Chapter 7

Genies: Not to be confused with their banished counterparts, Djinn, Genies are powerful creatures capable of granting wishes to any fortunate enough to stumble upon one. Often, these entities are trapped within mystical items; be it a translucent stone, ornate lamp, enchanted musical instrument, or anything bearing considerable power. They’re locked away in a pocket dimension, and are only allowed to expend magic at the will of others.

These creatures have the ability to tap into immense magic. As a fairy’s power increases, so too does the fae laws restricting them. Since each genie has the power to unravel the fabrics of time, space, and reality, they are often the most restricted. As such, no genie can use any power without the say of another creature. That said, the limits to a genie’s power while granting a wish are nearly endless, as long as it follows three simple rules.

Rule One: No genie can follow a wish that would bring harm to another living being. Not directly, at least. 

Rule Two: Genies are forbidden from bringing any creatures back from the dead. They have the power to achieve this feat, but lack the foresight and wherewithal to avoid the corruptive influences involved.

Rule Three: Rewriting the will of another sentient being is strictly prohibited.

Outside of these three rules - designed to protect genies as much as anyone else - they are capable of incredible things. In the past, genies have fallen victim to harmful stereotypes. Many think these creatures are tricky or deceitful, but few ever distort the requested wish. Granting a wish while intentionally creating a harmful outcome to the wisher taints their magic, damages their community and reputation, and is a sure way to fall from the graces of the Powers That Be. 

A genie is allowed to refuse a wish. However, given that they are not allowed to use magic when not specifically asked to, it is quite uncommon for a genie to deny a posed wish. Most enjoy flexing, showing their powers and bringing happiness to the wisher. Every wish granted adds to their pool of magic, making their powers more potent and the rules harder to break. 

Should a genie break one of the three rules, their magic pool is forever corrupted. This tainted magic burns into them, diminishing their ability to tap into it while they deteriorate. They can get back into good graces by putting things back the way they were, but must be wished to do so, or find a way to do it themselves. Failing to right their wrong results in them becoming one of the banished, resulting in another Djinn coming to be.

Blood races through her veins as Summer reaches the seventh floor in her apartment building, her heart racing from a surprisingly exhaustive climb up the stairs. The hammering in her chest thumps in her ears, and she takes a moment to catch her breath. Ordinarily, the young woman has no difficulty going up and down the seven flights of stairs, but her busy day is catching up with her. Exhaustion sets in, and she longs for nothing more than the comfort of her bed as she walks to her door.

“How was your date with RaaAaalv?” 

The sudden voice startles Summer, who jumps in the frame of her open door with eyes going wide. She scans the entrance to her apartment, and easily spots Gavin carelessly laying on her couch. His green hat was drawn over his face, but he pulls it back to the top of his head as he sits up.

“He’s so into you, you know,” he says with a smirk.

Summer scoffs, tossing her purse onto the counter beside the door and crossing her arms over her chest. She kicks the door shut with a heel, but remains in place. The aggravation shaking through her begins to take control, aided by the fatigue plaguing her. 

“What are you, jealous,” she retorts, letting some of her frustration bubble out. “At least he doesn’t call me an idiot, or vanish on me without warning.”

Gavin’s eyes dart to the laptop on the table in the dining room. His attention lingered on the golden tie, and he rubbed the back of his neck with one hand while standing from the couch. A grimace stretched across his face, and it was clear he regretted some of their interactions, but Summer wasn’t in any mood.

“Yeah, sorry ab-” he started, but was promptly cut off.

“You want me to steal for you, barge into my apartment as you please, expect me to just know everything that I grew to learn wasn’t real, and then treat me like some feeble child while I slip further and further into this… this-” a frustrated sigh burns at the end of her accusations.

The leprechaun puts his hands up as if surrendering. He struggles to meet her gaze, nodding as he searches for something to say. A list of apologies swim through his mind, and he wonders if she’ll allow him to start.

“I…” he begins again, letting the single letter drift between them to test the boiling waters. When it seems as though he won’t be shot down again, he continues with a softer tone.

“I’m sorry. Normally, I wouldn’t even bother, and I’m usually much… easier to get along with?” 

Summer was still in an aggressive stance, but she waited for him to go on. Her eyes burned into the leprechaun, and she could feel her teeth grinding together. With a bit of effort, she was able to relax her jaw, and wordlessly gestured for Gavin to continue with a quick shake of her head and shrugging shoulders.

“Really, I kinda thought you had some experience. Shouldn’ta assumed, though,” he said apologetically.

“Why would you think I had experience?” Summer asked, making some attempt to sound less hostile.

“Your pendant,” Gavin replied, pointing at the pocket watch hanging from her neck. “The Temutatio?”

Confusion brushes her other emotions aside for a moment as Summer’s head tilts to the side. Her arms ease, with one moving down from her chest while the hand of the other reaches for her grandfather’s pocket watch. She runs her fingers along the curved side of the silver shell, her thumb rubbing across the polished stone in the center.

“The… my grandfather’s pocket watch?” she asked apprehensively. Her head shook as she let a scoff brush from her lips, closing her hand protectively around the heirloom. “It’s just a watch, nothing magic about-”

“Ever been late while wearing it?” he asked, a certain gleam in his eye suggesting he already knew the answer.

“I-” Summer began, thinking back through the brief time she’d actually been wearing it. 

She had only taken it out of her box of “Keepsakes,” what, yesterday? While she was certain that she was going to be late on her first day, everything worked out for her to arrive right when she needed to. One whole example, hardly a convincing grouping.

“Ever have time just… work out for you?”

“Well, I don’t think…” she said, letting her reply trail off as her mind wandered through the day.

Was it possible? She started the day late, but managed to make it to her first day right on time. Better, she had gotten to the office just in time for Mrs. Boggury to be the first person she saw on her first day. But… other than that?

“Not particularly?” Summer answered with a slight question. 

“Just a buncha’ coincidences, then?” the leprechaun mused with a smirk. “You happened to walk into Ralv’s and get into line just in time to get a glimpse of someone who you shouldn’ta been able to see, right before I blinked away? Then used that fancy new phone of yours to catch a pic of me over your shoulder, first try?”

Her mind slipped to another coincidence as Gavin listed his “proof.” Not that she was believing any of it, but could it have been just a coincidence that she went back to the restaurant when she did? It must have, though it did provide the perfect opportunity to get in closer with the owner in question. Him, and the coin Gavin wanted - deserved - to have back.

“See?” he said with an annoying told-you-so pitch in his voice. “Now you’re gettin’ it.”

“So?” she retorted, weariness beginning to take a toll. “It doesn’t really prove anything.”

Gavin rolled his eyes and tossed up his hands. It was clear he was getting frustrated, but his reaction seemed over the top.

“You humans,” he whined. “Never wanna believe anything unless it’s handed to ya on a silver platter!”

Summer let out an agitated laugh, then ran her hand through her hair. She scratched her scalp with her fingers, and found herself actually trying to grasp this impossible thing this impossible man was trying to explain.

“Tell ya what,” Gavin suggested. “Why don’t you test it? Get an idea or want in your mind, and go wherever it is you need to get it.”

A defeated sigh broke from Summer’s chest as she pulled off her glasses. She held them in one hand, pinching the bridge of her nose between her eyes with the other. They weren’t getting anywhere, and there was no way she was about to go anywhere just now.

“The only place I’m going,” she said, putting her glasses back on, “...is bed. As soon as I get my strange guest out of my apartment, anyway.”

“Oh, c’mon!” he protested, clearly desperate to make a believer out of her. “I know it’s late, but we can use that to our advantage. Anything you want, wherever ya gotta go. I’ll bet they’re inexplicably still open, or-”

“No, I need to get to bed,” she insisted. “I was nearly late to work today, and I have to make a better impression tomorrow.”

“Fine-fine-fine,” he relented, flashing his palms at her. “Something quicker - better, even.”

Summer’s annoyance was building, but… her curiosity was undeniable. With another worn chuckle, she shook her head and crossed her arms over her chest. 

“What is it?” she asked, eager to appease him if only to get him out.

“The pin.”

He said it as if it was all that was needed to make his point. A knowing smile was plastered to his face, and he nodded expectantly at her. When she didn’t react to his simple answer, he let another frustrated sigh spill between them.

“You know, the thing all watches have? Ya use it to turn the little hands forward or back?”

“What about it?” she asked, only becoming more curious. 

“Try changing the time.”

The watch - the Temutatio - hung fairly loose on the chain around her neck. Summer had no difficulty pulling her necklace up and over her head, letting the small chain dangle over the back of her hand while holding the potentially magic device in her palm. She eyed the pin at the top of the watch, nestled between a pair of curved silver hills providing a seamless bump. Gavin stepped closer, nodding encouragingly.

She had never tried changing the time on it, couldn’t even think of a time she had seen her grandfather make an adjustment to the ever-reliable clock. Her head tilted slightly to the side as she wondered how it could possibly always be accurate, given the bi-annual time change and time zones. Though, maybe it hadn’t been involved in much travel?

“So, I just…” she ponders slowly, pinching the pin between two fingers.

It rises from the watch as she pulls up, and the rhythmic ticking from inside ceases. Her heart races for some reason, an unexplainable excitement racing through her veins as she tries to give it a little twist. The pin doesn’t budge as she tries to turn it one way, and remains just as stubborn while trying the other. She presses her lips together while gently trying again, taking care not to damage the intricate item.

After a handful of seconds, the pin slides from between her fingers. It clicks back into place despite her presumably firm hold, and the steady ticking resumes. She frowns at it, then looks back up at Gavin.

“Well?” he asks with a slightly impatient smile. “Give it a go.”

“I did,” she replies, sighing. “It wouldn’t turn.”

Gavin’s brow furrowed as he looked at the round watch in her hand. That wasn’t what he had expected, and he shook his head in disbelief.

“N-no, you… you gotta pull the little pin-thing up.”

“I’m not an idiot!” Summer fires back, a bit louder than intended. She lowers her voice, trying to remain in control of the agitation threatening to take hold. “I know how to work a watch. I pulled the pin up…”

She gives the little pin another tug, guiding it from its silver nest and showing it to the leprechaun. Holding it right in front of his face so he can really see this time, she tries twisting the pin once again. It refuses to move, as expected, with Gavin’s eyes firmly locked to the shining device. Once more, after several seconds of trying, the pin snaps from her fingers and nestles back in the middle of the silver hill as the watch continues ticking.

The leprechaun finally blinks, as though breaking from some trance. He continues looking at the watch until Summer moves her hand, shrugging without a word.

“What are you-” he starts, confusion present in his voice. Gavin’s eyes go wide as something clicks in his head, and he shakes a hand at her, pointing at the watch. “You- pull it again, and go somewhere!”

Summer is briefly taken aback by the sudden excitement coming from the leprechaun. She is admittedly tired of this little game, but if it’ll put an end to this whole thing, what’s the harm? With another sigh and a quick eye-roll, she takes the pin between her fingers again, pulling without even looking at it.

This time, the effect is more noticeable. Gavin’s frantic gesturing stops along with the watch’s ticking. He appears frozen in place, almost frighteningly still as the impossible unfolds all around her. His instruction comes screaming back to mind, and Summer hurries from her place beside the couch. She starts walking to the kitchen, heart hammering in her chest as the leprechaun continues looking and pointing at her now vacant spot. Just before she gets into the kitchen, she feels a subtle click in her hand as the watch’s pin slides back into place.

“Ha!” Gavin exclaims, swiveling his head around until he finds her in the kitchen. “I told you!”

He laughed excitedly as Summer tried pulling the pin again. It wouldn’t budge as her fingers tugged at it, each time slightly more persistent than the last. She worried that she had broken it, ruined this magical relic forever as Gavin began walking over to her.

“It is a Temutatio! Where didja get-”

The pin rises from the watch, cutting silence into his gleeful question in an instant. He freezes mid-step, one foot hovering inches over the floor with his mouth open around the word he was about to say. Summer counts in her head, doing her best to track the seconds that should be ticking away in the world paused around her. A couple had to have snuck by before she started, and she got to a steady eight before Gavin continued to move, oblivious to the interruption.

“-one of those?” he finished.

Summer blinked at him, struggling through disbelief as her mind tried to piece together the question he had just asked. There was simply no way this could be happening, she thought. Such a thing was only possible in fiction, yet… This little watch ticked quietly in her hand, each second simultaneously having profound - and no - meaning. 

“Some ancient wizard?” Gavin offered. “Maybe a druid or warlock? Did someone in your family win it, or maybe make a deal for it?”

Dizziness invades her senses as the leprechaun talks. Summer stumbles against the kitchen counter, mentally grasping at the reality that had just abandoned her. She gasps, struggling to keep her ravenous lungs fed as her legs grow weak, and allows herself to slide down to the floor. Gavin rushes to her side, an expression of concern on his face.

“Ya ok?” he asks, seemingly ignorant of her plight. 

“Yeah,” Summer replies, shaking her head. “No,” she says, giggling some of the stress from her chest. “You’re… just…”

She puts her hands on her head, elbows planted on her knees as her fingers rake through her hair. The clock ticks dangerously close to her skull, and she quickly places it on the linoleum floor beside her. A nervous hand pushes it further away, as though trying to keep it from contaminating her. 

“Warlocks? Wizards? Those- they’re made up! None of this can be real…”

The world of fantasy, every work of fiction she had been conditioned to know was imaginary, suddenly seemed all too real. She needed to know what was really out there, but desperately wanted a return to the normalcy that had just been yanked away. A tender hand settled over her spine, and she worked on steadying her breathing as Gavin gently rubbed her back.

“It can be a lot,” he said understandingly. “Let’s just… do you need to talk?”

Summer shook her head, fighting a sob as she scratched her scalp. The life she had worked so hard to build, one she had only just started to achieve - did it even matter anymore? There was little to no chance at getting anything resembling a good night’s sleep tonight, but what difference did it make? How could she simply ‘go to work’ after having this unbelievable truth dumped onto her?

“So… does that mean…” she started slowly, still trying to piece things together in her fractured mind. “...what else is there? Is everything real?”

A grunted sigh accompanied Gavin’s descent to the floor beside her. He continued rubbing her back, but the motion was considerably more awkward as he sat next to her. The leprechaun sighed again, thinking of the best way to respond to her question.

“More or less,” he finally answered. “Most things ya got in stories here, they’re based on something.”

“Suppose it’s too much to ask for a list?” Summer asked, not entirely certain she would really want such a thing.

“Anything in particular ya wanna know about?” 

Breaths became more and more steady as she let thoughts swim through her mind, and the twirling room slowed. She finally allowed herself to sit with her back straight against the cabinet behind her, wincing and leaning forward to allow Gavin to pull his hand away. Her feet remained planted on the floor with her knees bent at chest level, but she felt a little more comfortable having this strange conversation.

“I know Santa and the Easter Bunny are probably not real,” she says, tipping her head back until finding the cabinets with a low thud.

Gavin grimaces a reply, but says nothing. Summer catches the subtle motion in the corner of her eye and turns to look at him. The expression fading from his face speaks volumes, but she needs confirmation.

“You’re kidding.”

“Santa- Father Christmas,” he explains, “yeh, that guy’s real. The bunny too, but probably not quite the legend you grew up with?”

“What do you mean?” Her mind races into a tailspin again, and she closes her eyes to keep the room from restarting its dizzy dance. 

“I would guess you got the same tale about a fuzzy rabbit-guy who hides colorful eggs?” Gavin prods, struggling not to laugh at the classic idea. “The real bunny, he’s… let’s say… less charitable.”

Fear blossoms in Summer’s heart, and her eyes become wider. She hadn’t considered the possibility - probability, even - that some of these beings might be sinister, but the way Gavin’s tone dipped. It sounded like he was trying to subtly lead her onto some awful truth.

“What… is he… bad?” she asks, hoping he’ll be gentle with the presumably wicked telling.

“They say he makes that colorful grass stuff out of the shredded remains of his victims’ clothes. He decorates his eggs with their blood, but that’s not even the worst of it.”

Gavin leans closer, looking over his shoulder while the silence becomes deafening. Summer leans in with him, as though they’re about to share a devilish conspiracy. 

“He takes the naughty little children,” the leprechaun continues, “and squeezes them into the eggs he knows no one will find. That’s why they smell so bad after a few weeks.”

“You’re messing with me,” Summer announces, releasing the tension she hadn’t even noticed in her muscles.

She relaxes against the cabinet, rolling her eyes as the leprechaun laughs. Gavin nods through the giggles, and pulls his hat from his head before swiping a hand through his crimson hair. He recovers fairly quickly, then clears his throat with a cough.

“Sorry, couldn’t resist. Father Christmas is real, though. And not one to joke about.”

It sounded like a warning. Summer glanced at him, the foolish feeling leaving her as she studied his face.

“Yeah, you wanna be careful when talking about the ones with ‘father’ or ‘mother’ in their name,” he explains. “Those guys are powerful. And usually not easy to get along with.”

“Ok, santa - check,” she says somewhat sarcastically. “He goes around giving toys to kids, but coal to the bad ones?”

“Mostly. Ya gotta leave an offering, though.”

“An offering?” Summer asks. “You don’t mean…”

“Nah, not like milk and cookies,” he says with a smirk. “Somethin’ like tools or trinkets. Somethin’ he can use to satisfy the wants of someone else, or bring back to his elves so they can build it.”

“He actually has elves working for him?”

She said it more incredulously than intended, but it sounded ridiculous. Even in this new ridiculous reality, a playful workshop full of merry little elves sounded too far fetched.

“Of course,” he confirms, scoffing as if it should have been obvious. “You don’t think he makes so many toys and things all by himself, do ya?”

“So, what… he pays them in candy canes and cookies?”

“Pays?” Gavin asks, arching a brow and shaking his head. “He don’t pay them anythin’. More of a sweat-shop than anything.”

“What?!” she shouts much too loud. Gavin bounces in surprise, and Summer lowers her voice back to a conversational level. “They’re… slaves?”

“I guess you could call it that,” he replies. “Suppose most elves get something more tangible for their efforts. Guess I’ve never really thought of it…”

“That’s awful,” she says, somehow feeling guilty for the elves. “Has anyone tried to save them?”

“Save ‘em?” Gavin practically spits. “From what? A purpose?”

Summer lets her horrified stare linger on the leprechaun, gawking at him as if expecting some morbid punchline to follow. When he doesn’t continue, she shakes her head through the disbelief.

“You… no one has thought the elves want better? You think they want their slavery?”

“Listen, it’s the way of the world, right?” he offers. “They may not want it, but it’s the way it is, yeah? Ain’t nobody gonna help, nothin’ to help.”

She sits against the cabinet again and looks at nothing in particular in front of her. This magical new world sounded like more of a nightmare than anything. Her head shook, and she resisted the urge to laugh at the absurdity.

“Ok… ok,” she stammers, “...ok. So… Santa has forced labor, not as magical as we’re led to believe here…”

“Don’t look at it like that,” Gavin says rather dismissively. “Most elves… they need something to do. A task to keep ‘em busy. Otherwise, they get a little… off.”

“How do you mean?”

He opened his mouth to reply, then shut it again. It looked like he was searching for some way to explain, but couldn’t find the right words. 

“Tell ya what,” he says thoughtfully. “You get my coin from Ralv, and I’ll tell you all ya wanna know. Might even make that list you asked about.”

The coin. Summer had nearly forgotten about it. Here she was, ready to fight another injustice, when Gavin still needed help righting his own wrong. She found the watch on the floor again, an idea already taking shape in her mind.

“I don’t suppose you could supply a fake coin?” she wonders aloud, looking back at the leprechaun.

“You mean a counterfeit?” he replies with notable disgust. His grimace eases as he considers her request. “Ohhhhhh, that’s good.”

Gavin hops to his feet, giggling as he seizes the hat from his head. He puts his hand into the hat, reaching much too far into the accessory, and blindly searches within it. The hat swallows his arm up to the shoulder before he seems to find what he’s looking for. When his hand emerges, he’s holding a lump of chocolate no bigger than a charcoal briquette.

“Got any foil?” he asks with a smirk.