Blend.

"And... what do I do with the other two wishes?" the genie asks, looking... uncomfortable?

You thumb through the book in your hand, watching the genie flicker like stop motion as you look between her and the book's pages. The deal is done. You close the book and set it aside.

"Well, you could just give them to the next person, right?"

"No, each person gets three. You, the next person, the next. They can't have four or five."

"But I can have just one, right?"

"Honestly... I don't know? From what I know it's more transitory; you can have one wish under the premise that you will eventually have your second and third."

There are things you could wish for. Maybe you could apply the same principle to writing. Or you could as for a nice honey and lemon drink, something to just get the wishes out of the way. But something inside you just... doesn't want that.

"What about you?" you find yourself asking, eyes lowered to the ground. Ashamed? "Does it... does it ever get tiring?"

She heaves a sigh. "If you're thinking about wishing for my freedom, hoping to leverage a friend out of the deal, I prefer to remain in my genie state. (And they patched that bug years ago.)"

"Of course they did," you muse, not giving that part too much thought. You were asking a different question. "But what I meant was, the magic. Do you ever get tired?"

She's quiet for a moment. "What do you mean?" she asks, voice a little whisperier than before.

"Is that a yes?"

Quiet.

"You could - you could stay here. Or everywhere. Wherever. You don't have to not be a genie, you just don't have to grant wishes for a while either. I'm still thinking of my last two wishes." Your heart is beating way harder than you feel is justified. You pick up the book again and open it to some page in the beginning middle, staring down the words until your racing heart slows down.

You close the book to find the genie lost in thought.

She looks at you with a half smile. "I gave you that power, you know. I'm something of exempt from the time-pausing."

You redden a bit. "Sorry."

"It gave me time to think," she says.

You both stand there for a minute.

"And did you-"

"Keep your wishes," she blurts. "Don't use them."

You're both trembling, you because of what you might have just done, her probably for similar reasons.

"Do you want a hug?"

She engulfs you in a huge embrace, still shaking like a leaf. "I'll be back one day," she says.

Then the hug ends, and she turns and goes. Out the door and gone.

You retire to the couch to scrunch up in a corner and process everything that just happened. Time would pass, and...

Well, you had work in the morning. You pick up a book. No matter what you read, it all comes out reminding you of her.

She'd be back one day.

"YOU HAVE THREE WISHES," the genie says grandly. "Oh no, that's fine I don't need all three. I just wanted one." The genie raises an eyebrow. "So what is your 'one' wish?" "I wish for time to stop every time I pick up and read a book—and start again when I put it down, so I always have time to read."

update! i bought spinach because it has iron! next time I have rice we're gonna party but for now i kinda just monch it straight outta the bag like it's potato chips

doing something I hate (making rice) so I can do something I love (delaying my inevitable demise)

overheard a group of guys walking from the math building at college and all I heard was "... if you SQUARE it!" followed by rambunctious laughter from the entire group

keep a couple stars under my pillow for the 🌌starman🌠

keep a little mail under my pillow for the 🎵mailmannn🎵

listen. listen to me.

you do not deserve to die.

I love you.

okay?

Something I randomly think about a lot is how when very old castles, manors, and large country estates were built, they were built with the expectation of guests. In eras when you rarely travelled over a hundred miles from home, when one did travel guests stayed for long periods of time with friends and relatives. Wealthy people would have guests in their home frequently (virtually all the time, if you were royalty), so huge houses (and staffs) accommodated for multiple guests on long stays. More homes were multi-generational, too.

And now when people live in big houses it’s usually just themselves. Maybe 4-6 in a family, and when the kids get married and move away? Maybe only 1 or two. Guests rarely “sleep over,” and almost never longer than a weekend. I don’t know exactly what caused the cultural shift, but it fascinates me.

THIS

get okay with being some level of burden on others, seriously

Which OC would eat a rock?

aaaaaaaaaaa my hand 🫠

(haven't done art in ages but I'm getting back into it!! My hand does remind me to take breaks from time to time but I'm so excited to be doing this stuff again ✨)