The door sensor chimed as Sebastian entered the shop. The shop owner looked at him and gave him a polite smile and returned to reading his magazine. Sebastian walked to the counter slowly as he clutched his back in pain.

“Hello sir, what can I help you with today?” the shop owner asked as he put down his magazine.

Sebastian leant on the counter for support. “I called up about the I Dream of Jeannie bottle replica,” Sebastian informed him.

“Of course, just give me a moment while I get it from the back, it’s not as popular as the other replicas I sell, I think you’re the first person who’s enquired about it,” the shop owner explained as he went into a room behind the counter.

The shop owner was gone for about fifteen minutes before returning with the colourful genie bottle. He placed it on the counter as he began to type the price in the cash register.

“I said $120 over the phone, but I couldn’t seem to find the box for it and I don’t have anything spare, I’m happy to reduce the price to $99 for the inconvenience,” the shop owner explained.

Sebastian sighed, his back and feet were already playing up and now he had to carry this expensive, fragile gift to the bus without a box. Without saying another word Sebastian paid for the item and left.

This bus was just pulling away from the stop when it finally came into view. Sebastian rolled his eyes and sighed as he had to wait another thirty minutes for the next one. He sat down on the bench and placed the Genie bottle next to him. He felt something on his fingers where he had been holding the bottle and when he looked at his fingertips there were purple paint flakes on his skin.

“Seriously?” Sebastian said aloud as he examined the bottle. He saw where he had been holding it was now chipped. “Either this is a poor replica or someone has just painted over something else to make it look like the genie bottle.” Sebastian rubbed away the paint a bit more to see the extent of the damage. “I’m going to need to take it back…” he sighed.

Just as Sebastian stood up, the cork popped open and a blue smoke began to seep out. A cloud of the blue mist grew in front of Sebastian until it was as tall as he was. A shadow began to form in the smoke until a scantily dressed woman was standing in front of him.

She seemed confused as she looked around for a moment, she then turned her attention to Sebastian. “Thank you from freeing me from my bottle, Sebastian,” she said in perfect English. “It has been many centuries since I was last freed from my bottle. As thanks I am permitted to grant you three wishes.”

“Wait so this replica bottle I bought was an actual genie bottle? I’m not dreaming, this is real?” Sebastian asked in disbelief. The genie nodded. “And there are no restrictions?”

The genie shook her head. “Well except for the fact you only get three,” she corrected.

“So if I were to wish for unlimited money you’d just give it to me, no strings attached?” Sebastian clarified.

“Your wish has been granted master, though I took the liberty of tweaking your wish, instead of giving you unlimited money as that would flood the entire universe with currency I have made it so your bank account will fill up to any amount you require at the time of purchase. This era is so weird, money no longer being physical.”

“I didn’t make that wish,” Sebastian argued. “I asked what if I made that wish.”

The genie gave him an apologetic look. “I’m sorry master but while the wishes don’t have rules, us genies do, hypothetical wishes must be counted as actual wishes and we are allowed to alter the intention of the wish to protect the larger cosmos,” she explained. “You have two wishes left, I do hope you’re more careful with these next two.”

“You told me there were no restrictions,” Sebastian complained.

“Yes and I told you the restrictions, that you only get three wishes, those are the restrictions to your wishes. Granting hypothetical wishes and altering the wish’s outcome are rules on my end, so there was no deceit, you just never asked for clarification.”

“Whatever, at least that wish was one that is beneficial, especially after you tweaked it the way you did,” Sebastian resigned. Now he had two wishes left to make. “You don’t grant wishes I think about do you?”

The genie gave him a playful smile. “Of course not, we tried that, things didn’t work out so well.”

Sebastian didn’t need anymore information than that. At least he knew he could think of the wishes ahead of time without them being granted. His first thought was to rule the world, but then that would be too much responsibility and he might be able to be overthrown. His second wish was about immortality but that could mean he’d live longer than the Earth and be forever alone.

While he was thinking about his next wish, Sebastian saw a couple of kids playing and enjoying themselves. It reminded him of a simpler time, before his chronic back issues and when he used to enjoy life.

“I wish I was happy and full of life,” he muttered to himself without thinking. “Wait I didn’t mean to make that wish…” he pleaded as he realised what he just said.

“Your wishes have been granted master,” the genie stated as she and the bottle vanished in the blue smoke she arrived in.

While he didn’t mean to make that wish Sebastian felt happy for a moment until reality kicked in. He felt strange, his back problem was gone but now there was an extra weight on his chest and on his belly He felt something beneath his skin kicking him from the inside.

He looked down and almost fainted, his belly was swollen and his bellybutton was now sticking out, not only that but he now had two large breasts, that felt rather sensitive. “She turned me into a woman… a pregnant woman…” Sebastian said in disbelief as he collapsed back onto the bus bench. “I don’t get it, how was the result of my wish and why did it count as two?”

The genie was gone and unable to answer Sebastian’s questions. He had no way of reversing this change without her either, at least he had unlimited money to buy things for his new form.