Chapter 1

"Well its not much but its mine." I mumbled as I was moving the last of my things into my new home. I had just got out of a 4 year stay in Uncle Sam's Misguided Children (that's, The United states Marines Corps for the rest of you) Having saved almost every cent I was payed in those 4 years I was able to get the loan to buy this house. It's run down and needs a ton of work but the area is nice and the neighbors seem to be ok so far. Moving in, in the middle of the week tends to make it hard to meet the neighbors when their all at work but its Friday so the weekend is there for that.

While I got the first peek at my next door neighbor, a very nice looking older lady, I would say late 40's or early 50's and had kept herself in very well condition. She has the look of an SW islander to her, Philippines maybe. I saw her in her backyard as I was starting to clean up mine (its like everything else in this house needs a lot of work so I decided to get it started early). As I got done with the back porch she spotted me and yelled "hello" We both walked to the fence to greet each other.

"Hi my names Maria, looks like you're my new neighbor" she tells me.

"Yup, looks that way. I'm Montie by the way" I say as we shake hands. "Well as I'm the new kid on the block, care to tell me a little about this place?" I ask her.

"Sure, it would be my pleasure to fill you in on the neighborhood" she replies.

She goes on to tell me a little about the local area, the good and the bad. From some reason the bad in the local areas had gone way down in the last few years. She tells me about the local clubs and things she knows about. We talk about a few things back and forth and I ask her about her self, letting slip.

"Anyone as lovely as you has to have a hubby around here some place, is he off working or still in bed. I would love to meet such a lucky man" She gives me a kind of faraway look.

"I'm sorry did I say something wrong" I ask feeling that I opened my big mouth again and to eat my own foot.

She shakes her head, then looking at me tells me about her late husband. How he died saving an old man while away on a trip, a little over 6 years ago. I tell her I'm sorry for opening an old wound. She tells me it's not my fault, I didn't know.

Changing the subject she asked, "well I see from the looks of that place you have your work cut out for you on fixing it up".

"yea" I reply. "I have the skill to do it, I just wish I had more then half the tools I'm going to need to get it done, I'll most likely spend more on the tools then the stuff it will take to get this place fixed up. Happen to know of any yard sales with tools for sale by chance?" I ask her.

She nods her head no. Then looks at me again for a minute or so. As I start to feel a little uncomfortable under her gaze, and just about to ask what's wrong she puts her hand up to stop me. "What type of tools do you need?" she ask me out of the blue.

"Well I could spend all day naming tools I need to do the job but unless you know your tools it will just give us both a headache" I say laughingly.

"Well I still have all of my late husbands tools and I'll make you a deal on them" she tells me.

"Well that's very kind of you, but do you know how much to ask for the tools, as I would not feel right making an offer even after I have seen them. I just got out of the Marines not even a month ago, so I have no idea of what they might be worth" I tell her.

She gives me another look and then smiles at me, a smile like I have never seen on a woman's face before. She tells me, "I used to have the hardest job in the Marine Corps a few years ago my self... I was the wife of a Marine" she tells me while grinning from ear to ear.

"Well now that was a job and a half then, I know alot of my friends who's marriages didn't make it more then a year, so you must be one tough little lady and have loved your husband a hell of a lot to make it" I tell her.

"Well it had its ups and downs like most, but we loved each other and we made it work and raised two wonderful sons together I have only one regret and that's not being at his side when he passed." she said with a small tear in her eye.

"Well you talk to your sons and you find out if they want any of his stuff before you even think about offering it to me, I would feel bad about buying something they wanted." I tell her.

"There's no need for that we had a talk about his stuff over a few years ago, they took everything they thought they might need to work around the house or what not, all the rest of the stuff is things they ether have no idea what its for, or no need for it. You're more then welcome to it, and the deal I'll make you is that you work around my place and fix the tool room up for me to store a few things and help me clean up and move some stuff from other rooms and what not. I would have my sons do it but there busy getting school done and their lives started, and this way helps us both." she says all this with a smile on her face and I can feel that she means it.

"Ok I can live with that if you can. I'll start with helping you box and move things from in the house. I would just not feel right taking the tools before I at least did part of the work your asking for them, heck I would feel better doing all the work you need before taking them and starting on my house as I'm sure what you would pay for the help is nothing compared to the price the tools run." I tell her.

"Well that might be true but if your just out of the service and not working, then I know you don't have a ton of money to be paying for things like the tools after buying this house, even if your only goal was to fix it up and resell it to make some money off of it. So lets not fight, you will have to at least box the tools up and out of the way before I can use the room to store things in it anyway. Lets do this, we move everything in the work room into boxes and put them over and under his old work bench, then we use the rest of the area to move the large things I need moved. After that, you take everything from the work bench area over to your place, then we can finish up my work and call it even. Well, unless I need some work done that you can do that would save me a call to get it done, how's that?"

"That's fine with me, I'd be more then happy to do any small odd jobs around your place if you need them done, it would be the least I could do." After all was said and done she took me over to what she called the tool room. Which is just what it sounds like, a work area with all the tools in their place, ether on or around a nice sized work bench. I see just about everything I would need to do the things around my place. From the looks of the empty spots on the bench she was right when she said her boys took what they wanted, this made me feel better, as I know I would not like some man I didn't know taking my dads tools without my asking.

It took just about a week of work to get the things in the small tool room moved to the one area and get all the large items moved in like Maria wanted. We got more into the area then she thought we could. When we were done on Friday afternoon, she told me I could start moving the tools to my place and that I was done with that part, as all that was left were things she could easily move into place on the bench and set it up how she wanted it. So with that I got to work moving my new tools over into my place, starting from the bottom and working my way up seeing as everything under the bench was already boxed to move, all the stuff on top need to be sorted and boxed and to make sure I knew what was in which box and were I put it ( I hated not knowing what was in which box and where I put what box, I had two black markers in my pocket just for that reason).

By midday on Saturday by about 1pm, I was all done but the top shelf, and here is where I found the item that would forever change my life as I knew it. Behind a box, that looked from the dust on and around it to have not been moved in many years, I found an old lamp. The old oil type that one would call a Jinni's lap. Being the geek that I am, I had read many things on Jinni's and other old folklore from Druids to Wizards. Now I'm not known to steal, but for some reason I didn't want to take the chance that Maria would want to keep this, I know it was petty of me but I could just see me handing it to her and she rubs it and BAM out pops a Jinni and my world falls apart.

To let you know something about me that not many know, I grew up in the normal dysfunctional family, if you can call that type of life normal. I grew up having to watch out for myself and take care of myself, being one of five white boys in a mostly Hispanic school most of my life, I was always targeted by the bullies and such. I learned from my own family that if you're not taking care of yourself, don't expect anyone else to take care of you when your in trouble. So right off the bat I knew, even if this was only an old oil lap, I wanted it even if only to look at and dream about making a wish. So that brings me to Sunday night after dinner.

I find my self looking at the lamp with a tin of nevr-dul next to it (for those that don't know, nevr-dul is something every new recruit learns to hate in basic, its what we use to make everything that can shine shine, from the metal parts of the showers and toilets to the brass buckle on our belts). I must have sat there for 30 min thinking "what if". What if this is a Jinni's lamp? What if the Jinni's is like in some stories and makes my wishes backfire on me? What if the Jinni is a man, or maybe a woman, will that make a difference? So many 'what ifs' popped into my head. What would I wish for, money? Power? Both? Then I remembered an old book on Jinni's I read once in high school, the point of the three part story was what might happen with the wishes you make. I knew that wishing for cash could do alot for me, but wishing for the ability to predict stocks would make it safer and better for me in the long run, if all I wanted was money.

So with these thoughts I picked up the lamp and a wad of nevr-dul and started to shine the lamp. I started to rub softly at first but nothing happened, so I just laughed at my self and shook my head thinking how silly I was. Not paying attention to anything other then my own thoughts I started to really give that lap a working over with the nevr-dul, after it was coated good I grab my rag and gave it several hard rubs to work the nevr-dul off. Now here is where things went out the window, I was not paying any attention, I was off in my own little world daydream as I often do about how I wish one part of my life or another was different. I might have daydreamed like that for an hour so, mindlessly polishing that old lamp, well I wouldn't have even noticed him, if not for the sound of someone clearing their throat. That brought me out of my daydreaming. Looking up I a man dressed in a simple white button up shirt and set of khaki pants. The first thing that popped into my head is that I fell asleep and was about to have one weird assed dream about a Jinni in white. I started to laugh at the thought till he spoke.

"Your not dreaming and I don't find it very funny anyway" he says out loud. For about the next 30 seconds I'm sure you could have heard a pin drop on the tile floor in my kitchen. Looking this unknown man right in the eye I say "if I'm not dreaming then I hope I didn't crack and go nuts, otherwise you're a Jinni, and this is a real Jinni's lamp not just an old oil lamp that looks like one"

Looking at me he replies with "well your not nuts at least not yet, and yes I am a Jinni, and yes that is my lamp and yes before you ask you do get three wishes"

"Ok you're a Jinni and I get three wishes, and if everything I have read is even 1/4th of it true then there are rules to my wishes, and even then you can turn my wishes around on me if you so choose, tell me if this is correct and I command you to tell me the truth at all times while you are in my service" I said all this in a bit of a rush to get my mind around it, though at the end I remembered everything I read that a Jinni has to follow orders no matter what. It's in how they chose to grant your wishes that they can interpret them in other ways if they want to.

Watching the Jinni he looks at me for a few moments, "yes you are correct I can interpret a wish almost anyway I want, if it's not worded perfectly. Even then, there is always a loophole or two I could use to get even with a master that has wronged me or just made me mad at him or her." he poses for a moment then starts again

"The rules as you have already figured out, is I must follow your commands for as long as you have the lamp, as for wishes there are no real rules other then the laws of magic and that for a wish to be considered a wish you must state in a single, concise sentence starting with 'I wish' when it is stated I grant the wish till you have asked and received all three wishes."

Seating back and taking a moment to gather myself. "Ok so most of what I have read is fairly true then, you have to obey my commands, you can turn my wishes around on me if it's worded where you can and if you so choose. Well that's not hard to come to grips with, I would like to ask you something and I command an honest answer. If I commanded you to change your self to look like me down to my eyes, voice and finger prints and commanded you to take a week vacation down on the beach so I might think through my wishes could you do this in the form of me as a human?"

Watching his face I see a few changes of emotions I could not place, but I'm sure one of them was surprise. "I could do as you command but to do so in the form of you as a human or mortal as I would see it would require I eat and sleep, things I don't have to do as a Jinni. It is also something I have never really thought about, the command stated like you just did would require I not use any of my Jinni powers while I was away for the time you ordered." he replies to me still with a puzzled look on his face.

Then it hit me, if he was able to do that he may have never done something as simple as eat a real meal or take a bath. This was something I could use to help make sure he was happy with me and not wanting to make my wishes back fire on me.

"Ok then here's what is going to happen, I'm going to call and get you a room down next to the beach, it won't be four star, but it won't be a roach motel ether. I'm going to give you one of my credit cards, it has a 10,000 dollar limit, its not alot but its more then enough for a week at the beach for food drinks and what not. I'm going to give you a bag of my clothes that will fit, seeing as you will look just like me. So with that said, I command you to go to the hotel I will call in a few moments and spend the next 5 days walking on the beach eating, drinking, and talking to any and all the people you can get to talk to you. I'm commanding you to go enjoy yourself from tomorrow morning which is Monday morning till Saturday. Five days from now, you can do as you please other then something that will get you into trouble with the local law or anything that would or could bring trouble to myself after this week is up. With that said I'll go make the arrangements, you just hang tight for a few minutes, watch TV if you like, I'll be right back."

After getting up, I go to get my cellphone and wallet from my room, getting the phone book and calling a few of the places I knew I could afford, till my wishes brought in the cash I would need to pay them off. I was back in the living room about 15 minutes later, where I found the Jinni seating right were I left him, with a faraway look on his face.

"Might I ask why you have a faraway look on your face? I was hoping that the idea of a few days vacation would go over well with you, was I wrong?" I ask him.

"No, no you were not wrong I was just thinking back to all the masters I have had in the past and I can't remember a one that ever offered me what you just have. I have watched great feasts and men enjoying a new harem of young slave girls after granting one or two wishes. I have been left to wander around for days and even years to watch and explore, but never to interact with the mortals around me. I will get to enjoy the taste of foods and drink and if I'm lucky the feel of a good woman if I can talk one into bedding down with me. I am even pondering what you call a hooker, if I fail to get a woman with my skills alone. I hope that does not offend you that I would do this with your body as the mold I use to keep my essence."

"No I have no problems with that if by the second to the last night you have not talked a woman into joining you, I command that you use some of your powers to find the number of an escort and pay her to pleasure you for as long as you can with the limit on the card I'll give you." I tell him

"Why would you want me to use my powers for this?" he ask me

"Simple, asking the wrong woman to bed you for money could cause problems, heck she might even be an off duty cop or wife of one or something, so its better to be safe then sorry and an escort, though more pricey should be more along the lines of a good old fashioned harem girl trained in the arts of love and sex."

After all was said and done, I went back into my room and packed him a bag of my clothes for his week long vacation, I packed several types of clothing. From fancy to shorts and a t-shirt. Seeing that it was late, I commanded him to do as he wished for the night as long as it hurts no one and did not bring anyone looking for me, and that he was to be back by 9am the next morning as that was what time his ordered vacation would start with a cab ride to the hotel. With all that said and done, I went to bed dreaming of what I might want to wish for.

This next morning went off with out much fan fair. After I got the Jinni off in the taxi making sure he had all the info he need for his five day vacation, I returned to my living room to ponder my wishes. I had some ideas about what I wanted just not sure how to go about wording it. Then I remembered what I found under the lamp. After I had boxed up the lamp I went to wipe all the dust off the shelf in which I found it ( that was part of my job there cleaning and dusting and the works). As I got to the area I found the lamp I found what looked like a few pages of folded paper. After being careful to open them slowly as they were stained with some type of oil or something I found that they were too stained to make out anything other then the first line. I now regret tossing them in the trash after having tried to read them, but I remembered the first line of each sheet of paper "I wish I had the Physical super powers as described here." All of them started the same, only changed were the 'Physical, Mental and Immortal' part of each paper.

With this thought I came to one conclusion, the last person to make a wish from the Jinni of this lamp was most likely Maria's late husband and he had ask for what was on the sheets of paper instead of having to try to make it one complete sentence. That idea struck me as perfect only with a few changes, as I did not know what powers he asked for other then, immortality, mental and physical. Though I could work with that. I thought I would combine mental and physical into one wish, then use the wish I saved to get one thing he might not have thought of or wanted. A Jinni is a MAGICAL life form of some type. Knowing that a Jinni's power worked off magic, some how that led me to believe if one could get mental powers why couldn't I get magical powers too? I just needed to figure out what type of immortality I wanted, seeing as Maria's husband was dead and I'm sure he was not the type to make her believe that if it was not true, he must have asked for some other kind of immortality. Sitting there pondering over this dilemma I tried to think of ways I would want to be immortal with out everyone knowing it. I knew I would want to retain all my knowledge and powers after my death, so they would have to go into a new body with me. I know I didn't want to be reborn as a baby with all that knowledge and power. I think it would drive me nuts to have to keep growing up over and over again Though taking over a body of a young man in between the ages of twelve and sixteen would be perfect. It would help me establish myself in my new body and life. Would make it alot easer to hide from anyone that might be looking for anything off kilter. A man in his twenties waking up from a coma with no idea of who he was but having knowledge of things he should not, would raise all kinds of red flags. So that was one thing I wanted, to be able to take over the body of a young man from the age of twelve to sixteen, I wanted any and all knowledge and powers I had at the time of death to go into this new body with me. I know I only wanted to go into a body who's soul or self had already left it. Though I wanted to be able to pass up a body if it looked like it would be more trouble then it was worth. I know I sure didn't want to enter a body of a sixteen year old boy who had just died of an overdose of drugs after ether killing and or raping someone or anything like that. It would just not do to have to ether be locked up in prison or in a mental ward because of what I did and not remembering it. Taking up a sheet of paper and grabbing a pen I started to write.

'I wish I had the power of immortality as described here on this sheet of paper.'

*At the moment of my body's physical death I want my soul/self to travel to the nearest body of a recently dead young humanoid male between the ages of twelve and sixteen. If the body is to my liking and I have the power to heal it completely. I may choose to enter it, or leave it and move on to the next as I see fit. If need be my soul/self can travel world wide or even to other worlds in order to find a suitable body. If there is no suitable body to inhabit in the dimension/realm I am in, I want to be able to ether return to my home dimension/realm to find a new body or be pulled into one with suitable humanoids that I might inhabit.

*I want all Knowledge and Powers I had at the time of my last body's death to transfer into my new body once I take clam of it and start to repair it for my use.

*At any time that I feel I have lived as long as I want to or there are no other living beings to inhabit, I retain the ability to let my soul/self let nature takes its course and let my soul/self go to were ever a soul/self goes when a normal person dies.

Looking over it, it was not much but it suited my taste, I even had a feeling that Maria's husband might have done something along these same lines. One might wish to life forever but if you truly loved those you had to leave behind, I don't think you would show up a few days later calming to be someone's dead family member. That would not stop me from watching my family after my last body passed on. I just didn't want to put them in a mental ward because of it. I knew their lives would go on and I knew mine would to for a very long time thanks to this wish. With the first wish out of the way I moved on to my project of wish number two. The next wish would cover the physical changes I wanted to make to be able to protect myself from harm with out having to resort to anything that would be hard to hide or cover up.

'I wish I had the Physical super powers as described on this sheet of paper.'

*I want the ability to heal at 10 times the normal rate, with full immunity to all virus, bacteria, disease, toxin and poisons that might enter or be introduced to my body.

*I want to be 10 times stronger, faster and with more stamina then any man or beast on the planet in which I am on.

*I want to be as flexible as any world class gymnast or martial artiest, with bones, tendons and all other related organs and parts being able to handle the stress of these changes.

*I want my reflexes, reactions and thought times to be sped up to 10 times normal in reaction to any and all physical dangers whether I see, hear or sense them coming. Whether this danger comes from a man with a gun or a animal. Whether it is natural or not to the planet I am living on. Whether magical or not.

With the second list done all that was left was wish three, and it was going to be a whopper. I had always dreamed of being a wizard or Arch-Mage able to cast spells that could do just about anything I needed done. I knew from the sheets of paper I found that Maria's husband has wished for some type of mental super powers, I would bet money on Telepathy, telekinesis and one or two others. Those were all fine and great but not what I wanted or dreamed of. I was sure that there had to be a spell to cover each of those powers, maybe not as general as them but they would work just the same. A spell to read a persons mind or make them forget something or see something that was not true. Everything I have ever read about magic says that all that and so much more could be cast if the caster was strong enough and knew the spell. So along those lines is what I would wish for. Taking up a third sheet of paper I started on my last wish. I was going to make it a good one I hoped.