x
Emily had barely taken a breath since they reappeared in the living room, the lingering scent of burnt popcorn and shampoo still curling in the air, when the front door swung open.
Uncle Joe stepped inside, sharply dressed in a crisp button-up shirt tucked into khakis, polished dress shoes tapping on the tile. His hair was slicked back like he'd just walked off the set of a game show. He froze mid-step.
"Whoa... Emily? Chris?" His eyes darted between them, wide with disbelief. "Where the hell did you guys go?!"
Anu floated into view behind them, arms spread dramatically.
"The eighties, baby."
Joe's stunned expression flipped into a beaming grin.
"Anuuu!" he laughed, rushing forward like they were old friends at a high school reunion. "Nice to see you, buddy!"
Then he turned, shouting into the house, "Hey Jane! They're back!"
Emily's mother stormed into the room, fury already crackling in her eyes.
"Where have you guys been?!"
Anu crossed his arms smugly. "The eighties, baby."
Jane's face twisted into something bitter. She crossed her arms.
"Oh, you," she muttered. "Still didn't get rid of him, huh? You never listen, Emily."
Emily straightened her shoulders.
"I don't have to. He's my genie. And... we're rich now, right?"
"Oh boy, are we!" Uncle Joe practically jumped in the air. "Eight. Hundred. Million. Dollars! Eight hundred million, baby! We were on the news! The house is basically brand new, we scrapped that old piece of junk car and got a Mercedes-oh, and-"
"That's enough, Joe," Jane cut him off, shooting him a glare.
At that moment, Tom and Lily came walking in from the kitchen, each carrying oversized movie-theater-style popcorn bags. As soon as Lily spotted Emily, she froze. Her bag slipped from her hands and scattered across the floor.
"Emily?" she breathed. "You're back?"
Behind them, Grandma appeared with a rag in her hand, squinting at the mess.
"Careful now, I have to clean that-" Her eyes landed on Emily. "Emily? Chris? Where have you two been?"
Jane didn't even turn around.
"The eighties, baby," she said with a groan and rolled her eyes before walking off.
Suddenly, everyone came flooding into the living room-Eric, Lilly, even cousin Ray from next door-voices overlapping as they all began talking at once.
"Where'd you go?"
"What was it like?"
"Did you meet Michael Jackson?!"
"Do you still have more wishes?"
"Can I have a wish?"
Chris raised a hand to calm the storm, but it was no use. Everyone was too excited.
Then Emily looked around.
The room was... different.
Completely different.
The old creaky floors were gone, replaced with plush new carpet that still smelled faintly of glue and fibers. The walls had been freshly painted in warm neutrals, the kind of beige and gray combo you only saw in HGTV houses. The kitchen gleamed with granite counters and chrome handles. A popcorn machine stood proudly on the counter, still whirring. In the living room sat a monstrous flat-screen TV mounted above a fireplace that hadn't worked in years-now glowing with a gas flame.
The fridge door was ajar, revealing shelves packed with food-real food, not expired cans and leftovers in mismatched Tupperware. The furniture looked expensive, sleek, and shockingly comfortable.
Emily's eyes widened. Her jaw slowly dropped open.
"Whoa..."
"Welcome home," Anu said, floating above the chaos, watching it all unfold like the end of a game show round.
Emily turned to her grandpa, her voice soft with awe.
"This... this is what it's like to be rich?"
Grandpa smiled. "Not always. But I gotta admit... this ain't half bad."
Emily beamed. For the first time, it actually felt like things were going right.
At least... for now.
Later that night-
Dinner used to be a sacred thing in their household-elbows brushing at the table, Grandpa's stories filling the air, and Grandma fussing over everyone's portions. But tonight, the house felt different. Bigger. Colder.
The walls gleamed with fresh paint, and the kitchen sparkled with stainless steel appliances and marble counters, but there was no warmth in it. No togetherness.
Emily stood alone in the kitchen, the faint buzz of the new flat-screen echoing from the living room, muffled voices of her family scattered across the house. Everyone had taken their dinner plates to their own corners-retreating into bedrooms or crowding the couch with their eyes glued to the glowing screen.
She didn't mind. At least not at first.
Her stomach growled as she stepped toward the stove where a dozen steaming plates were stacked, each covered with foil.
Just as she reached out, her mother appeared behind her like a ghost.
"Don't bother," she said flatly, peeling back the foil on one of the plates. "I made dinner for everyone who listens to me."
Emily paused, blinking. "Seriously?"
Her mother didn't look at her. "Since you don't think you have to listen anymore, you can make your own food."
Emily rolled her eyes. "Whatever. I don't care."
"You better watch that attitude, missy," her mom snapped, finally locking eyes with her.
Emily didn't answer. She grabbed an empty plate, dished herself some food from the pot, and quietly left the kitchen.
Later that night, after the house had quieted and one by one the lights upstairs flickered off, Emily passed through the hallway on her way to her room-plate empty, mood sour.
Then she heard it.
"Emily," Grandpa's voice called softly from the living room.
She paused in the hallway and turned. He was waiting by the fireplace, hands in his pockets, face lit gently by the amber glow of the lamp on the mantle.
He smiled, but it didn't reach his eyes.
"Come here a sec."
Emily padded in quietly and sat across from him. For a second, neither of them spoke.
Then, Grandpa took a breath. "You've got one wish left."
Emily stayed silent.
"I know things have gotten... messy. Your mom's not happy. The family's not the same. Anu's still hanging around..." He chuckled dryly. "I mean, we're rich, you saw the eighties... maybe now's the time to wrap things up. You could wish for something simple. Something peaceful. Something that just... ends all the craziness."
She stared into the fireplace, expression unreadable. "I don't want him to go away."
Grandpa blinked. "Emily..."
"There's still so much I want. So much more I haven't even thought of yet."
Anu suddenly materialized beside the couch, arms folded loosely. "You've got one wish left, Emily. Do you know what you want?"
She pondered for a second. "I want more wushes!"
Anu waved his finger in defiance, "I told you before-no wishing for more wishes."
"I know," she said slowly, then turned toward him. "Then I wish you'd stay forever."
Anu's smile faltered.
"I can't do that either," he said, almost apologetically. "Rules are rules. I'm bound to the lamp. When the last wish is used... I go."
Emily stared at the floor, brows furrowed. Then she looked up at her Grandpa.
"You'll never leave me, right?" she asked, voice small. "You'll stay with me forever?"
Grandpa hesitated. "Emily..."
"You promised," she said more firmly. "You said you'd always be with me."
A pause. Then he softened. "Of course I will. Through thick and thin."
Her lips pressed into a thin line. Then, slowly, deliberately-
"I wish you were the genie."
Time stopped.
Anu's entire body stiffened. His eyes widened, shimmering with sudden panic. "Emily, no-"
Grandpa stood up, confused. "Emily, I don't think that's-"
But before he could finish, Anu flinched, face falling with dread. The wish had been spoken. A genie cannot refuse.
He raised one hand, trembling. His fingers snapped with a reluctant, quiet crack.
Grandpa's body jolted, feet lifting from the ground.
"Wait-no-Emily!" he called out, voice warping with sudden cosmic energy as his form began to glow.
Wind whipped through the room as Anu and Grandpa were pulled together, spiraling, spinning, swirling faster than sound. Their outlines blurred, energy pulsing in arcs of blue and gold. The furniture shook. Light flickered. The lamp rattled on its shelf.
And then-silence.
Hovering in the air was something entirely new.
He had Grandpa's face, but younger-almost ageless-his hair slightly grayer, his eyes glowing with a soft celestial light. His clothes shimmered with a robe-like distortion, a fusion of Anu's mystical garb and Grandpa's worn fishing vest. He looked both human and not.
Emily stared in awe.
"...Grandpa?"
The being floated down gently, feet touching the ground.
He looked at her, voice echoing with a layered resonance.
"I'm still here... but something's changed."
And Emily smiled.
Because now, she had both the genie... and her grandpa.
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