Note: This is inspired by the story "Your Wishes Delivered" by Jason at The Changing Mirror.
*
Abazeel rolled over in the lumpy motel bed, knocking several empty travel-sized bottles of booze off as he did. He woke up, tried to sit up, and regretted it instantly as his head throbbed.
"Gods damn it!" He moaned, holding his pounding head. He struggled to the inadequate restroom, stood in a cold shower, and started the pathetic coffeepot. When he was able to think, he sat at the sticky table and reviewed his notes.
His new target was Samantha Hind, 42, single, working as nursing assistant. He planned on meeting her before her shift at the nursing home. Abazeel glanced at the clock, cursed again, and went out to his junker of a rental.
On the short drive, Abazeel managed to once again thoroughly curse the son of an unclean camel that landed him in this situation. Thanks to a combination of a long and complicated series of interlocking wishes, and several cups of a very fine locally made wine, Abazeel was now cursed himself. How was he to know that the man would create such a thick and indecipherable document. Abazeel was still not sure how the Hades the thing managed to only take three wishes. Ah, but the wine was amazing so there was at least that small consolation. His current mission was a peripheral part of the accursed man's wish- his increasingly distant progeny were to be granted a series of wishes that were themselves bound by an intricate set of rules and clauses all designed to get around the limitations of the djinn.
Of course, the powers that be took a dim view of what he had done while under the influence, so put rather severe limits on his powers. He could no longer just transport himself from place to place unless it directly fulfilled a wish. He was banished from his beloved bottle home for the duration. He could still get drunk and hungover, but could no longer enjoy the rich flavors of fine wines or get a pleasant buzz. Thankfully they granted him a living allowance to allow him to operate in the mortal realm- but it was never quite enough to do anything really enjoyable. They were sadistically clever that way.
So now his only entertainment came from granting wishes, something that always brought a genie pleasure. Of course, he was still cursed and could not twist the wishes as tradition required in order to extract the richest flavors from them. Still, it was enough to keep him going day to day.
He double checked his notes and pulled into the drive of a rather sad-looking small suburban home in an older 'transitional' neighborhood.
The woman that came to the door might have been in her early forties, but if so, she had lived a hard life. She really wasn't ugly, but none would call her pretty, or even 'handsome', either. 'Coarsely plain' passed through his mind, and it seemed a good match for her thick, lumpy body. She was obviously getting ready for work wearing cheap slacks and one of those hideous flowered scrub tops so popular among healthcare staff a few years ago.
"May I help you?" She asked, without enthusiasm.
"Actually, I am here to help you. Please invite me in." Abazeel used a weak minor enchantment to get her to invite him in and trust him enough for his purposes. The powers that be limited this as well.
He found a seat on a worn couch in her equally worn living room. "Can we make this quick? I have to get to work." Abazeel knew she was planning to stop at the local coffee place on her way, and had budgeted enough time for a donut or three as well. She had plenty of time.
"This will only take a moment. My name is Abazeel" He conjured a small roll of thunder with his name by sheer force of habit. "I am here to grant you seven wishes. What does your heart desire?" He crossed his fingers and hoped with every fiber of his being that she would not...
"Huh? Wishes? Seven? What the hell is going on here?" Yep. She was going to be one of those types. The small enchantment from earlier helped her to believe what he said but it was not powerful to let him avoid this rigamarole. Abazeel hung his head for a defeated second and began the spiel.
"You have seven wishes. You cannot use them to wish for more wishes, unlimited money or power, or, for that matter, unlimited anything. You cannot wish for anyone's death, or things that are just too outlandish, like turning the Earth into a paradise or ending hunger. In fact, you cannot wish for anything specific at all. For example, you CAN wish for a new car, but you CANNOT wish for a specific model, or how you got it, etcetera, etcetera etcetera. Again, what does your heart desire?"
And of course, because she was human and he was cursed, she wanted to know lots, lots more. She argued with him, quizzed him about details, demanded more examples. and exploded when she learned what was next. "What do you mean someone else gets to define my wishes?"
Sigh. "Such is the nature of the gift (Abazeel could not repress a small shudder using this word) that your friends are the ones who will determine the details of how each wish will be shaped." And that, of course, sparked another round of debate broken only by Samantha texting that she would be in late.
She demanded to know how he would select her friends (from her thoughts and memories. He already knew the seven to speak to but was barred from revealing their names.) "How long would all this take?" (Depends on travel times and so on, but each wish would be granted as soon as the friend finished.) "So, just all of the sudden, things will be different? Won't that cause problems for me?" (He explained that the wish will be granted by changing her past so it will seem as if things were always thus to everyone else.) He even tried to explain how fulfilling a newer wish might change the results of an older one, and how her friend's perceptions of her may change as things progress. She did not seem to be paying much attention.
"So if I wished to be a blonde, tall, voluptuous, beautiful young woman, that would count as a wish?"
Abazeel was scribbling notes. "OK, that's five. What are your other two wishes?"
