“…What are you really? Do you have a name?.” With a serious face, Sharod just spewed out the cliché question.
“I’m a genie now and Genie is my name.” With a smirk on her face, Genie just answered the question.
Sharod just sat there, mouth gaping open as he didn’t expect she would answer like that. He then smiled wryly as he just got. He lowered his head to think a little about what she said and realize something.
“You said that that you are a genie now, that means you once not a genie, if so what were you?.” Sharod leaned against his study chair as he crossed his arm in front of his chest.
“Hmm… do you want to know the long answer or the short answer?.” She glanced at Sharod and she held her palm up while still laying lazily mid-air.
Sharod lowered his head again and answered. ”Short answer please.”
“Yeah, I was human, got captured by the king, became a sacrifice for a ritual to an evil god, and turned to all-powerful genie without my consent, doomed to grant all desire of my wretched kindred ” She just squint her eyes sideways as she reminisces about her miserable fate. That day was the turning point in her life.
Sharod saw the melancholy in her expression and just hung his head low, knowing the untold sadness that she felt about her fate. The room became quiet for a few moments, no one speaks for that period only the sound of crickets accompanied the silence. Sharod then lifted his head fueled with his curiosity.
“Then what about the long answer?.” Inquire him with his palm raised up.
The genie glanced at him and rolled her eyes a little. “Well, for starter I was a young girl that lived in a small but prosperous kingdom with great local ruler. It was life with filled hard, but rewarding effort. I had a good parent that runs a small trading business and kind siblings. I also had the chance to fall in love with my beloved guy even got married to him. It was a really blissful life.” Even though she said that her head hung low all the while. Sharod her expression seems to hide sadness and darkness.
“But it wasn’t long that the head of the kingdom, the king to succumb to an evil cult that offered unimaginable prosperity. It was an obvious stupid offer, but the king got persuaded. So, he ordered all his subjects to search for a suitable sacrifice to be sacrificed to the god of that evil cult. I was the one who fulfills all the criteria to even the tiniest detail.” Her fist slightly clenched as she remembered something really unpleasant.
“I was brought to the king forcefully, my family who resisted were burned down alongside their store. My fiancée was killed by the chasing soldier. Then I was dragged to the ritual with despair in my heart. I was really resigned to my fate, but what I found at the end of the light was salvation. The god, my god that I was present to was really benevolent. At the last moment, I was granted one wish and that to erase the kingdom I that had done this to me.” Her face was really one of blessed person, her infatuated yes, her slightly open lip as she gazed upward explain all that she felt her encounter. Sharod really felt uncomfortable about this sudden change as his touched heart slowly crumble a bit, he backed a bit to his chair.
“My God grant me that wish and just like that the prosperous kingdom was erased from the world. Like a morning mist, it vanishes never to be seen again.” She had the same smirk she had when she told her short introduction earlier, but with more obsession and a sadistic undertone. Sharod was taken back by this as he showed a really disgusted and scared face.
“Yup that’s my story… awh~… don’t be like that. Don’t worry I won’t turn back on the one who rubbed my lamp.” Her smirk with really bewitching, but creepy didn’t convince Sharod the slightest.
Sharod just sat on his chair while leaning his chin on the chair arm with his arm. He kind of felt melancholy after hearing the sad story of the genie. This genie was forced into a role without any of her consent and even though he really couldn’t imagine how that would really felt like, it must have devastating.
She lost her family like that made him wonder back when he loses his mother. It wasn’t a pleasant memory. He doesn’t have the exact memory of when he lost his mother. He only remembers the day after when his father told him that his mother was missing. That kind of broke him that time.
As he fell deep into reminisce, The genie voice brought him back, “Are you done?.”
This jolted him from his stupor as he looked at the bored expression of the genie which at this moment was laying on her back. She just laying mid-air while showing her glorious chest which was really glorious to say. Sharod tried hard not to stare, but to no avail, as he still glanced at it from time to time.
He then tried to distract himself, “Ahem… Well, for reference how long ago was it?.”
“Don’t know, about more than thousands of years ago I guess. I still haven’t caught up to the current time yet.” Said the genie as she did some counting gesture with her finger.
Well, Sharod expected that to some extent, but he was still curious. He then turned his attention to the artifact which is sitting on his desk, the lamp. The artifact caught his attention when he examined it further. Some question he had with it.
He grabbed the lamp and hold it toward the genie. “My next question will be about this thing, what is-.”
Before he finishes, the genie flinched a little and quickly turned her head toward the door. She stared sharply, then she turned half-transparent, but Sharod still could see her. Sharod obviously noticed this as he also turned to look at the door.
*knock
*knock
*knock
A knocking sound could be heard which then followed with a female voice, “Sharod? Are you done with your study? Can I come in? Sorry to bother you this late at night, but I have something to talk with you.”
It was the voice of his sister
Sharod blood runs cold as he knew his sister hated him adding new artifacts to his collection. It was already a few months since her last visit and his collection already grew a little from getting the new things from Jeniffer's house. He looked at the genie that had floated toward the door.
He then ignored the genie for now and looked around his room. He realized that there was no way he could hide any addition to his collection. He usually didn’t come home late to prepare for his sister's visit, but the event at Jeniffer's house made him unprepared for his sister's visit and Rebecca didn’t tell him that his sister is home either.
He resigned to his fate and just made amend with her later. He walked toward the door and open the door. His sister was standing on the other in her pajamas with animal patterns. She is a woman of the same height as sharod. She got long black hair, the same color of Sharod hair. She got a voluptuous body which made her friend jealous and brought the attention of males to her.
She had a bit of questioning look on her face as she stood behind the door.
“Well, are you going to invite me in?.” her face turned into a sigh then to a slight smile.
His face change to dawning as he moved to let her in. She walked in and sat on his bed while looking around his room. Even though she sat facing him, her eyes kept wandering around the room. Sharod observed this weirdly as his sister kept on turning her eyes around, after some time it looks like her eyes were twitching. Sharod took a seat at his study desk and waited for what his sister wanted to talk about.
“So, how was your day?.” Lisa said casually starting a conversion.
“Alright I guess, an accident happens, but overall it is greatt… .” Sharod remembered a bit about his experience in bed with Jeniffer so his face turned red for a few moments.
“Oh, what happens?.” Even though she said that her eyes still wasn’t on Sharod, with no indication of interest.
“Oh, nothing nothing… Wait, you asked about the accident?.” Sharod panicked and fumbled a bit as he still reminisced about the pleasure on the bed with Jeniffer. By this point, Lisa already stopped her examination and looking straight at Sharod.
“Yeah, what else?.”Her gaze felt a little uncomfortable to Sharod though as it seemed to be judging eyes or observing eyes. It wasn’t the eyes of a sister that asking little brother’s activities. It like eyes of an interrogating detective that want something from their suspect. It’s different from when Ms.Maya was looking at him, it was like Lisa was looking at him for something he had and it felt uncomfortable especially if it came from your own sister. She also had a slight smile on her face at this moment, a cold smile.
“Oh okay… Well, the thing was, I accidentally bump into Ms.Maya this morning. You know the bitchy headmistress of mine. So yeah I just lightly bumped to her when I wasn’t looking to where I walk because I was on my phone. Then I only slightly- I emphasize slightly – touched her while walking and she fell down exaggeratedly like some dump-truck just hit her.” Sharod ramble with a frustrated voice.
“Well, that was too bad. You should have known better. You were a good kid, after all, don’t make some bad record for your grade like that” She said that with no genuine concern though.
“Yeah… it was my fault, but she also was escalating this to an exaggerated degree you know,” Sharod said what on his heart, but how Lisa talk bothered him.
The genie around this moment was floating around examining Lisa closely, it was weird how she floating around Lisa's head without her noticing while Sharod was aware of it the whole time. The genie then made some gestured with her hand and outcome some kind of magic circle from her hand. It lighten up Lisa's body and from her body could be seen some kind of blue mist.
The whole thing was capture by Sharod which was quite perplexed by the strange thing cling to his sister. He a bit curious about it as he wanted to observe more, but his attention was brought back by his sister calling out to him.
“Sharod! Are you listening to what I just said?.” Her mouth curved upward and her eyes shown skepticism.
“Oh yeah, sorry what were you talking about again?.” Sharod showed a little guilty smile to her sister.
“Nevermind, Anyway your collection seems to have grown a bit.” Her eyes went around the room again for a brief moment.
Sharod’a heart finally beat quickly. The moment has come for him, he will got scolded again for not following what she said. He prepared his mental for the storm that about to pass, but nothing the sort come.
“Hmm… you really have many of it, by the way, do you remember some kind of amulet that has a strange aura?.” Said Lisa with inquisitive eyes and a smiling face, but that smile give a chill to Sharod.
“Erm… eer… What kind of amulet?.” That question came as surprise to Sharod and he kinda stammered a bit.
“I don’t really know it shape, but I know it always has this kind of chilling aura,” Lisa said while keeping her chilling smile.
At this moment Sharod knew something is wrong, really wrong with his sister. Something sinister lurking behind that smile and Sharod just could feel it. Her smile triggered his sixth sense, it was the same feeling when he first met Genie. His guts telling him that what in front of him seemed to be his sister, but the reality it wasn’t. He quickly glanced at the floating genie which at this point has entered contemplating state as she observed Lisa.
Genie, she as if gotten some sort of inspiration, her demeanor change instantly. She had this beaming smile on her face as she floated back to Sharod's side. She then quickly glanced at Sharod and notice his questioning gaze. As if she had a whimsical thought, she whispered something to him.
“That is not you sister~… something is moving her from the inside~…” After she said that she went to one of the corners and lie comfortably in her usual position.
Her whisper came as dawning light to Sharod's panicked, confused state and he was dumbfounded for a brief moment but kept his poker outward to his sister. He then stared at what looks like his sister. His thoughts raced for a moment for a way to save his sister and him from this situation.
He thought that if she was possessed maybe he could exorcist it. He remembers he had an artifact which could be used to exorcist people. He thought about where he kept it and remembered it was in his desk drawer. He then thought of a ruse to make it so his sister won’t be suspicious of his doing.
“So, do you remember something?.” Lisa said pulling him out of his stupor.
“Oh? Oh yeah! I remember it, it is in my drawer. Could you help me for a moment and come here to help me check all my drawers?. I kind of forgot which drawer I kept it.” Shaord threw the excuse he thought of and smiled wryly.
He then stood up and gestured to his sister to look for the drawer next to him while he checked the one directly behind him. The distance was less than a meter between him and the drawer so he could quickly pull out the artifact and stick it to his sister.
She came to the drawer and began to look inside while Sharod already pulled out his and seen the box which contained the talisman which his father brought back from China. Sharod already knows the utility of this talisman when he first examined it back then. He knows it could drive evil away.
He took out the wooden box from the drawer. He opened it and heaved a sigh of relief to see the stack of talisman still neatly pack inside. With this, I could definitely drive it away.
Then he felt it. A sudden chilling sensation creeping up his spine. An ominous presence felt from his back. A pair of hands reach out from his shoulder, one reached out to his face. His sister clutching his shoulder while clinging to his back. He glanced to his side and there she was, smiling with the same chilling smile earlier. She took glanced at the stack of talisman and looked at him dead in the eyes. With a voice that sent goosebump to his whole body, she says.
“So you already knew~…”
Thanks for the chap!
Thanks for reading!