Page 15 of Genie's Boy
“Please don’t think I’m selfish or ungrateful, your note is a treasure I’ll carry with me always. I do appreciate everything you’ve done for me, but for as long as I can remember, I’ve wanted to run away and start over somewhere new.”
“My dear boy, come.” Genie patted his lap for me to sit upon it. “You don’t have a selfish bone in your body, and as far as being ungrateful? Not a chance. I know you all too well. When you dreamed of being somewhere far away, what did the land look like?”
“Considering I’ve never been anywhere and all I have to go off of are pictures and words I’ve read, it’s possible these lands may not exist. But in my dreams, I see sapphire shores, huge trees that reach the heavens, lush overgrown landscaping in every shade of green. Sunshine and sand, wildlife, and a real home filled with love. A life where I’ll never be lonely again. I know that sounds silly, but that’s what I’ve envisioned.”
“None of that sounds silly. Now, close your eyes and picture that faraway land.”
Chapter Six
Genie
I’d felt terrible when the Maharajah beckoned me before sunrise. Livid, really. Yet there wasn’t a damn thing I could do about it. Raj lay in bed, perfectly content, and deep in slumber. How utterly gorgeous his naked body was splayed across the sheets, his soft cock barely visible. I wished to run my tongue along it, bring it to life and wake him with a morning orgasm, but alas, duty called.
When I returned the first time, he still slept, so I left a warm breakfast for him while I darted off to take careof errands and came right back. In my haste, I should’ve considered how it felt for him to find me gone.
How could I not whisk him away to the familiar land I knew that mirrored what he’d described?
“Open your eyes, sweet boy.”
“Oh my god.”
Waves crashed behind us while the sun warmed our skin and the sand beneath our feet. Raj was still in his pajamas and was shoeless, wiggling his toes in the sand.
“How does the sand feel?”
“Just as soft as I had imagined, though a bit warm.” He nearly giggled, smiling wide as he took it all in. “Where are we?” He drooped down, letting several handfuls slide between his fingers.
“A little place I’ve spent much time at over the centuries when without a master. It’s a small, uninhabited island. At least where humans are concerned. Birds of many species call this place home. Sea turtles lay their eggs in the sands before they return to the ocean. It’s peaceful, serene, and the perfect place to hide away from the world. Come.” I helped him up and waited as he brushed the sand from his pants.
We walked along the shoreline, the waves breaking as they hit the reef. Raj’s laughter filled the air as he danced through the wet sand. Not a care in the world, no worriesabout money, or what others around thought of him. Carefree and living in the moment. As we rounded the bend, I cleared the overgrowth that led to the villa I’d built long ago with a wave of my hand. The area and dwelling were cleared and cleaned like new.
“Genie!” Raj gasped as it came into view. “What’s this? Does someone live here?”
“I do, well, we do, if you so choose. I built this home many years ago and it’s withstood every storm that’s crossed its path because the island is magicked. Protected from human eyes and for as long as I live, no one will ever find it unless I want them to.” Once I left this life, the magic I once had would end with me. Though I often wondered how, when I hid the lamp here many times over, how it somehow ended up in another’s hands very far away. There was so much more to this life than I would ever know. Would’ve been nice if the fates had provided me with a manual though.
“Can we go inside?” Like the young with a new gift, Raj was excited to unwrap it.
“Go ahead.” I stood back as he took the vast space all in. From the outside you saw nothing more than a lonely shack, but the interior was so much more.
Wide-eyed, Raj turned to me. “How didyou…?”
“Magic.”
Every modern amenity was here, from the polished tile floors and decor to electricity and running water. There were more rooms than I’d ever need, which spanned the three levels. There were treasures here as were in my lamp, though the lamp held more. I could’ve made this dwelling infinite, too, but there was no need. It was meant to be a comfortable retreat, a home, an escape from the reality of my cursed life, though it never felt as such until Raj stepped inside.
He spun around in the center of the room, giddy with excitement. I too felt much of that glee, just by watching him. “Was this what you saw in your dreams?”
“No. It’s so much more.”
A warmth filled me, a feeling that had been unfamiliar before Raj. Here I thought he'd be the one experiencing firsts, yet I was too, right alongside him. “We’ll come here as often as we can.” Fear of knowing if Raj were somewhere magical with me and the Maharajah called, he’d be forced to appear by my side had us ending our glorious days far too early. Not a risk I would willingly take. The Maharajah was evil and would do anything to keep me enslaved. Including holding onto that final wish. I wouldn’t put it past him to turn Raj’s life into a living hell, or worse, end it. And I’d be stuck, watching the only man I’d ever been in love with die, unable to stop it from happening. I’d buriedmany I’d loved over the centuries, due to their short, human lives coming to an end, but never had a lover held the key to my heart before. Cruel? Possibly, though unintentionally. Raj was different, the one my heart craved, the only one that held that proverbial key.
“What should we do first, Genie?”
“Whatever you wish, my love.”
Raj took off at a run and stopped at each door, opening it, and popping inside only to reappear seconds later and do it again at the next one. His feet bounded across the overhead landing, up and down the stairs. So full of happiness and youthful exuberance.
I took a seat in the oversized chair and patiently waited for my boy to run out of energy and join me. It took some time, but after he’d poked into every nook and cranny he could find, he finally landed in my lap.
