Genie and the Sandman

by Julie Parker

  Chapter Six

  It was too early to grab a pizza in town; besides, I didn’t have any money. I decided to head back to the cottage. On the way I saw Megan, and though I tried to avoid her, she noticed my feeble attempt to hide out.

  “What are you doing in there?” she asked, noticing me crouched down at the bullfrog pond.

  “Oh, just hanging around.” I tried to keep my voice nonchalant.

  “Where’s Logan?” It was more of a demand than a question.

  The frightened look on her face worried me, and I got to my feet in a hurry. “Why? Is something wrong?”

  “Payton! What is the matter with you? I just said goodbye to you guys two days ago. You were supposed to skip town for a while…you know, till the coast was clear.”

  I figured she was concerned about lovesick Callie. “No, it’s okay. I took care of it.”

  “You took care of the feds?”

  “The feds?” Now she was freaking me out.

  “Ah, yeah. How long did you think you could go on granting wishes without someone getting suspicious? Especially since Trent is now home to the largest number of lottery winners in the country.”

  Actually, I had thought on my little jaunts through town that things did seem more prosperous than usual.

  “I have to say, though, this’ll really cut into our earnings. Having to take a week or so off, you know?”

  “Our…earnings?” What was she talking about?

  “I guess someone got pissy about the three-wish limit and tipped them off. What a bunch of ingrates. You can’t please everybody. It’s not your fault if they squander their wishes and ask for something dumb.”

  “Their three wishes?”

  “I’ve saved my last one for something awesome. Don’t know what yet, but I’m sure it will be worth the wait. It’s too bad the wish for three more wishes doesn’t count, eh?”

  So it appeared I was making wishes come true—unlike what Mom had said—and apparently, all over town. Not only that, I was also making money from doing it. Now I was in trouble with the feds. And what about this three wishes only deal? I wanted to ask these questions, but since Megan believed I was her Payton, it would seem strange if I did.

  I got an idea. “Megan, wait. I don’t remember any of this. Not who wished for what, any deals we made, not any of it.” I was certain if she was anything at all like my Megan, I could hand this little dilemma over to her and she could think up an explanation for it.

  She just stared at me for a moment in speculation before her eyes lit up. “Maybe Logan wished your memory away.”

  Good ’ol Megan. “It’s possible. I mean, I remember practically everything else, it’s just the wishing stuff.” I was slightly worried she would run into Callie, so I had to come clean…to a point. “I was so freaked out. I mean, last night I was with Logan, trying to get him to leave, and the next thing you know, he made a wish and I found myself at the cottage in bed.”

  “Last night? But you guys were set to leave two afternoons ago. What happened?”

  “We thought it’d be better to wait ’til night, so we hid out in the tunnel with our stuff. We decided to raid the fridge before we left, and Logan’s mom came home and caught us.”

  “Oh, bummer.”

  “Yeah, I know. She doesn’t like me very much, does she?”

  “It’s not just you, she doesn’t like anybody…except her family, that is. She’s stuck up. I think she’s a businesswoman or something, ‘cause she comes and goes a lot. I’m sure it wasn’t her who turned you in though. She’d never believe in a million years you grant wishes. Most of the people around here don’t. They think it’s all a coincidence. We’re careful who we tell; at least, we were careful. Obviously we misjudged someone and they squealed. Hey, I wonder why Logan would wish your memory away.”

  “To protect me maybe? From the feds?” What Megan had revealed about Logan’s mom could be useful. It may be that here in this world her career didn’t last, whereas in our world, maybe it had. She was still carrying around a briefcase and going on business trips though, so maybe it was something else.

  “When you couldn’t get away, in a last-ditch effort to save you, he probably used a wish to wipe your memory. How noble.”

  “You’d think he’d wish for the town to forget everything instead.”

  “Too big of a wish. I mean, yeah, you can do wishes, but mostly only little ones. That’s how we’ve been able to keep things under wraps. We tried doing big ones, but they didn’t work out. They have to involve only one or two people.”

  “Oh. I didn’t remember that.”

  “Yeah, and even the lottery wins aren’t all that big. Mostly people win thousands, or tens of thousands, sometimes a little more. But nobody’s won a million.”

  I wondered if I would be strong enough to wish us home. I had to get ahold of Logan. If he only got three wishes, I had to make sure he was aware of it and didn’t squander them.

  “That was a dirty trick Callie played, don’t you think? She knows you and Logan like each other. She was just jealous,” Megan said.

  “Oh, don’t worry. I just came from Logan’s place and she was there, hanging all over him. She was talking about wishes, and since I’d already been sent away by Logan’s wish, I kind of figured out what I could do. Anyway, I took a chance and tricked her into undoing her earlier wish. It worked.”

  “So her and Logan aren’t a couple anymore?”

  “No.” I wondered if Megan was as love struck over Kevin in this world as she was in ours. I was anxious to call Logan, or else I would have chatted with her a while longer. “Hey, I’ve got to go, okay?”

  “What are you gonna do about the feds?”

  “Avoid them.” I walked back out to the roadway and began to jog towards the cottage.

  I could hear Megan shout out behind me, “If you get caught, don’t mention my name, okay?”

  “Yeah,” I yelled over my shoulder. Megan didn’t follow me and I was relieved. It was great to see her, even if she wasn’t my Megan. She made me homesick though, and anxious to leave. Once I informed Logan the feds were after me, he would have to realize we had to leave…now.

  I raced up before my cottage and stopped dead in my tracks. A sleek black car was in the driveway that had not been there earlier. Fearing it was the feds, I ducked behind a tree to keep out of sight. I couldn’t see anyone outside, so I surmised they were inside with Mom. They had probably woken her up. Boy, would she be mad. Hopefully she’d give them an earful and send them on their way. She didn’t think I could grant wishes anymore, so she would be able to deny everything. I didn’t want to take the chance of waiting around for them to leave; I had to get to Logan. Somehow, someway, I had to reach him and make him understand what kind of danger I was in.

  I decided to go back. Maybe I could catch Megan and get her to go to Logan and explain things to him. It was the only chance I had. I raced toward the pond, but Megan was nowhere in sight. I thought maybe she had decided to walk into town so, puffing hard, I continued onward. By the time I came upon Logan’s street I was walking. I couldn’t run anymore. A terrible stitch ached in my side, and if I didn’t slow down I feared I would keel over.

  Megan might have gone to Logan’s, or she might have headed directly into town. The pizza place should have opened up by now, and it was one of my Megan’s favorite haunts, so I decided to try it first. If she wasn’t there, I would take the creek to the back of Logan’s place and see if she was there. If worst came to worst, I could go into the tunnel and hide out till the coast was clear. The feds would probably leave if they couldn’t find me. I wasn’t sure if they’d go after Megan, or even Logan. Megan had been concerned, but not too much. After all, she wasn’t really the one they were after. And my Logan didn’t know what was going on at all. If only I knew what had been said about us…. Were the fed’s more miffed about the wishes being granted, or was it that we were profiting from it? Perhaps they wanted to capture me and use me for experi
ments.

  The pizza place came into view. Being the summer, there was a small crowd already forming out front. Mostly teenagers, but some older folks as well. I tried to see if Megan was milling about, but I couldn’t spot her from where I stood. I took a deep breath and got a little closer. It worried me that my accuser might be close by and would contact the authorities; still, there was no help for it. A couple of people gave me knowing winks as I made my way through the throng. A few said “Hi” and “How’s it going?” but no one impeded my path. After all that, Megan wasn’t inside. I guess I could have asked someone if they’d seen her, but I was reluctant to start any conversations. I wound my way back outside.

  Now to plan B: check for her at Logan’s place. I decided to take the long route to the creek, cruising through town before heading back up, just in case she was still around. That way I could cover more ground in my search.

  I’d all but given up when I finally spotted her coming out of a trendy little clothing shop.

  “Megan,” I hollered, catching her attention. She waved at me and I started to jog toward her with renewed energy. When I was about ten feet away I said, “I need you to go to Logan’s for me.”

  “Logan?”

  “Yeah. Can you go over there and…?” I gasped when he suddenly stepped out of the store right behind her.

  His eyes bulged wide in shock as he saw me. “You can’t be here.”

  I barely heard his words, for suddenly everything went black and I had that flying feeling come over me again. Moments later I was deposited neatly on my bed with a little bounce.

  “Not again.” I quickly swung my feet over the side of the bed and darted for my bedroom door, determined to run back into town.

  I opened my door and ran…right into the barrel chest of the fed who stood there.

  Chapter Seven

  As the two men escorted me outside to their car, Mom did her best to intercede for me. I had to give her credit. She begged, pummeled, swore, and threatened, all to no avail. When one of the men, eying her bleary eyed, disheveled, hung-over state, threatened to notify child services, she closed her mouth in a hurry.

  I was afraid for her, so I didn’t put up much of a fuss. The journey from my room to the car was mostly spent reassuring her I would be all right. After all, I was with the authorities. It wasn’t like they were evil Sir Gregor or Lord Nelson. Now, those were men to be feared. As soon as the nice, giant fellows realized they had made a mistake—I couldn’t possibly grant wishes, how crazy would that be?—they’d let me go. Right?

  Anyhow, I didn’t know anything. Not really. Let them bring on their lie detectors, bring out the thumb screws, bring out the rack—I’m kidding—there wasn’t any funny business going on here, not with me. I hadn’t scammed the town of Trent with promises of grandeur. That had been the other Payton. And she was long gone. The only frightening thing was my inability to stop myself from performing if someone decided to make a wish. If they did, my goose would be cooked.

  Hunkered down in the backseat of the black sedan, I eyed the two bulking, black-suited bullies who sat up front. I wasn’t sure if I felt comforted by the fact they didn’t appear to be the wishing type. They looked to be more of the get down to business type.

  “Where are you taking me?” My voice sounded tiny and frightened…perfect. After a moment or two I realized they weren’t going to talk to me.

  “Am I under arrest? ‘Cause if I am, I haven’t been read my rights,” I tried again. This only earned me a grunt from the fellow on the passenger side. So much for playing meek, frightened girl. Maybe angry girl would get a response. “Fine then. If you don’t have to talk then neither do I. I’ll be quiet as a mouse. You won’t hear a peep from me. Not one. Nope. Not one single, solitary, little, minuscule—”

  “Shut your trap, kid,” the driver snapped.

  “That isn’t very nice. Is that how you talk to people you throw into your car without even reading them—?”

  “I said, shut, your, trap.”

  He glared at me in the rearview mirror, and I was tempted to stick my tongue out at him. I wasn’t sure goading them was the way to go, though. If I pushed too far they just might keep me up all night beneath the bright, glaring light of a single bulb swaying precariously from the ceiling of a small concrete room. Who knew what secrets I might reveal then?

  We passed through Trent and kept going, finally turning off onto a narrow, gravel road that appeared long forgotten. Before I could begin another tirade of questions, we pulled up before an old dilapidated wood cabin. Overgrown trees and bushes nestled the house so completely it was barely visible. Little pine trees had sprouted up on the driveway, and stood high enough to see at eye level through the windows of the backseat.

  The men climbed out of the car, and the guy from the passenger side opened my door and gestured for me to come out. I did so, but warily. All the while my eyes darted around, searching for an escape route. The giant must have seen my shifty gaze and guessed my intent, because he latched on to my arm and held me firmly. He pulled me towards the cabin, my dragging footsteps futile against his strength.

  A huge maple tree stood directly in front of the structure, another close off to the side. The protection those two grand guardians provided was probably the reason the place remained standing. Dead, dried up, crinkly leaves from seasons past littered the front lawn. More leaves had blown across wide wooden planks that rested on the ground before the door, serving as the front porch. Boarded up on the second floor were two windows; a narrow doorway led to a walkout rooftop overhanging the front of the house. Crooked tree trunks served as pillars on which the overhang rested. The house may have been quite charming in another lifetime, but now it was nothing more than a sad shell, an echo from the past.

  My silence could be contained no longer. “Why did you bring me here?”

  There was a small jailhouse in Trent, which I had figured we’d go to. When they’d passed it by I thought they instead may be taking me to a larger town, someplace an FBI headquarters might be. Why we were suddenly stopped in the middle of nowhere was a mystery. My question, of course, was ignored.

  I was led across the porch to the front door, which was centered between two large windows. The driver searched through the pocket of his suit jacket and pulled out a key. He unlocked the door and stood back, allowing us to precede him.

  “They keep this place locked? Why?” I couldn’t help but scoff. Before I could protest, I was pushed inside. I stumbled and almost fell to the floor. I regained my footing and drilled the fed with a nasty stare. “Easy, buddy!”

  The two of them stepped inside the foyer and shut the door, turning the lock with a resounding click. Across from the entrance, about ten feet away, was a wooden staircase. Facing the stairs, I noticed rooms directly on either side of me. The staircase was freestanding, and a hallway reached around either side of the base of it and beyond to what appeared to be two or more rooms. The floor was wooden and had a bunch of old fashioned throw rugs scattered upon it. Everything was dusty, and the smell reminded me of the lost tunnel beneath Logan’s house; quiet as a tomb, and creepy. I wouldn’t have been surprised if a ghost suddenly glided down the stairway and yelled “Boo” in our faces.

  “Upstairs,” the driver said to me. I had no choice but to go up to the second floor. All the while I wracked my brain, wondering what was happening. What did these men want? I couldn’t help but tremble a little. They were big guys. Federal agents—supposedly—yet, where was their proof? I hadn’t seen any badges. Maybe Mom had, but they could have flashed her a shiny plastic Lone Ranger badge and she probably would have bought it. Megan said they were in town because of the wishing stuff. So why bring me out here for questioning? Why all the secrecy? Visions of a beating with a rubber hose flashed in my mind. How far would they be willing to go to get the truth out of me? And how long could I hold out before I spilled my guts…literally?

  At the top of the stairs I paused and took a deep breath. There wa
s a decent sized landing and five doors—all closed tight—leading who knew where. I figured bedrooms, a bathroom, and the narrow door was probably a linen closet. The man opened a door and said, “Get in.” I stepped inside. As the fed pulled the door shut and locked it from the outside, I noticed I was in an old bedroom. Relief washed over me. I’d been granted a slight reprieve, it seemed. Maybe they thought to put me on ice for a while, let me stew in my own juices till I bubbled over with fear.

  I tried the light switch but it didn’t work. Since it was barely after noon, daylight peeked past the half-drawn drapes hanging from two windows. Once the sun set I would be in darkness. An ancient queen-sized bed sat against one wall, a trunk resting at the foot of it, and an end table to one side. A tall dresser and what looked like a make-up table with an old chair before it completed the furnishings. I immediately went to the first window and looked down. It was a steep drop from the side of the house, but the front window looked out over the walkout I had noticed upon arrival. The room beside this one was probably the master, and would have the door that led outside.

  I put my ear against the bedroom door for several minutes, listening to the men below. When all grew silent I felt safe sliding the window up high enough to escape out of. The condition of the rooftop, however, made me pause. Upon closer inspection I saw that if I were to step out, I’d probably fall right though. Perhaps the feds weren’t so dumb after all.

  When I heard an engine start up, I moved out of sight of the window but peeked around the curtain, and saw the sedan was pulling out. From where I stood, I couldn’t tell if both of the men were in it, or only one of them. The little make-up table had two drawers, and I rummaged through both until I found what I needed. Stealthily I walked back to the door, armed with a paperclip and a bobby pin, and began to work on the lock.