Genie and Engineer 1: The Engineer Wizard by Glenn Michaels Read Free Book Online Page B

will get over it. I won’t get
any recognition for being right, but I’m not worried about it. So, go home,
rest up, get ready for Christmas. The big test is done, for now.”
    “There will be another one early next year,” observed Ken
with a rueful look.
    “There always is,” Paul agreed. “It’s our jobs, such as they
are.”
    “Yeah. Hey, thanks. I’m just glad you aren’t mad at me,” Ken
said with a thankful smile.
    Paul sighed. “Not you, no. Not you.” And then he slowly
plodded off toward his Toyota Corolla. Toward home.
    • • • •
    He barely managed to stay awake during the drive home. At
the house, he left the car in the driveway and stumbled inside, the genie’s box
loosely gripped under one arm.
    He just couldn’t put the genie quandary off any longer. He
was so tired of the stress it was putting him under. And he wasn’t going to
risk having another one of those horrid nightmares. The genie needed to be
dealt with. Right now! Then Paul could get back to living his life in peace.
    He trudged into the garage through the kitchen door. Nervously
biting his lip, Paul took the object from the box and set it floating above the
workbench again.
    “Ati Kispu Alka,” he babbled feebly.
    “You look terrible, Majeed (Honorable) Paul,” the
baritone voice rumbled.
    Once again, the genie was there in all his power and
splendor. Paul weakly nodded, actually relieved to see the big guy again. For a
fleeting moment, he had feared that he really had dreamt the first
encounters. Wobbling somewhat, his knees buckling, Paul lowered himself and sat
on the cold concrete floor, his back to one leg of the workbench.
    “At least when I show up, little old ladies aren’t diving
behind pews,” Paul muttered sarcastically.
    The genie gave a sly smile. “You look very tired. Perhaps a
nap...?”
    “It’s true that I haven’t been sleeping well lately,” Paul
admitted in a louder voice.
    The genie grinned merrily. “Too busy thinking of what you
might wish for, no doubt. I can help you out there. Would you like to know what
the All-Time Top Ten Most Requested Wishes are? That is, according to the
latest official Genie Guild charts? I’ll give you a hint. Number one is a shiny,
yellow, soft metal....”
    Paul ignored the genie’s smirking and said, “I’d like to ask
you some questions.”
    “Of course! What would you like to know?” the huge
apparition asked buoyantly.
    “Have you always been a genie?” Paul asked, studying the
genie’s face intently with tired eyes to see how he might react.
    The question startled the genie, and he suddenly appeared
troubled by it. “A snow-covered mountain endures forever,” he muttered in a
subdued manner.
    Sure it does , Paul thought in sudden sarcasm. “Do you
enjoy being a genie?”
    The genie’s reaction to Paul’s question was totally
unexpected. The grin was gone now. Sweat appeared on his upper brow. The genie
was visibly shrinking, too, right in front of Paul, no longer a tall figure.
Moreover, his clothes had ceased to glow.
    “The sun arises in the east each morning and shines on the
earth,” the genie weakly declared with a gulp.
    With growing certainty, Paul was beginning to get the feel
of the genie’s answers. The fact that the apparition was now only four feet or
so tall and his clothes had taken on a disreputable appearance told Paul that
he was getting warm.
    So he pressed forward.
    “If you had a wish, what would you wish for?” Paul asked,
again watching closely.
    The genie now stood less than three feet tall and was still
continuing to shrink. His turban was a dirty gray now, and the ruby was gone.
He looked increasingly old and worn out.
    “Those who serve reap many blessings,” he mumbled feebly.
    Paul felt like he was on firm ground now and decided it was
time to make his offer. “There is a wish that I want. Just one wish. But I want
no strings. Therefore, I will make you a deal. You can have the other two
wishes for yourself,