Bobby and the Genie

Bobby Henderson was pretty much your average kid. He was much like his friends at school, except for one thing. He loved fireworks. No, watching Fourth of July shows just simply wasn't enough for him. He loved to light his own fireworks. Every few weeks, he would go down to the local fireworks shop to spend his allowance.

Bobby's parents had different thoughts. His mother didn't really care about the fireworks, as long as he didn't hurt himself. His father, however, hated fireworks. He absolutely loathed them. He despised being awoken from his afternoon naps by loud explosions. The tension between Bobby and his father eventually exploded. Literally.

One September afternoon, Bobby's father came home from work a bit drunk. Lacking judgment, he forced his sudden wrath onto Bobby. He had just launched an aerial shell when his father stormed into the yard.

"BOBBY!!!"

Bobby sensed fear. "Yes?"

"GET OVER HERE THIS INSTANT!"

Bobby nervously approached his father. "Is something wrong?"

"Bobby! I'm extremely sick of you playing with fire. I wouldn't be surprised if you burned down this house and got yourself killed! And I'm sick of being awoken from my naps all the time!" Bobby's father was extremely angry.

"I'm sorry..."

"You better be!"

Bobby looked down in sadness.

His father kept yelling. "Give me those damned fireworks at once!"

Very slowly, Bobby went to his room and brought out the fireworks. He had considered hiding some of his fireworks where his father wouldn't find them. However, in the end, he decided that honesty was the best policy.

"Hurry up! Are you retarded?"

Bobby put the fireworks in front of his father. In one swift motion, his father threw the box of fireworks into the swimming pool.

"Noooo!" Bobby screamed. He started crying.

Although Bobby's father looked indifferent, he was still upset. "Go back to your room. If I ever see you with those cursed things again, you will be real sorry."

Although he was later able to retrieve his waterlogged fireworks from the pool, most of them were damaged beyond repair. Only the waterproof firecrackers and some high-quality shells survived. Even so, it was obvious that they would not perform so well. For the next few days, Bobby's mood was in the lows. He barely talked to anyone at school. At home, he would spend hours online. However, he never lost his interest in fireworks.

One week later, his father went on a business trip. Taking advantage of this, Bobby went shopping again for fireworks at the local Phantom Fireworks showroom. Having been there many times, he had become good friends with the store manager, Jim. This time, just as he was about to leave, Jim called for Bobby to go back.

"Yes?"

"Hey, I have something that you might like," smiled Jim.

"What is it?" Bobby was curious.

"I found an old box of odd fireworks. I was always too lazy to check it out. Perhaps you would be interested. Here, you may have this box."

"Thanks, man!" called Bobby as he started on the way home.

However, for some reason, he had decided not to open the box just yet.

Six weeks later, Bobby's father had a serious stroke and was sent to the hospital. Several days had passed, but no good news came. Doctors told Bobby's family that their father could live for only a few more weeks. Bobby's mother would often cry during the following nights. Bobby would cry as well. During those nights, he would secretly cry himself to sleep.

Not too long after, Bobby had a strange dream. He was falling through the endless void. Although Bobby was fearful, he decided to be brave and see what would happen. After what seemed like hours, he landed on what seemed to be an ethereal cloud. As fragile as it seemed, it supported his weight. A creature, seemingly constructed of fire, came up to him.

"The box," it said in a croaking voice. Bobby then woke up. He tried to sleep again, but was unable to. He could not stop wondering what that dream meant.

The next evening, after thinking about the dream, Bobby opened the box. Inside were mostly antique firecrackers. However, two pieces immediately caught his eye. They were simple lamp-shaped smoke devices. They had no labels, and their blue paint layers were falling off. Yet, something about the devices seemed to interest Bobby. Perhaps something supernatural.

Bobby decided to relieve some of his sadness. He had fun lighting off the firecrackers. Bang after bang, boom after boom. After half an hour, Bobby had used up all of the antique firecrackers, but he had saved the smoke devices for the end.

Reluctantly, he lit one off. Nothing extraordinary happened, except that Bobby had a strange feeling that he could not describe. He tried to light the second one. Still being overcome with anxiety, Bobby had trouble lighting the second device. He kept failing to ignite the fuse. But he finally did. Things started out normal. But suddenly, Bobby thought that the smoke was taking a human-like form. It became more and more solid. Within a few seconds, the smoke had coalesced into a glowing figure. It was still slightly transparent, but it had a solid frame.

"Greetings, young Bobby."

Bobby was too astonished to say a word. His jaw dropped.

"For six millennia, I was trapped in the realm of fire. I was cursed to stay here forever. Only by meeting a kind soul like you could I have been set free. Thank you, Bobby."

Bobby was finally able to speak. "Wh-wh-who a-a-are y-you?"

"I am a genie. And now, for freeing me, I shall grant you three wishes. You must make them now, but please choose wisely."

"Re-really?"

"Yes, young one. Choose now, but pick reasonably."

Bobby pondered for a moment.

"Take your time," the genie said.

Bobby had tears in his eyes. "I would like my father to recover soon."

The genie replied, "Your first wish has now been granted. He will recover in a few days. May he live forever in great health."

"I wish that I had better grades in school."

"Your second wish has been granted. Within a short time, you will be one of the best students in your school."

All of a sudden, Bobby felt a strong urge to study harder. He wondered what final wish he should make.

"This is your last wish, Bobby. Choose carefully."

"I wish I had more fireworks."

"Are you sure, Bobby?"

"Yes, I am sure," said Bobby confidently.

"Your wish has been granted. But now I must be going. Farewell."

"Where are you going?"

"I must go back to the realm I was born. Perhaps one day our paths will cross and we will meet again. But for now I must go. Farewell, Bobby."

"Good-bye!" Bobby wished that the genie would not leave.

With a quick hand motion, the genie created a magical portal. As soon as he entered it, the portal disappeared.

Bobby was still astonished. He was not sure if he was hallucinating.

For the next few days, no one believed his story. Even his best friends thought he was insane. Psychologists believed that Bobby was suffering these problems due to grief. But Bobby reminded himself that he needed to be strong. One day, the ordeal would pass.

A week later, Bobby's father seemed to be recovering. Within three days, he was returned to health completely. His family believed that a miracle had happened.

Bobby's father's attitude gradually changed. He stopped yelling at Bobby for lighting fireworks. At times, he would even seem interested in them.

Two days before Christmas, Bobby was thinking about what to make for lunch when the doorbell rang. There was a uniformed man at his doorstep. Bobby saw a large truck marked "Phantom Fireworks" parked near his house.

"Hello. Is this Bobby Henderson?"

"Sure am!"

"Bobby, we are pleased to know that you have won our annual fireworks naming contest. For some reason, we thought that your entry 'Hypernova' sounded awesome."

"Thanks." Bobby couldn't hide his smile.

"As promised, we are giving you $250,000 worth of fireworks. They should be enough to last an entire lifetime."

"More like a month for me," Bobby chuckled.

The man laughed with him. "Now I just need you to sign this paper. That's it."

That evening, Bobby was reading some catalogs in his room when his mother came in.

"Bobby?"

"Yes? I hope it's not about the fireworks..."

"No, honey. I wanted to tell you that your report card came in. You got a 3.97 GPA!"

"Awesome!"

Bobby's father came in and hugged him.

"Son, how about we go to a fancy restaurant tonight? After that, we can shoot off some fireworks together. What do ya say to that?"

"No objections, Dad!"

They had a large dinner at the Olive Garden. After that, Bobby and his father shot fireworks all night as the Moon sailed into the night sky.