A hot, typical summer day in Florida, NASA has been busy preparing for the upcoming rocket launch. The corridors are full of employees and visitors, all excited about the plans. This is to be the second moon mission since 1969, and heading up the space team is astronaut Major Nelson. Late for his meeting with the press, Nelson quickly says good bye to his new bride, Jeannie, before hurrying away.
"Bye, Jeannie. I'll see you after the meeting. It shouldn't take but about an hour."
"Yes, Anthony. I love you."
"I love you, too." He leans over and gives Jeannie a quick kiss. Then, hastily turning to head down the hallway to his conference, Tony whirls around to face Mrs. Bellows.
"Oh, Mrs. Bellows, you startled me," Major Nelson gasps.
Amanda Bellows grins, "Sorry, Tony. I didn't mean to give one of our star astronauts a heart attack so close to the big moon shoot."
Major Nelson laughs and then quickly heads down the hallway to his conference. Mrs. Bellows watches him for a moment before turning around to Jeannie.
"Jeannie, I'm so glad that I caught you. I was wondering if you could help out on a children's project for the Officers' Wives Association. We're meeting downstairs in a few minutes. You know we can never have too much help."
"Oh, yes, Mrs. Bellows, I would be glad to." Smiling enthusiastically, Jeannie found herself truly wanting to participate in the activities--a far cry from those first few days in the Officers' Wives Association. When Mrs. Bellows had initially asked Jeannie to join the meetings, she had not even wanted to go. In fact, she had dreaded the thought of it, terrified that she might say something wrong or accidentally do something that would make her seem different to the other members. Although, she had been in America for almost five years before she married Major Nelson, for the most part her world had consisted entirely of her beloved Master and Major Healey. She had had little contact with American women and she was unsure about how to act around them. She had worried that they would talk about things she did not understand or that she might say something that would give away her background. Now, though, she had become use to the women at NASA. And, Mrs. Bellows was one of her closest friends.
"Great! We can go down there together, I'm headed that way now." Mrs. Bellows begins walking down the hallway to the elevator at the end, the clicking of her high heels echoing off the corridor walls. She pushes the button and the elevator doors open without delay.
She and Jeannie step inside and push for the basement.
One of the few at NASA, Mrs. Bellows could never figure out why a building with some of the most technologically advanced rockets and computer equipment couldn't have more elevators. "It's because they're all men at NASA," she thinks to herself. "Women would have the foresight to put them in."
The ride to the basement was always a long one. The elevator, slowly cranking its gears, had to travel eight floors to get to the bottom. Each time Mrs. Bellows rode in it, she couldn't help but wonder why there wasn't at least some music or a radio playing in the background to make the long trip pass a little more quickly. Again she thinks, "It's because they're allllllll men." She sighs with a smile. Then she turns to Jeannie.
"I really do appreciate your help, Jeannie. The children's project is one of the Association's longest running programs…."
Suddenly, the elevator lurches. The lights go out. In the darkness, the floor drops.
The elevator hurls downward. The walls scrape viciously on the metal elevator shaft, shooting brilliant sparks all around. The gears scream out above them, screeching, plunging towards the basement. Then, a fierce jerk wrenches the elevator up as it catches suddenly, throwing Jeannie and Mrs. Bellows to the floor.
Then it is quiet.
In the still darkness, the two women lay on the ground. Jeannie is off to the side by the doors, Mrs. Bellows is haphazardly thrown in a corner. Jeannie slowly opens her eyes. In the dim red emergency light of the elevator, she sees Mrs. Bellows.
"Mrs. Bellows? Mrs. Bellows are you alright?" Jeannie whispers anxiously.
There is no answer. Jeannie reaches up and grabs the elevator railing to the side of her. She moves to pull herself up, but collapses on the ground in pain. Her ankle is broken. She crawls over to where Mrs. Bellows in laying.
"Mrs. Bellows?" she repeats with urgency rising in her voice. Jeannie gently takes her hand.
"Mrs. Bellows?" Jeannie could see that her friend was breathing, but was unconscious from the blow of the fall. She knew that she had to get help.
Glancing down at Mrs. Bellows one more time to make sure that her eyes were still closed, Jeannie crosses her arms and blinks her eyes to open the elevator doors.
The doors are still.
Frowning, she blinks her eyes a second time.
Again, nothing happens.
Quickly, Jeannie tries to use her magic to move her purse towards her. The purse sails effortlessly across the floor.
Puzzled that she could blink the purse but not the doors, she tries once more to free herself and Mrs. Bellows from the elevator.
The doors remain still.
Then she realizes what is wrong--she is trapped. Just like putting the cork in her bottle, she could not get out of the sealed elevator.
"Jeannie?" Mrs. Bellows murmurs, slowly opening her eyes. Jeannie turns back to face her.
"Mrs. Bellows? Are you alright?"
"Oh, Jeannie, I…I think I am. What happened?" Confused, she tries to sit up. Her head is spinning. She looks around the dark room, then turns to Jeannie. "Are you hurt?"
Jeannie helps her upright. "I think my ankle is broken, but I am fine."
The gears above them creak--a slow and twisted cry echoing off the steel walls.
"Mrs. Bellows, we have to get out of here. I do not know how long this elevator will hold." The panic was rising in Jeannie's voice. She was powerless. Helpless. She could feel that sinking, trapped feeling welling up inside her, the feeling she always got whenever someone suddenly put the top on her bottle.
"Jeannie, we need to get someone to help us…." Mrs. Bellows begins to scream for help, banging her fists on the side of the elevator. Jeannie joins in.
The elevator shakes.
Both women freeze.
Then it is still, again.
Jeannie looks desperately around for some means of escape, but there is no call box in the elevator, no phone. Then she glances up and sees a panel on the ceiling.
"Mrs. Bellows, there is a hatch up on the top. If we could open it, we could get out." Jeannie's voice rises with expectation.
Mrs. Bellows pulls herself up to her feet slowly, careful not to make any big movements to jar the elevator. She reaches a tentative hand up towards the ceiling. Her arm is shaking.
"Jeannie, I can't reach it. Even if I tried to jump, I'd still be at least a foot too short. We're just going to have to wait for someone to get us out." She carefully eases herself back down by Jeannie.
From outside, Jeannie and Mrs. Bellows could hear muffled voices. The people at NASA, having heard the gears screeching, were now gathering outside the elevator. One voice called out to ask who was in there and if they were alright. Another told them that security was on the way, but it would be about ten to fifteen minutes before anyone could get them out.
The gears begin to churn heavily above.
"Mrs. Bellows, we can not wait! We have to get out now." Jeannie's voice races.
"But Jeannie I can't reach it! I can't get to it!" Mrs. Bellows' voice is high-pitched with fear. Her eyes are wide as they dart frantically around the elevator for a way out. Then she directs, "Jeannie, get on my shoulders."
"What?"
"Just do it. Hurry up. I'll lift you up and you can open it."
"But, I, I can not."
"What do you mean you can't? Yes, you can. You have to!"
Jeannie swallows. She knew there was no way that she could open the latch. Once a genie is trapped, she can not get out. Only a human could free her, she could not escape herself--powers or no powers. Jeannie's mind rushes. If only Mrs. Bellows could somehow open the latch, even just a little bit, then she could work her magic and free them. But how could she explain that to Mrs. Bellows, though?
"Jeannie, hurry up! You have to do this. You can't lift me up with your ankle hurt. Please.…" the desperation was rising in Mrs. Bellows' voice.
"Jeannie!" Major Nelson's voice suddenly calls out. "Jeannie, are you ok?!"
"Master!" Jeannie yells without thinking. "Get us out of here, hurry!"
"Jeannie, the NASA security is working on it now." Having pushed his way through the crowds of people, he is now standing in the doorway to the elevator shaft at the top of the building. His voice bounces down the steel walls. He can see the top of the elevator below.
The elevator groans loudly.
"Jeannie, can you get out?" Major Nelson's voice is shrill with concern. His heart is racing.
"No."
Again, the elevator groans, its gears shake.
"Jeannie," Major Nelson shouts, "Jeannie, get out of there....any way. Do you understand?" With a low breath, Major Nelson says a quick prayer.
Jeannie turns around to face Mrs. Bellows. She can see the urgency in her friend's eyes.
She knows she has to tell her.
"Mrs. Bellows, if you open the hatch, then I can get us out of here."
The elevator squeals out from above.
"Jeannie, I can't reach it!"
"You can if I lift you up."
"Not on that ankle, you can't."
Jeannie takes a slow breath, her eyes cast down. "No, but I have another way."
"What do you mean another way?! Jeannie, hurry! The elevator is shaking all around us, we have to do something!"
"Mrs. Bellows, I will lift you, but not by holding you. I have a way to do it. With....with magic. There is nothing to be afraid of, you will just rise up to the hatch. You have to trust me. Please, please, trust me." Her voice is racing, pleading.
A heavy, steel moan suddenly echoes in a twisted cry above them. The elevator trembles.
The crowd outside yells in horror.
Jeannie reacts quickly, crossing her arms she blinks her eyes.
Mrs. Bellows lifts swiftly up in the air to the hatch. Her eyes are wide with fear as she looks down below her. She can see Jeannie sitting below with her arms still crossed, her gaze fixed intently up at her. Mrs. Bellows can't move. She can't breathe. She is too scared and too confused.
The gears churn in a hollow moan.
Then there is a quick screech as the sound of metal breaking rattles the walls.
Major Nelson screams.
Mrs. Bellows swings her head up and grabs the latch.
The elevator drops....
Falling, quickly and smoothly, the gears give out. There is no more noise. Just the swift sound of air as the elevator plunges down the shaft.
Then it hits the ground.
A thunder of metal, followed by an exploding gust of smoke--a merciless impact.
"Jeannie!" Major Nelson screams.
Then, it is silent.
"Jeannie!" he yells out once more, his voice loud against the still metal.
But the soft clouds of dust skirting lightly on top of the broken elevator is the only reply.
Major Nelson kneels down slowly in the doorframe. He drops his head.
The crowd behind him is quiet.
Then, slowly, they begin to stir, pointing in the direction of the elevator.
Major Nelson sluggishly raises his head.
He couldn't be sure, but it looked like.…
He quickly wipes his eyes with the back of a hand, staring intently below him. Trying to focus his eyes....
It looked like smoke....pink smoke! He jerks upward, his breath hastening. It was! Very faint, but pink smoke! He chokes back emotions, hoping that it could be true.
Slowly, the thin, pink smoke makes its way up.
Then the sparse cloud floats gently through the metal doorway.
The crowd steps back.
The smoke hangs for a moment in the air, then slowly dissipates into the images of Jeannie and Mrs. Bellows. Jeannie appears on the floor, holding her ankle with both hands. Mrs. Bellows is kneeling over her. Both are pale.
Major Nelson races towards Jeannie, throwing his arms around the small girl. They hold on to each other.
From the crowd, Dr. Bellows pushes through. He runs to Mrs. Bellows. Tears of relief are on his cheeks.
After a moment, everything settles down. Jeannie is fine except for her leg and Mrs. Bellows is only shaken, not hurt.
Then the relief, so heartfelt by the crowd of onlookers, slowly begins to turn into disbelief.
Everyone begins to look around. They look at each other, they look at the elevator, they look at the Bellows.
Then they look at Jeannie.....
.
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Copyright 1999 Carpet
If you would like to contact the
writer, please click below to send e-mail
Carpet1934@aol.com
~Written by the creator of I Dream of Jeannie: The Web Page~
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