Real Genies and Imaginary Wishes
"What about wishing for less wishes?"
"Fewer," the genie corrected.
"Yes. Can I wish for fewer wishes?"
"I suppose. How many fewer?"
"Negative two?" I asked, hesitantly.
The genie rolled his eyes. "That's another way of asking for more wishes, which, again, you cannot do."
"What about imaginary wishes?"
"Imaginary wishes?"
"I wish I had a chalkboard and some chalk to explain. Ahh! Perfect. Suppose there were two dimensions depicting how many wishes I have..."
After twenty minutes of explanation, I concluded that I wanted to wish for four imaginary wishes and multiply them together.
The genie scratched his head as he stared at his notes.
"But won't that return your original wish?"
"Yes. It's a proof of concept."
I felt a swirling vortex of magical energy leave my body and return. The genie smiled a devious grin.
"Now, for my next wish, increase the magnitude."
Again, magical warmth spread through my body. My posture improved. There wasn't a mirror nearby, but I bet my eyes were glowing. I suddenly felt a need to hide in an enclosed space.
"What has happened to me?"
"Your wish has been granted."
The empty air mocked me from all directions.
"Fool that you are, in your greed, you have acted as though wishes can only come from you. Others have wishes as well that lie orthogonal to your own. You have been granted the power of infinite wishes, but they are not your own."
I looked down at my hands. The skin shone brilliant blue. I felt a desire to improv character impersonations.
The genie assumed the stance of Bruce Willis in Die Hard.
"Welcome to the party, pal."
If you enjoyed this story, leave a comment below. What would you ask of a monkey’s paw? Requests may be featured in the next story.