(A short story)
Green smoke plumed from the opening of the golden urn and quickly filled the room. As I stood staring in disbelief, the floor quaked and a loud rumbling noise filled my ears. Surely, this could not be happening. My psychologist had been clear, ‘Sean, your mind is taking you to dark, fantasy places. You need to ground yourself. Take some time off, and go walking in a forest. Or beside the ocean. Nature will help bring you back to reality.’ I knew she was right. But I was scared to stop; afraid to leave the safety of my busy, stressful life.
And now this!
Half an hour ago, while wandering through the market, a woman had thrust this urn into my hands. ‘Have this,’ she had demanded, as she scrambled away with absolute terror in her eyes. My immediate thought was, ‘Drugs. Take it to the nearest police station.’ Why had I not done this? A dream! Two nights ago, I had seen this exact urn in a dream – a dream that had woken me up with feelings of hope and optimism. These were feelings that I had not felt for several years. I had convinced myself that this urn had something to do with my destiny; this golden urn was a gift from the Universe.
Now I wasn’t so sure. I stood in my bedroom, clouded in green smoke, with my psychologist’s words ringing in my ears … ‘back to reality’.
It was time I faced up to my insanity and the hallucination that was playing out before my eyes. As the smoke cleared, a human form emerged from the green. They were sitting cross-legged in front of me; their long black hair in a ponytail. I could tell, even from their back, that they were dressed in Arabian clothing and had large golden earrings in both of their ears. The hallucination then spoke, ‘Where on God’s earth am I? And who has summoned me from my urn?’
The genie stood up and stretched before turning around and staring at me. It was then that I realized I was standing almost naked in front of a complete stranger. Unable to tell whether my new bedroom companion was male or female, I began putting on the clothes that only moments earlier I had taken off and left on the floor. As I scurried around doing this, I kicked the golden urn and it clattered along the floor towards the hallucination.
The genie picked up the urn and, with a knowing look in their eyes, walked towards me.
‘Now, these are the rules Sunshine. Three wishes only. And, why not make the last wish my freedom.’
I reached out my hand to touch the arm of the image that had spoken to me. It was real. It was warm and fleshy.
‘All right, all right, that’s enough. Physical touch is not my love language. And, no kinky wishes either. What is your name?’
‘Sean,’ I replied obediently.
‘Well, Sean, can we get on with this? I am a busy individual. And I do not like the décor of this room very much.’
I did not like the décor either. I did not like our new apartment at all. When my wife died, I could not afford to keep our family home. The kids and I moved here but grief has a way of bleeding all the color and style out of life – and décor. We had been living here for two years but it was not a home without her.
‘I don’t like it either,’ I snapped, ‘But Sunshine … it is way down my list of jobs. OK?’
‘OK, OK, no need to get tetzy! Just saying.’
And with a softer tone, my new genie companion said, ‘My name is Ali. Yes, that is short for Ali Baba. And I am at your service; here to grant you a couple of your heart’s desires. Please remember, even though I am in the service-industry, I have feelings too.’
‘Yes, right. Well, assuming you are real and not …’
‘Thank you, I would appreciate that,’ interrupted Ali, with a small sarcastic bow.
‘I could really do with some help. You see, I am trying to hold it together. But, in reality, I am falling apart right now. I have two teenage kids and have been left to raise them without their mother, and I am making a meal of it. I feed them the same food every second night. I am impatient with them. I do not know what to talk to them about, and, they are becoming silent. They are on their screens day and night. The décor of this apartment is the least of my problems.’
‘OK. Now we are getting somewhere. So, how can I help you Sean? What do you wish me to do for you?’
‘Assuming you are not part of a very big mental health problem, …’
‘Thank you again. My self-esteem is growing a little each time you say that.’
‘ … I wish that someone would show up and give me a bit of help raising these kids. I do not want to mess this up.’
Ali listened carefully, arms folded and nodding gently.
‘Oh shit,’ I swore, ‘Time to pick the kids up. You. Get back in the urn. I am not going to explain my genie hallucination to them. They need stability.’
And, in a haze of green smoke, Ali disappeared. I kicked the urn aggressively on the way out of my bedroom just to prove that I was, in fact, insane.
***
‘Good Morning, Sean. Time to get up,’ said a sweet familiar voice.
Before I opened my eyes, I realized that I had not been dreaming. It had really happened. My younger sister, Suzi, had turned up last night announcing that she was going to stay for a couple of weeks to give me a hand. Regardless of whether the urn (now sitting on my dresser) contained anything at all, my wish had been granted. Last night, Suzi cooked a meal we had never eaten before and the four of us stayed around the table talking for an hour after dinner. After the kids went to bed, she poured two glasses of red wine and, together, we chose a new reading lamp on-line for the lounge room. Before going to bed, she said to me, ‘Sean, you are doing a great job with the kids – and everything.’
Now, the morning after, I awoke to Suzi’s voice. ‘It’s nine o’clock. Here’s some coffee,’ she said, as she placed a mug on the bed-side table. ‘I dropped the kids to the station.’
The smell of coffee wafted my way. I had not had a coffee in bed for two years. I blew Suzi a kiss and said, ‘You’re the best. I haven’t slept that long for ages. Better get up soon. Have a zoom meeting at 10.’
‘How’s working from home going? Not getting sick of your own company?’
‘It’s working. I try to go into the office once a week.’
Suzi saw the urn on the dresser. She picked it up and said, ‘Love this urn. It’s so unusual.’
I said nothing.
‘In fact, you have done a great job with the apartment; love the décor,’ she said as she left the room.
‘I can pick the kids up this afternoon,’ she called from the kitchen. ‘Going to spend the day clothes shopping. Need anything?’
‘No, all good,’ I called back as I sipped on my coffee.
‘Will pick you up a shirt anyway … a man always needs a new shirt.’
Tears began to fill my eyes. Tanya often said those exact words: ‘a man always needs a new shirt’.
My wardrobe was full of underworn shirts.
***
‘What’s for lunch?’
‘Oh, no! Here we go again,’ I groaned as the genie hallucination walked into the lounge room followed by a green haze of smoke. A week had passed since my last ‘episode’ and my general mental health had picked up considerably in that time. Suzi was great company and my psychologist had told me that I seemed like a new man at my last appointment. But, and here’s the but: standing right in front of me asking about my lunch.
‘Looks healthy,’ Ali Baba said, surveying the chick pea salad carefully. ‘And, if you don’t mind me saying, you look a lot healthier than last time I saw you. Is it good having Suzi around?’
Not waiting for an answer, the genie sat down next to me on the couch as I continued eating my salad. Skeptically, I examined Ali closely. They were dressed the same as when we first met: loose fitting blue pants, white collarless linen shirt and an ornate red vest with gold embellishments. Ali was taller than me and obviously well-muscled with strong shoulders. I still could not tell what gender Ali Baba was. Nor what age. However, their eyes were dark, soft and kind. There was something immensely likable and trustworthy about their face. I began to talk.
‘Having Suzi here has made a huge difference. I do not feel always overwhelmed. The kids are happier and have started talking again. It’s good. She can stay another week. But, then she is due to leave the state; she is re-locating to Perth for a new job. I have realized that all I need is a bit of support. I can do this.’
Ali nodded compassionately; they were a good listener.
‘So, just in case you are real, and the whole wish thing was your doing, I want to say thank you.’
Ali gritted their teeth and clenched their fists, but chose to simply nod and receive the gratitude. We sat in silence for a while.
‘You know, Sean, you’re a good man. Regardless of whether or not you believe in me, I believe in you. You can do this thing. I can see being a parent on your own is much harder than having a co-pilot, but you can do this.’
There was more silence.
Tears started streaming from my eyes. Unashamedly, I let them fall. I had been holding the grief inside for two years … ‘for the sake of the children’
And in the silence, my emotions found room to move.