The Baby Master

I felt the rattling before I heard it. I sprung up from my narrow bed, excited to finally be brought out. I grabbed my handcuffs and my outfit that I use for this special occasion, and with a snap of my fingers, the clothes were on me.

As the shaking and rattling got stronger and more powerful, I ran to check my appearance in my now shattered mirror. The broken glass distorted my image, but I smiled as I recognized my pale green skin. I was proud that I was one of the genie’s of the Rainbow Hierarchy, but it was hard to feel powerful when I’ve been locked in a lamp for a couple hundred years.

I clapped my hands together excitedly as my lamp started to grow bigger and wider. The metal tip of the lamp starting to glow and all at once, I was out of the lamp and in the air.

“Hello, my human! You are my master now! What do you wish for? Remember, you only get three wishes!” I yelled, holding up three fingers. I bounced around, excitedly, in the air, waiting for a reply.

And that’s when I heard the giggling. It was loud and high-pitched, and it almost sounded like crying.

I turned, looking for where the sound came from. I doubled back when I saw it. My lamp was in the hands of an infant. She was chewing on my lamp and giggled when she accidentally hit it against here crib and it made a “clink” sound.

I peered at her in downright horror. She couldn’t even talk yet, because she was still too little. How was she supposed to make wishes when she couldn't even say words yet?

Groaning, I went to grab my lamp back from the girl. I successfully got it back, but the moment it was in my grip, the baby girl started crying violently.

Oh no, I thought frantically looking for something to calm the child. The last time I had been out of my lamp it had been 1789 and they just rocked the children until they were quiet. I picked up the baby uncertainly, as she screeched at the top of her lungs. I started to rock her side to side and made shushing noises. Her crying lessened and I noticed her eyelids starting to get heavy. I moved even slower as I calmed her down.

After five minutes of silence, I decided she had fallen asleep. I laid her back in her crib, and pulled a blanket around her body.

It was still dark out, so I sat in a rocking chair in the room, and soon enough, I fell asleep as well.

The first rays of the day peered into the nursery, creeping up the walls and creating a beautiful golden glow on the walls.

I slowly felt myself waking up, as I had always been a light sleeper. I got up from the chair, stretching as I did so.

I walked over to the crib, waiting to see if my baby master was awake. I was alarmed when I saw the crib was empty. I scanned the room, looked for any signs of a little body that may have escaped the crib.

There was none.

I raced out of the room and into the kitchen.

“Good, you’re awake,” a woman’s voice said to my left. I turned, my eyes wide, but the woman was looking over my shoulder. She was looking lovingly with a hint of annoyance at a little ball of fluff on the ground. “Lazy dog.”

The dog looked at her, warily, and I could’ve sworn I saw the dog raise an eyebrow. Which was impossible but for some reason the dog seemed almost human.

Then, the dog brushed past me and went to go eat a plate of scrambled eggs and bacon that was set on the floor by the woman.

I immediately tensed up when I felt the dog push by me, and too late I realized that my reaction was bad.

The dog started barking at me and howling. It chased me all the way around the kitchen, never far from my heels. I jumped onto the counter, the dog’s jaws just missing my legs.

The woman started to lecture and berate the dog, which slowly lowered its paws off the counter. I sat on the counter, still scared and breathing heavily from my excursion.

I heard a familiar giggle and saw my baby master sitting in a high chair in front of the counter. She was looking directly at me and outright laughing.

“Well I’m glad you find my suffering hilarious,” I huffed, annoyed at her. I momentarily panicked because I thought the woman could hear me, but it seemed only the baby could hear me. Though I heard the dog release guttural growl in my general direction.

I sighed, rubbing my hands over my pale green face. Today was going to be a long day.

It was late afternoon, and the woman had left the baby in her room to play with her toys. I sat in the rocking chair, with my arms crossed. I had had enough of this, and I wanted out.

The baby can’t even take me seriously, so how am I supposed to get her to wish things?

Speaking of the devil, the baby was crawling around with a rattle in her hands, shaking it every few minutes and breaking in fits of laughter.

The repeated rattling was driving me insane.

I shot up from my seat. “Alright will you quit that?! I think the sound of the rattling is permanently in my head,” I shouted at the baby. “I’m already developing a headache!”

I rubbed my temple for emphasis.

The baby just cackled harder.

I groaned, banging my head against the wall. “Why. Me? My. Life. Sucks,” I said between each bang.

The baby girl was now rolling on the floor with laughter.

“That’s it!” I screeched, my voice raising an octave. I put my hand on my chest, trying to calm myself. “Can’t you at LEAST learn how to talk in twenty-four hours?”

My baby master tilted her head and squinted at me curiously.

“I didn’t want to have to do this, but you’ve left me no choice,” I sighed, snapping my fingers.

All seven genie’s of the Rainbow Hierarchy appeared before me in a multi-colored cloud.

“How can we help you?” the red genie asked me.

I almost cried in relief. It was the first time in nearly twenty-four hours that I heard someone talk to me.

“I was mistakenly summoned by a child who cannot talk yet. Can you please reverse the summoning spell so I’m not stuck here for eternity?” I pleaded.

“Sorry, no can do,” the blue genie replied.

“Please?”

“No. Helping whoever summoned you is our number one sacred law, followed by all genie’s. If you break this law, you will be removed from the Rainbow Hierarchy,” the orange genie told me sternly.

           “But there’s got to be something in the rulebook that says it depend on the age right?” I asked eagerly.

           “You know the rulebook inside and out. I’m afraid you already know the answer to that. The answer is no, you have to stay with the human until it makes three wishes,” the red genie answered.                          “Bu-but you don’t understand! I will be here for years!” I exclaimed, exasperated.

           “Our final answer is no, we will not reverse the spell,” the blue genie said, before walking back into the multi-colored cloud. The rest of the Rainbow Hierarchy followed him out, and within two seconds the cloud of genie’s had fully disappeared.

            I looked over to the baby. Her eyes were wide and staring at the place the genie’s had just been. When she saw me looking at her, she immediately giggled, forgetting what had just happened.

            I groaned and resumed hitting my head against the wall.

           Great. Now I get to spend the rest of eternity with a mini devil