Disclaimer: I do not own the Bartimaeus Trilogy or any of its characters. However, I do own this story in its non-profit entirety. Similarities to other works are merely coincidental.
It Wasn't Meant To Be
Written by JMPchick
2. Bartimaeus
Why is life such a hell? I mean, Earth was bad enough, but the Other Place, welcome as it was after a release, seemed ever more dismal. Well, sue me, but the reason was obvious. The Other Place is a giant void home to all manner of imps, foliots, djinn like myself, afrits, marids, and bizarre creatures. Usually ones uglier and less powerful than I, Bartimaeus the Mighty!
Ah, who am I kidding? I'm lonely! That's the damn reason! The love of my extremely long life has died. And enough with the Shakespearian stuff - my good and deceased friend William Shakespeare himself would have been jealous I'm so good at it. He'd probably have written some crap about it, like that fool Quentin Makepeace and The Swans of Araby. Bah!
It wasn't mean to be.
I wonder how Nat's doing. He might actually be shaving right now, perish the thought! The next time he calls me up (I'm no idiot, it'll happen sooner or later; call it good taste, he knows the right djinni to summon; call what I just said modesty, unless of course you're in the presence of an afrit or marid...if you're in the presence of Faquarl, don't bother), there will probably be a mess of wet hair in his drain or heap of rusty razors I'm required to pick up. Oh well. That's life.
It wasn't meant to be.
I did not just say that! It's most likely some impertinent imp trying to irritate me. Whoever it is, they're doin' an awfully good job. It's unnerving, even for a djinni of my status, to discover that some surly mite knows the details of my personal life. Djinn do not mate, a long source of frustration for many. To mine also. Being a handsome male, I am quite obviously the target of many affections, even of the lowly. However, satisfactory females are very scarce, and I find succubus too...suggestive. My choice mate is dead, killed by a golem. Damn that stupid creature! It caused so much fuss over London, and was a huge chore to destroy. Dear little Natty boy must remember what I went through, albeit for a fourteen-year-old who has not yet begun to shave (as far as I know), he has great potential, even stronger than Ptolemy, I'm distraught to confess. Ptolemy, unfortunately, summoned several djinn of various high castes, but his advisors were the ones who wrought the charms and pentacles while he chose the djinn.
It wasn't meant to be.
I'll make years and years and years and years (how am I supposed to know how much time has passed in the mortal world?) of grief and once-happy but now tragic memories short:
It wasn't meant to be. Goodbye, Queezle.
