[ WP ] A genie will grant any wish , but the grantee must fulfill a request for the genie before their wish is granted .

“ Anything? ” 
 
 “ Anything. ” 
 
 “ Really? ” 
 
 “ Yes, ” the genie said. “ I only ask that you do one favor for me first. ” 
 
 “ What would that be? ” Fred asked. He looked up at the purple smoke of the genie in front of him, his eyes transfixed. Genies didn ’ t wear clothes apparently. But then again, only her upper half looked human, her bottom only a trail of smoke, and everything but her eyes was fuzzily built by the smoke. Her eyes, unlike her body, looked just like a human ’ s. 
 
 “ Genies can ’ t use magic to kill people, ” she said. She moved down towards Fred, her smoky fingers under his chin. 
 
 “ So? ” Fred gulped, not sure he liked what he was about to hear. 
 
 “ I need you to kill someone for me, ” she whispered, grabbing his jaw and dragging his lips towards hers. She stopped right before they touched and licked her lips. “ Don ’ t worry, with my magic, no one will ever no you did it. The perfect crime. ” 
 
 Fred felt her smoky lips touch his and he choked, her fumes running down his throat. She let go, her eyes darting away for only a second, before she stared at him with a serious expression. 
 
 “ And I get one wish, for whatever I want? ” Fred asked for clarity. 
 
 “ Yes, ” she replied. “ Deal? ” 
 
 Fred thought it over. He really thought it over. The only things he couldn ’ t wish for were to kill someone or for more wishes. But nothing else was off the table. The literal world laid at his fingertips. 
 
 “ Who do I have to kill? ” he asked. If it was some evil murderer dude, he figured it might be worth it. 
 
 The genie produced a picture out of a waft of purple smoke and handed it to Fred. 
 
 “ This is your target, ” she said coldly. “ Her door is unlocked. I ’ ll give you a gun. I ’ ll give you perfect aim. One shot, you walk away, back to your house. I cover all the tracks. Then you get one wish. Anything you could possibly want. ” 
 
 Fred stared at the picture of his next door neighbor ’ s 3 year old daughter. For a second, he callously thought that he could do it. What was she in the long scheme of things? He could literally be emperor of the universe. But he knew there was no way he could do it. Tears filled his eyes. He knew they wouldn ’ t want him to. He knew he never could do something so evil to begin with. 
 
 “ No! ” Fred said as he tore up the picture. 
 
 “ Then I ’ ll force you to do it, ” the genie snickered at him. “ You can blame it all on me. You ’ ll still get your wish. ” 
 
 “ No, you won ’ t force me! ” Fred yelled. 
 
 “ Oh, ” the genie said, raising her eyebrows. “ No man can resist my magic, not if I am only forcing them to do what they really want to do. Your wish would have been to resurrect your parents, right? Why should this girl live and your parents die? Life ’ s unfair that way, right? Well it doesn ’ t have to be, not anymore. ” 
 
 Fred stepped back as the genie waved her hands. Smoke filled the room. Fred patted himself down as the smoke cleared, scared that the genie may have taken control of him. The genie ’ s hands were clasping her throat, like she was choking. Her lamp glowed a molten white, then burst. The bottom part of her body started to disintegrate. 
 
 “ How?! ” she screamed as the rest of her body started to simply float away. “ They always kill someone. They always do. Then they become the genie, and the genie possesses their body. Even those who have some hesitancy, they always kill the person once the genie works their magic. But not you. You really would rather that girl live than bring your parents back. You really cared more about another person than yourself. I can ’ t… ” 
 
 Fred watched as the genie ’ s mouth faded, and soon the rest of her face. Her eyes, though, fell to the ground and laid on his rug. They rolled back and forth before they caught on fire and exploded, tiny sparks of fire going throughout the house. But nothing caught on fire. In fact, it was as if the genie and her lamp were never even there. 
 
 Fred moved forward, to make sure she was really gone, when a sudden burst of fire appeared in front of him and a letter materialized from it. On the outside it was marked: *Your Wish*. 
 
 He opened it up and read two sentences, both identical, but both in different handwriting. 
 
 *We are proud of you and we will always love you. * 
 
 Fred sat on the rug where the genie ’ s eyes had burnt into nothingness and cried, holding the letter. He had never gotten to say goodbye to his parents. But the letter was clearly in their handwriting, the first sentence his father ’ s, the last his mother ’ s. His wish had been granted.
