Chapter Three - The Contract

CHAPTER THREE

The Contract

FWUMP.

A SCROLL dropped out of nowhere and landed at Tommy’s feet with a puff of glittery dust. It unrolled on its own across the floor, up a stack of old puzzles, around a lamp cord, and back again.

At the top, in big bold letters, it read:

"Standard Genie Agreement v4.2b - Magical Contract of Binding Wishes"

The genie cleared his throat.

“Ahem. Welcome, Thomas. You have activated this Wish-Granting Unit and, as such, are entitled to three (3) wishes.”

He circled the number three with a red pen that came floating from behind his ear.

“No more. No fewer. No wishing for more wishes. No wishing to undo a wish. And absolutely no turning me into a llama. Again.”

Tommy raised an eyebrow. “Again?”

The genie ignored him. “By signing below, you agree to all clauses, sub-clauses, metaphysical disclaimers, and small-font trickery included herein.”

He handed Tommy a pen shaped like a lightning bolt.

Tommy looked down at the scroll. There were about nine zillion words on it. Some in bold. Some upside down. Some glowing. One part seemed to be written in spaghetti noodles.

He squinted at a paragraph labeled “7.12: Misinterpretation Reversals” but his eyes glazed over.

“Can I just sign it?”

The genie sighed dramatically. “You can. However, I must legally inform you that reading is recommended.”

Tommy nodded with a grin and scribbled his name in the signature box with a little extra flourish.

The scroll rolled itself up with a snap.

“Congratulations!” the genie boomed, suddenly cheerful. “You are now officially a WISH HOLDER!”

A burst of confetti shot out of the air behind him, though the pieces looked suspiciously like cut-up credit card applications.

“Would you like to make your first wish now?”

Tommy’s heart thumped. His eyes sparkled. His fingers twitched.

He didn’t know what he wanted just yet… but he knew it was going to be awesome.