THE MOMENT
"Your wish is granted...," the genie said.
"Huh?" Kathy tilted her head at the half-corporeal figure, then looked around the beach. Everything looked exactly the same and she still felt like herself. The 37-year-old woman didn't feel like she had any new knowledge or ability.
"I don't see a difference, but if you say so. First, I want to change the rule about-,"
"Right here..," the genie tapped the front of his chest and nodded at Kathy to check herself. She looked down and found an ID card pinned to her blouse. It was white with a red scissor logo and read, 'Sharp Development', along with her name, Kathy Jacobs. She also noticed she was wearing a loose red tie now.
"What's this?" she asked.
"Your wish," the genie smiled. "You wanted to change the rules, now you can. You start tomorrow. You'll find your schedule on your node, and you don't want to be late. Sharp Development is a tight ship."
"I'm making wishes to avoid office work...," Kathy sighed. She was disappointed; but, not yet discouraged. She still had two wishes to get it right, and theoretically, she only needed one. "Fine. I'll just be more specific for my next wish; I WISH I could change the rules of what I'm allowed to wish for, specifically the rules around wishing for more wishes," she said. "I want to change that rule for my benefit."
"Yeah..," The genie nodded and crossed his arms as he took a relaxed posture. "I feel you. We all have things we wish we could change," he said.
"I'm making my second wish!" Kathy said.
"Second?" the genie chuckled. "Don't you wish? Unfortunately, Sharp Development employees are unable to make use of Genie wishes. You have none," the genie said.
"NO!" Kathy normally prided herself on keeping a cool head; but, this wasn't what she asked for at all. "I don't want to be an employee! I just wanted to change the rules! You did it wrong!"
"I didn't do anything," the genie shrugged. "You made your wish and the universe delivered it; I'm just the messenger."
"YOU SENT THE MESSAGE WRONG!" Kathy yelled.
"Oh?" The genie leaned closer with interest. "I don't think I did, but that's something we take very seriously. Let's go over it one more time to make sure," he said. He took the time to wink at her. "Here's your chance to repeat the wish you made the way you meant to make it."
"Thank you," Kathy was relieved. At least he was being helpful. She took a moment to consider how she wanted to say it, then spoke. "I WISHED that I could change the rules around what I'm allowed to wish for THERE'S MORE. I don't mean I want the power to change the rules over time; I mean I want to change them now!" She was determined to make sure the timeframe was right.
"Was that it?" the genie waited a moment before he asked. Kathy nodded, and the genie sighed with a shrug.
"Yep, that's what you got, I'm sorry. You're a Sharp Employee now. On the plus side, it's a great company," he said.
"NO!" Kathy yelled. "I SAID I WANTED THE RULES TO CHANGE RIGHT NOW!"
"Yeah," the genie nodded. "Congratulations. Becoming a Sharp Employee has fundamentally changed what you're allowed to wish for, forever. Even if you quit, you're still unable to use Genie wishes again."