Genie Book

Everleigh was a 20 something, who had no clue what she was doing with her life. Three and half years later, she still hadn’t decided on a major. Between the constant working to pay her way through school, from survival to studying for a degree out of debt, she had no life. This repetitious, monotonous, rhythm was stealing her life away. She needed an escape from this. From the bags underneath her eyes to the eye twitches that occurred throughout the week, she needed a break restoration. So on this lovely warm spring day, iced strawberry frappuccino in hand, dressed in blue overalls with a black midi shirt on, she found herself inside a bookstore, ready to spend her last twenty dollars on something she loved.

Books.

She sighed as she made her way down the fantasy aisle, at The Last Bookstore in sunny Los Angeles; Everleigh’s most favorite place in the world. From the arching bookcases, illuminated with lights gently peeking out between the shelves -as if a wizard had cast Lumos- to the flying books frozen mid-air, to the perfect window seal with books surrounding it, it was her second home from home. Her eyes scanned over her favorite books she had previously read. She put her hand in her 4C afro, scratched her scalp, and then went to fluff it. She leaned in closer, pushing her thin square glasses to the bridge of her nose to read the titles.

“Twilight, nope. Graceling….maybe. Harry Potter, not in the mood. Children of Blood and Bone, eh just read it, so that’s a no.” She whispered to herself. “Chicken noodle teenage soul-what’s that doing here-, Skyward, Dracula, Genie Book.” Her brown eyes paused on the next book and then went back.

“Genie Book?” She muttered, grabbing the small book, no bigger than the size of her palm. The leather was peeling and had cracks traveling all over its black cover like stretch marks on skin. She opened its body to examine the pages; which were a pale yellow, its ink faded but it was still in mint condition in her eyes. She smiled, closed her eyes, lifted the book to her nose, and inhaled its sweet scent of dust, ink, and stale paper. The scent sent her body into a fit of ecstasy.

It’s old. She opened her eyes slowly and looked down at the book, flipping it over looking for the synopsis. She reopened the book and read the first few pages trying to get an idea of what the book was about. How odd. The beginning started right in the middle of an action scene. It was as if, some force had dropped her in the middle of a homicide investigation and she was being questioned about her whereabouts. She shrugged, it didn’t really matter. Her eyebrows lifted and there was a twinkle in her eye. This was the book. The book for her escape today. She closed the book and began walking toward the checkout. I hope it isn’t expensive.

As she weaved through the small crowd, the lights began to flicker and a cold wind began to blow. The thin, curved black hairs on her smooth chocolate skin stood up and goosebumps suddenly riddled her bare arms. The little black book began to pulsate as if it had a heart, with blood pumping through its pages. She looked down, her eyes narrowed, lips pressed together in a hardline. She swallowed the newly lump in her throat before she opened the book.

“ What the hell?” Escaped from her thick, lip glossed lips as she opened the book again. The pages on the book shook like rice on a base speaker, the words vibrated and then shot out from the pages leaving their home blank. She blinked once then twice, rubbing her eyes, her body began to rock back and forth, and sway.

“Earthquake?” she looked up. She stumbled backward and gasped. Everyone around her had stopped and were frozen in mid-actions. She turned around, her heart picking up its pace with adrenaline. She quickly looked down at the book and back up and around her.

“No.” She whispered, her voice now shook, like the words that once were on the page. She hadn’t imagined that. The wind that had been slight now picked up speed as a hurricane would, gaining its momentum to do extreme damage to every and anything around it. She heard its howl first from above, then to the second level, and then to ground level, which she stood. She let her hands fall to her side, dropping the book as she did, taking a step back. Her eyes were wide, her pulse in her ears, her body shaking. The howl weaved through the aisles, flicking books off the shelves and onto the floor moving close to her. Everleigh took off running toward the entrance, ridding herself of being the deer in headlights.

“I will not be the dead black girl, in those typical horror movies. My mama taught me better than that.” She ran as fast as she could down the aisle toward the entrance. She hit the end corner like a Nascar racer, drifting a bit to the side. The howl became louder as it saw her. Don’t look back. Sweat oozed from every pore, distress, and anxiety-riddled on her face. She was determined to live. The door to her freedom and eventual safety came into view. She smiled as relief from the endorphins began pumping through her. I made it! She reached her arms out, feeling for the cold metal bars on the door underneath her long slender hands with neatly manicured nails; with great ease, she pushed it open. She smiled, a single tear falling from the corner of her eyes. As she took a step, she felt her body being pulled back by a god-like force she couldn’t explain. It felt as if her skin and muscles were being torn from her body. Like they were magnets being pulled to an exponentially stronger magnet. Her grip began to weaken, to ache and burn like she had been hanging on the playground monkey bars too long; blisters waiting to make their appearance.

“No! No! No!” She yelled, as her hand lost its grip causing her body to be flung backward. This god-like force engulfed her in its wind as it pulled her back to its source, throwing her from left to right, knocking down books, bookshelves, and people. She closed her eyes and screamed as she waited for the impending pain to hit her receptors, but none came. She opened her eyes, which were wide and tear-stained, and looked down to notice that whatever pulled her, cushioned her from the blows. As she did, she was thrown up, causing her body to flip from her back to her stomach. She screamed louder and covered her head, surprised at the sudden jerk upward. Butterflies filled her stomach like water, the very same ones that fill your stomach when going down a roller coaster drop. As she lost momentum and began falling down she realized she was falling toward the little black book, the genie book. Its pages flapping back and forth, left from right. The closer she got, the calmer the pages became until they flipped to a page with a single sentence. She covered her head again and took a fetal position then closed her eyes, as she braced herself for impact. This is it. This is how I die. I love you mom..dad. Like liquid going down a thirsty throat, the book absorbed Everleigh into its pages, before shutting close, jumping off the floor then falling back down with a thud.

Everleigh’s eyes snapped open and she shot up, heart racing, her body gasping for air. Her hands flew to her chest, clutching it as she tried to catch her breath. She looked around to see that she was in a white space void of color. She felt like Harry Potter. She knew she had died and as her dying wish, she was taken to King Cross Station. However, there was no Dumbledore waiting for her. As she took in her blank surroundings, she noticed a sentence floating above her head.

“Choose wisely.” She stuttered. Two black boxes on the coliseum-like pedestals materialized. The boxes were the size of baby shoes and were wooden, with a key for each sitting on the outside. There was a whooshing sound as the sentence flew down and in front of her.

“Choose wisely.” She read again. She sat there, staring at her hands clenched together within her lap.

What does it all mean? Is this a life or death sentence? Am I dead? What if I make the wrong choice, what if I die. Oh god, if I die I won’t see my parents again or my friends or what if I never get out. Am I already dead?

She pulled herself up and began pacing. Her hands trembled. She reached out toward the one to the right, but her mind told her left. She moved her hand to the left, but her heart told her right. She looked up and read the sentence again. She groaned and pulled at her afro and let out a silent scream. Her hands flew to her chest as she pulled at her shirt, body swaying from left to right, breaths ragged it and quick. Breathe girl. Breathe. No time for a panic attack. She leaned forward till her hands rested on her knee. She took a deep breath, feeling her pulse slow before she released it. Glancing back up, she saw that two new sentences had appeared underneath.

“Indecision leads to nowhere. Make a choice or remain here.” she read aloud. She threw her head back and groaned, throwing her hands in the air. She took a breath and sighed.

Looking back at the boxes that rested on the pedestal, she grabbed the right key that laid in front of its box. As her fingers touched the small victorian gold key, the left box, its pedestal, evaporated like smoke. She swallowed a hard lump down her throat, sweat again falling from her brow. Her hand shook, as she put the key in the hole. She slowly turned the key and the box top flew open. She swallowed again and leaned forward to look into the box. Her eyebrows furrowed together as she looked at its content. She grabbed it and, using one finger, opened it. A yellow post-it note sat on top of a second small long, rectangular shape paper that had been folded together. She grabbed them both.

“When done, put the book back on its shelf, pay it forward.” She read and raised an eyebrow. “ummm..okay.” She removed the post-it note and unfolded the other paper.

“Pay to the order of Ms. Everleigh Green. $20,000. For her heart’s desire at this moment, choose wisely.” She read aloud. As the last word left her lips, this emptiness she was in cracked and began crumbling around her. She closed her eyes and covered her head.

After a few moments, she opened her eyes to see that she was back in the bookstore. People were moving, the mess that had been made prior to this was no longer evident. The check? She looked down. In her hands remained the book and the check for $20,000. Is this real? The words 'indecision leads to nowhere’ echoed in her mind. She nodded and smiled, showing her brilliant teeth that had braces on them. She put the genie book back on its shelf and looked at the check written for her.

“Indecision leads to nowhere.” She whispered. She folded the paper back to its original state. She pulled out her cellphone, lifted its case, then stuck the check in the back of her phone.

“Guess I am going to the bank.” She smiled, as she headed back out into ordinary mundane life.