CHAPTER 5

Having had enough, and not wanting to put this poor girl through any shame or embarrassment, Mike decided to make a "wish" he knew she would be unable to grant. Wishing for a striptease, blowjob, or something else of that nature would likely be exactly what she expected him to say next. Mike, however, had a different idea.

"Very well. I'd like to make a wish. I've had a throbbing headache since the moment I woke up. This is obviously an unhealthy ailment. Without moving from the spot you're in, I wish for you to instantly cure me of my headache."

Mike was quite pleased with himself. He had phrased things very carefully by not giving her the easy out: walking to the bathroom and getting the Tylenol for him. Now, she would have no choice but to admit that the jig was up, ending the prank. However, he suddenly felt a slight tingle in the back of his mind.

Flash.

The girl's eyes shone bright gold for a split second. "It is done, master."

Mike instantly felt his headache disappear. "WOAH!" Mike stumbled backward in shock, landing square on his ass. "You actually made my headache go away?! And what about your eyes?! That tingle in my head?! What is going on here?!"

The girl was now close to tears. "Master, was this not what you wished for? The tingle you felt in your mind was my attempt to hear the thoughts behind your words, ensuring I granted your wish properly and gave you exactly what you wanted. If I have failed to deliver on your first wish, I am exceedingly sorry for disappointing you, and I gladly await any punishment you feel is appropriate for me." She then bowed, placing her nose squarely on the carpet in front of her.

Mike slowed his breathing, working to comprehend everything that had just happened. Holy shit, she was telling the truth? I released a genie from that locket? Before he could ponder the full implications of the situation, his concern for this poor girl immediately grew. He heard her whimpering as she cried from her undignified position on the floor.

Locking his handgun back in the safe, he slowly approached, kneeling in front of her. Gently placing his hand on her chin, he lifted her head until the two of them were face to face. Smiling, he said to her, "You don't need to cry, and you don't need to be afraid. I'm not disappointed in you. I'm just… surprised. I thought all of this was some big prank set up by a bunch of my friends."

His face turned more serious as he looked directly into her eyes. "I'm sorry that I didn't believe you."

A look of confusion spread across her face. "I… I don't understand. You are my master; i-it's never your place to apologize to me." Her voice began to crack as she tried to comprehend what was happening.

Dear God… this poor girl has no concept of free will. She really does see herself as my slave.

For the first time in a long time, Mike was truly terrified, on multiple levels. He was terrified for this poor girl, clearly a sentient person, but without free will. He was terrified of the powers she had described to him, that she would likely use them in any way he directed her to, no matter who could be hurt in the process.

Most of all, he was terrified for his soul. Mike was a religious man, having been raised in a Methodist church, as well as his late grandfather being a Southern Baptist minister. He knew that any and all decisions he made in his life would have to be answered for someday. While Mike didn't subscribe to the idea that all things are as black and white as a one-way ticket to either Heaven or Hell, there were certain situations in his mind that qualified as just that. Participating in the enslavement of an intelligent, sentient person was damn near the top of that list.

Taking a deep breath, Mike moved to sit cross-legged on his double bed. Seeing that the girl was still kneeling in the corner, he asked, "Why are you still kneeling there?"

She responded simply. "My master has not yet given me permission to move."

Oh… duh. No free will.

"Please, come sit here with me." Mike patted the bed. She happily stood and moved toward the bed. Mike could now see that she was rather short, maybe an inch or two shorter than him. In spite of this, however, he could tell his previous guess about her curviness were correct; she was wonderfully shaped. She sat cross-legged on the foot of the bed, face-to-face with Mike.

Gently taking her hands in his, Mike began to speak very seriously. "Genie, please understand that this situation is all very overwhelming for me. I'm trying to comprehend everything that's happened this morning. I have quite a few questions that need as straight and honest answers as you can give. Is that ok?"

"Of course, master." Her face softened with a smile.

They conversed for some time. The genie first confirmed for Mike that she was, in fact, created to be a subservient creature incapable of disobeying her master. Additionally, she explained that, as her master, she is considered his property to be dealt with as he wished. Anything about her that displeased him could be punished with isolation, beatings, torture, or even her destruction. All were within Mike's rights.

She also confirmed that her powers could be used for anything of an erotic or sexual nature, including actions considered illegal under modern law, without any consequences. Her powers could even be used to commit unspeakable acts of pain on innocents, all with the full support and encouragement from her, since she only desires what her master desires.

Mike then explained his religious background, and his apprehension to participating in any sort of enslavement, knowing full well the likely consequences when his time finally came. Seeking to comfort him, she explained that her servitude to him was thrust upon him and that, since he had no choice in the matter, the sin of her enslavement was not his burden to bear. Hearing this brought Mike to one of the most important questions he had in his mind.

"Genie, is it possible for me to free you, and, if so, how would that play out?"

She smiled sadly. "Master, you are exceedingly kind to ask such a thing. You are allowed to wish for my freedom. However, in doing so, you would merely be freeing me from my servitude to you. I do not have the power to grant a wish from you, or any master, that I no longer be bound as a servant genie altogether.

"If you were to wish for my freedom from you, I would return to my vessel, whereupon the next person to open it would become my new master. While I do not fully know the nature of my vessel, it is clear to me that, in solving the puzzle last night, you disabled some sort of magical security system that was preventing the locket from opening. As I no longer detect any magical energy from any part of my vessel, I can only hypothesize that the next person to obtain the locket would have no difficulty opening it by hand."