Summary: A genie grants Jake three wishes.
Author’s note: This was written for Round 34 of #ChoicesCreates: 3 Wishes
Somehow Jake managed to land the chopper on the beach. Estela, Sean, and Craig climbed out, but he sat there, still in shock. The love of his life was gone. He had reached out to grab her, but it was too late, and he had watched her fall from the chopper. He doubted that she had survived. What was left for him now?
“Jake, come on.” Sean reached in and tugged on his arm.
“All right.” He slowly stepped out of the chopper and followed Sean. Craig and Estela were a few feet away.
“We should try to figure out where we are, and look for shelter. Maybe we’re near the Celestial.” Sean began walking towards the others.
Jake looked at Sean sadly. “I can’t. Not right now. I need to be alone.”
Sean nodded. “We’ll come back in a while.”
Jake sat down on the sand and reached into his bag. Maybe he still had some alcohol left. He rummaged around and found a small bottle of whiskey that he had taken from the minibar at the Celestial. He opened it and took a big gulp. Far too soon, the bottle was empty. As he set it down on the sand, he heard a clink. He moved the bottle aside and began brushing away the sand. A small piece of silver protruded from the surface. He kept digging until he had freed the object: a silver lamp. It looked like one of those genie lamps. He picked it up by the handle and started rubbing it to wipe away the grains of sand.
His eyes widened in shock as a genie materialized. She had long black hair and was dressed in purple. He hadn’t really expected a genie to come out, but after everything he had seen on this crazy island, nothing should surprise him any more. She looked him in the eye and spoke to him.
“Thank you for freeing me. As a reward, I will grant you three wishes.”
He didn’t even have to think about his first wish. “I wish my girlfriend Taylor was safely back with me.”
“Your wish is my command,” she said.
A moment later, he spied a figure running across the beach. As the person came closer, Jake could see long blond hair. He began running, and soon they embraced.
“Princess! I thought I’d never see you again.” He held on to her tightly and pressed close to her. He looked into her eyes, then kissed her deeply.
They finally pulled apart, and began walking hand in hand. “I’m so glad I found you,” she said. “I’m not sure how I got here, though. Suddenly I was on the beach, and I saw you in the distance. I guess it’s just another one of those strange La Huerta things.”
“Yes, but probably not what you think.” He pointed to the genie. “She granted me three wishes after I released her from the lamp she was trapped in. Of course I wished to have you back. I was devastated after you fell to your death.”
“Jake, I didn’t die. But I wasn’t sure how to find you. I’ve been dealing with some pretty heavy stuff. I’m still not sure what to make of it.” She glanced at the genie, then back to Jake. “Looks like things aren’t exactly normal for you either. What else did you wish for?”
“Nothing else yet. I haven’t had a chance. Getting you back was my first priority. But there’s something else that’s important to me too.” He turned to the genie. “I wish my friend Mike was back with me, with his mind and body restored.”
“As you wish,” the genie said.
Not long afterward, Jake saw someone approaching. Soon he could make out Mike’s features. Both his eyes looked normal, and he looked healthy. Mike’s mouth dropped open as he spotted Jake.
“Jake, is it really you? What are you doing here? Wait, where is here? Where am I?”
“We’re in La Huerta, in the Caribbean. Do you remember anything?”
Mike shook his head. “The last thing I remember is being in the base’s medical ward. That bastard Lundgren was there. I’d just found out that I lost my legs…my legs! They’re back! How is that possible?”
Jake pointed to the genie. “I Dream of Jeannie granted me three wishes. I know, it sounds crazy, but that’s La Huerta for you. Nothing’s normal here.”
“Come on, what really happened? Wait, was that a nickname?”
Jake grinned. “Yeah, you rubbed off on me. And I’m serious. I still have one more wish left, so you’ll see for yourself.” He looked to Taylor. “I’d wish for us to get out of here, but there’s nothing left for us to go back to. And if I wish for the world to be saved, we’re still stuck here.”
“Not necessarily. Maybe we can do both. You just need to find the right way to phrase the wish.” She rubbed his arm gently. “Think about it.”
Jake thought it over, then turned to the genie. “I wish the three of us and the rest of our group were safely back at Hartfeld, as it was before we came to La Huerta.”
There was a flash of white light, and then Jake found himself on a college campus. He threw his arms around Taylor.
“We made it!” He leaned in close to her and kissed her deeply.
“What the hell?” Mike looked around. “How is this possible?”
“It’s like I told you, the genie granted my wish,” Jake explained.
The others cheered, embraced, and high-fived each other. Jake glanced to the group. Everyone was there: Diego, Sean, Craig, Zahra, Michelle, Raj, Quinn, Estela, Grace, and Aleister. “Aleister is here too? He betrayed us!”
“You said the rest of our group, and he’s one of us. You didn’t specifically exclude him,” Taylor pointed out.
“True,” he grumbled. “So, what now? You and the others can go back to school, but I don’t fit in here. I know I promised you that I wouldn’t go running back to Costa Rica, but there’s still a bounty on my head.”
“We’ll clear your name,” she reassured him. “It should be easier now, since Mike can testify too. We won’t give up. If you want to move back to Louisiana to be near your mother, that’s fine with me. I can transfer, or I can take online classes. I’ll go anywhere, as long as I’m with you.”
“Let’s start with a visit. We can figure the rest out later. I should probably call her first, though. It might be too much of a shock if I just show up. And I want my sister to be there too.” He looked to Mike. “If you want me to, I’ll come with you to talk to your family. We have a lot to explain.”
Mike nodded. “Thanks.”
“If I still had Delilah, we could leave today. I need to get another plane.”
“You will, Jake,” Taylor told him. “You have so much to look forward to.”
For the first time, Jake actually believed that. He had found the love of his life, had his best friend back, would see his family soon, and had a good chance of being cleared of all charges. His wishes had come true.