showered, changed, and looking as fresh as ever only moments later. "Would be nice to get ready that easily in the morning," she said, half to herself as William stood by the table.

"Is that your first wish?" he asked.

Mina laughed. "Sit, please. Once we have eaten we can talk wishes because one thing you should know about me is I am grumpy until I have eaten."

For the first time since she opened the bottle William cracked a small smile. He sat and Mina began to load the table with eggs, bacon, toast, and blueberry muffins. She poured tea for both of them and gestured for him to start eating.

William filled his plate with a bit of everything and watched Mina as she placed eggs bacon and cheese in between two slices of bread.

"Bacon, egg, and cheese sandwich." He said as he bit into a muffin.

She stopped and looked up at him. "Yes! How did you know?"

"How did you know? Life as a genie has brought me to many different worlds but you..you live in a magical forest. Aren't many deli or breakfast places around here."

Mina smiled. "I travel a lot for work." She gestured to the paint room. "I have been lucky enough to try this delicious sandwich on my travels." And with that she bit into her sandwich.

William smiled again. This time much bigger and Mina couldn't help but feel relieved that he was becoming more comfortable around her. They ate in silence for a while. When William had finished his two platefuls he groaned and rubbed his stomach. "That was delicious, I haven't had a meal like that in a very long time. I am so full. Thank you."

Pleased Mina smiled and began clearing the table. William got up and helped her put the leftovers away and wipe down the table. They barely spoke and neither of them seemed bothered by it. When they finally relaxed in the same spots they had been in last night in the living room William became very serious and inquired about Mina's first wish.

"Honestly, I have no wishes. I live a pretty simple life and I am okay with it." Sbe stated.

"You don't want to be rich? Live in a palace? Own all the dresses and shoes in the land?"

She gave him a serious look. "That is not what all women want Mr. Genie."

William shrugged. "I am sorry, just seems to be the trend. I have been around a while."

"I could see that." Mina stood and began pacing.

"What about your family? Anything you wish for them?" William offered.

She stopped and gently said, "I don't have any family."

William's look softened. "I am sorry."

She waved it away and began pacing. "Are there any other rules besides the three you told me in the beginning?"

"No, but be aware if you choose a complicated wish there are consequences for such drastic changes."

"Aha!" She exclaimed. "Magic is dangerous. That I know." Just then a shrill came from the small stable behind the house. "Stella!" Mina jumped to her feet and slipped into a pair of boots.

"Stella?" William asked confused but jumped to his feet as well.

"My horse!" Mina ran out the door with William not far behind. He followed her to where the stables were. "She is pregnant!" She explained as she opened the stable door to find the beautiful black horse on the ground. "Oh, shhhh shhhh Stella, I am here." She gently caressed the horse's neck and Stella responded to her touch leaning in to her hand.

"She is going to give birth? Like right now?" William asked, amazed. He had never seen an animal give birth before. He had never seen anything give birth.

"Yes! And you are going to help!" Mina kept talking to the Stella and every once and a while Stella would move uncomfortably. "Although, it is not a quick process. We will be here a while."

"So," William stated, "how do we help?" Just then the foals feet began to surface.

"Once she needs the help we will pull the foal out and get it cleaned."

They sat a while waiting. Mina eventually exhaled deeply, her eyes sweeping over the horse over and over.

William stared at her for a moment. "You have done this before?"

"Yes, many times." She ran a hand down Stella's face. "Sit here and comfort her while I make sure everything down in the other direction is going smoothly."

They switched places and William examined the horse. She was stunning. A shiny solid black horse. He wondered what the foal would look like. A long while passed and the look on Mina's face showed worry. "Everything okay?"

Mina shook her head and twisted the rag she had in her hand. "Something's not right. She should be farther along. Its too soon for me to help her but I'm worried for her." She exhaled and started pacing nervously. William kept trying to soothe Stella but it was apparent that something wasn't right.

"Okay," Mina said.

"Okay?"

"My first wish. This is it."

"You sure?" He tried to look at her but she continued to pace and twist the rag. "You only have three."

She looked at him then, "Yes, I wish for Stella to deliver her foal safely."

"As you wish."

Some time passed and Mina began to worry that the wish did not work. Then Stella then began to move as more of the foal started to show. Mina laughed happily.

"Okay, come here!" She yelled. She grabbed at the foals feet and began to pull. "Help me pull."

William did as she said and the two shoulder to shoulder helped deliver the solid white foal. Mina immediately began to wipe the foal clean. "She is beautiful!" Mina was smiling from ear to ear and William couldn't help but chuckled. He had just helped deliver a baby horse. Mina turned to him at the sound of his chuckle. She was shocked to hear it but considering the foal and mother were healthy and happy she could feel the relief from both of them. They both sat back and watched as the two horses interacted with one another. "Luna. That is what I will call her." She leaned back on her arms and accidentally brushed her hand against Williams. She blushed and focused her attention on the foal who was now beginning to stand.

"Wow, the foal is standing already?" William watched with wonder in his eyes.

"Yes, horses are amazing creatures. They are not magical in any way but what they can do seems that way."

"Certainly does."

They watched for a while. Both mother and foal seemed happy and healthy.

Mina laughed to herself. "That was most certainly worth my first wish."

William looked at her and smiled. She was so different than he expected and she continued to bewilder him. They sat there for a little while before William stood and stared out the window of the stable. "It is getting dark soon." He stated, "Will the horses be okay?"

"Yes, I will check on them during the night but thanks to your wish they should be just fine." She began to stand and William held a hand out to her. She took it but when she got to her feet she stumbled. Her world was spinning. William caught her, trying to steady her. "Whoa.." she whispered.

"You alright?" He held on to her arms afraid to let her go.

She steadied herself and nodded. "Yea, I'm okay. Its practically dinner time which means we haven't eaten since morning. Just need to eat something that is all."

"Okay," William locked arms with her and they slowly made their way back to the cottage. Once inside William helped her to her chair and grabbed her an apple from the bowl on the table.

"Thank you."

William then put a pot of water to boil and began chopping vegetables from a basket she had by the pantry. Carrots, potatoes, celery, and beans were added and before long the cottage was filled with the aroma of a delicious soup cooking. Mina felt better after the apple and joined William at the table. He searched found the bowls in the cabinet and filled them to the brim with soup. William waited to see how Mina liked the soup before starting on his own. He watched her bring the spoon to her mouth blow gently and taste it. Her eyes widened. "Wow this is amazing."

William smiled. "Thank you." He broke them both a piece of bread from a loaf and joined her in eating.

With each spoonful Mina could feel her energy returning to her. The soup was perfect. She mostly ate vegetables as they were her favorite and she had a nice sized garden out back. As she ate her thoughts turned to William. He was very kind although he let off a hardened exterior. She looked up to find his eyes on her and she felt herself blush.

"You look better now. Not as pale." He said in between bites of bread.

"Thank you," she stared back this time into his dark eyes. "For helping with Stella and for taking care of me."

"You're welcome, Mina."

For some reason the way he said her name made her heart skip a beat. She barely knew him but it was becoming obvious to her that he had an effect on her. Didn't help he was incredibly handsome.

William had noticed the faint blush on her cheeks the moment she caught him staring. He couldn't help it. She was stunning. Her tan skin, dark green eyes, and long dark hair that fell down her back in waves were almost too much for him to handle. When she had fallen in the stable he instantly felt the need to take care of her. She didn't seem like a fragile woman but when your body is fighting against you even the strongest of men will lose. His mother used to become very weak if she missed meals. Something about not getting the right amount of sugar in her body. He had known she needed a good meal with some carbs.

It worried him how much this woman seemed to stir in him. He would be back in his bottle before he knew it so it was better to avoid any attachment. She would be just a memory in his never-ending list of masters.

When they had finished William quickly stood so he could clear the table himself. Mina nodded in appreciation and went to snuggle into her chair. It was a warm night so the fire was not needed. Still, Mina wished she had the energy to start one. Wishes. Only two left now. What would she possibly need to use them for? She sighed and figured something may arise just like this morning.

William walked over to the couch and sat down. When he turned to Mina he realized that she had fall asleep. He watched her sleep for a bit. He enjoyed his time with her. Here in this cottage. He envied the simple life she had. No he didn't want it for himself. He wanted to be part of it. But then again it was probably his mind wishing for anything other than the bottle. He wasn't going to allow himself to become attached to this woman.

He rose and gently picked her up off the chair. He entered her room in the dark and made out the bed near the far corner. He walked to it and heard her sigh contently in her sleep. She seemed to bury her face into his chest. He stopped, not wanting to wake her. Once she regained the same rhythmic breathing from before he began to set her down gently and pulled the covers over her. She didn't stir so William quickly left gently closing the door behind him. He entered the paint room and fell onto the cot.

How could he possibly sleep with her on his mind and her smell still lingering on his shirt? He decided to change hoping some time in his bottle might clear his head. Once inside he removed his clothes and pulled on a pair of pants. The night was warm enough that he didn't need a shirt. However when he finally returned to the cot all he could think about was how soft she felt against him. This was going to be much harder than he thought.


Thank you to everyone who reads this! I am really excited for where this story is going. Please enjoy and review if you would like to see another chapter posted!