Lucas finds a magic lamp while looking through a storage junk. Not wanting a responsibility for the result of his own wishes and vague wording, causes some unforeseen results.
4100 words

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Dust flew around some junk, as Lucas searched through an old storage he bought for cheap. While the price for it was good, the reason for it being low was the absolute clutter inside. Apparently, the first owner suddenly disappeared, leaving a bunch of stuff and the second owner turned out to be a horder. Not only did they not touch what was already inside, they also piled on their own junk on top of it. After the second owner got an intervention and couldn't pay, everything was left up to the storage yard owner - who didn't want to deal with it. That's when it was 'sold' to Lucas, which was more of a 'clean this mess and you get paid with what's inside' kind of deal. It was a gamble for Lucas, but one he needed. The rent and the growing medical bills were slowly chipping away at his savings, so anything to restore them was worth the work.

Most of the stuff on the first few layers was worthless garbage or not worth the effort to sell. Newspapers, broken or mismatched items, damaged clothes; most likely all courtesy of the hoarder. There was no reason to look too thoroughly at the outer layers and better to bag everything for disposal instead. After all, the main target was the oldest stuff at the back. Bag by bag, the trash was sorted for recycling and moved to the side.

"*Cough cough* Finally, something worthwhile. " Lucas spoke under his breath after clearing his lungs from the dust. While not everything was in a perfect condition or very valuable, going through this part of the storage was far more enjoyable. Anyone would prefer the items to ooze history, instead of filth.

After a few more hours, Lucas was left with a couple boxes of the best things he could find and many more trash bags. He finished just in time for the disposal company he scheduled for today to arrive and take the bags away. With the last bits of energy, Lucas loaded his spoils into the car and drove off to his place.

The next day, after some well deserved rest, Lucas began looking through the items he brought with him, starting with the boxed he packed himself. The first box didn't have anything ground breaking, mainly miscellaneous items acquired over the years. Each item was looked over and segregated, before moving on to the next box and repeating the same process. The piles for the worthless and cheap items kept growing, until something worthwhile finally showed up: a jewellery box.

When he looked at what's inside, it was full of jewellery, enough to pay for the expenses so far and then some. Based on the engravings, all of it was inherited by the previous owner over time. For a moment Lucas thought about the family it came from and the sentimental value, but discarded the thoughts soon. If anyone cared enough about getting any of those back, they would've recovered them back when the owner disappeared. That is, assuming there even was someone left. Lucas shook his head to stop overthinking and set the jewellery aside for now. There were still more boxes to go through.

The rest of the boxes didn't come anywhere near the previous find, but it was still interesting to go through everything, especially the last box. Unlike the mostly randomised contents of the other boxes, this one was filled with what seemed to be theatre or movie props. The most eye-catching one was a golden lamp, shimmering amongst the cloth of some faded costume. The metal felt real, but it was hard to believe something so valuable would be with other props.

The moment Lucas picked up the lamp and wiped it down with a piece of cloth, the metal grew warm to the touch and the air in the room got thick. Some unknown force ripped out the lamp out of his hands and made it hit the floor without a single sound or any bounce. It just suspended in motion as if time stopped right on impact. The only thing moving in the room was something like smoke or mist, coming out of the nozzle of the lamp. Before long, the cloud took shape that could only be described as 'person' and 'vague'. It's like numerous characteristics and shapes were stacked on top of each other and refused to stick to memory.

"Finally! I thought I'd never get to meet another being in this world again." The shape spoke with a voice that was as confusing as its form.

Lucas has seen enough stories to make a guess on what came out of the lamp. "Are you… a genie?" He asked reluctantly, mostly because he didn't know how accurate those stories were. There was always a chance the all powerful being doesn't have to listen to him… or keep him alive.

The shape moved to face Lucas, making something like a grin. "That would be one of the terms for me, yes. Seems like you understand the basic concept of what's happening here." The genie pulled back, giving Lucas some space.

"I get three wishes?" He asked, his heart skipping a beat at the thought of the possibilities that just opened up if he was right.

"Yes and no." Said genie.

"Yes and no?" Confused Lucas repeated.

"Yes and no. A wish. A prayer. A favor. Grand concepts that come close to what I offer, but not quite there." Genie's form moved behind Lucas in an instant and leaned its head on his shoulder. "But since there is no accurate word for it in your language, let's go with a 'wish'. You get to wish for three things, but they become one final outcome. Like three guiding stars that lead your past, present and future!"

Lucas slowly processed the information, trying to find the pros and cons in the simple, yet restricting rule. He swallowed nervously when he realised the increased risk. "So no fixing one wish with the next…?"

The genie confirmed with a nod. "Correct! And just in case, no wish that involves affecting a power equal or beyond me. I'm not making you a genie or a greater being and I'm not stopping being a genie. Actually, it's a common misconception that I'm a prisoner. I do it because I enjoy it." It pointed at the lamp. "And that object is nothing more than one of countless links to me, not a prison. It could be any other object of my choosing, but this one is popular in recent centuries."

Considering his options and wishes, Lucas came to a simple decision. Or rather a lack of one. "Can I do this later? It's hard to think about wishes under so much pressure."

"Of course! You can bring me here as many times as you want." The surrounding air began thinning out. "Just make sure you do so before you lose the opportunity."

Everything came back to normal without a single trace of anything supernatural. Lucas's heart was pounding and he almost wanted to use the lamp again for a short moment to make sure it wasn't a dream. He wrapped the lamp in the cloth he used to wipe it down earlier and hid it in a drawer. It was his secret now, one that can't come to light until he had made the wishes. After a couple steady breaths to calm down, he regained some functionality. For now, he acted like nothing happened and finished segregating and boxing the items. The rest of Sunday was spent as usual, except for a strange feeling at the back of his mind, he couldn't identify at all.

After going to work the next day, he understood what caused the feeling. Going to work or looking for things to sell to get money now seemed like a waste of energy. After all, he could just wish to be rich and use the time on something more enjoyable instead. Then there was a doctor's appointment in a few days, but… why get the same bad results about his health, if he can wish to be healthy? No medicine, no surgeries, no recuperation period; just poof and he is the healthiest man in the world. It's weird to live with so much power, instead of using it.

When he finished his shift out of consideration for other workers, Lucas informed his boss that he won't be working for the rest of the week at least. As much as his boss wasn't too happy about it, he was used to Lucas taking time off for health reasons, so he agreed and wished him the best. Even when at home, the feeling caused by the power over his future was starting to carry over to everything. Wherever he looked or did something, his own thoughts nagged him that with just a few words, everything would be better. As the blessing was slowly turning into a curse, he made his resolve to focus on those wishes.

On Tuesday, Lucas's health decided to act up, like telling him to hurry up and fix it already. Just another reason to spend his entire day thinking of the wishes to make. One of the upsides of waiting with the ability to have everything, was the realisation of how humbling it was. Going for too much was not only raising the risk of the wish being twisted, it also meant having no real goals. Wishing to be the richest man alive would lead him to a life of throwing limitless money around, which seemed miserable after a while. With this type of moderate philosophy, he decided on the final version of his three wishes.

Lucas took the lamp into his hands and it reacted on its own. He quickly glanced at a wall clock to check his hypothesis, which turned out right. It wasn't just air that was getting thicker, it was time itself, moving slower and slower until it came to a halt. The smoke came out like before and took form as soon as nothing in the world could disturb it and its summoner.

"Interesting. Not only did you ask for time to think, you took longer than most to summon me again. I'm impressed." The genie stretched its form, although it seemed more symbolic than functional. "So, what will it be?"

Lucas took a deep breath to steel his nerves and clear his thoughts. "First. I wish to be wealthy enough to live freely in comfort, but not be weighed by the responsibility of being rich." The moment he finished, he looked for confirmation.

"How minimalistic and safe. Do go on, I'll tell you if you break the rules, as unlikely as it is."

"Second. I wish for the healthiest body possible, without it bringing attention to me by breaking limits. Third. I wish to be loved and liked for who I am." As the last wish was spoken, Lucas sighed like it was the hardest thing he's ever done. Actually, it probably was.

"Any second thoughts? If not, just say a word and we begin." The smoky hand of the genie raised to snap its vague fingers at any moment.

Lucas was still filled with doubts, but those wouldn't disappear even if he was told his wishes were perfect. With another heavy breath, he replied. "No. You can begi-"

The genie snapped its fingers before Lucas could finish his sentence. Everything around the two of them has shifted into blurry swirls of color, laws of physics seemed to cease to exist. Lucas quickly lost his sense of direction as the genie's form scattered around him to dance along the background. Eventually there was a floor that pulled him in like a magnet. The swirling colors became shelves filled with books, a table with chairs, a fake fireplace with a dog bed placed nearby and more matching furniture. Carpets spilled on the surface of the floor, gently crawling under the furniture. Walls gained art, doors and windows, bringing back the color to an otherwise bland paintjob. Now, Lucas was standing in a fancy apartment with a view over the city. The genie reformed soon after, but the lamp it came from was now missing. It moved behind Lucas and leaned in weightlessly over his shoulder, looking at the outside view as well.

"Quite a view, isn't it?" The genie moved back and silently spun in the air. "Now it's all yours."

Lucas looked around the apartment. It was just the right ratio of luxury and practicality, without being overwhelming. If he was given money to pick a location and decorate himself, this would be as close to the end result he had in mind as possible. This made him relax a bit about any mistakes in his wish making. Clearly the genie went past the spoken words and tapped into the intent itself… although, there was something that bothered him. The result of the first wish was visible before him, but as for the other two, he felt no different physically and there was no other person around. He found a clock amongst the new furniture and realised the time was still frozen.

"What about the other wishes?" Lucas tried not to show doubt in his question.

"I took a liking to you, so I want you to make the most out of your wishes, so I've granted the first and third wish. Think of it as getting used to the new environment." The genie lowered itself to eye level. "But if you are done taking it all in, just say a word."

Lucas thought about it and didn't find any reason to wait. If anything, becoming rich and getting a new home was making him overwhelmed in a good way. He looked around one more time and gave his answer. "I'm ready. You can do your thing."

"Understood. I'll keep it slow for you." The hand made of smoke snapped, just like before.

A pretty subtle warmth spread through Lucas's body, from the top of his head to the tips of his finger. A sensation of waves taking new shape in a tempo that seemed to match with his heartbeat. It was hard to tell if it was causing comfort or discomfort; a feeling at best similar to what he knew, but ultimately something unknown to a human. If it wasn't obviously clear before that he was dealing with something transcendental, it was now. Except now, it's right inside his flesh and bone. Eventually, the repetitive flow of warm sensation halted and compressed at his core, before starting again, but heavier. It moved towards his spine and was joined by a more familiar feeling: pain.

"The hell?" Lucas touched his chest where the warmth gathered. "What was th- aAAHH?!"

The next wave caused a stronger pain than before, getting a shout out of him. Not only did the waves keep going, repeatedly pulsing and making it worse, when Lucas's hand went down to his lower spine, something was there. Moving, twitching and slowly making the fabric of his pants bulge out and tighten until finally - rriiippp! The seams gave up, the pain stopped and warmth from the core of his body flowed in a steady stream, rather than waves. His blood ran cold when his hand grabbed something coming out of the hole in his pants. He felt touch not just in his hand, but also a new location he's never felt anything at. There was a suspicion regarding the shape and where it was, but he really didn't want to believe it. For better or worse, the mirror on the wall helped to break the denial. Through the hole, a hairless tail was poking out, swaying gently and gaining size in front of his eyes.

"What did you do to me?!" He screamed at the genie, while also repeating the second wish in his head. Did he make a mistake with the wording? Or maybe a twist like that was planned to begin with? His heart thumped rapidly, only making the tail form faster. In the past, this tempo would be dangerous, but now his body feels great… even if his mind was not doing so hot.

"What did I do? I'm granting your wish, obviously! Your body is so much healthier than a moment ago." The genie rushed through the air to Lucas's face. "Although there is a loooot to do."

"T-there's more? I didn't want… this!" He grabbed his now full length tail to show his point.

The genie mockingly tapped its chin in thought. "Hmm, I don't recall you saying you want this… or not want this. You left that part of the wish pretty blank." It shrugged.

"Obviously I meant a human body!"

"'Obviously' to whom? I do not share your point of view. In fact…" The smoke forming a person stirred and took the shape of a dog, the breed unclear. "…I do like this form. Besides, you might not be as against it as you think."

"W-what? Ngh!" Lucas tensed at the itching and prickling of the cream strands growing on his bare tail.

"Don't be shy. Having warm fur instead of clothes, sleeping whenever you want and getting taken care of is great!" The dog genie walked with a proud gait. "Ahh~ imagine all the praise you'd get by just acting good."

The last sentence caused Lucas to actually imagine the praise in a short burst of information, like recollecting a memory. A different kind of warmth fluttered in his stomach from just that much. Then he realised there was movement behind him - the wagging of his own tail.

"Hooow adorable~" Said the genie in a semi-mocking tone.

"You!" Lucas swiped at the genie, scattering the smoke, only for it to reform into a previous shape of a person.

"See? It did feel good! Seems like I know you better than you do."

"Shut up! You don't kno- ahhh!" Lucas tried to swipe at the genie again, but his leg slipped out of his shoe and made him trip instead. On the floor, Lucas slowly looked back to his shoes, one discarded on the floor, the other loosely hanging to his foot. He quickly sat down, loosing the last shoe and removed a sock from one foot to inspect it. At first glance, most of it was like normal, except for the now thinner heel joint, no longer suited for footwear and darkened calluses on the bottom of his toes. The urgency of the situation rose up as soon as he noticed the foot was changing further. One of the toes shrunk down into nothing, while the other filled out into even, padded digits with nails narrowing and growing. He quickly stood up to the best of his ability and rushed towards the door. A faint hope of going outside to find help was quickly shattered by the handle not moving an inch.

"Ah ah ah, no can do. You are staying here until all wishes are fully granted."

His determination and denial made him think fast and set his target on the balcony window instead. It wasn't long since his legs began changing, but he was already walking like on stilts. Halfway through, he had to give up on his pride and drop down onto his hands to cover the rest of the distance. As much as he refused to admit it, his legs felt much more comfortable this way. Propped up on the glass door to the balcony, he tried to use the handle. Immovable again.

"Told you so~" The genie mocked.

Lucas didn't know what to respond with. Pleads? Insults? Nothing he could say would help him now and he knew it. He bit his lip and whined like a dog needing walkies. The moment he realised what he just did, he moved one hand supporting him to cover his mouth instead. That rash decision resulted in his legs immediately wobbling from the added unsupported weight.

"Fuck." That's all Lucas could think of. His head was beginning to feel strange, either from the rollercoaster of emotions… or something else.

The genie moved to him, wrapping its smokey limbs to help him stay on two a bit longer. "No need to get so stressed out. No need to think. Just. Let. Go."

It let go of Lucas, making him yield to his weight and drop to all fours. The warm wave hit his spine in one strong burst and - snap. Lucas made a yelp that turned to a stifled whine as a series of uncomfortable snaps and pops locked his back into a new shape.

"Please stop…" He begged with a hint of a whine in the undertone of his voice.

"Shhh, focus." The genie pet his head. "You keep thinking wrong. You need to focus on the important things."

"Mmm…" The petting felt good and filled Lucas's head with a pleasant haze. He was focused on something important a moment ago, but now he lost track of it in his own head. "Important things?" He asked in a calm, confused tone.

"Yes. Like how uncomfortable those are." It raised one of Lucas's arms. "Don't you agree?"

Now that he wasn't panicking, he finally felt his wrists hurt from forcefully using them as forelegs earlier. Like water droplets pressed together, the wrist bones fused into simpler joints under his skin. The fingers were shortening, nails doing the opposite and lengthening into well trimmed claws. All the human hair on his palms turned cream and grew rapidly, until no bare skin was left, except for a few parts on the bottom, thickening into sturdy pads. The held half-paw was released to the floor to join the other, while the fur crept up the arms. Without the arm in front of him to focus on, Lucas was beginning to go out of doggy brain haze.

"Nuh uh. No going back to bad thoughts for you boy." The genie moved on to scratching behind Lucas's ears. "How about we work up here for a bit?"

Lucas began to pant like a pleased dog, while his tail wagged with more vigor than ever. He was back in his head, reconnecting with his inner dog he tried so desperately to lock away before. As the genie petted the ears, the lobes became pointier and the base swam through the hair. Like adding milk to coffee, the cream color lightened the original darker strands. By the time the ears reached the peak of his head and flopped down, the fur partially invaded Lucas's face and neck.

"Perfect! Now you'll hear way better how good of a boy you are." The genie moved to the front, the vague shape of its face looked at panting Lucas, while smothering the fuzzy cheeks. "You no longer need to speak words, so we might as well work on that snoot."

The hanging tongue stretched further and further down, dripping with fresh slobber onto the floor with each panting exhale. To fit all the bonus length, his mouth inched forward, restructuring the teeth into sharp and pointy ones of a canine. The nose, now flattened from stretching on top of the shifting bones, covered itself in ridges and bumps. Lucas licked it a couple times, bringing out the moisture and proper dark color. Immediately all the scents became more vivid, urging Lucas to sniff the air for more. Finally, the very last patch of skin disappeared under the cream coat.

"There we go, a happy 'n healthy labrador retriever. I'm afraid all the wishes are done and there is no need for me anymore." The smoke began dissipating into nothing.

Lucas tilted his head at the display he couldn't understand. The genie was gone. Time has moved forward again, bringing back life to the world beyond the room's walls. A few seconds later, Lucas picked up the sound of footsteps getting closer and closer behind the main door. Instincts combined with new memories, made his tail wag furiously as he ran to bark and paw at the entrance. A key turned in the lock and the door opened, letting in a man - his owner.

"How are you doing buddy? Are you that happy to see me?" The man crouched down and gave Lucas some pets, which resulted in the dog returning the favor with some wet doggy kisses. "Come on Lucky, you'll get drool in my mouth!" The man stood up and grabbed a collar and a leash hanging on a nearby hook. "Wanna go walkies before dinner?"

The labrador spun in circles, excitedly barking in agreement to the idea of going outside.

"That was a stupid question, huh? Come 'ere."

The man crouched down again, this time holding the collar open at neck level. Lucky obediently stepped in closer, the collar wrapped around his neck and closed with a click. The owner turned around and stepped out of the apartment.

"Come on Lucky, let's meet some of your friends at the dog park!"