Do You Believe in Magic?
                                                                             copyright © 2003 by Robert L. Blau
 
    "How was your day, dear?"
    "Ah, had to build another castle.  I'm exhausted."
    "I thought you built him a castle yesterday."
    "I did.  This guy's got a fixation on castles.  My last lamplord was satisfied with heaps of gold.  But not this guy."  Gene sighed and balanced delicately on the little pointy thing genies have instead of legs.
    "Well, dear, can't you talk to him about it?  You know, say, 'How about a bag of gold  or some harem girls for a change?'"
    "Jean, you know we have to do the lamplord's will."
    "Of course, dear, but you could use a little psychology.  Just make a subtle suggestion or two."
    Gene grumbled something incoherent.
    "Hey, Mom!  What's for dinner?"
    "Junior, you're old enough to zap up your own supper now," chided Jean.
    "Aw, I don't know how," griped Junior.
    "Don't give me that song and dance," said Jean severely. "It's a simple rearrangement of molecular structure.  Every genie knows how to do it!"
    "But it doesn't taste right unless you do it," wheedled Junior. "When I'm old and gray, I want to be able to look back fondly on Felafel and Baba Ganoush the way Mom used to conjure it."
    "Genies don't get old and gray," said Jean coldly. "Here's a peanut butter and jelly sandwich.  That's all I feel like zapping today."
    "Dad!" cried little Jeannie. "Why do you keep working your tail off for that guy?"
    "He's my lamplord," said Gene. "Genies have to serve their lamplords.  Answer the rub, fill the wish.  That's what it means to be a genie."
    "But why?" little Jeannie persisted. "You're always complaining that the lamplord is a greedy moron."
    "Well, that's true," Gene admitted. "The guy couldn't count to 21 even if he were buck naked.  But that's the way it is.  When you get married and settle down in your own lamp, you'll understand."
    "I don't want to do that," said little Jeannie.
    "She's right," said Jean. "Times have changed.  She doesn't have to be a lampwife, if she doesn't want to be.  She could be a wish granter herself."
    "That's not what I mean," said little Jeannie. "I mean, I don't want to have a lamplord at all."
    "No, that's impossible," said Gene.
    "Your father's right," Jean agreed.
    "I don't get it," said little Jeannie. "Dad builds castles for this guy who can't put on his own pants without assistance.  Why do we have to take orders from people like that?"
    "Because the lamplords have ... authority," said Gene. "And we have to ... take orders.  And we can't change that."
    "That's really stupid," said little Jeannie.
    "You don't understand the world yet," said Jean. "In real life, you can't have what you want.  You have to ... settle.  I'm not exactly sure why, but everyone says so.  For example, you want to be free of lamplords.  And sure, everyone would like that, but it would be too ... visionary.  We can't have anything that good, so we settle for something that isn't quite so good, like eternal servitude.  See?"
    "Not really," said little Jeannie. "When I grow up, I'm not going to have a lamplord."
    "Well," said Gene. "You really do believe in magic, don't you?"