Ali stood next to the counter, slicing cucumbers for a salad.
Out of the corner of her eye, she noticed Brendan holding up a smartphone in front of him.
"What are you doing?" Ali asked Brendan.
"I'm trying to take your picture, but you're not showing up on my phone," said Brendan. He then added, "There must be something wrong with it."
Genies cannot be photographed, Ali thought.
Ali put her knife down and said, "There's something ... about me ... you must know."
Brendan put the phone down and asked, "What is it?"
Ali swallowed, searching for the words. "I ... am ... a genie," she said.
"A genie?" Brendan asked.
Ali nodded.
"You mean like Robin Williams?" Brendan asked.
"Somewhat," Ali replied. She then added, "There is nothing wrong with your phone."
"There isn't?"
"Let me see your phone," said Ali. Brendan handed Ali his phone. Ali put her arm around Brendan's shoulder and held up the phone to take a double selfie.
Brendan appeared on the viewscreen. Ali did not.
"I'm not seeing you," said Brendan.
"Genies cannot be photographed," Ali replied.
MEDINA, SAUDI ARABIA
1942
Uniformed SS soldiers clad in black and plainclothes Nazi researchers wearing swastika armbands combed through the bazaar, overturning tables.
They uncorked bottles, rubbed oil lamps, and peered into bowls.
They were looking for Ali ... Ali and her people.
NORTHERN IRAQ
TWENTY YEARS AGO
Sergeant John "Jack" Thornton was a United States Marine on patrol. He was on foot, carrying a rifle and a thirty pound pack on his back.
Unlawfully taken from Royal Road, this story should be reported if seen on Amazon.
All at once, he came under enemy machine gun fire. He dropped to the ground and started firing.
One bullet grazed his shoulder. Another bullet grazed his helmet.
Shit, Jack thought, as he felt his bleeding shoulder.
A beautiful, dark haired woman suddenly appeared next to Jack, seemingly oblivious to the bullets whizzing by her. The woman wore beige harem pants trimmed with a navy blue waistband and a navy blue midriff and bolero jacket trimmed in pink.
"GET DOWN!" Jack called out to the woman standing next to him. "THEY'RE SHOOTING AT US!"
The woman raised her arms. A howling sandstorm suddenly appeared. The sandstorm consumed both Jack and the enemy soldiers that had been shooting at him.
After the sandstorm had passed, the woman remained standing next to Jack.
"Who are you?" Jack asked the woman. "Where did that sandstorm come from?"
The mysterious dark haired woman kneeled down next to Jack. She saw Jack's bleeding shoulder.
"You still haven't told me your name," said Jack.
The woman passed her hand over Jack's eyes. Jack then closed his eyes and fell into a deep sleep.
Jack woke up in a strange bedroom, lying on a divan. The room had ancient stone walls and a tiled floor. His rifle, pack, and helmet were sitting on the floor next to the divan.
The dark haired woman sat on a cushion next to the divan.
She said something in Arabic that Jack could not understand. "I wish you could speak English," said Jack, frustrated.
"How are you feeling?" the woman asked in English.
"You speak English?" said a startled Jack.
"You asked me to do so," the woman replied, confused.
"Who are you?" Jack asked the woman.
The woman pressed her palms together, bowed, and said, "I am Aaliyah."
"Nice to meet you," said Jack. He reached over and felt his shoulder. The bullet wound had been completely healed!
"And who are YOU?" the woman asked.
Jack lay back down on the divan and replied, "Jack ... Jack Thornton. United States Marines."
"I am pleased to meet you Jack ... Jack Thornton ..."
"My name is Jack," said Jack. "Just ... call me Jack."
"Jack ..." said Aaliyah, as she pondered Jack's name.
"Where am I?" Jack asked.
"My home ... in Djinnistan," Aaliyah replied.
"Djinnistan? Where is that?" Jack asked.
"You ... are in another dimension," Aaliyah replied.
"I wish you could be with me forever," said Jack.
Aaliyah smiled and kissed Jack tenderly on the forehead ...
Jack suddenly found himself strapped to a stretcher inside of a Blackhawk helicopter. Two Navy corpsmen wearing flight helmets and microphones sat across from him.
"You took a hit to the brain box there, guy," said one of the corpsmen.
"How did I get here?" Jack asked.
"When you didn't ping back, one of your guys found you and called for a Medevac," said the other corpsman.
Did I hallucinate the whole thing? Jack wondered. Aaliyah ... Djinnistan ... Did I imagine it all while I was bleeding out somewhere in the desert?
Jack then passed out in the helicopter.
ENCINITAS, CALIFORNIA
Several weeks later, Jack had rotated out of Iraq and he was back at his home base at Camp Pendleton in California.
Jack was in his apartment unpacking his gear.
"Hello, Jack," said a familiar feminine voice behind him.
Jack turned around to find Aaliyah standing behind him.
"You ..." said Jack. "How did you get here?"
Aaliyah bowed and said, "I am a genie."
THE END
WERE hunting for genies during World War II.
Raiders of the Lost Ark is partly based on a true story). He sent a team to India and Nepal in search of mystical Sanskrit weapons.
