Genie's Tale: The Realization Part II

    “The reason I am keeping you prisoner is because I am a cursed oil lamp, I’m afraid.” Explained the lamp.
    “Cursed?” Ghaada asked.
    “Yes, my dear.  I was a regular, old oil lamp, with no other purpose in life than to light the wave for people.  Then, a man put a spell on me…a spell that needed a host in order to complete.”
    “…and…and I am that host?”
    “You are…you are…The spell was ‘who-so-ever rubbed this lamp, shall be greeted by a spirit, and be granted his wishes…’  Then, poof!  He threw some liquid on me, and I felt warm.  However…the man who he sold it too, the sultan that captured you, was just about ready to rub it…the spout pointed at him.  The man stopped him and told the sultan to be careful who he pointed the spout at when rubbing it.  He could have been trapped as a genie."
    At this word Ghaada was confused.  “A genie?”
    “Oh my…you don’t know what a genie is?  You’ve never heard tales of old?” asked the lamp, but Ghaada shook her head.  “Well…a genie is what was described in the spell, a spirit who grants his or her summoner’s wishes.  So, when the lamp is rubbed, you shall greet your master or mistress and grant their wishes.”
    “How many wishes do I grant?” Ghaada asked.
    “That, my dear, is entirely up to you.  Most lamp dwelling genies, such as yourself, cast three wishes.  It’s a nice, simple little number.”
    “Well…if it is what is expected, then I shall grant my summoner three wishes.  Then what happens after the three wishes?”
    “Once the wishes are granted,” the voice began, “you will return back to me, and wait until your next master rubs the lamp. In the outside world, your lamp will poof into a cloud of smoke, and teleport you some place new. You could wait mere seconds for a new master, or even longer…”
    “Longer?” The girl asked. “How long is longer?”
    “It could be anything…days, weeks, months, years, decades, centuries—“
    “Centuries?” The girls eyes widened.
    “It could even be thousands of years…”
    The girl frowned, beginning to lay on the floor, curled into a ball. “…I don’t want to wait that long to be freed…I would be skin and bones by the time that happens…”
    “You shouldn’t worry about decaying in the lamp, child. I protect you from any of those outside forces, while in the lamp. You will still be young while you wait in here, and retain your figure.”
    The girl blushed. “Well…I guess I can live with being youthful for an eternity…And not dying sounds great as well…”
    “Well…” The lamp began. “I…never said anything about that…”
    The girl looked a bit horrified. “I still have to worry about dying?”
    The lamp sighed. “I…I am not sure, child…You shouldn’t have to worry about dying due to old age. You’re a magical being now! But…I can’t promise you protection from anything that wishes to harm you.  Though, I don’t know who in their mind would murder a genie.”
    Ghaada sighed, looking around at her new prison, and slowly thinking about her new life as a genie. “So…I’m a genie now…trapped in the lamp until someone rescues me…which could take an immeasurable amount of time.  Is there anything we can do so time won’t seem like its moving so slowly?”
    “Would you care if I told you a story?” The lamp asked.
    Ghaada seemed to like that idea, and layed on the pillow she was sitting on. “I would like that a lot…Thank you…” She hadn’t heard a story in a long time. She used to hear some from the travelers who visited the town of Aza, but they were never directly to her, just to the listening harem group. The last one she heard was from her mother, she believed. When she was still with her family, and before she was a slave.  She just hoped that her new life would start a bit differently than her slave one did.