Down With Lamps: Djinn Takeover

[Brooke.]

Herit definitely got her just desserts.  Great pun by the way 

Yes, she certainly did  I wrote the pun without thinking and then it registered when I was reading through, sometimes speed writing is awesome.

[RainBeau]

Wow! Now that's what you call a Wham episode. Jinni was free the whole time? Herit became the witch from Hansel and Gretel? When she turned out to be a fire ghost I laughed out loud. How perfect. I love a fairy tale reference.

[Brooke.]

Wow! Now that's what you call a Wham episode. Jinni was free the whole time? Herit became the witch from Hansel and Gretel? When she turned out to be a fire ghost I laughed out loud. How perfect. I love a fairy tale reference.

I thought I should explain why Jinni was outside her lamp in Ifrit's apartment and now was the best time, though she didn't take it so well. I am obsessed with fairy tales - Hansel and Gretel is my absolute favourite followed by the Snow Queen (sorry I hate Frozen with a passion) - and I wondered how Herit could have died in a fire so she became the Gingerbread house witch  You may also notice Herit is a real Egyptian name but it's also a combination of Hansel and Gretel.

Third part of the prologue should be coming later today.

[Brooke.]

Epilogue, Part III: Love In The Time Of Djinns

Imagine the scene: Waylon's Haunt at  2am with neon lights blinking, quiet murmur from the television in the corner, the mixologist wipes the counter surface for the umpteenth time and this guy's bad pick up lines are starting to irritate me. The woman doesn't seem to mind, she tossed back her drink and motioned silently for another and smiled at what's-his-face. Her sparkling eyes caught mine and she smirks when I pretend to shoot myself.





I hear a squeal of delight. At the back of the bar a guy has proposed and he tenderly holds his fiancée's hand and clinks a cheap glass of champagne with the other. The girl is drop dead gorgeous and those legs were to die for. Literally. Oh, shut up, Herit.





I rolled my eyes and turned to the mixologist, asking for another Big Mistake but he pushed a romantic drink towards me instead.


"On the house," he said with a wink.


"The lady's with me." He put one hand on my neck, catching me off guard and for the briefest of moments my heart leapt to see him once more. Ifrit leaned in for a quick peck.





"If-rit!"


"Fancy seeing you here, love." He sat on the stool beside me. He had a new cologne that tickled my nose and a stupid beard I wanted to shave off right there and then. I was just getting to my feet when he catches my arm and tugged, pulling me towards him - unsteady from all the drinks I've been knocking back I was forced against his chest and his beating heart.


"I believe the lady wants to be left alone," I heard the bartender say, his voice so faint against the pounding of Ifrit's heart.


"It's fine," I said, pushing Ifrit away and sitting up properly on the stool.


He ordered a drink which the bartender made begrudgingly and I think he overcharged to which Ifrit took no notice. "If you're looking for plasma we have none, my wife and I are djinns. That lady, however," —pointing to a guitarist I had failed to notice—"has a fetish for fanged creatures like yourself."


"What are you doing here?"


He hesitated. "I'm sorry, I should have told you right from the start." Here, he put his arm around my shoulders as if he had every right to. "Would you have gone along with my plan had I told you the truth?"





"No, of course not,"


"I've been an idiot, you deserve better, and you have every reason to despise me,"


The pair beside us had grown quiet and I suspect they were listening in without intending to - the bar was rather empty now that the lovey-dovey couple had left and the bartender was flirting with the guitarist


"Let's take this conversation somewhere else?"


I nodded and allowed myself to be lead away. I still loved him and wanted to give him the chance to explain himself. I also was thinking of my children, even as adults the decisions Ifrit and I made would affect them and so I found myself back at Ifrit's apartment. As soon as we walked in he tried to kiss me but I wasn't having any of it.





"Any more of that and I'm walking out the door," I said and gave him a shove. I flopped onto the sofa, and moved to one side as he sat next to me with one arm outstretched to cuddle me.





"Jinni, I am sorry, I feel terrible to have betrayed your trust when you put your faith in me to 'release' you. To be honest I've been fascinated by you ever since Herit first mentioned you."


"Really," my voiced dripped with sarcasm.


He ignored my tone and continued, "You're different from her, she spoke of you so often I almost felt I knew you better than I knew myself."


Now that was hard to believe. I looked him straight in the eyes, searching for anything to tell me he was lying but his gaze was warm and I blushed, turning my face away. "I don't believe you fell in love with me without ever meeting me,"


"Don't people do that all the time? People fall in love with fictional characters, troubadours wrote love songs about women they'd only ever heard of, so I don't see why I couldn't do the same with you. It's what compelled me to seek out your lamp, to research how to free you took up a great part of my life. I even fooled your sister just so she'd turn me into a djinni, then I could work on the spell from the inside. When I freed myself, I knew it was possible to do the same for you."


I mulled over what he said. In the weeks we'd been together he had always persevered when I wanted to give up, when we had sculpted non-stop and I had grown sick of it he had smiled and shared his antics of growing up in the scrubland of Lower Egypt. I remembered his encouragement, his face lighting up when I laughed at his stupid jokes that weren't even funny.


"Do you still want to be with me?"


"I won't deny that I haven't thought about it," I replied, twisting back to face him. "Did you also find Amun-Ra's Feather?"


"No," he said sheepishly, covering his face as I giggled. "Don't laugh. It took me ages to find the closest thing resembling it."


"What about Anubis II?"


"I got him from a dogs home, I think he used to be a witch's familiar."





"I want to be with you, to hold your hand and kiss you. Please, give me another chance?"


I placed my hand in his and for a moment am reminded of when we first met. How he had kept staring at me as if he couldn't believe I existed.


"You tore my world apart and only you can put it back together again. I'm sorry I overreacted,"


"You don't have to apologise for anything." He brought my hands to his lips and kissed them lightly. "I love you and I can't live without you, Jinni." He brushed aside a bit of my hair.


"It's good to know that whatever happens, you'll be there for me,"


"Always." This time he kissed me on my lips, our tongues intertwined and I knew there was no way I would want to be apart from him again.





*


She was desperate to know the secret I'd kept from her so we went back home, to Hidden Springs where our children had gathered to welcome us. There were cheers and tears, hugs and some thumps on the back from my boys - I believe none of them would ever forgive me if I came back empty handed.


I dialled the numbers I had memorised and we stepped into the time machine. She covered her eyes from the brightness that greeted us.


"This is the future?"


"Yes," I said and kissed her forehead. Looking at her stunned expression I could tell she would want to ask a thousand questions but time wasn't on our hands, we couldn't risk meeting our future selves and possibly causing the Simverse to implode. "This way."


We held hands as I led her towards the children's park. There I caught sight of my other self and pulled her back, wrapping my arms around her waist. "Can you see us?"


She squinted her eyes, we were on the other side of the road hiding behind what looked like a futuristic telephone box.


"There!" She said excitedly and then noticed the small children. "Ifrit, I thought we weren't having anymore children!"


I laughed, hugging her even closer. "Grandchildren, my love. Renseneb and Kiya, named after your parents." I felt her tremble, warm tears splashed onto my arm and I kissed the top of her head.


"I can't wait to meet them," she said and we walked away from the cheerful cries of the children as our other selves laid a picnic.

[Malley]

Aww! So cute

[Brooke.]

Aww! So cute

I was grinning like an idiot while getting the screenshot and writing, my jaws ache 

[Brooke.]

Extra: What If?

The Bad ending was pretty similar to the start of the Good, except it took place in Midnight Hollow. Jinni lost her cool and the two sisters got into many fights because Herit kept winning! I guess it's because she's a ghost and there was nothing for Jinni to grab? Anyway, on one of their many fights a fire started (forgot to buy Fireproof Homestead!) and I thought - why don't they both become fire ghosts and live in the Gingerbread House for all eternity?





But Jinni foiled my plans and put it out. She's used to dealing with fires...





Then I had Ammit appear to take both of the sisters down to the underworld and finally eat their hearts and souls.





The very last idea hurt. Ifrit and Herit were actually lovers and with their combined magic they sent Jinni back to her lamp forever - the wish to free her would never appear even if her master was best friends with her. This is why my sister voted for the bad end, she got to see the spoilers!





Many thanks to everyone for reading!

[KRae]

I choose my own adventure and go with happy!

[Brooke.]

I choose my own adventure and go with happy!

Happy endings are always the best, Jinni deserved one after all those years 

[Malley]

Although I love happy endings, the bad ending would have been one awesome plot twist 

[Brooke.]

Although I love happy endings, the bad ending would have been one awesome plot twist 

Yup, I wanted to share snippets of the Bad ending just for those curious about it. Now I'm thinking I will do the same for future projects and let readers decide on endings 

[Tess]

wow I am so impressed with the story! It's so interesting I love it!

[RainBeau]

I much prefer the happy ending. The second bad ending is just too bad.

[Brooke.]

wow I am so impressed with the story! It's so interesting I love it!

Thank you very much, Tess, it's always welcome news to find new readers 

I much prefer the happy ending. The second bad ending is just too bad.

Oh, me too. I could have killed Herit myself if she won over Jinni again 

[Trip]

First off, you're in the Hall of Fame. Congrats!

Second, can I move this to the Completed Dynasties board now?