Vera’s fiery red hair cascaded around her as she sat in a reading position curled up with a book. Her 15-year-old green eyes scanned every page, sentence, and word carefully taking it all in. The book was called The Jinn, It was a collection of Arabian tales all intertwined into one, mysteries, troubles, love, a girl, and the magic lamp she found.

Vera actually found it quite interesting that she was reading the book; she was usually listening to some rock music, but this book was just so fly she just couldn’t put it down. Good for her it was the weekend so she could read the thick old dusty thing without much interruption.  Last time she had looked at the clock it was 6:00 and now the sun was already down the horizon. On chapter 31 she couldn’t keep her eyes open much longer, Vera fell asleep with the book in her lap.

Somewhere between conciseness, and un-conciseness, Vera noticed a soft glow in the room, and then sound of something that sounded like metal dropping. Her eyes slowly fluttered open the survey her room, there on the floor was a lamp. Vera leaned forward to take a gander at this; it looked like a magic lamp. She picked it up cautiously eyeing the intricate designs.

“Where-?” Just as Vera started to speak a wisp of smoke trailed out from of the opening the long golden spout, “Ahh!” This took her so much by surprise she threw it up in the air but ended up catching it. “This can’t be…” Vera then rubbed the lamp three times. Gray smoke poured out of the spout-surprisingly this smoke didn’t make her cough-a torso started to form out of the smoke then arms and legs lastly a face. The person was a boy her age but he was wearing a pure white turban and ancient Arabian clothing he had dark brown eyes and his skin was slightly darker than hers. Vera watched unbelievingly, she did a double take at the clock which read 11:40 pm, then back at the boy smoke trailed around his bare feet. 

“Your wish is my command, but I have a question first.” He spoke with dignity keeping his eyes on Vera, “I believe I am not in my world anymore, what world am I in?”

A smile played with the corners of Vera’s mouth, “You are in the real world, I think you came from my book.” She gestured to the book she was reading earlier with the same magic lamp on its cover as she was holding. A look of astonishment appeared on his face.

“I think your right,” He nodded slowly, “My name is Azhar I am a jinn, I may grant you three wishes but, you cannot wish anyone dead, you cannot wish to be a higher dimensional being, and you cannot wish for more wishes, because you have woken me up you are my master. Oh, and what’s your name?”

“I am Vera. Are you - are you a jinn?” Vera blurted out.

“Yes, what do you wish for?” Azhar asked.

“Alright.” She looked at the book then back at Azhar, “I wish for… success in life.”

Azhar grinned for the first time in his visit and snapped his fingers. “Granted.”

“My second wish is for my parents to come back together, they divorced three years ago- 1996-the worst year of my life, I was 13 then.”  

A look of sadness appeared on Azhar’s face, then he smiled meaningfully and snapped his fingers again. “Granted, Vera.”

 Vera blinked over and over holding back tears of joy and thankfulness, “W-Will you go b-back in the lamp after my third wish?”

Azhar looked downhearted for a second, “Yes Master.”

Vera lowered her eyes, “Just call me Vera please. Azhar, you've done so much for me.” 

Azhar squatted down and looked up at her downcast eyes, “Smile.” Was all he said in reply. Vera bit her lip as she realized that no one wouldn't find him for probably another hundred or so years he didn't tell her last time a person rubbed the lamp but she suspected that a long time, she didn't want him to be cramped in that lamp any longer being a servant to whoever found him, then afterwards ditched again.

“Azhar, my last wish is for you to be free.”

“Thank you, Granted.”

The golden lamp rattled furiously, she quickly let it go as soon as it dropped to the floor there was a hissing sound as the cap came off, and it exploded. 

After the smoke dissapated Azhar smiled, “Its time I start a new life being free.”