1/9
The tall, burly woman with threadbare clothes and broken, neglected teeth gawked at the genie before her; surprised. She had not realized the old lamp she had been gifted a week ago contained such potential. She had been cleaning it to pawn it, considering it a poor gift indeed.
"What is your first wish..?"
"I... wish to be fearsome; strong. Stronger than those who mistreat me, like my family, I want to be able to defend myself."
2/9
The genie frowned, "You wish for physical strength to defeat your... family?"
"Yes! They're awful to me; they've beaten, neglected and persecuted me for the last 28 years! I'm tired of their insults and taunts."
"Your father is old and sick, your mother is old and has always been frail, your sibling is drug-addled and... your niece is two years old."
"Yes but, they spend all the money on clothes and food for her! And yes, they're old NOW but they used to strike me, though they deny it."
3/9
"And your sibling..."
"Is USELESS; won't stop stealing from us for drug money, always getting arrested, won't take care of the kid they brought into this world; but who gets denied food, forced to babysit and constantly berated and told to get a job? ME, the one who does NOTHING wrong."
"Didn't you strike your own parents in the recent past, and yet they didn't press charges?"
"Of course they didn't; they're crooks too. They deserved it but I've held back since then, to prove I'm good."
4/9
"Your life has certainly been full of mistreatment and austerity; your family is cruel and impoverished, I won't deny you that," said the genie, warily.
"It's so great to have someone on my side, willing to help! Literally NOBODY cares about me, thank you, thank you..."
The genie took stock of the woman's room; gifts of goodwill and charity filled every flat surface - anything that wasn't was in a stuffed 'For Sale' box.
In the next room, the genie could hear a sickly child whimpering.
5/9
"Ugh, there she goes again... I love her but she's SO annoying; I only ever stayed here to protect her from her grandparents so they couldn't do to her what they did to me. Please hurry up n' grant my wish?"
"What would your second wish be, just out of curiosity," the genie asked, cautiously.
"A home, far away from here, where there's always food, no bills and great internet."
"And your family...?"
"They can rot for all I care, they won't be MY problem anymore."
"Including your niece?"
6/9
"Why do YOU care? But I guess... I'll miss her, of course, but I won't miss her whining and being sick all the time. I'll finally be free, and happy, and allowed to be myself.... my true self."
"Strong, rich and bereft of the responsibility for caring for the young and weak?"
"That sounds like a great start! Oh, and hot too, I'd really like to be hot; with good teeth. It's been hard avoiding the dentist for the last 20 years but all they ever seem to want to do is drill or pull my teeth."
7/9
"Avoiding your dentist because they're too expensive..?"
"Not for me, personally, my folks pay and I'm covered under their insurance - Oh! Good insurance, can I wish for good insurance? Would I NEED to if I wish for perfect health? Oh, and can I wish for some people to not exist? Most genies have a no-kill rule, but surely a 'never existed' wish gets around that," said the woman, who'd clearly thought about this kind of thing before.
The genie glowered, "I... will grant your first wish."
9/9
The genie sighed, floating unseen into the child's room.
They sat with the child and made reassuring sounds, telling cheerful stories and making silly faces until the child was able to smile and fall asleep, no longer lonely or afraid.
Downstairs angry voices spat back and forth; the child remained asleep, so used to these arguments.
She was too young to make wishes.
Though powerless to improve the child's life directly, perhaps, for a while, the genie could be her imaginary friend..?
@Teryl_Pacieco any ebooks books out there?
@Teryl_Pacieco cool. Just rd on here then. Thx
@Teryl_Pacieco will keep eye out too or let me know, serious gd luck keep writing
8/9
"FINALLY, I thought you wouldn't ever stop asking questions. You were starting to sound like some of the jerks on the internet who just tell me I need to move - with what money I might ask - instead of actually helping me--"
The genie granted her a strong, fearsome body, and as a bonus, also granted her a distant, rent-free home where food was plentiful, and the internet signal was surprisingly good.
The zookeepers were mystified where the new crocodile had come from, but kept her anyway.