Tremendous thanks to my editor Afroscorpio!
*****
Frank got his sneakers on and headed outside. It was 9:30pm.
The kids were in bed, his wife busy playing the latest game she was into, This was one of the few opportunities in his day to get a little exercise and a little time to himself. A good time to get his thoughts together. It was dark, but not pitch black. In this suburbia, house lights and the rare street light, along with the moon, give him all the light he needed. He walked carefully and slowly.
A little over 50 Frank had come to understand that we may have ambitious, adventurous dreams when we're young, but as we get older, we learn to live with disappointment, boredom and frustration.
Many had it worse. He liked a lot about life. He loved his kids. He loved his wife, even if she didn't seem that interested in what he felt he needed - affection, affirmation, encouragement.
As he walked past a drainage ditch that sometimes seemed like a creek he looked to see if he could see any of the ducks, fish or birds he enjoyed watching. It was dark, so they likely weren't there or easily seen, but it was still fun to look.
He saw the moonlight bounce off something - like a piece of sheet metal, a pipe or something? Someone or something would get hurt on that, he thought.
He walked closer and against his better judgement, he jumped down the few feet into the ditch, onto a dry pile of sand and stones. He used his foot to clear the debris around the object. It was made of some thin, glossy steel-like metal. It was curved like a pipe, about 6 inches wide or so. Maybe part of some gutter trash or something. He squatted down to get a better look at it. As soon as his hand got close to the metallic thing it flew up, paused in the air for a moment, then like a jaw, opened and shot out, fastening itself on his left wrist.
Frank stood up fast, his eyes wide and his right hand reached out to anxiously pull at the metal.
"It's ok, Master. It won't harm you," a woman's voice said to him from inches away.
His head spun to see a petite woman wearing flowy transparent silk pants and a puffy blouse, her hair black, thick and shiny like her eyes. She looked exotic.
Frank was startled and he stumbled backwards. The woman had appeared out of nowhere. She stood so close to him, he could feel her breath on his skin when she spoke. He stepped back and his foot slipped on the loose soil and gravel. He started to fall, his arms now flailing, trying to help him keep his balance.
The woman grabbed Frank at the waist, stopped him from falling. She was really strong but Frank's focus was on her large chest, he could clearly see her dark brown dollar sized areolas through the thing blouse she wore now pulled tightly against her. Her body was pressed against him and he could barely breathe. She smiled and raised him back on his feet.
"Who are you? Where did you come from?" Frank stammered looking around.
Confused but not worried about the woman anymore. Frank's eyes now scanned the woman before him, he saw the narrow waist, the curvy wide hips and the shapely strong legs.
The woman curtsied low.
"I am a Genie, magically attached to that armband that you found." she said nonchalantly.
Frank unconsciously fumbled with the metal around his arm. He was stupefied, he looked at the woman, the armband and looked around at his surroundings trying to make sense of what he was experiencing.
"The armband can only be found by one who is worthy. The reward is me, a Genie. I am also your slave and I will grant you three wishes. When I have granted them all, the armband will fall away," she said softly almost sadly.
Frank was not sure whether he was dreaming or hallucinating. Then he felt himself raising up, the woman lifted them both out of the ditch effortlessly. She lowered them onto a bench overlooking the ditch.
"I am sorry I took liberties by removing us from the ditch without your permission Master," she said, lowering herself and bowing her head again.
"Maybe this wasn't a delusion." Frank thought to himself
"Uh..that's ok...thank you," Frank said.
He sat, and gestured for her to sit, as well.
"You're...you're attached to this armband? Like a slave?" he shuddered.
"Yes, master. I am attached to the armband, like a slave until all your three wishes are fulfilled," she confirmed.
Frank looked at her. Wow, she was gorgeous. He thought for a moment, smiled, then shook his head.
"Do you not believe me, Master?" she asked.
"I believe you," Frank said.
"The levitation thing, the flying armband, your incredible strength and speed, they all convinced me. What an exciting opportunity for me!" Frank said cheerfully
The genie smiled and nodded.
"And yet, I don't feel like it is an exciting opportunity," Frank said regretfully.
The genie was now stupefied.
"It's tempting, don't get me wrong. It would be really nice to have life how I want it," he lamented.
"It hasn't really been for a while. But if there's something I've learned from being married, and having kids and seeing a bit of life, it's that life isn't all about me," he said looking straight at her.
"I can make it better in small ways, like trying to get junk out of ditches. And sometimes you get the opportunity to do something big. I think I have that opportunity now." He cheered up again.
The genie looked even more confused.
"I don't want to use you as a slave, get wishes from you, so you can go on and do whatever other people want forever. That's horrible. I want you to be free to do what you want. Can I do that, somehow?" Frank asked with genuine concern.
"What...you..." she stammered.
"Ah, I guess this isn't your typical request," Frank said, smiling.
"I'm not surprised. Seems like a tremendous opportunity to be rich, healthy and young again, and to experience a ton of pleasure. It's just wrong to do that on the backs of slaves, though. So can I do that?"
"I've never been asked this before," the genie said. Her brows knit together in a frown.
"I survive through the connection that the armband has to mankind. Doing this would keep that armband on you forever. And I reside in it. So while I'd be free from having to grant people wishes, you'd be a slave to keeping me by you, sustaining me," she cautioned.
Frank looked at the shiny steel band that snugly fit over six inches of his forearm.
"I don't know exactly what that entails, but I don't see you being a slave as acceptable under any circumstances. If I need to help you, I will help you."
"My powers will be lessened. I'll still be a genie, but not as powerful, and not obliged to obey you," she said, looking at him cautiously.
"Well, yes, I wouldn't expect you to obey me. I'm sorry you'll be attached to me, though. Doesn't seem like that much freedom. And it will raise some interesting questions from people for sure!" Frank laughed.
"Oh, others won't see me. No one can see me now, in fact," she said.
"People will see the armband. And as far as your view of freedom," she laughed, "compared to what I've lived for longer than you can imagine, this life we're discussing would be unimaginable freedom."
"Great then," Frank said. "Let's do it. You are free. Or, is there a way that I should say it?" Frank enquired.
"Are you sure?" the genie asked, hesitantly.
"Yes, absolutely. Will be interesting never being alone again, but we'll figure that out."
The genie closed her eyes, took a deep breath, lifted her hands, palms up, and sighed.
Frank felt the armband warm. He got nervous he was about to be roasted, all he could think was - roasted goose, but then it stopped. The genie opened her eyes. Frank looked quizzically at her.
"It's done," she said.
"Oh," Frank said. "Less dramatic than I thought it would be! Well...I was going for a walk before we...met. Want to come along?"
"Do I want to go? Wow. I actually feel like I have a voice now," the genie said. "Yes, I'd like to go for a walk. I haven't been asked to do things like that very often."
"I like walks," Frank told the genie. "They're good for sorting out your thoughts. Letting go. Getting to know people."
"That sounds nice," the genie said.
They started walking, the silence, the purposelessness of their walk welcoming to one of them and awkward to the other.
"Uh, I'm sorry," Frank said. "Are you cold? Are your shoes comfortable enough for walking?"
"I'm very comfortable, thank you," the genie said. "I don't get uncomfortable that easily."
"Oh, that's good," Frank said. "What is your name? I realize we became locked together for life and I don't even know what to call you."
"My name is Aima. And you're Frank."
"Yes. But how do you know that?"
"That armband connects us on a deep level, Frank. I won't poke around without you knowing, but I can hear your thoughts," she added quickly.
"Really?" Frank said, alarmed.
"Yes," Aima said. "And you can hear mine, too. At least the ones I want you to hear," she confessed.
"That was done to prevent genies from being tricky and trying to twist their masters wishes around," she informed him
"By the way, an elderly woman is walking toward us with a dog." she added as they walked along.
Frank strained to focus on what Aima said she saw, and in a couple of minutes his neighbor, Mrs. Davis and her trusty dog came into view. Frank felt panic as he thought of how to explain Aima.
Mrs. Davis's dog sniffed Frank knowingly as they walked by, Mrs. David greeted him matter of factly and walked by. Frank was kind of startled.
"They won't know I'm here, unless you- that is, unless I want them to know I'm here," Aima said, adjusting her sentence to reflect that she was in control of herself now.
"Oh yes, I hadn't quite processed that tidbit yet," Frank said.
"Did you say something, Frank?" Mrs. Davis called from 15 feet or so away.
