Chapter One
It was a dry, parched day in market. People of all sorts were scurrying up and down the pavilion rushing to buy various goods before midday struck. All the stalls were busy, all except one that is.
It wasn’t that Mehmed was a bad salesman… well he was (bad delivery you see); but it was more a case of him having the most rotten luck. Oh and he was always trying to flog useless lucky charms.
“Sir, Sir would be interested in buying this wonderful, one of a kind collectible rabbits foot, it’s all the way from the Europe I have been told”, Mehmed called to a tall, skinny man.
The man approached his stand and Mehmed got all excited. He tried to smile but as he smiled so little the end result was opposite to what he intended. Too the man it looked creepy and sinister and he quickly backed off and disappeared back into the crowd.
“That’s the third one today, you have to try harder”, he muttered under his breath.
Then it happened. It was a once in a lifetime kind of thing. The sort of thing that didn’t happen to your average Mo. But it happened to Mehmed, though he didn’t realise it at the time.
“Excuse me young sir”, creaked an invisible voice.
“Ahh a ghost, a ghost, show yourself demon or I’ll…” Mehmed went white with fear.
I should mention that Mehmed is extremely paranoid, believes in the supernatural and is easily frightened.
“Down here you moron” the voice returned.
Mehmed looked over the edge of his stand and spotted the old women. She was hunchbacked, warty and smelled a bit like pickled eggs.
“Oh Yes, hello, want to buy some of my lucky charms?”
“Sort of, I’m more interested in a trade though”.
At this point she revealed a shiny, golden lamp with Arabic inscriptions along its front.
“I will trade this lamp for your soul”. Her face then cracked into a wicked grin and she let out a bizarre laugh.
“No thank you. I can though give you a rabbits foot, some rare and magical crystals and some left over kebab?”
“But this is a magical lamp…” She then rubbed the lamp against her cheek. Mehmed cringed. He wondered if she was trying to add sex appeal to this deal.
“Lady look at my stall, I have lots of magical things and people don’t seem to care very much about them. I don’t need anymore. And I like my soul. I don’t want to give it to you”.
“But…”
“No buts take my offer or go pester some other poor person”.
“Ohh very well. But I shall curse you as soon as I get home”.
“Deal then?” Mehmed asked.
“Deal”.
They exchanged items and Mehmed shook her hand, as would a true gentleman. It was cold and smooth, and Mehmed thought for a moment he was shaking hands with some sort of skeleton zombie. He got frightened but quickly pulled himself together. After all this was his first successful deal in months.
When Mehmed got home he quickly washed and prayed. Then he picked up the lamp. It was indeed very beautiful but it was filthy. Dirty old women, no standard of cleanliness whatsoever. He began to rub it and then you wouldn’t guess what happened…
Blue-Green smoke gushed out of the lamp and filled his room. Small sparks of lightening could be seen cracking around him. Then the smoke began to take form. Slowly at first but then more rapidly. It looked like a man but differed in the way it had a spooky tail and yellow glowing eyes.
As you can imagine poor Mehmed was frightened. So frightened in fact he fainted.
He soon awoke and saw the bluish face with it imposing yellow eyes staring back at him as if amused. He fainted again.
The third time he awoke, he managed to resist the dizzying feeling in his head that would otherwise have led to another fainting.
“What are you?” He stammered.
“I am the jinni of the lamp,” A stout husky voice replied. “I am a spirit of fire and have been bound to this oil lamp you see here”.
“A jinni! Can you grant three wishes like in the tales of old?” Mehmed asked.
“Nay”
“Damn” Mehmed began feeling ill again.
“I can grant four wishes!”
“No way? Are you messing with me?”
“I do not play games. Come ask me your first wish”.
“Are you one of those lazy jinni’s that yearns to be free?” Mehmed ventured.
“Nay mortal. My lamp provides me with immortality. I love my lamp…”
“Okay” Mehmed cut the jinni off. Indeed he was feeling rather confident. This was his first bit of luck for ages. It might have been his only bit of luck ever. He had heard of the tale of Aladdin. How this young thief had become a prince and married a princess and set free his jinni. Moron, he thought. I shall go one better than that rascal.
“O Great Jinni I wish to be Sultan of the mighty Turks. Rewrite history with me in it!”
“It is done”. The Jinni bellowed.
“Ahem Jinni! I seem to still be in this dingy place. Are you actually a jinni?”
“How dare you question my powers!” The jinni screamed. That is one thing the Jinni did not like: fools who question his powers. Wasn’t it enough that a huge, blue man with a tail had gushed out of a lamp before his very eyes?
“Okay. Sorry. Chill out”. Mehmed muttered.
“The wishes take effect at midnight. You have three hours to wait. Have patience. You humans are all the same”.
“Oh. Right then. Now for my second wish. O Great Jinni make it so my nation remains great and powerful until the end of times!”
“It is done”.
“O Great Jinni remove the curse of the old wretch that gave you to me”. Mehmed was feeling smug. He felt in the zone today, that’s for sure.
“It is done”.
“And lastly O Great Jinni make it so that you serve as my advisor in my courtly duties…”
Jinni shuddered. This guy was really getting on his nerves.
Mehmed continued. “And my decedents in their courtly duties! Give them good advice and provide them with wisdom”
“Noooooooooooo” Jinni screamed.
“Ha Ha. Stop being a baby. It won’t be that bad”.
Hundreds of years with this weasels decedents. This does not bode well. Jinni began getting a dizzying feeling in his head.
