“That bowing and stuff—is that all part of what genies do?” Ali asked. “It doesn't look very comfortable.”
“Of course!” said Little Genie, looking surprised. “We learned that in Traditional Manners. I didn't miss all my lessons, you know. Now, what do you want for your first wish?”
“My first wish?” Ali repeated.
“Are you thicker than a five-dollar malt? Your first wish,” Little Genie said slowly. “Don't you know anything about genies? You know, three wishes and all that?”
Ali didn't know what to say Maybe she was thicker than a five-dollar malt. “Are you sure you weren't expelled before Traditional Manners?” she said finally.
She watched as Little Genie's pink cheeks pinkened even more. “Scratch that. Let me start over O Lord and Master, for you I will capture the stars and harness the winds from the four corners of the earth. Your wish is my command.” She bowed. “How did that sound?”
“Um, great,” Ali said. “So, can I have my first wish right now?” Even though she still wasn't sure this was really happening, excitement bubbled inside her like cream soda.
Little Genie beamed. She gave a little dance of delight. “Yes indeed! Go right ahead. Oh, this is so exciting. After all those years, I finally get to do my first wish! Quick, think of something!”
This was the biggest moment of Ali's nine-year-old life, and she couldn't think of a single thing. She and Mary had sometimes talked about the things they would wish for. But right now, Ali's mind had gone totally blank.
Then, out of the corner of her eye, she noticed one of her magazines lying open on her pillow. She could see an advertisement for Tiger Chocolate, with a cute purple-striped cartoon tiger sitting on a chocolate bar.
“I want a tiger,” Ali blurted out. “That's my wish.” If Little Genie could make that wish come true, Ali told herself, then she would really and truly believe that she had her very own genie.
Little Genie raised her eyebrows. “Are you sure?” she asked skeptically. Her ponytail whizzed up and formed a question mark “A real tiger?”
“Sure I'm sure.” Ali grabbed the magazine and held the picture up. “Oh, maybe you don't have tigers where you come from. You do know what a tiger is, don't you, Genie?”
“Of course I do!” Genie looked hurt for a moment. Then she frowned, screwing her whole face up with concentration. She took a deep breath and snapped her fingers.
More smoke filled the room. It was lilac-colored this time, and even thicker than before. Ali began to cough. She could hear Genie coughing too. Smoke billowed all around them in great clouds, and Ali couldn't see a thing.
But she could hear something.
A loud roar, ringing around the room.
It was the roar of a wild animal.
A tiger.
“Help!” Little Genie wailed, clutching wildly at Ali. “It's a tiger!”
“I know!” Ali gasped. What had she done? She couldn't keep a real live tiger in her bedroom. Would it try to eat her? And what on earth would her mom say? “You're the genie—do something!”
The lilac smoke was beginning to drift away. Ali and Little Genie backed into a corner, still clinging to each other.
“What's that noise?” Ali whispered.
“It's my teeth chattering!” Little Genie whispered back.
They both jumped as another loud roar echoed round the room.
“Can't you get rid of it?” Ali asked desperately An idea popped into her head, and she turned to Genie. “I want another wish,” she said firmly. “My second wish is to get rid of that tiger!”
“It's not as simple as that.” Little Genie let go of Ali as the last puff of smoke disappeared. “Look!”
Ali braced herself for a huge orange tiger with black stripes, ferocious eyes, and sharp teeth.
She blinked hard. There, sitting on her bedside rug, was a tiny, lilac-striped tiger. He was no bigger than a kitten, and his fur was thick and fluffy. He stared curiously at Ali and Genie; then he opened his mouth and let out another earsplitting roar Ali couldn't help wondering how such a little thing could make so much noise! But she couldn't possibly be scared of him.
“It's the tiger from the chocolate-bar advertisement,” Little Genie said, beaming with relief. She pointed to the magazine on Ali's pillow. There was now a blank tiger shape in the chocolate ad. “My spell worked on the first try! He's cute, isn't he?”
“Well, he's certainly not what I expected.” Ali smiled. But this proved it. Little Genie was the real thing!
Ali and Genie went over to the little purple tiger He jumped to his feet and stood with his head cocked to one side, watching them.
“Good boy,” Genie said as she bent down and patted the tiger Ali did the same. It was like stroking a very soft kitten.
The tiger looked delighted. He rubbed his furry head against their hands, just like a kitten, and licked their fingers with his pink tongue.
“Well, your first wish didn't turn out too badly, did it, Ali?” said Little Genie, looking very pleased with herself.
“He is gorgeous,” Ali admitted. The tiger was rolling over on the rug to have his lilac tummy tickled. “But I don't think my mom will let me keep him. She wouldn't even let me bring the school hamster home during vacation.” She sighed. “I still think my second wish has got to be to make the tiger disappear.”
“Oh no.” Little Genie shook her head, her ponytail bobbing madly. “I can't do that.”
“Why not?” Ali asked, surprised. “You said I could have three wishes.”
“Yes, but there are wish rules,” Little Genie said firmly, folding her arms.
“What rules?” Ali demanded.
“You can't unwish any of your wishes. So you can't wish the tiger away again.”
Then Little Genie pointed to her wrist. She wore a gold watch in the shape of an hourglass. It was filled with sparkling pink sand.
“See the sand running through the hourglass?” Little Genie asked.
Ali peered at the watch. Sure enough, the pink sand was trickling through the hourglass very, very slowly, one grain at a time.
“You get three wishes in the time the sand takes to travel through the hourglass,” Little Genie explained. “And whatever you wish for lasts for the same amount of time.”
“How long will that be?” Ali gasped as she watched a single glistening grain of sand fall to the bottom of the hourglass. At this rate, the tiger was going to be here forever!
“Who knows?” Little Genie replied breezily “Genie hours can last for days or even weeks. You can never tell how long they're going to be.”
“That's just great,” Ali muttered. It looked as if having wishes was going to be more complicated than she'd thought!
“That's magic, actually,” Little Genie corrected her.
“Is there anything else I should know?” Ali asked, frowning.
“You can't tell anyone about me,” Little Genie replied. “And I mean anyone.” She shivered, looking scared. “If you do, I'll lose all my powers and be shut up in the lamp forever.”
“Not even my best friend?” Ali asked, thinking of Mary.
“Nope.”
Ali bit her lip. There was no way she wanted Little Genie to lose all her powers and be a prisoner in the lamp. “Don't worry, I won't tell anyone,” she promised. She stared at the tiger which was padding around her bedroom, sniffing the furniture. He seemed quite happy exploring his new home. It looked as if he was there to stay—for a while, anyway. And he was very cute. She'd just have to try to keep him hidden from her mom.
“At least he's being quiet now,” Ali said.
The tiger bounded into the middle of the room and gave another enormous roar.
“Um, maybe not,” Ali said, wincing.
“He might be telling us he's hungry,” Little Genie suggested.
“Well, he could do it a bit more quietly!” Ali stage-whispered. Then she gasped as she heard footsteps on the stairs. “Oh no! My mom's coming! Quick! Gra
b the tiger!”
Little Genie lunged and missed as the tiger bounced off across the room. Ali rushed after him too and almost caught him, her fingers brushing against his furry body, but at the last moment he jumped out of Ali's way, and she tumbled onto the bed. The tiger shot off and hid under the desk, where he peeped out at them, purring happily. He clearly thought this was a great game.
“Here, boy!” Little Genie called, bending down and waggling her fingers at him. “Good tiger!”
The tiger looked up at them, his eyes bright with mischief and his tail swishing from side to side. He dashed out from under the desk and headed for the door This time Little Genie was ready for him. She threw herself full-length on the floor like a goalkeeper and grabbed him.
“Let's hide him in my bed!” Ali puffed.
Quickly they lifted the duvet and slipped the tiny tiger underneath. The tiger seemed quite pleased to have found such a soft, warm bed. He snuggled down quietly curling his lilac tail around him.
“Thank goodness!” Little Genie sighed.
“But what about you?” Ali squeaked. Her mom was right outside the door!
“What?” Genie looked puzzled.
Hide! Ali mouthed at her as the door handle began to turn.
“Oh yes! Sorry!” And Little Genie vanished with a faint pop.
“Ali, what on earth is all that noise?” Mom said.
“What noise?” Ali asked, looking as innocent as she could.
“All that roaring.” Her mom came into the room and looked around. “You must have heard it.”
“Oh, that noise,” Ali said, thinking fast. “It was probably Mrs. Carter watching TV next door You know how much she likes those animal shows.” She tried hard not to look at the small lump under the duvet.
“Well, let's hope she changes the channel,” Mom said, shaking her head. “It sounded as if there was a wild animal in here!”
Ali smiled weakly as her mom went out. She sat down on the bed, her knees wobbly with relief.
“Well, we got away with that, didn't we?” Little Genie piped up, reappearing on the bed right next to her.
Ali jumped. “Only just!” she said, wondering how long she could fool her mom. And Bulldozer—what would he do if he saw Little Genie? She didn't even want to think about it.
Ali pulled back the duvet and lifted the sleepy tiger onto her lap. “We'll have to find somewhere for him to sleep tonight, Genie.”
Little Genie glanced around. “What about in here?” she suggested, bouncing across the room toward Ali's dresser She opened the top drawer and grinned at Ali. “This is perfect!” She pulled out a handful of Ali's socks. “The tiger will be snug as a bug in a rug in here.”
“Let's see if he likes it,” Ali said. She scooped the tiger up and carried him over, placing him gently inside.
“He'll feel at home with all those striped socks!” Little Genie laughed.
With a tiny purr, the tiger curled up on a pile of socks, tucking his paws neatly under his chin. When Ali reached out to stroke his head, he nibbled gently on her fingers.
“Do you think he's hungry?” Ali asked, feeling worried. If the tiger was staying for a while, she wanted to look after him properly.
“Probably,” Genie agreed. “Maybe we'd better feed him.”
“I'm not sure what magic tigers eat,” Ali said doubtfully. “But I'll go and see what we've got.”
She hurried downstairs. Luckily, her mom was on the phone, so Ali was able to rummage in the fridge without having to answer any awkward questions.
“I wonder if he'll like this,” Ali muttered as she picked up a plate of leftover lasagna. Looking after the tiger was almost like having her own pet, she thought with a grin. It was too bad she couldn't show him to anybody.
“I've got lasagna, bread and butter, lettuce, and ham,” Ali announced as she entered her bedroom with a full plate. “Oh, and some cheese.”
Genie was sitting on the bed with the tiger on her lap, tickling his chin. “Let's try the ham first,” she suggested.
Ali held out a tiny piece to the little tiger He sniffed at it, his whiskers twitching. Then he licked it with his pink tongue. He opened his mouth as if he was going to take an enormous bite, but then his head drooped and he turned away. He also refused the lasagna, the bread, and the lettuce. When Ali offered him the cheese, he let out a mournful roar and hid under the duvet, leaving just his tail sticking out.
“He doesn't like any of it,” Ali said, dismayed. “What are we going to do, Genie?”
“We'll just have to keep trying,” Genie replied. “There must be something he likes. And we have to find out, because he could be here for quite a while.”
They both stared at the hourglass on Genie's wrist. Hardly any sand had trickled through at all. Ali couldn't help feeling worried about her tiny new pet. Was she really going to be able to keep him hidden from her family until the hourglass ran out?
“What's that?” Ali muttered sleepily She was lying in bed, and something was tickling her nose. She opened her eyes. Morning sunshine was streaming in through the bedroom windows. The purple tiger was sitting on her pillow, swishing his tail from side to side and purring loudly.
“Isn't he sweet?” Little Genie's head popped out of the open sock drawer. She had shrunk down to lamp size again and was wearing a pair of bright pink pajamas.
“What are you doing in there?” Ali yawned. “I thought you slept in your lamp.”
“I do.” Little Genie hooked one of Ali's long striped socks around the drawer knob, grabbed it, and swung herself down to the ground. She snapped her fingers and immediately shot up to full size. “But I heard the tiger whimpering in the night, so I got into the sock drawer to keep him company. I think he was a bit lonely.”
“He seems all right now,” Ali said, tickling the tiger's soft little ears. He started chewing on a corner of Ali's pillow.
“Hey, don't do that!” Ali scolded. The pillowcase was printed with pictures of BoyFrenzy. She tugged it gently from the tiger's mouth. “You can't eat that.”
The tiger jumped off Ali's bed, landing neatly on all four paws. He let out a roar
Ali clapped her hands over her ears. “We have to keep him quiet,” she said as the tiger bounced over to Genie and rubbed his head against her ankles. “Bulldozer's probably watching cartoons, so he won't hear us, but my parents like to sleep in on Sunday mornings.” She thought for a moment. “Maybe we should take him outside.”
Little Genie looked thrilled. “That's a fab idea, Ali!” she cried. “Come on, what are we waiting for? Let's get ready!” She twirled around, her ponytail flying. There was a flash of blue smoke, and Genie's pajamas changed to sparkly blue pants and a matching halter.
Ali quickly pulled on a pair of shorts and a short-sleeved shirt and slipped on her sandals. Then she picked up the tiger and tucked him under one arm. He wriggled a bit but calmed down when Ali stroked him.
“You'll have to make yourself tiny,” she reminded Little Genie. “Or the neighbors will get a big surprise!”
“You could say I'm a friend who's staying with you,” Genie suggested, twirling her ponytail.
“No way,” Ali said firmly. “What if they ask my parents about you? How will I explain that?”
Genie nodded and snapped her fingers. With a faint whoosh, she quickly shrank until she was lamp size again, about as tall as a pencil.
Ali picked her up and put her in her shirt pocket. “Shhh.” She put a finger to her lips as she opened the bedroom door No sign of Bulldozer “Don't make a sound.”
“Okay,” said Little Genie, wriggling farther down in Ali's pocket. Then she gave a yelp. “Ow!”
“Quiet!” Ali shushed.
“Sorry I got my hair caught on a button,” Little Genie whispered.
Hardly daring to breathe, Ali crept past her parents' bedroom door She tiptoed downstairs, trying to stop the tiger from wriggling out from under her arm. He was sniffing the air and getting very excited.
As quietly as she could, she crept past the hallway that led to the den. She could hear crazy cartoon laughing coming from inside.
Ali heaved a sigh of relief as they reached the kitchen. She unlocked the back door and went into the yard. A large white fence encircled the property.
Little Genie popped her head out of Ali's pocket. “Ooh, look!” she shouted, pointing at the stone birdbath in the middle of the lawn. “A swimming pool!”
Ali bent down and let Little Genie climb out of her pocket and onto the edge of the birdbath. Luckily her dad kept it very clean. Genie rolled up the legs of her silk pants and began splashing her toes in the water Ali put the tiger down on the grass and watched him race off into the bushes, his little paws a purple blur.
“Hello, Ali,” called a voice from the other side of the fence.
“Oh no!” Ali gasped. She hadn't noticed their next-door neighbor, Mrs. Carter, hanging out her washing on the clothesline. Genie was still splashing around in the birdbath, singing to herself. Ali hoped Mrs. Carter couldn't hear her.
“Hello, Mrs. Carter,” she called back, trying to sound normal. “How's Marmalade?” Marmalade was Mrs. Carter's ginger cat. He was very beautiful, with bright gold and orange stripes, but he was the most timid cat Ali had ever met. Sometimes he even seemed to be scared of his own shadow!
“He's fine,” replied Mrs. Carter, pinning a towel to the line. “At least, he would be if the other cats didn't keep bullying him!”
Ali nodded. She'd often seen Marmalade being chased around his own yard by the neighbors' cats.
“Poor Marmalade's stuck in the house,” Mrs. Carter went on. “I think he's too scared to come outside. I don't know what I'm going to do.”
A loud purring sound made Ali jump. The tiger! She'd almost forgotten. He was rolling about on the grass, enjoying the sunshine. Luckily, Mrs. Carter was too busy with her washing to notice him. She was trying to hang a big white sheet on the line, but the breeze kept flapping it in her face and wrapping it round her legs.
Make a Wish! Page 2