How do I begin..this story is so far fetched..no one would belive it..but it did happen..at least to us..it was in the year of our Lord 2001, the millennium was over and done with far as the New Year that was all in the past now..
My friend Ervie as I called her and who I had known for twenty years ..was a bright and smart person..both she and I were always in agreement or sometimes a disagreement on something or other..but we know how the other person thought..and of course there was concern and love..each having grown children..we two knew what life and hardship's were all about..
It was a nice warm day ..so nothing to do and no working on the weekend we decided to go to the beach..this would be different from the usual shopping..or just going and doing to kill time..so in calling Ervie..she and I set off..with living in the state of California..no better place to go to the beach than here..
We like to watch all the people..and this state was known for it's "beautiful people".. those skimpy bikinis the young women wore as with the younger men showing off their body building efforts..I often thought how long and hard they must have worked to get that perfect body..well mine sure was not..this I knew without anyone saying a word..grown children..and grandchildren..both of us having to work..and do as most normal women do to provide for the families..we were sure no show boats..but still looked good for "us" middle aged women..
That did not mean that we wanted to be less attractive..just with age things change..
On our way to the beach we choose an area that was not with all the younger crowd..and just being in the sun made us both feel better..good old vitamins from the sun..and while walking and looking on the beach..we found the normal pretty sea shells as well as other sea life washed up onto the sand
We were just about ready to turn and go back in the same direction when a glistening..shinny object caught Ervie's eye..bending over to see what it was ..she said .."hey look here..there is a bottle or something here in the sand" "See if you can pull it out I said" still not having any other thoughts to our find..Ervie pulled and with a yank it was free..now it was covered with sand..dirt and mud.. bending over to dip it into the ocean to wash the sand off..there in the sun was a magnificent vase..looking like an old small urn..well what do we have here Ervie was saying..we both looked at it again.."hey maybe it's the aladdin in a bottle I was saying..
With saying that Ervie laughed out loud and long.."Yeah Right..lets make a wish.." we didn't make a wish..but we did not throw the lamp away either..it was really unique and something different from the ordinary junk you find washed up onto the beach..going home we stopped and got something to eat..arriving back at Ervie's we settled in to just relax sitting at home where the cool air greeted us as we walked into her home..it felt good..after the walk on the beach and heat of the day had taken it's toll on both of us..we weren't as young as we use to be..but we enjoyed the day.. I just wanted to go home take a cool shower and rest for the evening..saying my good bye's and ready to leave "what do you want me to do with this lamp we found..do you want it ..or what!!" Well it really was not all that bad or would not be maybe if it were cleaned up really good I was thinking..."yeah I'll take it if you don't want it..clean it up and put a flower or something in it..but your good with flower arrangements why don't you just keep it here until tomorrow when I come over
I've got some old silk flowers I have and you can arrange something to put into the lamp"..well things were settled..this would be our little project for tomorrow.. I slept well and was rested and getting up before to late.. ..showered.. dressed and headed over to Ervie's..she was up..and seem to be refreshed too!!..
Bringing the lamp into view with a water pail to clean it up..pretty soon the lamp was a beautiful golden color..now I thought..maybe I should have taken it home last night..it sure was turning into something really pretty after just a little cleaning..
The lamp was washed cleaned and looked nice..Ervie rubbing on the side to get a smudge off..felt something ..the lamp was moving or was it her imagination..no it was..we both looked..then it stopped..rubbing it harder this time.."poof" there something was.. this could not be..I knew she and I were not nuts but before us stood a Genie..the whole idea like you see in a fairy tail movie..
We both jumped back and I started for the front door..and in doing so Ervie had the same idea..hide..and we were smashed nearly together trying to get into the front door at the same time..
Slamming the door..we both looked at each other..and did not know whether to laugh or scream..we both were trying to get our senses straightened out and there he was again..I mean what do you do what a thousand year old Genie..with two middle aged women about to have a stroke with all that was going on..
In a mundane tone..he spoke and in English..saying "I am your Genie of Past and Present..whatever your wish is my command"..Hey this may not be a bad deal after all Ervie was saying"..much braver than I..since she was more bolder I let her take the first step..in proceeding to talk.. and asking questions..and trying to find out all that the Genie could explain..after much ado she was satisfied and seem to be enjoying all this..me well I knew it had happened but still I was not to sure about it..things like this don't happen in everyday life..but it sure was happening now..
Being conservative this was not hard to do..but the expressions of all the beautiful and wonderful things we would see in books and magazines.. like homes..cars..land..clothes..and jewelry were really making our minds wonder..
After a few weeks we had our list of things we needed and a few we did not..now for the main test..we both wanted to take off a few years..some weight..and be a little younger..not the women we were here now..
Making our wish to be that wonderful age of thirty nine and never getting older was granted..I did not think that she and I would look as good as we did..but we were right at that age..before the older years start..and the younger ones end..we looked fantastic..better than some of the younger athletic type's we had seen at the beach..maybe we had taken pretty good care of ourselves after all..in those younger years
Looking into the mirror..this was it..this was what I wanted..and was pleased..Ervie was excited and pleased..but how would we explain all this..we had a face lift..they do wonders..so we had our stories figured out..if anyone were to ask..
Now that was seventy five years ago..we still look as we did with our wish for the age of thirty nine..our homes are nice..and somewhat lavish..we have money or anything we may need or want..we have helped many people through the years but have never overly wished..our friends are gone now as the years have rolled by it is the starting of a new year into 2076..now in doing all we wanted..we wish for nothing more than to settle into old age as we should be doing..
Our Genie is no longer with us..someone took our lamp some twenty years ago..or at least we think someone did..or maybe our Genie just decided he had done enough and chose to leave..at any rate we will be here for a long time until our wishes may be granted again to let us grow old gracefully..will that ever happen???
By Kyusha��1999
Graphics used By Carol
