Genie Literal Wishing for Dummies
You run back into the living room to see what Isabelle has destroyed. Your coffee table is now a three-legged table, and it leans over like it crash-landed from the sky. All of the books, papers, and other junk you had piled on it is now strewn across the floor. Belle isn't on the floor, of course. She's climbing on the curtains, and you can see that the drapery is slowly stretching, likely to rip soon to produce an even bigger crash than your table did.
"WHOA!" you yell, unable to think of anything more articulate or witty while under the dual stress of seeing your niece in danger and watching your house come down around your ears. Not that wit would be overly effective with a three-year-old, especially not a three-year-old chimpanzee.
You leap over the mess of papers and broken table to gently grab Belle. You gently coax her monkey-fingers to let go of the curtain, and carefully lift her down to give her another hug. Belle, of course, is having great fun with this game and gives you the cutest ear-to-ear grin.
"Awww," you say cradling her in your arms. "I wish I could have as much fun monkeying around as you seem to."
You're not ever sure if you realized how ill-conceived your choice of words was before or after you saw the blue smoke billowing into the room. Either way, the genie's magic grabs you, having only just passed the one-hour wish recharge point.
When the blue smoke clears from your vision, you don't feel especially different. But the arms holding Isabelle are insanely long and covered with thick orange hair. You cradle Belle in your left arm so you can take a better look at your right one. You flex your black, leather-like fingers. There's just enough of a reflection of yourself in your living room mirror that you can get a better look at the monkey business that the genie is pulling.
You're no expert on primates, but with those lanky arms and socially-awkward-looking face, there's no mistaking that the genie has turned you into an orangutan. Well, at least something closely related to one. Is an orangutan even technically a monkey?
Belle looks at you, wondering what this new game is going to be like.
"Oook," you say. Belle giggles.
It's only quarter after five, with twenty-three hours left for chimp-girl, one full day for Uncle Orang. This could be a looong night...
Written by on 10 August 2007
The end (for now)