Chapter 5: A Joyful Wish
In the morning, Howard Daniel managed to get an immediate appointment with Dr. Marcus Jones for his son and daughter. Needless to say, David and Kristine were relieved to find that their meeting with Dr. Jones was going to happen so soon, after all.
Before meeting up with their father to see the good doctor, though, David clandestinely told his sister that he had another vision, one that was more disturbing than the last. A bum had killed an innocent pharmacist with a deadly weapon, and had been arrested, claiming the whole time that some beautiful woman had made him do it because of a wish he made, but no one believed him.
"This is getting more and more interesting," remarked Kristine.
"What about you, Krissy," asked David, "Did you see or hear anything strange last night or this morning?"
"Not so far, David," replied Kristine, "But I'll be sure to let you know if and when I do."
"From the looks of what's been happening," said David, "the 'when' seems a lot more likely than the 'if.'"
"That's what I'm afraid of," said Kristine.
At the school, Howard proudly introduced them to Dr. Marcus Jones, a venerable old man with thinning gray hair, a stern but polite face, and a short, gray beard. "It's a pleasure to meet you, David and Kristine," Dr. Jones said, shaking their hands.
"Oh, that's all right, Dr. Jones," said Kristine, "We're just here to learn what we can from you."
"Please," the professor said, "I'm not your official teacher; there's no need to go by formalities here. Call me Marcus."
"Okay, Marcus," said David. Kristine nodded.
"I'll leave you three to get acquainted now," said Howard. He said his goodbyes to his children, and was off to teach his own classes again.
"So, then," said Marcus, "What was it you wanted to learn about then?"
"Basically," said David, "we want to learn about the supernatural beings and powers that the ancient Arabs believed, particularly in old Persia, and uh, if they truly had powers, or were just charlatans, like most modern people believe they were."
"Well, that's right up my alley," said Marcus, "Listen, I have about twenty minutes before my first class; why don't we take a short walk on the campus grounds while we talk about this?"
"Suits us fine, Marcus," said Kristine. David agreed.
While walking around on the grass, enjoying the cool morning temperature, Marcus started to explain about how the Persians and Islamic Arabs had long believed that other supernatural beings exist alongside man besides the angels and the demons.
"Yes, we sort of know that already," said Kristine uncertainly, "Dad mentioned it. What we mean is, what were, or are, these creatures supposed to be?"
"Ah," said Marcus, "Now we're getting someplace. It's said that while man was made from the dust and clay of the earth, and the angels were fashioned out of light, including the future Devil and his demons, hot fire somehow created a race of creatures called the djinn. They fit into three moral classifications: good, evil, and benevolently neutral. Some of the good ones were so good that they were holy, while most of the evil ones were pure evil, and the neutral ones simply wanted to live the lives of their own choice, and not take part in the cosmic conflict between good and evil. They gained the power to grant wishes to humans, in exchange for a price, which was usually their souls if the djinn were evil, and through these wishes the djinn would gain strength. But if a djinn, or a djiniri, a female djinn, were awoken in this world, his or her primary task would be to offer their Waker three wishes at no expense to that particular wisher. Upon the granting of the third wish, either one of two things could happen: if the djinn was good, he would open a portal to the void between the worlds where they are condemned to dwell, and all the good and pure djinn would be released to purify the Earth, by cleansing it of all evil people and impurities and hallowing those who hold to the right-hand path; if the djinn was evil, on the other hand, he would open a similar portal, and all the vile, abominable djinn would come forth and ravage mankind all over the Earth, turning it into their own hellish kingdom to rule forever, or until God would decide to put a stop to it."
David and Kristine listened to all this with wonder and awe. "And what if a neutral djinn granted his Waker three wishes?" asked David.
Marcus shrugged. "No one knows for sure," he said, "Probably nothing. Like I said, neutral djinn don't take part in the war between the principalities. They just want to go their own way and grant as many generous wishes as possible."
"Wait a minute," said Kristine thoughtfully, "The word 'djinn' rings a bell. By saying 'djinn,' do you mean a genie, Marcus?"
Marcus looked a little surprised. "Technically, yes, the djinn were genies, but don't pay any attention to what American pop culture has taught you about the djinn. Djinn aren't comical like Barbara Eden, and they're not colorful and cute like Robin Williams' genie from 'Aladdin,' either. They were something else entirely. To the ancient Persians, the neutral djinn were relatively benign, though some of them resented being trapped forever until they could grant some selfish person three wishes, but the evil djinn, and to some extent even the holy ones, were the face of fear itself. The evil djinn didn't care one bit about the suffering of others; in fact, they welcomed it and thrived off of it; and the good djinn were glad to help people in need, but they wouldn't tolerate any sort of heathen remarks or blasphemies. When a hallowed djinn is angry, one should be deathly afraid; only God Himself is more terrifying than a djinn."
David and Kristine absorbed all this knowledge like sponges absorbing water. They had a feeling that if the beings they saw in their visions truly were real, the world was in for a lot of trouble. A pang of guilt went through each of them, but they managed to hide it from Marcus well enough.
"Thank you, sir-I mean, Marcus," said David, "I think that the information you've given us will be a good start on our assignments."
"You are entirely welcome," said Marcus, "Now, if you'll please excuse me, it's getting close to time for class to begin, and I am certain you must get to yours, as well."
David and Kristine looked at their watches. "Yeah, you're right, professor," said Kristine, "We'd better get moving. Thanks for your time."
"Any time," said Marcus with a smile.
On their way back to the building, David and Kristine spoke in hushed whispers. "Are you thinking what I'm thinking?" asked Kristine.
"Yes," said David, "I think we're in deep, deep trouble, and possibly the whole world as well."
Kristine shuddered as they split up to go to their respective classes.
Some hours later, as it was getting to be rush hour time, a certain djiniri was taking a walk down one of the many city streets. Victoria wasn't sure who to grant wishes for out of all these people, because who knew which ones were generous and which ones were corrupt? She balked at the very thought of granting another destructive wish. Her stamina held up much better than that of a human, but her incident with the old bum Mark had depleted her power somewhat, and she was desperate to grant a kind wish to someone with a good, uncorrupted heart.
Suddenly, when she came near the corner of one block, she spotted something colorful nearby, and she thought she heard the sounds of little children laughing and eagerly begging their "mommies and daddies" to let them have a toy or three that they were so eager to get. She turned around and saw a store, larger than the pharmacy had been, with the multi-colored sign, "Toys 'R Us."
A toy store? She never knew that there were whole stores dedicated to toys alone before. And those little children looked like joyful little people. Maybe she could find someone to help in there. She wasn't sure if everyone who went in could afford the things their kids loved most, and even in ancient days, more often than not, children could be made happy by loving a toy. So she stepped inside.
In the store, she was astounded by all the things on display for children and teenagers to enjoy. Her powers of perception helped her figure out what most of the items were. There was a long aisle dedicated to bicycles for people who couldn't or wouldn't drive cars. On one wall were dozens of board games, both classic and contemporary, like Chutes and Ladders, Candy Land, and Risk. In another aisle, there were many things that were part of a franchise called "Star Wars." The toys ranged from action figures, to plush dolls, to mock weapons called blasters and lightsabers. And in every other aisle, there was something else that looked like it could liven up any child's day. Of course, she didn't intend to buy anything for herself; she was an immortal without a family, and she had no personal use for them herself.
At that moment, Victoria heard a little girl of about eight years old begging her mommy to get her a video movie on DVD called "Toy Story 3," as well as two toys that were apparently from this Toy Story's franchise. She heard the girl say that they were a plastic Tyrannosaur named Rex and a plastic Triceratops named Trixie.
"I'm sorry, Abby," the mother said to her daughter, "I can't afford all of them right now. I can get you the DVD of the movie now, but not Rex or Trixie."
"Oh," said the girl named Abby dejectedly, "All right. But can't you get them as soon as possible? I wanna have those toys to add to my collection!"
"When I can afford them, I'll get them for you, honey," the mother assured her, "But I can't right now, I'm sorry. At least the movie will be entertaining, so look forward to that."
Victoria couldn't resist. She casually walked over to the mother and her child. "Hello," she said with the kindness of a saint, "Is there a problem here? Maybe I can help you with it."
The mother was surprised to see this charming young woman with midnight-black hair and twinkling eyes walking up to her and asking her such a question. "Uh, do I know you?" she asked awkwardly, "Who are you?"
"Mommy," said Abby, "you always told me not to talk to strangers."
"Yes," said the mother, "but I'm a grown-up, and I can talk to them if I have to. What do you want?" she asked, turning back to the djiniri, "What's your name?" The mother started at asking the stranger that question; it wasn't the sort of question you normally asked strangers, especially if you were a grown-up.
"East," said Victoria, "Victoria East. Call me Victoria."
"Uh, well, hello," said the mother, a little embarrassed. Why did she feel as young as her little daughter with this woman around? "Listen," she said with a politeness she didn't normally show to strangers who just walk up to you and say hello, "Can I do something for you? My daughter and I were just going to buy a DVD and then head home."
Victoria smiled nicely. "I think the question should be, 'What can I do for you?'"
The mother shifted from foot to foot. She didn't know what to make of this charming woman. She privately hoped she wasn't trying to make a move on her or draw a hidden knife.
"Mommy," said Abby, "This stranger seems like a very nice lady to me. Why don't you give her a chance to show she means well, please?"
"Well," said the mother uncertainly, "What do you mean you can do something for us? Strangers normally don't mean well when they say something like that to a common citizen."
"I can make wishes come true," said Victoria, "And I believe your little Abby said she also wanted a couple of dinosaur toys called Rex and Trixie in addition to that video."
"I did," said Abby eagerly, "Can you really grant wishes? I've wished upon a star before, because I love Disney and Pixar so much!"
"Indeed, I can," said Victoria with a smile, "I aim to make people happy, not sad. Wish for those toys, and I'll find a way to make each of them affordable to you."
"Uh, ma'am," said the mother, "I don't know where you're coming from, saying all this about granting wishes, but in case you're trying to trick us with something we're unprepared for, I'd rather make the wish myself, so nothing bad happens to my little girl."
Victoria smiled more brightly than before. Abby and her mother thought that her black hair shone and her face became brighter. "That is one of the most selfless things a parent can do for her child," she said, "I congratulate you for it! Now, are you sure you want to make this wish?"
"Yes," said the mother, "I wish that I could buy those Rex and Trixie toys for my daughter, Abby."
A second or two later, one of the employees came into the area where they were and announced that there was going to be a temporary discount on all the Toy Story toys, including Rex and Trixie, and the discount was an excellent bargain. The mother checked the prices, and then her cash.
"My goodness," she said in wonder, "Did you really make that happen?"
The djiniri winked. "Wish granted," she said quietly.
The mother and her daughter were filled with awe. "Please excuse us for a few minutes," she gushed, "We've got to pay for these toys!" Mother and daughter retrieved a Rex toy and a Trixie toy and paid for everything up front from a cashier who was looking rather bored or down about his job. While they were gone, a seven-year old boy and his mother came up to Victoria, said that they had overheard the conversation, and they wanted to make a wish, too.
"All right," said she, "Do you want to make the wish, young man, or will your mother do it?"
"To be safe, for my boy, that is, I want to say it," said the mother.
"Very well," said Victoria, "What do you wish for?"
"I wish Timmy here could get his own mini-bicycle. The bikes in this store are sold at a rip-off price," she said.
"Done," said Victoria, and the same employee as before returned and set a temporary discount on the bikes, too.
Timmy's eyes widened. "Why thanks, ma'am!" he exclaimed. "I'm gonna love this like my favorite thing!"
"This is astounding," said his mother, "Thank you so much, Mrs.-?"
"Ms. Victoria East," said the djiniri. "Call me Victoria."
"Okay," the mother replied, "Thank you again. Now we've got to get someone to get the bike down from the ceiling for us."
"Oh, allow me," offered Victoria, and with amazing strength and grace, she somehow unchained said bike and brought it down for Timmy. "Done. In some situations, one such as myself can offer another wish to one who makes a first wish."
"Wow!" said Timmy, "Did you see that, mom?"
"I surely did," the mother said, wide-eyed. "You are amazing!"
Victoria smiled modestly. "Thank you, but I don't desire fame and praise. This is simply what I do for a living."
"You help people with problems by granting them wishes?" asked Timmy.
"That's one thing I do, yes," Victoria confirmed.
Timmy went to the same checker counter the previous mother and Abby had gone to and paid for their purchase. The cashier was once again nonchalant. But they didn't care. They were happy, and that's what mattered.
Victoria followed them outside, passing through the counter too. She said a polite goodbye to the cashier and walked out. The cashier mumbled under his breath, "This is not my day."
Outside, she met up with the mothers and their children again, who seemed to be waiting for her. Good, because she had a few final words to say to them. "What are your names, ladies?"
"I'm Ruth," said Abby's mother. "And I'm Connie," said Timmy's mother.
"It's good to know you all," Victoria said. "Now please listen carefully. I hope you enjoy what you wished for, but you must not, at all costs, tell anyone else that a genie helped you get those items, not even other family members or close friends. I am on a private mission here, and if too many people find out that a genie is loose in their town, it could compromise my mission drastically. It could also compromise your wishes in some way, so all the more reason not to talk about it."
Timmy and Abby looked a little disappointed that they couldn't tell their friends about this, but they, with their mothers, promised not to tell anyone.
"Thank you very much," said the djiniri. "That was the price that came with making these wishes, to keep my presence a closely guarded secret from the general public. And remember, if you don't keep your promise, it could have negative repercussions on you or your loved ones."
"Agreed," said Ruth and Connie.
"Now, just one more thing before I go," Victoria said, "I am looking for a young man with white skin, short, brown hair, green eyes, spectacles, and a lean mouth. His name is David. He awoke me from my slumber, and now I must find him in order to fulfill my mission."
"No, I haven't, sorry," said Connie after a moment's thought.
"There are a lot of people like that throughout the country," said Ruth, "and I don't know anyone by that name who looks like that personally. But I think I've seen at least one person like that somewhere. I saw all those features on him except his eye color, because I couldn't get close enough to his face. I saw him walking into the Kornell University on the other end of town. Maybe he studies something there."
"Ah, yes," said Victoria, "That's good enough for me. It shouldn't take too long to track him down now. Thank you. Good day to you."
"Thanks again for the wishes," said Ruth and Connie.
"Thanks for the toys," said Timmy and Abby, grinning.
As she left, the djiniri felt a little better about herself, more vindicated, one might say. She had lost some strength with the bum's wish, but having granted not one, but two generous and kind wishes for innocent children and their pure-hearted mothers, she could feel her sapphire power up to a higher level with the willpower of those wishes. Her strength returned along with a little extra. This was more like it, she thought. This was one of the sorts of wishes she preferred to grant people, and she hoped to gain more strength on her way to meet her Waker.
At that moment, she saw a strange-looking man in an expensive suit staring at her from fifty feet away. There was something wrong about him, like he belonged here even less than she did. Quickly, to be safe, she threw up a strong mental wall to hide her power, put her hood back on, and rushed off to continue her search. Her instincts told her that man was not a man at all.
In fact, she could see in his seductive eyes and his smug smirk that he was one of her own kind, only on the other side.
An evil djinn is on the Earth at the same time and place I am!
This made her mission all the more urgent. She needed to find her Waker and fulfill the prophecy of the good djinn through his three wishes fast, before the evil djinn found his Waker and granted him/her three wishes, and fulfill the unholy counter-prophecy!
The djinn was curious as to why that attractive woman had panicked upon seeing him and ran away quickly. He had tried to perceive if she was the djiniri the lab scientist had mentioned to him, but apparently, she had a strong resistance to having her mind probed, and she must have been one of the minority of people who knew that someone as charming and seductive-looking as him couldn't be up to any good. People in this modern age certainly did not like to get involved with strangers. But this didn't bother the djinn too much. He had such a way with words that he could worm his way into almost anyone's secret desires.
A few seconds after she was out of sight, he looked at the toy store she and those mothers and daughters had come out of. To his disappointment, it was too late for him to seduce those little brats into making easy wishes through him and put their innocent little souls in the center of his torture chamber. He thought it would've been amusing making a couple of children suffer. This was because both families had now driven away in their respective cars and were long gone. But as he looked back at the store, he could sense there was at least one person in there who was troubled and had a hidden desire.
Good, he thought with glee. Perhaps I will find some prey today after all.
And with that, the djinn went to play with some toys, his kind of toys.
A/N: I deliberately spelled Cornell with a 'K,' because this is a fictional American town I'm writing about, and I'm not sure if I'm going to give it a name or not. If you thought this chapter was too tame, the next one will show the evil djinn at work with his twisted wishes once again, so be patient.