The Price of a Wish

I let out a whoop. “Whoa, look at this!” With my hand, I brushed the dust off the ornate purple bottle I found in a pile of debris in the attic.

Larry tiptoed gingerly through the clutter towards me. He leaned in for a look, his eyes growing as big as saucers. “No way, man… is that a genie bottle?”

“I doubt it,” I replied. “I don’t think genie bottles are a real thing.” I lifted the bottle for a closer look. It was covered with intricate designs etched into the glass. Exotic, kind of Arabic or Islamic or something. Of course, I’m no expert, so it could be alien for all I know. 

I handed the bottle to Larry. “What do you think, bro?” A mischievous grin spread across Larry’s face. “Let’s find out. I’m going to rub it and release the genie!”

“Yeah…no…let’s not.” I cautioned. “You’re always so quick to jump feet first and ask questions later. Maybe we should…wait.”

“Wait for what?” Larry snickered. “You think that old bottle is going to sprout wings or do a tap dance for us? You just said you didn’t think genie bottles are a real thing. You, my friend, are too cautious. You never jump feet first.”  

I shrugged. “Sure, why the heck not? I’m ninety-nine percent sure nothing’s going to happen, anyway. Genies are myths, like Bigfoot, the Tooth Fairy, and Santa Claus.”

Larry rubbed the bottle slowly with his bare fingers. Nothing happened. He rubbed a little harder. Nothing. Harder. Still nothing. “It’s a dud,” he sighed.  

“Here, try this,” I said, as I handed him a rag I found on the nearby shelf. He resumed rubbing until the dust was removed, and the bottle radiated a luminescent glow, but nothing happened.

He shook his head and chuckled. “You were right. No genie here.” He handed the bottle to me and I put it back on top of the pile where I found it.

My stomach growled, and I rubbed my tummy. “Man, I’m as hungry as a genie locked away in a bottle for a thousand years. Let’s get lunch.”

“Haha, I’m starving too,” Larry agreed. “I want a sandwich and chips and…” He paused mid-sentence, his mouth wide open, pointing to the bottle. “Look!”

I followed his finger to see what got Larry’s attention. I think my mouth dropped as wide as Larry’s. A faint wisp of blue smoke…coming from the bottle.

Speechless, we watch the wisp of smoke grow larger, swirling, coiling in the air above the bottle. The larger it grew, the faster it spun. Larry and I stumbled backwards, tripping over boxes and old furniture as we tried to put some distance between us and whatever was emerging.

The miniature cyclone stopped spinning and dissipated, leaving in its place a figure dressed in baggy exotic clothing and a turban, exactly as you would imagine a genie from Arabian Nights would wear.

He was tall and nearly touched the slanted ceiling of the attic. His blue-toned skin was iridescent, unearthly, unlike anything I had ever seen.

“Holy genie in a bottle,” Larry gasped.

The creature’s piercing black eyes bore a hole straight through me. “Who awakened me from my slumber?” he boomed, his gaze sweeping between Larry and me.

Larry appeared to be paralyzed and unable to speak. I tried to answer, but my throat was suddenly as parched as the Mojave Desert. 

Larry regained his composure first. “Uh, that would be us, sir… Mr. Genie,” he stammered. “We, uh, we found your bottle and…”

The genie’s eyes narrowed. “And you both want a wish, no doubt, as your reward for freeing me?”

Larry nodded eagerly. “Yes, but don’t we get three wishes, not just one?”

The genie glared at Larry.

I held up my hand. “Whoa, whoa, hold your horses, bud. Before we go making wishes, what’s the catch? There’s always a catch with these things, isn’t there?”

Larry shot me a withering look, which I ignored; I kept my eyes locked on the genie.

The genie’s lips curled into a smile—more of a smirk than a smile, to be honest. “Young man, you are wise beyond your years,” he said. “Indeed, there is always a price to pay for gaining riches and power beyond mortal means.

“What’s the price of a wish?” I asked.

The Genie blurs, then in a flash of blue magically materialized in front of me, his face mere inches from mine. He smelled ancient and musty, like dried herbs, old parchment paper, and who knows what else. I bet he didn’t do much bathing in that bottle all these years. 

“I have been held prisoner for many centuries. You rescued me. In gratitude, I will be a most generous genie. I will give you more than one wish, more than three wishes if you desire.

Larry clapped his hand. “Yay, now we’re talking!” 

“Here is the price: each wish I give you will cost ten years of your life. It will be instant, the moment I grant you the wish you will age ten years.”

I swallowed hard, my mind reeling at the implications. No way I would ever give ten years for anything. 

Larry let out a low whistle. “So, if we make three wishes…”

“Then you will be 30 years older when you leave this attic,” the genie said.

“There is no limit to what you can ask, save these: First, the wish is for you alone. Second, you cannot use a wish to kill or harm someone. Third, you cannot ask to live forever. Immortality is impossible for humans. Lastly, you cannot use a wish to reverse a previous wish. Which means you cannot reverse time. You cannot get back the years you lose.”

The genie folded his arms across his broad chest. “I await your command.”

I ran a hand through my hair, my mind racing. “That’s a steep price,” I said. “What wish could be worth ten years of life? I’m out.”

Larry looked less conflicted. “Man, I’m thinking this is a pretty sweet deal. I mean, a few years of my life to get anything I want? I’m in, baby!”

I shot him a warning look. “Remember about jumping feet first? Let’s slow your roll. Look bro, you’re already 31. One wish and you will be in your 40s. Two and you will be middle-aged, and three will make you a senior citizen. Four? Don’t even think about it.

“Thanks man, but I’m going to do it,” he said. “Only one wish. I think it’s worth ten years to make a wish that will change my life. “

“No, don’t,” I implored Larry. “Ten years is a long time. There is nothing worth giving away ten years of your life.”

“I think there is,” he retorted.

I needed to persuade him somehow. Say something to change his mind. “I don’t know about this genie guy,” I said. “He’s a big blue freak who lives in a bottle, and stinks.. How do we know we can trust a smelly genie who hasn’t bathed in centuries?

Larry stared at me in silence, his eyebrows raised. Okay, great, he’s listening. Let’s close the sale. 

I continued my pitch. “And how does he know English if he’s been locked up in a bottle for hundreds of years, huh? Shouldn’t he be speaking Arabic or Persian or something? And seriously, he’s going to give us some kind of magical wish, like he has special power?. Come on, magic, voodoo, and the supernatural is not real, bro. This doesn’t pass the smell test. Literally.” 

“I think he’s the real deal,” said Larry. “I mean, the guy looks and dresses like a genie, at least the kind I’ve seen in the movies and stuff. Why not give it a try? I’m only going to make one wish, that’s all I will need. I trust him.” 

The genie muffled a sound that sounded a lot like a snicker. I frowned and gave the genie my best evil eye. I lost this round. I hoped nothing bad was about to happen. 

“Your wish is my command,” said the genie. “Tell me your wish.”

Uh…well I don’t want to seem greedy, but I think this wish will solve all of my problems. Larry hesitated a moment, as if rethinking his decision, then continued. “I wish for one billion dollars in cash!”

“Done.” The genie waved his hand with a magician’s circular flourish. I heard a whirring noise, then a loud clunk as a large metal box materialized on the attic floor in front of Larry.

“Wow!” he gasped. “No way!”

I echoed his surprise, but for a different reason. “Whoa!” Before my eyes, Larry’s skin wrinkled, his hair developed strands of gray, and he instantly looked ten years older.

Larry grinned as he opened the lid to the box. His eyes widened as he reached for the contents, then his face crumpled like the handful of bills he clutched in his hand. No!” he shrieked. “You bastard!”

I moved closer to the box to see what caused his distress. He was holding a bunch of orange $500 bills. Monopoly money. Worthless for anything other than Monopoly.

He rushed over to the genie, his hands clenched into fists. The genie stood passively like a statue, arms folded, face stoic.

“You liar,” Larry shouted. “You cheated me. You gave me fake money. I want my years back!”

The genie held out his hands in a defensive gesture. “You never said what kind of money. You asked for money and I gave it to you. That was all I could get on such short notice. I can grant wishes; I can’t do magic. It is real Monopoly money.”

“Give me my years back! Now!”

“I can’t do that,” said the genie. “You know the rules. I kept my promise and gave you your wish. Would you like another wish?

“No!” I shouted. Don’t do it. You are 41 now. Is it worth another ten years of your life to trust a cheater? I tried to warn you. 

Larry paused for a long moment in thought, and exhaled a slow sigh.  “I’ll take my chances,” he replied. “I’m already this far in. I need to be more specific this time, so there’s no misunderstanding. 

I made the T signal for timeout with my hands. “Hold on, hold on,” I said. “Just because you’re invested doesn’t mean you have to dig yourself deeper. Don’t get lost in the ‘sunk cost fallacy.’ Cut bait. You’ve already given this fraud ten years of your life, don’t lose any more. The blue man here has proven you can’t trust him.  

Larry ignored my pleading like he didn’t hear me. Why was he not listening to me? Greed? Tunnel vision? Stubbornness? Whatever the reason, his next words shocked me.  

“I want a hundred billion dollars, in U.S dollars, deposited electronically to my bank. Real spendable dollars, not fake. Don’t cheat me this time, or I’ll put you back in your bottle and throw it in the ocean.”

“That is your wish?” asked the genie. 

Larry nodded. “It is.”  

He again waved his hand, although I couldn’t see or hear anything happen this time. No whirring, no clunk, just silence. “Done” said the genie. “Check your bank account.” 

“I’m calling,” Larry said as he whipped out his cell phone and dialed the bank. He spoke in low tones for a few minutes, then ended the call, his smile stretching ear to ear. “Oh man, oh man, I can’t believe it, the money is all there!” He jumped up and down with delight. “One hundred billion–freaking–dollars, with a capital B. I’m richer than King Solomon!”

I barely heard what he said. I looked at Larry in horror. He had visibly aged another ten years. I pointed my finger at him. “Dude…”

“I know,” said Larry, “I don’t care, man. I’m so filthy rich now that I’ll never have to worry about anything again. It was worth giving another ten years of my life for this.”

“Well, I’m ready to be done with that genie,” I said. “He’s literally sucking the life right out of you. I don’t trust him as far as I can throw his bottle. Besides the smell, there’s something unsavory about him.” 

I address the genie. “How the heck do you know about modern electronic bank deposits, you’re literally from the middle ages.” The genie remained stoic, standing motionless with arms crossed. 

My displeasure at the genie didn’t seem to phase Larry. He grinned and said, “It’s all good man, I have all I need. Now It’s your turn for a wish bro. You gotta catch up to me a little bit, I can’t be the only one who is old.”

Before I could answer, Larry’s phone rang. Still smiling, he looked at the caller ID and said, “I wonder what they want?” He answered, and his smile drooped as he listened to the voice on the other end. “You can’t do this to me,” he said. “You just can’t. I’ll call the cops.” I couldn’t hear the person speaking, but the look on Larry’s face said it wasn’t good.

He ended the call and looked at the floor, the most dejected I have ever seen him. It was like flipping the light switch–one moment bright and cheery, the next moment dark and morose. “How did that happen?” he muttered. “This ain’t right, man, it just ain’t right.” 

I waited in silence for him to explain. When he looked up, tears glistened in his eyes. “The bank said the authorities seized my account. Something about laundered drug trafficking money or something. I’m insanely rich one minute, and dirt poor the next.I have nothing now.”

“They seized a hundred billion dollars? Is that even legal?” I asked, unable to believe such a thing could happen. 

Larry nodded and looked back at the genie. “You’re a real jerk, you know that, you blue freak? I trusted you. How could you do this to me again?”

The genie gave a smug laugh. “Hold on young…I mean…older man. The money was real currency, like you asked. I can’t control where it comes from. I got what was available, it’s not like I can rob a bank. I’m only a genie; I can’t grow money on trees.”

“That’s sure a lot of ‘cants’ for a genie who is supposed to do a lot of ‘cans,’ Larry snapped. “I want another wish, and I don’t want to pay ten more years. This is fraud. You can be prosecuted for that. Don’t you stand behind your product?”

The genie shook his head. “I can’t change the rules. And a wish is not a product. If you’re unhappy with your purchase, I’m sorry, there are no refunds. But take me to court, and good luck with that.” 

I looked at Larry, horrified he would even consider making another wish after the two previous disappointments. “No brother, don’t do it man, please stop, you’re already 51 years old. That’s twenty years you’ve given of your life, and for nothing.” I shake my finger at the genie. “He’s a liar, a thief, and a cheat. You can’t trust him.”

The genie ignored my accusations and said, “what is your next wish?”

“I want the perfect male body,” Larry said. “I want a physique that will make women swoon, and men die of envy. Stone-hard muscles, washboard abs, legs like tree trunks—fit and healthy in every way. The pinnacle of male perfection for all eternity, the body of Adonis.

“Done,” said the genie. He waved his hand, and once again, I heard a loud whirring noise and a heavy clunk.

I couldn’t believe my eyes. Standing in the middle of the attic was a finely chiseled marble statue of an impossibly handsome, muscular man standing in all his glory, stark naked. Adonis.

“Oh no, no,no!” Larry shouted. “Not the statue. Me.”

“You requested the body of Adonis,” the genie said, barely concealing a smirk. “I gave it to you. It’s better than flesh. It will last for eternity.”

I could barely tear my eyes away from the gorgeous statue, but when I finally looked at Larry, I barely recognized him. He looked so much older now, at 61. His hair was mostly grey and thinning, and his skin wrinkled and peppered with age spots. I felt sad for my best friend. He made a deal with the devil and he lost.

“Oh Larry…”

Tears flowed from his eyes, and I felt tears escape mine. I gave him a hug. “Not fair,” he sobbed.

The genie stood there, impassive, arms folded, smugly looking at us. “Do you want another wish?” he asked.

Larry looked at me. I shook my head and mouthed “no.”

“Yes,” he answered the genie. “One more wish.”

I looked at Larry in disbelief. Surely he is not serious. I again shake my head, and Larry looks away. Oh no, He’s going to do it. One or two more wishes, and he will be dead by day’s end. 

“Tell me your wish. Choose wisely. This may be your last. Make it count.”

“This wish is not for me this time. I wish that all wars in the entire world will be stopped. That there be peace everywhere. No more hate, torture, or killing. That is my last wish.”

The genie frowned. “I can’t grant that wish. Your wish must be about only you. No one else. And not the entire world.”

Larry paused for a moment, thinking. I could almost hear the gears in his mind clicking and whirring.

“It’s clear I’m impulsive, and I rush into things without thinking too much, and don’t always make good decisions, and maybe they’re kind of selfish,” he said. “But not this time. Please grant me this wish. Give me wisdom to help change the world and make it a better place. Let me be the change I want to see. Please?”

I gave Larry a thumbs up, and I was beaming inside. What a selfless request. It takes wisdom to wish for more wisdom, and that comes with the passage of years, if it ever comes at all. And the years certainly passed for him today, right before my eyes. I’m sad about that, but I’ve never been more proud of my friend than now.

“I will grant your wish,” said the genie. “Wisdom won’t come by magic. I can only help open your mind to see the opportunities, and make decisions that benefit the needs of others. That is indeed true wisdom.”

The genie looked at me, his black eyes softer and less intense than before. “Last call for a wish, young man.”

“No thanks. I will keep my years and help my friend change the world in whatever way we can. There is nothing better I could ever do.”

“Then I will grant his wish and be on my way. Not back in that wretched bottle. Please smash it and throw it away.”

I nodded in agreement. The genie waved his hand with an exaggerated flourish, and he disappeared in a wisp of blue smoke, leaving Larry and me alone in the attic. I am glad to see him gone. Genies can’t be trusted.

I watched the smoke dissipate, then turned back to Larry. He had aged another ten years. Old now at 71, with white hair and slightly stooped back, but with a youthful sparkle in his eyes. Still young at heart, ready to make his mark and change the world.

We go down the stairs to the kitchen, and I get the bread and fixings to make sandwiches. We eat in silence at the counter, Larry lost in his thoughts, and I in mine. There is little to say in this moment of reflection. 

I don’t know our plans, but this is so much bigger than me, and I’ve never felt better about the future than now.  I’m ready to help my friend do whatever we can to change a turmoil-filled planet into a better place, one heart, one mind, one world at a time.