Thank You, Mister Exposition!
"You!" the upset mother snaps. "What is the meaning of this?"
Great, you think as you stagger into the room and collapse in a chair, the fast run finally catching up with you. She's gone from fear to anger. If only it wasn't directed at you.
Trying to catch your breath, you realize that Tinsel (her name was Tina something before she got married, and the first syllables or each names made an interesting combination) must have finished the denial phase before you got here - or does that one come later?
"You won't believe the day I've had," you gasp as your pulse approaches normal level.
"I'll believe yours if you'll believe mine!"
"Would you believe there's a magic store right down the road?"
"Actually..." Tinsel enunciates slowly, "I think I can honestly say the thought had not occurred to me in my wildest dreams!"
"Well I happened to pick up a magic lamp," you explain. "And I said something the genie took for a wish."
"Well I'll be a monkey's uncle!"
"Precisely."
"What?"
"That's what I said."
Tinsel sighs. "How can two brothers be as different as you and my husband? Are you a changeling or something?" She turns to the monkey and beckons it closer. "Sorry I scared you, hon." Pausing briefly to pick up her transformed daughter, she turns to you and says, "Just in case you wonder - yes, I did see her change."
"Guess your day beats mine then."
"It's not over yet. And don't talk of beating, you may give me ideas! How long does this last anyway? Do you have more wishes?"
"Twenty-four hours. Or about twenty-three and a half by now. And I have unlimited wishes but can't use one to undo a previous one. Besides I left the lamp at the store."
"That one?" Turning in the direction Tinsel points with her free hand, you are only slightly surprised to see the lamp standing on the table next to you. Looks like it has a magical way of keeping up with you. Handy if you ever become unable to carry things... Whoa! Don't get distracted now.
"That's the one. But I can't make an other wish for about half an..."
"But I can!" Tinsel almost throws the transformed girl to you, grabs the lamp and rubs it energetically. You are only expecting the glowing digits, so you are quite surprised to see the genie appear in a puff of smoke.
"No you can't," he says, jumping straight into the conversation. He must have heard you from inside the lamp or wherever he was... "I only grant my owner's wishes."
"What if I buy the lamp from him?"
"Nice try, but it has to be done by the rules. The lamp can not change hands while a wish is active. It can only have one owner, who can only get rid of it by selling it for less than he gave for it."
"But it was a free sample!"
"Well, that's a problem then. And no, the solution is not to pay someone to take it from you. Doesn't work that way I'm afraid."
"So I just have to watch my words for the rest of my life then?"
"More or less. By the way, I misinterpreted you on purpose."
"What?!"
"You see, genies often have problems with their masters speaking ambiguously, so we try to train them to speak clearly. Call this lesson one."
"Well, I have a wish that doesn't need magic," Tinsel grumbles. "Whatever you need to demonstrate next, keep my daughter out of it!"
Written by Won-Tolla on 26 July 2007