Page 9 of A Wish For Wilma
‘Why bring me here?’ he asked. ‘Why aren’t you with your child, taking care of it? Jinnie’s having a baby too and she’s already had one health scare. You need to send me back immediately.’
Dhassim and Aaliyah rolled their eyes in unison. Mustapha gathered up the barely touched drinks and left.
‘Sam, my poor confused pumpkin, it is very simple,’ said Dhassim. ‘Well, perhaps notsosimple for an earthbound Djinn, but I will try to explain.’
Realising he wasn’t going anywhere in a hurry, Sam sat and listened.
Two hours — or was it days? — later, the expression ‘clear as mud’ sprang to mind. With frequent, tetchy interruptions from Aaliyah, Dhassim spoke of ancient blood lines, genies long departed and the unbreakable bond between the three of them. Sam’s forefathers had been assigned Dhassim and Aaliyah, each responsible for their appearance and eventual return to their lamps.
‘Not that they all toed the line,’ scoffed Aaliyah. ‘Some lacked the intelligence to embrace the power within, leaving us trapped until a worthier successor came along.’
‘Like you, Sam.’ Dhassim raised his hand for a high five, and Sam grudgingly complied. His bladder felt fit to burst, and hunger gnawed at his gut.
‘The only way to convince you of the power you wield was to bring you back in time,’ Dhassim continued. ‘And at the same time, to ensure you understand the importance of our precious child. He is the first in our long lineage to be born as a result of our coupling.’ Dhassim flushed and gave an embarrassed cough.
‘What he’stryingto say,’ huffed Aaliyah, ‘is that genies are created by a unique combination of magic, the correct alignment of the stars and forces beyond even our comprehension.’
‘Not in the traditional baby-making way,’ said Dhassim. ‘Well, theremighthave been some steamy action. And congratulations to you, too! Perhaps our children will become playmates. Ooh, they could go to kindergarten together. How cute would that be?’
Visions of his son or daughter skipping off to nursery with a genie pal did not sit well with Sam. ‘That isn’t going to happen in a million years, or however long this madness has gone on for. I command you to transport me back immediately, pick up your baby, and let us get on with our lives!’
The chortling and thigh-slapping that followed did little to enhance Sam’s darkening mood. Unable to hold it in any longer, he asked if there was a toilet he could use. ‘Mustapha pee!’ he joked, attempting to claw back some semblance of positivity.
Blank faces greeted his feeble joke, and Dhassim gestured to a room on the left. ‘There’s a bucket in there,’ he said. ‘And straw for wiping.’
Suitably relieved, Sam returned, determined to stand his ground. He’d never asked to be a Djinn. There had to be some way to put an end to all of this…
‘There is, Sam.’ Dhassim nodded sagely, and Sam recalled how Aaliyah had also been able to read thoughts. Nothing surprised him now. All he wanted was to hug Jinnie, be a dad again, and park all this genie stuff in the deepest recesses of his mind.
Mustapha wandered in again, this time carrying a tray of food. ‘Sweetbreads,’ he announced, and Sam’s appetite plummeted like a faulty elevator.
‘That’s offal,’ he said, eyeing the mound of unappetising body parts extracted from some animal’s innards.
‘How do you know it’s awful unless you try it?’ Mustapha curled his lip as Dhassim and Aaliyah dug in with gusto. Sam shook his head. Enough already.
‘Please, please tell me what I need to do. I’ll do anything, as long as Jinnie and our baby are safe.’ Tears filled his eyes, the need to see his gorgeous girl and her glorious bump ripping at his heart.
Aaliyah’s face softened, and she enveloped one of Sam’s hands in both of hers. ‘Pet, our baby is special. One of a kind, with the gift of wish-giving, but not like ours. He’s only got one wish to grant and he can only grant it for the right person.’
‘He’s too small to grant three wishes,’ explained Dhassim. ‘It would drain all his energy, so it has to be spot on, first time. Otherwise…’
Aaliyah’s grip threatened to cut off the blood supply to Sam’s fingers. ‘He needs to connect with the right person. We already know who it is. Once the wish is granted, Gorka will be free to join us and live happily ever after.’ She shot a sideways glance at Dhassim. ‘Although a certain someone needs to keepmehappy if he wants the perfect family unit.’
Dhassim, suitably chastened, bobbed his head up and down. ‘It is difficult, I know, but this is the last piece of the puzzle. We served Jinnie and Jo. Now our boy, Dhassim Junior — let us discuss this later, my angel — will perform his duty and all will be well.’
‘Who are you talking about?’ Sam wrenched his hand free and massaged it. A cast of characters flipped in and out of his vision. Harvey? Mags? Janette? Or maybe that woman from the boutique whose name escaped him.
Dhassim gave an enigmatic smile. ‘Oh no. Much, much closer to home.’
CHAPTER9
‘Do you see what I see?’
Jinnie gawped at the cupboard which housed the two lamps. Except — two had become three. Nestled between Dhassim and Aliyah’s vessels was a tiny lamp, its rose-gold finish twinkling in the light from Sam’s torch. The other two appeared unchanged, apart from a dent in the side of Dhassim’s lamp.
‘I do, but I wish I didn’t,’ replied Sam. ‘This makes me feel uncomfortable.’
Jinnie rubbed her baby bump and gave a groan. ‘Junior here is makingmeuncomfortable. I swear he — or she — has extra elbows or feet. Ouch!’
