Last Wish at the End of the World

A flash of light, a wisp of smoke, and a tiny scream were the only signs of life on the rocky seaside wasteland. A well-hidden cave was home to the confrontation, where an enormous, muscular man stood facing a young girl.

“Did you rub the lamp?” he asked, leering at the metal object in her hand. She shifted it away from him.

“I can see that you’re holding it,” he said. “Did you rub that lamp?”

She took a step back, and the lamp fell from her fingers. The man tried to catch it but he was too late. He winced as the lamp landed with a tinny clink and rattled across the stone floor.

“You need to be more careful,” he said, examining the lamp. “Do you know how old this is? It’s brittle. It could have broken.”

The girl looked terrified.

“Do you know what I am?” asked the man.

The girl still would not answer. The man decided to try something different. Partly because he felt bad about scaring the little girl, and partly because he wanted to get this over with.

“Have you ever heard of a genie?” he asked.

Her eyes grew wider.

“Wishes?” she whispered.

“What’s your name?” asked the man.

“Tacoma,” she whispered.

“Tacoma,” he said, “you get three wishes. Use them wisely.”

“What’s your name?” asked the little girl.

Sweet kid, thought the genie.

“I forgot to introduce myself, I’m Sherrazin of the lamp,” said the genie, watching for a sign of recognition.

“That’s a weird name,” said the girl, wrinkling her nose. “I wish it was easier. I wish it was Tex.”

“Uh,” began the genie, “I’m not sure you can wish for…”

POOF.

He could feel the change at his very core. After millennia of immutability he was suddenly…Tex.

“I liked that name,” he said wistfully.

“Sorry, Tex. For my second wish, I wish Uncle Jed was here.”

POOF.

A man appeared. He was sucking on a piece of straw. His clothes were ragged and worn. He was ragged and worn.

“Hey Jed,” said Tacoma, “look, it’s a genie. I wished you would be here and it worked.”

“That right?” asked the man. He stood there, sucking on the straw, his lips puckering and unpuckering with the effort. He stared at the genie from under a stained, broad-brimmed hat. Finally, he spoke.

“Thought we were the only people left,” he said.

“I’m here,” said the genie.

“You come to rob us, didn’t you?”

“No. I’m a genie. I grant wishes.”

Jed stared hard at the genie, who stared right back. Tacoma looked back and forth at the two. The genie, growing impatient, broke the silence.

“Seriously,” he said, “I grant wishes.”

The man took a long draw on the piece of straw and snorted.

“Uncle Jed,” said Tacoma, exasperated, “he’s a genie. He magically brought you here. He grants wishes!”

“It’s not rocket science,” muttered the genie.

“Fine,” said the man, throwing his hands up, “I wish for a twelve pack.”

“You have to rub the lamp,” said the genie.

Jed rubbed the lamp. The genie threw some sparks and smoke.

“Behold, I’m…Tex of the lamp,” said the genie (his shoulders slumped as he said this).

“He’s kinda full of himself, isn’t he?” laughed Jed. Tacoma agreed and they both made little poof noises.

“I have to announce myself every time someone rubs the lamp,” said the genie defensively. “It’s the rules.”

Jed shook his head

“I wish for a twelve pack. Something good.”

POOF.

“And I wish Mikey was here to see this.”

POOF.

Another lanky man with a wispy beard and a sleeveless t-shirt appeared. He was holding a crude spear. The shock of materializing in the cave lasted for a second before he broke into a huge grin.

“Hey Jed,” he said. “Tacoma. How y’all doing?”

“Doing good, buddy,” said Jed. “You?”

“Hangin’ in there.”

“You weren’t in the middle of anything were you?” asked Jed.

“I was hunting down a wild hog out by the…” he stopped short when he saw the genie.

“Jed,” he said with a scowl, “who’s this?”

“This is the reason you’re here,” said Jed with a grin. “He’s a real wish-grantin’ genie. Isn’t that somethin’?”

“Mmm,” said Mikey. “You sure he ain’t here to steal our food? I almost spilled the beans about my huntin’ grounds right in front of him.”

“He’s cool.”

“No kidding,” said Mikey, walking over to the genie. He leveled the spear at the genie’s chest.

“Can you prove what my brother says is true?”

“Rub the lamp and find out,” said the genie. Jed nodded and tossed Mikey the lamp. The genie tensed as it flew through the air. Mikey caught it and gave it a rub.

POOF.

Tex made a little show and gave his credentials to another round of laughter.

“Somebody feels powerful,” quipped Mikey.

“He needs a lot of attention,” agreed Jed, tossing Mikey a beer.

The genie cleared his throat and motioned for Mikey to make a wish.

“I wish for some burgers to go with these beers.”

POOF.

“And I wish for some fries.”

POOF.

The two men began to talk about the last time they had burgers. Then they switched gears to talk about the coming harvest. The genie watched in amazement for a few minutes while they carried on like he wasn’t even there.

Well, the genie thought, if they need me, they know where to find me.

He turned toward his lamp and tried to enter. Nothing happened. He shook his arms and rolled his head from shoulder to shoulder and tried again. Nothing.

He was locked out of his lamp. He cleared his throat quietly, then with gusto.

“Yeah?” said Mikey irritably.

“I want to go home,” he said.

“So go, we’re not stopping you,” said Jed.

“Actually,” he said, “you are. I can’t get back into my lamp because the girl changed my name. I need someone to change it back.”

“Wait,” said Mikey, “your name isn’t Tex?”

The genie shook his head.

“Well what was it?” asked Jed.

“Sherrazin,” said the genie. Both men burst out laughing.

“She should have named you Sherry,” said Mikey.

“I wish your name was Sherry,” shouted Jed.

POOF.

“This is not funny,” said the genie, “you guys are ruining my life.”

“Relax, Sherry,” said Jed, “we’re just having some fun. You don’t meet new many new people at the end of the world.”

“Mikey,” said the genie slowly, “you have one wish left. I need you to…”

“I wish I had a toothpick,” said Mikey, cutting him off. “Got some burger caught in my teeth.”

POOF. A toothpick.

The genie took several long, deep breaths.

“Dang,” said Jed, “I don’t guess you could get another one?”

“NO!” bellowed the genie, “I CANNOT get you another toothpick. You’re both out of wishes!”

He changed colors at an astonishing rate as several thousand years of pent-up magic found their way to the surface. There was fire, explosions, and sounds that shook the cave. Dust flew around the room and rocks danced across the floor like dried leaves. The tantrum was truly apocalyptic. The genie finished only to find both men sitting and picking their teeth in the back of the cave.

“You done?” asked Jed as he inspected his toothpick.

“Where did you get that toothpick?” asked the genie.

“Oh,” said Mike, “I got that for him. We’ve got a bunch in the back room.”

“If you had them all along,” asked the genie in a grating, low voice, “then why did you wish for one?”

“I’m tired and I didn’t feel like getting up,” answered Mikey. “But then I felt so bad for Jed that I went and grabbed one anyway. It’s frustrating to have something caught in your teeth.”

“YOU KNOW WHAT ELSE IS FRUSTRATING…” began the genie.

“Calm down, compadre,” said Mikey.

The genie was about to vaporize him when he saw Tacoma peeking around the corner of the cave entrance.

“YOU,” he shouted, “come here now!”

The girl turned and ran.

“Don’t you scream at her,” growled Jed. “She’s been through enough, what with surviving doomsday and all.”

“Sorry,” said the genie with a wave of his hand. “She has a wish left. I got a little desperate…could you see if you can get her to talk to me? It’s the only way I can go home.”

“Alright,” said Jed after one of his long, hard stares. “I’ll see what I can do. But she’s stubborn, like her mom, may she rest in peace.

“Can she read?” he asked.

They nodded and muttered that just because they were the last people on Earth, it didn’t mean that they were illiterate.

“I’m going to write her a note,” said the genie. “If she wants to comply, so be it.”

Jed and Mikey agreed to the plan, and within minutes the letter was written and handed over to Jed for delivery.”

“How you holding up?” asked Mikey once Jed had gone.

The genie shrugged. They sat in silence until it became obvious that Jed might be gone for a while. Mikey was staring out the door toward the sea.

“How long have you been living like this?” asked the genie.

“Our whole lives.”

“The girl?”

“Her mother died having her.”

“So you’re really the last people on earth?” asked the genie, shaking his head.

“Appears that way.”

“Sorry.”

The two men sat watching the sea until the sun had nearly reached the horizon.

“Do you really think Tacoma won’t help me?” asked the genie.

“She’s stubborn.”

“I’ve heard as much,” said the genie.

“She might come around,” said Mikey, “but you’d better get used to the idea that you might be longer than you’d planned.”

The genie wanted to remind him that he hadn’t planned anything, that the only reason he was still sitting here was that there was no creativity left in the world and that every opportunity for extending the lifespan of humanity had been wasted. But he didn’t. He sat and waited.

Jed arrived at twilight. Alone.

“Is she coming?” asked the genie.

“She’s over there,” he answered with a jerk of his head. “But she doesn’t want to talk to you when it’s dark out. I think she’s a little scared.”

“OK?” said the genie.

“She wants some space.”

“Tell her to wish me back then she can have all the space there is.”

“Let her sleep here in the cave tonight. She’ll feel better in the morning.”

The genie nodded, realizing that it would be useless to push the issue. He exited the cave and found a clear space to rest until sunrise. Stars burned in the clear air and he thought of all of the empires he had seen over the course of history. It had always been clear that humanity had an expiration date. He had assumed it would come with a bang…not a smoldering whimper. He hoped that Jed, Mikey, and Tacoma weren’t the last surviving humans, but something told him that they were.

Sunrise caught him lost in these thoughts and he stirred at the sound of footsteps. Tacoma took a seat beside him.

“Beautiful, isn’t it?” said the genie. The girl nodded.

“Sorry I called you here,” she said.

“It’s my job to come when I’m called,” he said.

“I’m also sorry I changed your name and made fun of you.”

“I’m…” began the genie, searching for words, “I’m just not used to it.”

“I’m going to wish you back home,” said Tacoma.

The genie gave her a small hug.

“I wish you didn’t have to leave…”

The genie tensed.

POOF.

Tacoma covered her mouth with her hand.

The genie stood and began to pace, his chest heaving.

“I’m so sorry,” said the girl, following him at a distance. “It just slipped out.”

The genie began to walk toward her. She flinched, expecting another round of explosions or fire, but he stormed past her without a word and entered the cave. A second later he appeared with the lamp. He took three quick steps toward the sea and hurled the lamp toward the horizon. Sunlight reflected at irregular intervals until his former home landed in the rolling tide.

“What’s going on?” asked Jed, stumbling onto the scene.

“Don’t worry about it,” muttered the genie as he walked away from the sea to the crest of the hill. Tacoma called to him but he wouldn’t stop. Jed and the girl watched him disappear down the other side. He grew smaller in the desert until he was only a speck on the horizon.

“Where’s he going?” asked Jed.

“Home,” whispered the girl.