Chapter 7: Revelation of the Djiniri

David found himself within a dark blue room of some sort. The walls and ceiling looked like carved crystal, and the floor was smooth to the touch of his shoes. Despite the cool color, the room was strangely warm, not unbearably so, just enough to make one feel like sweating a bit. Before long he spotted what must have been a throne in one part of the room, and the djiniri sat on it reverently.

"Where-where are we?" he asked.

"We are within the sapphire," said Victoria, "You wished to know what I am, did you not?"

"Yes, I did," said David.

"Then I will tell you," she said, "and look around to see the other sights there are to see in this cell as I do."

David started to look around, and he saw images reflected off the crystal walls. He saw injured Rachel getting healed of her injuries, only to be lost to the power of the other djinn. He saw the bum, Mark, whipping out his gun and murdering the pharmacist and being carted off to jail. He could feel the misery and guilt of Mark brought on by his abuse of a righteous djiniri's powers. He saw the nice children with their new toys laughing and playing with Rex and Trixie, riding a bike, and enjoying a family-friendly computer animated movie dedicated to toys. Then things started to go farther back in time, and he saw pictures of Persian warriors slaying presumed enemies, and of a light show filled with spirits that looked rather familiar to him.

The djiniri began to speak. "I am the one who is there to save the troubled and condemn the impure. I am the one with the power to give people wondrous dreams of passion and pride. I am the one who glorifies the good and cleanses the evil, who eradicates all that is ugly and corrupt and purifies all that is loving and happy. I AM HOPE, AND LIGHT."

David was speechless for the first time in a long time in his life. Never in his wildest dreams had he ever borne witness to such purity and power. He stared at Victoria again and his knees began to knock. He felt so dirty next to this hallowed creature.

And then, as suddenly as it had started, it was over. David was once again on the deck in his house with the mysterious djiniri standing nearby. His legs gave out beneath him and he fell on the floor.

Victoria pulled him to his feet. "Are you all right, David?" she asked with a kindness he wasn't expecting.

He looked into her brown eyes as he rose up. They were as deep as wells, yet as twinkly as stars. For the first time since seeing her in the gem, he could sense that this was a creature that not only could be trusted, but meant well for everyone she met, including him and probably also his sister.

Feeling like a rat, David awkwardly bowed to her. "It's an honor to meet you, holy one," he said, not sure of what else to say.

"No, you do not bow to me," she corrected gently, "You are the Waker, and I am the djiniri, or genie, as your culture calls us. Now, I would like you to make your 'official' three wishes before too much more time is lost."

David looked lost. "But what could I wish for? I know you gave me a few examples just a few minutes ago, but what would I possibly get that wouldn't have any bad effects on me or those around me?"

"Think about it carefully," she said, "and word your wishes carefully, too. Better clarity makes for better results. But I can tell you now that I was speaking for myself and not your father when I said that those glasses must be terribly uncomfortable. And a strange feeling I can't quite identify tells me you would look better to the people around you without them."

David wondered what she meant by that "strange feeling," but he admitted, "Well, that's true, yes, these glasses bother me sometimes, especially when they hold heat in my face in hot weather and make me even hotter than I need to be."

"Well, maybe you want to make that your first wish," said Victoria, "Choose something, but choose it soon."

David imagined what it might be like to be without glasses and be able to see perfectly without them. He imagined more women being attracted to him as well, and suddenly he saw himself in the arms of a woman whose face he couldn't see, and whose voice he couldn't hear. He looked straight at the djiniri and asked, "I wish for my eyesight to be a perfect 20/20, so I don't have to wear glasses, or contact lenses, ever again."

Victoria smiled. "Done."

David's eyes suddenly seemed to cloud up and go fuzzy. At least that was the initial feeling. "Hey," he protested, "What did you do to me? My eyesight is worse now, not better!"

"That's because you are still wearing your glasses," said the djiniri calmly, "Take them off and see for yourself."

David removed his glasses and realized in a second that everything around him was perfectly clear and sharp, maybe even more so than when he wore his glasses. Perfectly amazed, he looked at her again, and saw that her beauty was even greater now than it was before. Putting aside the glasses, he profusely thanked the djiniri for her generosity.

"It is no problem," the djiniri said kindly, "I said I can grant anything, and I meant it. But every wish comes with a price, as I hope you know, and this wish is no exception."

David looked at her with nervousness again. "What sort of price?" he asked.

"Well, you will have to tell everyone who knows you how it is that you happen to see much better than you previously did, and without your glasses," she replied, "I'm certain your father will want to know, as well as your sister."

"But what will I say?" asked David, "That a genie improved my eyesight? Kristine would believe me, but my dad initially wouldn't, and then he'd find out that sis and I had tampered with his archaeological findings, and he'd be horribly mad. We might even be committed to a madhouse!"

"One of my previous wishers already knows how that feels," said Victoria in irony, "You'll just have to either hope for the best or tell a lie or two. Or, you could wish for the world's understanding."

"Oh, no," David said promptly, "I can't do that. This is my problem. I can handle it. And I don't want to waste my other two wishes, either. I need to be careful what I wish for."

Victoria looked both sad and proud. "That will delay the prophecy for a while, I'm afraid, but I am glad you are wise with your wishes. The people of this age are far too careless with their wishing from what I have heard."

"The prophecy," David muttered, "That reminds me, I need to ask: Why is it so vital that you fulfill this prophecy? It doesn't sound like a good thing at all to me."

Now Victoria blinked, something she didn't do very often. "Why not?" she asked. "The Earth is in desperate need of being purified of the ugliness and evils that pollute its surface all over. Would you not like to have a Utopian world like God originally intended the Earth to be, free of all wars, problems and troubles?"

"Well, that does sound good," admitted David, "But the world has plenty of corrupt people who are in desperate need or desperate desire for redemption, not cleansing. If you wipe out all the people who are only partly corrupt but redeemable, you'll be doing a terrible disservice to the world! That's probably the reason Zoroaster locked you in that gem in the first place, as well as the evil djinn in the fire opal."

"I cannot believe this!" exclaimed Victoria, looking dismayed, "I have a mission and a prophecy of the utmost holiness to fulfill, and my Waker who must help me fulfill the prophecy is talking about sparing the corrupt in order to help them? That is so like a human to think of things like this! Do you not even care about what I stand for, human?"

"Well, to be perfectly honest," said David, "I care more about you, Victoria."

Victoria reacted in surprise. "What? Why would a human have personal feelings for me?"

"It's quite simple," said David, "I feel sorry for you, Victoria, and maybe just a little for the evil djinn, too. Your only purpose in life is to be an immortal spirit, forever languishing in a void between the worlds, granting wishes, or purifying the Earth. You don't cherish the treasures of the mortals at all. You understand compassion for people in need, but you don't feel any intimate love with anyone, or feel the joy of lovemaking, or even the simple act of kissing and holding hands. You certainly don't know what it's like to have a family and have many people around you who love you for who you are. And the evil djinn, as horrible as he is, is also bound to grant wishes and is only interested in ravaging the world and destroying humanity."

Victoria was silent for several long moments. David could sense somehow, possibly by their connection between the Waker and the djiniri, that she was in some sort of inner conflict, torn between her duty and an offer to experience another way of living. She finally shook her head and said, "No! I cannot waste time with those things! I am a djiniri, and it is my duty to bring about the Day of Purification!"

David looked sad. He wasn't ready to admit it yet, but he found himself falling in love with this beautiful creature. She was so strong, so supple, and so sexy, and he had fallen even more in love with her immortal soul. He wondered if it was forbidden for humans and djiniri to have relationships. Probably, he thought. I could never hope to make an all-powerful being fall in love with me, even after wishing my glasses away.

As if to break the tension, they suddenly heard a scream from within the house. It came from Kristine's room.

"Krissy!" said David. "Wait here!" he said to Victoria, "I'll be right back!"

"No," said the djiniri, "I'm coming with you."

"But dad might see or hear you!" David objected.

"He is still under my sleep enchantment," said Victoria, "I am certain the screaming didn't awaken him. Besides, your sister has to know of my existence and my benevolence as well as you do, David."

"Oh, all right," said David, "But be careful what you say and do!" They ran down the hall and into Kristine's room. She was sitting up in bed, wide-awake. She was sweaty again, and she hugged the bedsheets to her chest.

"Krissy," said David, "Was it another nightmare?"

"How did you guess?" she said sarcastically, "I don't think I'll ever get a good night's sleep again at this rate." Then she noticed Victoria and the blue light that shone through her. David took note of the fact that she had reassumed her human form, which was equally as lovely as her true form.

"Aaahh!" Kristine cried in alarm at the sight of the djiniri and the light around her. "Wait," she asked when she had calmed down, "Are you the djiniri who came out of the sapphire?"

Victoria smiled politely. "Yes dear, I am."

"It's all right, Krissy," said David, "This djinn is a friend, not like the one you've been seeing."

Kristine sized her up and down. "Are you sure?" she asked cautiously.

"Of course I'm sure," said David, "I used a free wish to find out what her countenance is."

"A free wish? Then you've started wishing? Why aren't you wearing your glasses, by the way?"

"I wished for perfect vision so I wouldn't have to wear them anymore," said David.

"You wished for that?" exclaimed Kristine. "Are you out of your mind? We can't afford to offer wishes to these djinn! They have terrible intentions for our world, remember?"

"Not this one," said David, "At least, it's because I'm going to be very careful with my remaining wishes. Relax, Krissy, I know what I'm doing. I think Victoria here can also help us defeat the evil djinn who's been troubling you."

"It has been a very long time since I was last in combat against an evil djinn," said Victoria uncertainly, "But I am still mighty powerful, and I will help you two in any way I can, and not just through wishes, if that is possible."

Kristine sighed with her own uncertainty. "All right, if you say so," she said, "You always win our arguments, David, and I'm getting tired of it. But I'll let this glowing lady help us if she's sincere."

"Thank you," said Victoria, "I do not blame you for not trusting me, young Kristine. The sorcerer, Zoroaster, trusted me even less than you do. But I am glad you're giving me a chance."

"We could use a few more answers about the evil djinn right now," reasoned David. "Kristine, when you have a chance tomorrow, could you see Dr. Marcus Jones again? We need a little more to go on about the evil djinn. I'm sure Victoria can tell us some things about him too, but I want to hear the point of view of folklore also, if we can."

"You can count on me, bro," Kristine said sleepily.

"Thank you," said David, "Now I'd suggest you and I get back to sleep and Victoria leave this house and this property before her slumber spell wears off and dad wakes up again. If he sees this, we'll have a lot of explaining to do."

"Agreed," said Kristine, "Though I'm not sure if I'll stay asleep this time, either." Victoria nodded sagely. "I can come and go as I please," she said, "Do not worry about me."

In a moment, Victoria discreetly slipped out of the house as if she had never been there. Kristine and David went back to bed at once.

But Kristine wasn't the only one who had trouble sleeping the rest of the night. David was thinking about the djiniri, how beautiful she had been, in mind, heart and body, and about his sympathy for her enslavement to the void between the worlds. He even spent a little while massaging his member as he imagined her in bed with him in her human form.