your time kid. Trust me, I’m in no hurry to get stuffed back into the pot.”
“I want my parents to do everything I tell them.”
The Genie shook his head. “You might want to reconsider. That might not work out as well as you think it will.”
Jacob ignored him. “I just have to say I wish, right?”
“Yeah, but…”
“I wish my parents would do everything I tell them.” Jacob demanded.
“Oh no. Well, too late now. Here we go.” The Genie stood with his arms folded over his chest. He nodded his head in a quick motion and the room filled with a puff of smoke and then evaporated.
“Did it work?” Jacob asked.
The Genie said wearily, “Go see for yourself kid.”
Jacob booked down the stairs anxious to see if his wish came true. The first person he ran into was his mother. She was cooking breakfast at the stove. It smelled of bacon and eggs. Jacob was tired of bacon and eggs; he wanted ice cream for breakfast.
“Mom, I want a big bowl of vanilla ice cream with chocolate syrup for breakfast.” He demanded, expecting to get yelled at.
“Okay, honey.” She began to dig in the freezer.
Jacob was stunned. He couldn’t believe it. There she was, scooping out big globs of ice cream and putting it into a bowl with syrup, and she even topped it off with a cherry. Jacob’s father came strolling in while he was indulging in his treat and asked what the deal was with letting him have ice cream for breakfast?
“That’s what he wanted.” His mother responded.
“Oh, I guess that’s fine then.” He walked out of the kitchen whistling with a newspaper under his arm.
Jacob was amazed. He finished his last bite and instructed his mother to put his bowl in the sink. She did so without argument. He moved to the living room to try his new power on his dad.
“Hey dad, I want to go to the store to get an x-box 360. Will you take me?”
“Son, I gotta go to work in a half an hour. Plus, you know we can’t afford that.”
Jacob was puzzled. He was supposed to do what he tells him. He tried again.
“I want you to take me to get an x-box.”
“Oh alright, get your shoes on.”
He was getting the hang of it now. He had to order them, not ask. This was going to be great. His head was spinning with things to do. He was going to be the coolest kid on the block after all.
A few days had past and Jacob sat in his room bursting with excitement. The shelves and corners were stuffed with new toys and sports equipment. He had been to arcades, sports centers, laser tag, Chucky Cheese, and carnivals. Everything his little mind could conjure up, his parents agreed on and went along for the ride.
The Genie sat behind him and watched him play some video game. He couldn’t take it any longer. He had to tell the boy what he thought.
“Look, I’m not supposed to influence you on your wishes, but… Have you looked at your parents lately? They’re miserable.”
Jacob didn’t bother to pause from the game action. “They seem fine to me.”
Frustrated, the genie floated in front of the T.V. screen. “Fine?… They look tired and worn out. So do you, in fact. Your dad hasn’t been to work in two days and is probably on the verge of losing his job. You think that’s fine?”
“He always complains about it anyways.” Jacob argued.
“If he loses his job, how are you going to have money for food or bills?”
“Maybe I’ll wish for it.”
“Oh no! I told you I can’t make things appear.”
“What if I wish for him to win the lottery? Then I could tell him I want him to buy a ticket.”
The Genie grumbled and slapped at his forehead in frustration. He floated back to the bed and sat with his head in his hands.
“They never listen.” He mumbled
Wish 2
“That’s what I’m going to do. I…” Jacob was standing before the Genie.
“Wait! Why don’t you think about it for a minute?” The Genie pleaded.
“I wish for my father to win the lottery.”
It was too late. The genie reluctantly folded his arms and nodded his head. When the smoke cleared, Jacob ran downstairs.
“Dad, we gotta go to the gas station.”
The trip was quick, but they barely made it home in time for the ten ’o clock drawing. As the numbers appeared on the television, Jacob’s heart began to race along with his fathers. When the final number was read, they jumped in the air screaming and gave each other tight suffocating hugs. Jacob’s mother came to see what the fuss was about? When she found out the news, she joined them in their celebration. The Genie hovered in the corner shaking his head. Humans could be so stupid.
“How did you know?” His father asked.
“I just had a feeling.” Jacob said and winked at the Genie.
The Genie had seen enough. He floated upstairs and tried to figure out a way to straighten up the mess that was sure to come. Sometimes he really hated his job. He hoped that just once, he would get a boy that didn’t think of only himself. He had to find a way for the boy to fix what he’d done without telling him what to wish for. Oh, the troubles of a Genie.
It took a couple of weeks before the money started rolling in. Jacob’s father had instantly quit his job after receiving the check…$2.5 million.
Jacob demanded family vacations to Disneyworld and the Grand Canyon. They stayed in luxury hotels and ate the best of foods on the menu. When they were home, Jacob’s father had an indoor swimming pool and full length basketball court installed. They bought boats, jet-skis, snowmobiles, motor homes, trucks, their own personal limousine, and many other unneeded items. They were having the time of their lives.
Jacob’s father began to notice that the money was running out, but he was helpless to stop buying whatever his son’s little heart desired. Jacob didn’t worry about such things. He demanded more and more.
Eventually, some of their fun toys began to disappear. Jacob didn’t understand the concept of a loan, so he became angry. He decided to confront the Genie.
“What’s going on? Why are they taking our stuff? It’s ours.” Jacob screamed.
The Genie tried to explain. “Look kid, money doesn’t last forever. I tried to warn you.”
“It’s not fair. You liar. I hate you.” Jacob ran to the bed and buried his head into a pillow. He sobbed uncontrollably for a half an hour. The Genie waited patiently.
Meanwhile, Jacob’s parents were arguing in the next room. Their fight escalated to talks of divorce. Jacob stopped crying just in time to see how upset and unhappy his parents were. He sat up and listened to their screams.
“Is this what you wanted?” The Genie said lightly.
“No.” Jacob sniffled.
“Objects and money can’t buy happiness my boy. I’m sorry you had to learn the hard way.”
“But how do I get back to the way things were? How can I fix this?”
“There’s one more wish. You better think hard about it.”
Wish 3
Jacob did think hard about it. He thought for what seemed like forever. Still, he could think of nothing to fix the mess he made. His parents had stopped arguing because his father had left, leaving his mother crying on the couch. There was no solution, he was doomed.
The Genie could not help him. He could not tell him the wish he needed to get his family back together. Jacob would have to figure that out himself, but he sure could hint at it.
“What do you think makes a happy family boy?” The Genie asked.
“I don’t understand what you mean?” Jacob said.
“What makes families stick together through thick and thin?”
“What?…Um…Love?”
The Genie shrugged his shoulders with a smile.
“I wish for my family to lo…” Jaco
b began.
The Genie held up a finger and twisted his face in panic. “Think carefully now.”
Jacob was stumped again.
“Oh, I know.” Jacob jumped off the bed. “I wish to go back to Christmas day.”
With a broad smile stretched across his face, the Genie patted the boy on the head. He folded his arms and gave his final nod.
Christmas day
Jacob woke up in a backseat of a car. His parents were in the front singing along to “Jingle Bells.” In his lap sat a remote control car. He smiled and began to sing along.
When they got to Aunt Helen’s, Jacob ran to the door and gave her a great big hug. They gathered at the table and he laughed and joked with his cousins while he enjoyed the meal.
Later, the family sat down to open presents. Only this time, Aunt Helen gave him a big ugly sweater she had knitted herself. He slipped it over his head and gave her a big kiss on the cheek. Everyone laughed. Everyone was happy, and Jacob knew that was all that mattered.
***
Author’s note: This story didn’t start with a lesson to be learned, but somehow it ended up with one, I guess. I wrote it for my two boys and it’s my first children’s story. I’m sorry if the ending is a little to mushy for you, (I think it’s a little mushy for me even) but
Jacob's Genie Page 2