Djinn - the final part!
As promised, the final part of my short story - Djinn (still free!)
Chapter 7
The next morning everything was different. Nathan woke early at five o’clock to black clouds, low and pregnant with rain. It was early daylight outside but dark and moody and in the distance he could hear rumbles of thunder. His parents were still asleep so he quickly got dressed into his baggy jeans and a long-sleeve top as the temperature was noticeably cooler. The campsite was also still asleep. He ran out, down the dew-sodden field to the rickety fence at the top of the cliff and looked out to sea. The ocean was an angry, gun-metal blue with white-capped waves rushing inshore and where the water met the sky it was a dark purple, like a bruise. Below him, the huge beach was empty save for the speck of a lone dog walker who was hurrying to the car park as he watched. Nathan felt there was something still not right, but he felt strangely exhilarated. He swallowed three times to try and equalize the pressure in his ears; it felt like it did when he was underwater at the swimming pool.
As he continued watching there was a bright flash of lightning on the horizon and then a slow-deep roll of thunder. It was close. Suddenly the hairs on the back of his neck stood up on end and a huge column of lightning hit the rocks at the base of the cliff where he stood. The flash blinded him and he could smell ozone. The explosion of light was immediately followed by an enormous bang and crash of thunder that shook the ground he stood on. The after-glow of the lightning flash was imprinted on his retina every time he blinked. The ominous clouds seemed low enough to touch and as Nathan leant over the fence and scanned the rocks for where the lightning had struck he could feel the first drops of rain, big and fat, detonating around him. As he turned to run back to the caravan, he caught sight of a yellow-orange glow on the rocks below. He stopped to look again. At first, he thought someone must be tending a fire but then he could see that it was where the lightning must have struck, the rocks still glowing from the heat. The increasingly heavy rain made it difficult to see clearly and then he thought maybe the lightning had struck a large piece of driftwood and set it on fire. By the time he got back to his caravan, he was cold and soaked. His parents slept on.
At four o’clock in the afternoon, the rain had started to ease off a little. His parents had gone to the Fun Palace to play Bingo and Nathan had spent the day on his bed reading his back catalogue of science fiction comics he had insisted on bringing with him. Issue 6, Magazine 11 featured his favourite hero, Captain Dirk Cromwell saving planet Earth from an invasion of giant Orachonids. At 4.37 pm exactly, it stopped raining. Not a tapering off of raindrops but a complete cessation. Nathan knew the exact time because it suddenly went quiet and the first thing he did was look at the time on the wall clock.
Jumping up, he reverently placed his comic back on the pile next to his bed and pulled on his shoes. Racing down through the field onto the rain-slicked streets, he headed for the beach. The sky had lightened but was still grey. He could feel the heat of the sun trying to burn its way through the blanket-like clouds of cotton wool above his head. There were very few people about and as he hit the rain pocked sand he noticed the first rays of sunshine streaming through a hole in the clouds like a laser beam. It hit the rocks under the cliff face where he had been the day before and illuminated them like a stage in a theatre. Nathan quickened his pace. He didn’t know why, but he ended up running. Panting from his run, he saw that he was still alone on the rocks, everything still rain-slicked from the downpour. With one quick glance at the cliff face to make sure it wasn’t about to come crashing down, Nathan turned his attention to the boulders and their hidden pools.
As he hunkered down between the rocks he found a small green crab and was about to pick it up when he suddenly remembered the lightning flash from the morning. Crab forgotten, he looked up to get his bearings and then scrabbled over the rocks to where he thought the lightning had struck. Sure enough, he found a large boulder the size of a car that was split in two, blackened about its surface like it had been on fire. The rock sat in a large pool of water about three feet deep. Nathan jumped from the edge of the pool onto a smaller rock and rubbed a finger onto the cracked rock to see if the soot would come off but the blackness seemed to be part of the exterior. He put his palm on the rock to see if it was still hot, but it was disappointingly cold. Looking around he couldn’t find any evidence of logs or driftwood that might have been hit by the lightning and set on fire to explain the orange glow — unless it had been the rock itself. Shrugging, he crouched at the base of the rock and examined the pool. He saw it almost immediately, an object. It lay in the clear water, wedged between a large stone and the base of the split rock.
On closer inspection, it looked like an old-fashioned bottle. It was not a normal-looking bottle. The bottom was not round and flat but cone-shaped, like a rocket. The glass was a deep blue, not a shiny gloss blue but a dull, flat matte blue and around the base of the cone shape was fine metal wire which looked like it might be made of gold. The wire had been scrolled and bent and worked into fanciful shapes and was like a basket holding the bottle. Half of the bottle was obscured by sand but Nathan could just see some of the neck which had a dark substance around it. He knew he wouldn’t be able to reach it with just his hands, the water was too deep. A stick! That’s what he needed, he thought. He checked to see that he was still alone. The sun was beginning to dip in the late afternoon. Casting about the immediate area Nathan couldn’t see anything useful he could use to lever the bottle out from under the rock. He scouted slightly further afield and soon came across a long weathered tree branch, about six feet long. Perfect.
Slipping and sliding, but with a single-minded determination, Nathan hauled the branch behind him to the rock. It was not a big, thick branch but Nathan wasn’t big himself. With his tongue stuck out in concentration like his mother, Nathan wedged the tip of the branch under the rock near the bottle and pumped it up and down. Almost immediately he could see that this wasn’t going to work, all he was doing was splashing the water. He needed a fulcrum, something he could put under the branch to make it act as a lever. He spotted a lump of smooth stone half buried in the sand close by and dug it out. Panting with exertion he rolled the stone into the water at the base of the rock and using the branch he pulled down on the wooden lever. Nothing happened. He was simply not heavy enough and the boulder was too big.
There was no way around it, he would have to get into the pool of water and dig the bottle out. He didn’t know why but something inside of him said it was imperative to get that bottle. He sat on a flat rock, took his trainers and socks off and rolled up his jeans as best he could to his knees. He took off his t-shirt and lumped it on the rock with his shoes. Walking into the pool he was surprised to find it quite warm. The water came up to his chest at the deepest point and his rolled-up jeans were heavy in the water. Steadying himself against the side of the rock with one hand, he leant down and submerged his other arm to the shoulder and scrabbled around for the bottle. The tips of his fingers brushed the side of the bottle but he knew that unless he went under water he was not going to be able to get it. As he was making another attempt, a voice made him jump.
“Hello, what have you got there?”
With a guilty start, he snatched his hand out of the water and shading his eyes from the now-shining sun, he looked for the source of the voice. Standing on another rock above him was the girl from outside the Fun Palace who’d slapped Ginger. In the daylight, Nathan could see she was quite tanned. She was dressed in white shorts and a white T-shirt with red writing that said YOLO on the front. Her jet-black hair was in a ponytail and electric pink flip-flops finished the look. Nathan looked down at the water and muttered something.
The girl jumped down easily from the rock and landed next to Nathan who was still standing in the pool of water. “You’ll have to talk louder than that kiddo.”
“Bottle,” Nathan muttered again but a little louder.
The girl looked into the water at the base of the rock where Nathan had been fishing about, “Bottle, where?” She bent down closer to the water and saw what Nathan had seen. “Wow! That looks old. Is it stuck? Hey, maybe there’s a message in it, you know, like when people write stuff, put it in a bottle and then chuck it in the sea. Do you want me to help you get it out?”
The look of panic and alarm on his face was enough for the girl to hold up both her hands in defence. “Fine, fine I’ll just watch.”
Now Nathan was in a dilemma. If he stayed and tried to get the bottle out and failed he’d look like an idiot the interfering girl would know where it was and might come back another time and get it for herself. On the other hand, if he did manage to get the bottle out, she would know about it and tell other people and then other people would take it away from him. If she helped him and they both got it out then she would want a share of whatever money it might be worth, because as sure as William Shatner’s Captain Kirk was the best starship captain that had ever lived, Nathan knew that this had to be worth something.
The girl saw his indecision and offered him a gentle smile. “I’m not bothered about your bottle you know. If you want to keep it, that’s fine. I was just offering my help, that’s all.”
Chronically self-conscious, Nathan crossed his arms over his white chest and whispered, “Okay.”
The girl raised a quizzical eyebrow and slightly exasperated said more sharply than she meant, “Okay what? Okay, I help you, or okay I just watch?” Nathan found the directness of the girl unnerving. He spoke a little louder. “Help me.” “Please,” he added.
The girl smiled and stuck her hand out. “Emily.” Nathan reluctantly took her hand and shook it like he was holding a dead squid. “Nathan. But people call me Nate.” Emily studied his face for a moment then assumed an air of leadership. “Right Nate, what have you tried so far?” Nathan indicated the branch lying at his feet. “That’s it. It didn’t work.” Emily hunched down again and looked at the bottle under the water. “Let me try.”
Emily shook off her pink flip-flops and took a mobile phone from her pocket and lay it on one of the sandals. Nathan stood back, catching a faint whiff of perfume or body spray. He liked it. She first tried reaching the bottle with her arm but even stretching with the water up to her armpit she was six inches short.
She eyed the branch. “Maybe if we both used our weight on the rock it might move.”
The look on Nathan’s face said he was doubtful but Emily didn’t notice it as she was already hauling the branch into position. From the way she picked it up, Nathan could see she was a lot stronger than he was. Emily pushed the branch into the same position that Nathan had had it in before and steadied it as Nathan got under the branch to hold it. They then both lowered the branch down onto the fulcrum rock and added their weight to it. Both of them dangled from the end, bobbing up and down. Emily giggled and Nathan almost laughed as well. Suddenly the branch snapped and they were both dumped into the water. Emily squealed and Nathan spluttered and they climbed out of the pool. They sat laughing and Nathan suddenly realised he was enjoying himself—an unfamiliar sensation.
Emily’s laugh trailed off as she looked out towards the shoreline. She shaded her eyes against the early evening sun, brows furrowed in concentration. “Tide’s coming in.” Nathan shaded his eyes too and saw what she meant. The water was a lot closer.
“Bother.” Emily pulled out the broken half of the branch from under the big rock and then peered into the pool of water. “I think we’ve loosened it!” she said excitedly. Nathan crouched down too, “Maybe we can use the branch to push it out?” Emily stood in the pool up to her chest and looked at the incoming tide. “There’s no time, I think it’s stuck. I’ll try and reach it with my hands and pull it out.”
Nathan felt a twinge of inadequacy. He should have offered to do that first. Emily had to almost lie down on the edge of the rock pool and then slowly reach into the water. Her shoulder went under and then she stuck her head into the pool. Nathan could see that she had touched the bottle but sand had been disturbed and clouded the water. She came up, black hair plastered to her scalp, her top soaking wet. “I can touch it, and it’s wiggling a bit, but it still seems quite stuck. If you get down there with me I think we can both get it out.”
Nathan looked down at his wet jeans. Emily chided him “Don’t be such a sissy, they’ll dry off soon enough ― or you can just take them off,” she added slyly. Nathan went bright red. He couldn’t remember what underwear he was wearing. It was definitely either Star Trek or Dinosaurs. Without saying anything he took his glasses off and got into the water, jeans still on, and then took a deep breath and stuck his head underwater. Emily did the same. Nathan opened his eyes and immediately came up again frantically wiping at his face. “It stings!” he spluttered. Emily waited patiently for Nathan to calm down. “Just keep your eyes closed and feel for the bottle.”
Nathan gave her a sceptical look but took another deep breath and went under. Eyes closed he groped around in the sand and put his hand against the side of the rock. He touched Emily’s hand and quickly moved on and then found what he thought was the bottle. Emily had the bottom of the bottle. Nathan felt blindly along to the top and managed to put two fingers around the neck. Together they wiggled and pushed and pulled at the bottle. Nathan's heart was hammering in his chest as he began to run out of air. They must have been underwater for ages, though he knew it was only seconds. Suddenly the bottle came free. They both popped to the surface like whales, blowing and wiping their faces. Emily had the bottle and threw it onto the sand at the edge of the pool as they climbed out.
“Yay!” exclaimed Emily. Nathan put his glasses back on, bent down and picked it up. As it lay there, they could both see that it was undeniably no ordinary bottle. In the dry air, the glass was more of a smoky grey and blue. The glass itself had small bubbles within it hinting at an older form of glass making. The gold filigreed wire was fused to the glass and closer inspection showed that it had been worked into shapes and figures, almost lifelike and dancing. None of the figures were recognisable as human or animal. The neck and the top of the bottle were covered in a thick, black-looking substance that was hard and acted as a seal. Emily took the bottle from Nathan and held it up in front of the last rays of the sun. She tilted it this way and that. The bottle’s surface had a dull matte sheen and it was difficult to see what was inside, but there was something in there. It swirled like liquid but slowly, like honey and smoke. Even when the bottle was held still the contents appeared to slowly eddy around its confined space.
“That’s interesting,” she said, “This gold-looking stuff almost looks like writing, sort of Arabic looking. It can’t have been in the water too long either because there are no barnacles. What do you think?” Nathan took the bottle back. He shrugged. “I don’t know, I’m not really familiar with Arabic writing but you’re right about the barnacles.”
Emily gave him a big grin that showed white, even teeth. Then she went serious. “My uncle is Egyptian – on my dad’s side, which makes me half Egyptian. He’s in the army fighting in some place called Sinai.” She smiled again. “Well come on then, let’s open it and see what’s inside.”
Goosebumps raced up Nathan’s arms and the hairs on the back of his neck stood on end and he hugged the bottle protectively. “I don’t think that’s a good idea.”
As he said those words one half of his brain was almost screaming, ‘Whatever you do, don’t open the bottle!’ and the other half was yelling ‘Open it! Open it!’ and yet deep down he knew without a shadow of a doubt that the bottle was not good news. But Emily was practically hopping up and down with impatience, her top and shorts soaked through. Nathan’s jeans were cold and stiff with wet salt water and a light breeze had sprung up and he shivered. With uncharacteristic firmness, Nathan made a decision. “It’s late, let’s wait until tomorrow. We can bury it somewhere safe on the beach among the rocks and then come down after breakfast and have a proper look.”
Emily nodded in agreement but then frowned. “I think you should take it up with you to the campsite. What if there’s a really high tide? A rock could break it or it could get washed back out to sea or someone might even stumble across it.” Nathan considered this scenario for a second then nodded too, “Okay, but we’ll still come back to the beach and open it here.” Emily took the bottle from Nathan again and looked carefully at the substance that coated the top and neck. “It looks like some sort of wax or plastic. Look here,” she said pointing at part of the neck, “there’s some sort of writing or marks in the stuff.” Nathan had a look too. Sure enough there appeared to be some deliberate marks in the dark red/black waxy covering, but he couldn’t make head nor tail of them. Emily wiped the sand and wetness off her hands on her shorts. “We’ll need some sort of knife to get that stuff off. I’ve got a penknife I can bring.” Nathan looked at her and thought ‘Of course she’d have a penknife.’
He turned to look at the incoming tide that was less than a hundred yards from them. “Let’s go.” They headed higher up towards the cliff face that was now a deep orange colour from the approaching sunset. At the base of the cliff, he stopped for a moment to look at the sun as it sank beneath the waves. Oblivious to Emily, he revelled in the colours and was momentarily transported to another universe where he stood in splendid isolation upon a barren lifeless world, watching a huge orange sun go supernova, dipping over the horizon.
Emily coughed, “Are you okay?” Nathan flushed red again, “Yes,” he muttered, “just looking at the sunset.” Emily glanced over her shoulder at the Earth-bound sun and gave a delightful little laugh, “Oh, you old romantic!” Nathan could feel himself burning up with embarrassment and started walking rapidly up the hill across the sand towards the main road, Emily following. As they walked Nathan’s face went through a range of expressions as he tried to say something.
Emily saw him struggling. “I don’t bite.” Nathan looked at her sideways and then staring straight ahead he shoved his hands in his pocket and said, “Er, thanks for last night, outside the Fun Palace.” Emily shrugged. “No worries. I can’t stand bullies…” she paused, “…do you get bullied a lot?” Nathan nodded and sighed, “Yeah.” He shrugged, “But you get used to it…almost don’t notice it,” he said quietly. Emily punched him lightly on the arm, “All you have to do is stand up to them once. They’ll remember.” “Easy for you to say, I’m not very strong.” Emily looked him up and down. “Yeah, but if you get picked on, just go crazy. They’ll soon leave you alone.” Nathan shrugged. “If only.”
They walked in uncomfortable silence for a minute.
“Your uncle in the army, what is he fighting for?”
Emily’s brow wrinkled in thought. “I’m not sure; my dad said that the government was trying to stop some rebels from taking over. It’s all very boring and far away. Why?”
Nathan shrugged, his face suddenly serious. “I don’t get it - people killing each other all the time. What’s the point?” Emily stopped walking and put her hands up in surrender as they reached the entrance to the caravan park. “Whoa Nate, I don’t know and so long as it’s not here, I don’t care.”
Nathan’s eyes glistened. “We should care.”
Chapter 8
Back at the campsite, Nathan headed for his caravan, bottle cradled in his arms. Emily called after him. “How early do you want to go down there?” Nathan paused. If they went too late there would be loads of people there on the beach. Too early and his parents might question what he was up to. Then he realised that they would probably still be in an alcohol-induced coma early in the day. “I’ll meet you at the gate to the campsite at 7 am.”
Emily smiled, “Great, are you going to the Fun Palace tonight? If not there’s a bunch of us going to play Run Outs and King Ball in the dark later — if you wanted to come.” Nathan had seen other kids play countless versions of Run Out but had never played himself. It looked too rough and tumble for him.
“No thanks, not tonight.” He realised this sounded lame, “There’s an old episode of Dr Who on tonight that I haven’t seen before,” and as the words left his lips he knew that this sounded even worse, especially since he’d never missed one in his life and he felt fairly sure Emily knew that.
Emily raised an eyebrow and skipped off, “Whatever. See you at seven.”
Nathan watched her go and was startled to realise she was the prettiest girl he had ever seen. He dashed the thought from his head as a rush of emotions boiled inside of him. No girl was ever going to be interested in him. He crushed the feelings. By now it was almost evening but the sky was still bright with late summer light and as Nathan walked between the other caravans towards his own a voice behind him made him stop. He didn’t turn around.
“Well if it isn’t the four-eyed loser. I’ve been looking for you! Where’s your girlfriend? Are you allowed out on your own?” There was a burst of laughter. It was the unmistakable voice of Ginger. Nathan remembered Emily’s advice but decided that cowardice was the better part of valour and ignored them and took another step away from them.
“Hey, dipstick! I’m talking to you!”
Nathan turned. Ginger stood there, feet apart and fists bunched by his sides, obviously still humiliated by his run-in with Emily from the night before.
“What you got there dork?”
With a start, Nathan realised that the bottle he was holding was in plain sight. He hugged it tighter and his voice broke and he squeaked. “Nothing, it’s mine.” Ginger instinctively knew that whatever his victim was holding, it was precious to him. Therefore, he had to have it.
“Give us it here. I just want to have a look.” It came out as ‘Gissit ‘ere’.
Similarly, Nathan knew, as all victims of bullies knew, that if he gave him the object he would never see it again. “No!” Nathan said this in a much louder and more forceful voice than he had intended, but it still came out squeaky. For Ginger, this confirmed the value of the object Nathan was holding. He grinned with spite. “I’ll give you five seconds douchebag or I’m gonna’ take it.”
The two boys with Ginger had fanned out either side of him in anticipation of Nathan running. Nathan contemplated his escape route. Whatever he did they would catch him. His shoulders slumped resignedly and he held out the bottle. Ginger laughed and he turned to his two mates to share Nathan’s defeat. A spark went off in Nathan’s brain, a primordial chemical that flooded his body. He was not going to give in to this bully. The bottle suddenly felt heavy and warm. Nathan cradled the bottle tight to his chest like he was in a rugby match and bolted away from the trio. He fled straight ahead then jinked left and then right between caravans. Already his throat was raw with effort as he took in deep breaths. Ginger and his buddies were caught by surprise. Ginger yelled and then all three took up the chase. Nathan could hear them behind him getting closer and closer. Dodging around families having barbecues, Nathan pirouetted around young kids on their bikes and skateboards and he ran through an impromptu football match. Racing down the narrow space between two caravans Nathan spied his caravan ahead. He surged forward and managed to throw the bottle through the window of his caravan before taking off to the right. Seconds later Ginger came around the corner and saw the feet of Nathan disappearing towards the Fun Palace.
Shouting again, Ginger and his mates spurred on. Nathan ran out of steam at the steps to the Fun Palace. It was already busy with the after-dinner crowd going in to mangle more songs. Bent over, panting and heaving, hands on his knees, Nathan tried to catch his breath. His thighs chafed from his wet jeans. He couldn’t go any further. As Ginger and his posse careered down the path towards him and stopped in a tangle in front of him, Nathan’s Dad came out from around the corner stuffing a packet of cigarettes in his pocket. He saw Nathan and came over just as Ginger got to within striking distance. “Alright dude, you having fun?” initially mistaking the hunt as a game of tag. He saw the look on Ginger’s face and then Nathan’s and immediately understood the situation. He put himself between the boys and turned to Ginger, who was almost as tall as he was and looked coolly into his eyes. “You appear to be a troublemaker, sunshine.”
Ginger, still puffing from his run, didn’t look away but smiled with no warmth. “We’re just having a bit of fun, is all.” He glanced at Nathan.
Nathan was now standing, getting his breath back. Ginger noticed he didn’t have the bottle and looked quickly on the ground for it. Not seeing it he turned and looked back at Nathan’s father. “It’s alright, we were going anyway. Nancy-boy here didn’t want to play; the wimp.” The other boys laughed. Nathan’s father remained in front of Ginger and said very quietly, “If I see you near him again we’re going to have a problem.”
Ginger flinched and took a step back. “Nah we won’t, you can’t touch me, that’s child abuse and I’ll have you in prison.”
Nathan's father kept his calm gaze, “You stupid boy. I don’t have to touch you. I’ll go and make sure that you and your family are thrown out of the camp ― and everyone will know it’s your fault.”
Ginger weighed the words then silently turned and gruffly punched one of his mates. “Let’s go.”
Nathan’s father turned to his son, “You get a lot of that?”
Nathan shrugged and pushed his glasses up his nose, “You get used to it.”
His dad appraised his son, almost seeing him for the first time. “You okay Nate? You want to come in and have a drink?” he said nodding towards the doors of the Fun Palace.
Nathan shook his head, “No thanks Dad, I’ll just go back to the caravan and watch some TV.”
His father ruffled his hair, “Okay. But if that kid has another go, you have my permission to hit him back, alright?” his father said with mock sternness. Nathan gave him a reassuring smile and headed back to his caravan keeping a wary eye out for Ginger. If only it was that simple, he thought.
Back in the caravan, Nathan found the bottle on the floor. Thankfully, it looked like it had bounced off the sofa first. The thick glass had protected it. He carried it to his room and turning on a bedside lamp Nathan held the bottle up to the light. He tried to see what was inside but it was the same as when he and Emily were on the beach. All he could see were eddies of what looked like a milky liquid inside. Nathan let out a big sigh and put the bottle under his bed. He almost felt it was essential he opened the bottle right there and then but something deep in his heart stopped him. It was fear.
He turned on the TV and managed to catch the beginning of an old episode of Aquila but the signal reception made it almost unwatchable. In bed, he heard his parents arguing as they came home. His mother sounded very drunk and she stormed into their tiny bedroom, slamming closed the flimsy door. His father called out, “Alright Nate, you in bed?” Nathan mumbled loud enough for his dad to know he was there. He heard his father grab a beer from the fridge then sit on the small sofa and turn on the TV.
Chapter 9
That night his dreams were dark and turbulent; filled with boiling clouds of black smoke, flashes and sparks of red embers. Towering columns of rock dominated the horizon and unseen creatures scurried and darted through the impenetrable dark fog, the sound of their claws skittering on stone, plainly audible. Nathan tossed and turned in his bed, moaning and muttering. There was something in those shadowy clouds stalking him. At first, he thought that it must be some kind of dinosaur, a T-Rex maybe, but he soon realised that this was not like anything he had dreamt of before. This was something bigger, stronger and something else… evil. With a jolt he sat up in bed fighting for breath, eyes wide. His bed covers were on the floor. Looking out of the window he could already see the first streaks of dawn beginning to light the sky. His bedside clock said 4.41 am. He checked under the bed. The bottle was still there. Damp with perspiration Nathan, quietly towelled himself off, put on his glasses then got into a fresh pair of too-short jeans and a T-shirt that had the slogan ‘Kiss My...’ and then a cartoon of a donkey from behind looking over its shoulder.
Nathan got the bottle, grabbed a blanket and went out into the early dawn and sat on a folding camp chair with the blanket wrapped around him. The bottle sat on his lap protectively covered with a corner of the blanket. His bad dream was already fading as he looked up at the brightening sky. It promised to be another hot one and Nathan started to try and go back over what he had dreamt. All he could remember were dark clouds boiling with something hidden deep inside them.
He dozed off in the chair and woke with a start. His watch said it was 6.45 am. He ducked back into the caravan and wrote a note for his parents to say that he would be down the beach for the day and quickly made himself a peanut butter sandwich. At exactly seven o’clock he waited by the gate at the entrance to the campsite, the bottle carried in an orange-coloured Sainsbury’s bag. People were already up, going back and forth to the shower block or walking dogs. Kids were out on bicycles or kicking footballs about. The smell of frying bacon drifted across the air. Emily didn’t get there until quarter past the hour which slightly irritated Nathan.
Emily was oblivious and gave Nathan a cute smile, “Alright Nate, got the bottle?” she asked. Nathan couldn’t help himself and smiled too, “Yeah”, his irritation evaporating as he held up the bag. Emily wore similar clothing to the day before only this time the top and shorts were a deep pink and her top had a picture of a goldfish driving an army tank. Her glossy black hair was pulled back into a ponytail. She pulled a multi-bladed Swiss knife from her pocket, “I remembered to bring this,” she paused, “Nice T-shirt,” she observed, but not unkindly. Nathan self-consciously covered the donkey with an arm. “It was a present,” he mumbled.
As they made their way down the hill to the beach in the morning sunshine the two children soon realised that it was going to be a busy day. From the hill, they could already see plenty of dog walkers and joggers. Early bird sun worshippers were selecting the choicest spots on the beach to hammer in their windbreaks and roll out their picnic blankets and towels. In the distance, two miles away at the other end of the beach, dot-like kite surfers could be glimpsed soaring and swooping as the owners hung beneath them. At the base of the cliff, Nathan and Emily were dismayed to see that the tide was in. It was still a hundred yards from the base of the cliff but all the rock pools, large boulders and potential secret hiding places were underwater, and it wasn’t clear if the tide was still coming in or starting to go out.
Emily shaded her eyes with her hand and scanned the beach and cliff face. “Good job we got the bottle out yesterday instead of leaving it, hey?” Nathan nodded in agreement, “Let’s see if we can find somewhere along the cliff,” he said, eyeing an adult and two children picking their way across the rocks towards their position.
Emily’s forehead wrinkled, unsure. “What if the tide’s still coming in?”
“I don’t think it is. See all the seaweed and barnacles? They only come up to here, a high tide point. I think the water only gets to the cliff when there is a storm.” Emily could see what Nathan meant. There was a distinct line along the rocks and shingle where all the seaweed and ocean debris just stopped after being deposited by the tide. Nathan continued. “Even if the tide continues up it will only get as far as where we’re standing, that gives us quite a bit of beach to ourselves.”
Nathan suddenly noticed that Emily wasn’t wearing her glasses. “What happened to your specs?”
“Oh, they’re not real glasses, just fashion ones. You know, with plain glass.”
Nathan looked mystified. Emily laughed again, “It’s a ‘girl’ thing.” Nathan was beginning to realise that there were a lot of ‘girl things’ that he would never understand. Emily then fished in the front pocket of her shorts and took out a smartphone. She rapidly did some tapping on the screen and then a minute later declared, “Yup, the tide’s going out. It will be high tide again at 5.46 pm this afternoon.” Nathan grunted in admiration.
As the sun started to heat the sand and boulders around them the two children jumped and skipped over rocks and pools and walked along the cliff face in companionable silence. At various points along the base, there were piles of crumbled rock where a mini avalanche had happened. This didn’t make Nathan feel very secure but Emily hummed happily as she negotiated these minor barriers. Emily jumped down from a high bank of shingle on to the wet sand closer to the breaking surf where she spotted a shell.
She looked back up at the cliff, craning her neck to see the top, “Hey, I think I can see a cave!” Nathan jumped down next to her and looked back up the cliff too. “No, I can’t see anything.”
“There,” she said pointing, “Where that bush is sticking out about halfway up. It’s covering the entrance. See? That dark spot behind it.”
Nathan looked along her pointed arm and suddenly became aware of how close she was to him. Once he spotted the cave on the cliff side it seemed obvious to Nathan. The opening did not look very big. “You’re not thinking of going up there are you?” She smirked and Nathan raised an eyebrow in question and repeated, “Are you?” Emily was already at the base of one of the mini avalanches scrabbling up the loose material, “C’mon!” she called without looking back.
Nathan sighed as he watched her retreating form. He adjusted the orange Sainsbury’s bag, had a quick look to see if anyone was watching and then scrabbled up after her. Emily had found a thin path with almost non-existent foot and hand holds and was climbing with the agility of a mountain goat. Nathan was much more circumspect and very cautiously started climbing, the bottle in the bag swinging backwards and forwards and side to side from his arm. Emily had already reached the bush and suddenly all he could see were her bare legs sticking out. He concentrated on the rock face and started to have fantasies of the entire cliff cascading down around his ears, buried under tons of chalky rock where he would be lost for millennia and become a fossilised hominid. He risked a furtive look upwards and saw Emily’s face almost in front of his. He hadn’t realised that he was almost there. Emily grinned and extended a hand, “C’mon up, the view’s lovely.” Nathan tentatively took her hand and she pulled him in.
“Piece of cake,” she said.
The cave was not actually a cave. It was a large hole in the rock face where a rock or plant had come loose and the elements had finished the job of removing it. The space was large enough for them to both sit cross-legged but they both had to hunch forwards slightly because of the low roof. The hole was about forty feet up the cliff and Emily was right, Nathan conceded, the view was pretty good. The bay stretched around in a semi-circle on either side of them as far as the eye could see. Seagulls wheeled and dipped around the breaking surf, looking for crabs and shrimps. Nathan had a quick check and couldn’t see anyone looking up at them. The nearest people seemed to be the man and two small children they had seen earlier, and they were just ants on the sand. The hole they sat in amplified the crashing surf and the wind ruffled their hair so Emily had to raise her voice. Nathan noticed that her top and her knees were now streaked with orange chalky clay. He looked down at his t-shirt and was grimly pleased to see that his donkey was almost covered in the stuff as well.
Emily poked the bag, “Let’s open it and see what that stuff is inside.”
Nathan fished the bottle out and laid it on its side. It didn’t look any different. Emily picked it up and swished it about to get the contents moving. The gold filigree around the body glinted in the early morning sunlight. Nathan took the bottle and tried to use his finger nails to pick at the thick black looking wax seal. He gave up immediately and handed the bottle to Emily.
“The seal is rock hard.”
Emily pulled out her pocket knife and unfolded the largest blade. She inserted the tip under the edge of the wax seal and carefully increased pressure trying to snap bits of it off. Emily knew that this was dangerous as the knife could easily close shut on her fingers. She tried a different tack and folded the blade back in and pulled out a metal spike called an awl. She tried to dig it into the side of the wax with the heavy point but nothing happened. The dark wax stayed that way ― dark and untouched; not even scratched. Emily frowned.
“Bum. We’ll have to break it.”
“What if it’s worth something? Breaking it will just make it useless.”
Emily sat the bottle in her lap, “You’re right. We’ll have to find another way.” She paused in thought. “What we really need is a way to clamp the bottle in place somehow and use a bigger knife.”
Nathan looked sceptical, “Maybe it wasn’t designed to be opened.”
Emily scoffed, “All bottles are designed to be opened. Why make one that can’t? What can you keep in it that is so precious that you don’t want it to see the light of day?”
Suddenly a loud chirruping noise like crickets filled the cave. Emily reached for her pocket and extracted her smartphone. “Hang on,” she said to Nathan and took the call.
“Hi mum. Yep. I’m okay. I’m at the beach. Oh, you’re there too? I’m around the corner at the bottom of the cliff with my new friend, Nate. The one I was telling you about yesterday from the caravan park…yes, that one.” She listened carefully then said, “Rain, what rain?” and looked out to sea. “Oh, that rain.”
Nathan followed her gaze. It was still bright and sunny but on the horizon was a thick, dark band of black cloud that was getting bigger as they watched. “Okay, I’ll see you at lunchtime. Say ‘Hi’ to the three trolls. Love you, bye.” Emily checked the time and it said ten o’clock and she put the phone back in her pocket. “Sorry, it was one of the parentals.”
Nathan had never heard them called that before. He was still red-cheeked at Emily’s description of him as a friend and she had discussed him with her parents. He felt slightly jealous that she had such a loving relationship with her family.
“Three trolls?”
Emily laughed, “Yep, my three little brothers. Triplets. They’re a real pain but I love them anyway.” Still slightly jealous, Nathan gulped nervously as he peered over the edge. “Let’s get down to the beach and find another way to open this thing.”
Emily agreed and put the bottle back in the plastic bag. “You go down first and I’ll hand you the bottle.”
Nathan looked over the edge again and blanched, it looked a hundred feet down. “Really? Ladies first.”
Emily blew a raspberry, “Very funny. You’re not scared are you?”
Nathan nodded vigorously, “Scared. Yes, very scared. No shame in that. You lead.” Emily stroked a stray lock of hair from her ponytail back over her ear. Nathan liked her ears. They were small and perfectly formed.
“Men!” Emily rapidly uncrossed her legs, swung them out and turned around to face Nathan, half her body already out over the abyss. “See ya!” and she dropped from sight. Nathan looked quickly over the edge and saw that Emily had just let go and used her hands and feet to control her descent, just sliding down the cliff face. She was at the top of the mini avalanche in seconds. “Throw me the bottle!” she called.
Nathan dangled the bottle in the bag carefully over the precipice and judged where Emily was then let go. At the same time, a gust of wind spun the bag and banged it against the cliff wall. Nathan held his breath and then watched in despair as the bottle and bag tumbled down, banging against the rocks. It landed on the shingle. Nathan knew it was broken. It could not have survived that fall. Emily trudged through the deep shingle and retrieved the bag, opened it to look and then shouted, “No probs. It’s okay!”
Nathan exhaled with relief where he had been holding his breath. He then slowly and agonisingly made his way down the cliff face one excruciatingly slow hand-hold at a time. He finally put his feet on terra firma and sweating, turned to find Emily smiling, “About time Evel Knievel.”
“Evel Knievel?”
“Old school, dare-devil stuntman,” Emily grinned.
“Ha ha, funny ha ha,” said Nathan drily.
Nathan trailed down to the water’s edge and sat in the sand a few feet from the crashing surf and Emily joined him with the bottle still in its bag. “We’re going to have to go back to the caravan park and find something to open it.”
Nathan hugged his knees looking out to sea. The dark band of cloud was rapidly approaching, already beginning to blot out the sun, though there was no wind to warn of a coming storm. He took the bag from Emily. “Let’s just break the top off. Really, if we show it to anyone they’ll end up keeping the money and fame and we’ll get nothing. We’re just kids.”
“What do you think’s in it, champagne or wine? I’ll hold it with the bag and you break it. I think we should just smash it below the wax seal.”
Nathan didn’t reply straight away as he figured something out. “I’ve got it! We’ll bury it in wet sand up to its neck. The wet sand will cushion it and stop the whole bottle from breaking. All we have to do is break off the neck and hey presto, one open bottle!”
Emily got onto her knees, looked up and down the short stretch of beach to make sure they were alone and started digging. “Brilliant! I hope it’s worth it, I’ve never tried champagne before.” Within a minute she had dug a hole deep enough. Water slowly seeped into the hole from the sides. Nathan placed the bottle in it and then took it out so Emily could make it deeper. The next try found it a perfect fit and they filled in the hole around the bottle with thick, waterlogged sand.
“Brill-o,” said Emily patting the sand down around the neck. Three inches of the neck stuck out. They started casting about for a stone to do the damage. Nathan found one and hefted it in his hand for size. Satisfied he looked at Emily.
“Go on,” she urged, “You found it, you open it.”
Nathan drew his hand back and took careful aim. “I’m going to throw it.” He missed twice and on the third throw, the stone hit the neck with an audible crack. The top of the bottle broke off around the black wax seal and fell on the sand.
For a second nothing happened — then all hell broke loose.
Chapter 10
The bright sunlight seemed to dim and dark blue/purple smoke billowed out from the neck of the bottle onto the sand around their feet. They both took a step back as the thick smoke enveloped their ankles and then watched as tendrils of smoke snaked towards the sea. There was a huge clap of thunder and a white flash and then very clearly, a green waterspout formed in the sea like a small twister. It was twice the height of a man and it moved rapidly toward the children. As it drew nearer, the smoke on the sand was sucked into the waterspout turning it a dark blue with flashes of purple. The waterspout came ashore, causing a small sandstorm that made the children cover their eyes. Still spinning, the water vortex stopped five feet from them.
Nathan and Emily stood still in wonder and fear. “Wow!” breathed Emily.
The waterspout collapsed in a rush of roiling sea and foam into the sand and there before them stood a man. He was tall and his well-defined muscles glistened wetly, though being wet did not seem to bother him. The man had tattooed pale red skin, was bare-chested and wore loose-fitting trousers which were a dark blue and trimmed with gold. His hair was jet black and hung dankly around his shoulders.
Around his thick neck was a solid gold necklace with a pendant in the shape of a sun. His wrists were circled with gold bracelets and his fingers were covered in gold rings set with large jewels like rubies and emeralds. The man’s face sported a neatly trimmed goatee-style beard and he had deep green eyes. He did not look happy, but neither did he look angry. He eyed the children for a moment and then gave a small bow. His lips did not move but Nathan could clearly hear his deep, powerful voice as he spoke. He looked to Emily who confirmed with a nod that she could too.
“Oh powerful masters, I am Al Kassim, eighth King of the Djinn and I do your bidding.” He bowed deeply again.
Nathan noticed that the sky remained dark; he could see white seagulls in the background seemingly suspended in the air, not moving. Behind Al Kassim, the sea appeared to have been frozen; waves at the point of curling and collapsing were motionless like a photograph.
“Where did you come from?” asked Nathan, though he knew the answer.
Al Kassim looked at the broken bottle at their feet. “I have been imprisoned and bound to that accursed vessel for over two thousand nine hundred years by Asmodeus, the king of demons, young masters. You have freed me and as decreed by King Solomon I owe you a debt. I am to grant you your desires.”
Emily clapped her hands in delight, “You’re a genie and you have to grant us three wishes?!”
Al Kassim frowned, “No, not genie, I am Djinn, a god from another time…and yes, I can grant you your heart’s desires three times as is foretold by the great Al Yazeed, father of the Marid, greatest of all Djinn tribes.” Al Kassim bowed deeply once more.
Emily whispered to Nathan, “What do you think?”
The Djinn appeared to smile slightly, “You do not need to talk quietly young mistress, as I can hear your thoughts. You are confused and yet excited.”
He looked at Nathan. “You, young master seek to explore the possibilities. Some appear to be good and yet others are very dark, a path you may not wish to travel.”
Nathan gulped at being so transparent. Emily looked sideways at Nathan. “What does he mean?” Nathan shrugged, “Nothing, really.”
Al Kassim suddenly clapped his hands and bowed, “It is done.”
Nathan looked surprised. “What is done?”
Emily smiled nervously, “I think I just got a horse.” She looked around expectantly.
Al Kassim spread his arms wide and inclined his head slightly, his black hair falling forward, “It is as you have wished young mistress. The creature of your desire is now outside your home.”
Emily took a step back, “But there’s no one home. We’re all here on holiday!”
Al Kassim smiled slightly, arms crossed. “You may choose another desire, young mistress.”
Nathan looked around the frozen beach. They were all alone. “Do we have three wishes each or is it between us?”
“Alas young master, I am to grant but three desires only. You are advised to choose wisely.”
Al Kassim clapped again and spread his arms wide, “It is done.”
Emily shouted, “I didn’t wish for anything!”
Nathan looked at his feet in the sand, hands in his pockets. “I did.”
Al Kassim crossed his arms over his chest again, his bracelets clinking against each other. “The young master wished for his mother and father to be happy and united once more. This has been granted.”
Emily gave Nathan a sideways glance while Nathan fought an urge to run off back to the campsite and check.
Emily stood closer to Nathan. “We’ve got one left, what shall we wish for — more wishes?”
Al Kassim groaned and said in a bored voice like he’d done it a thousand times before, “A master is granted three desires only. The Marid Djinn are creatures of free will, as are you. We are benevolent and have chosen to lead a life of dignity and respect and to serve and live alongside our human masters. Please do not ask for something that cannot be granted as I will be then unbound and free to return to my realm.”
Nathan turned to Emily with a light in his eyes, “Well, we could ask for money, lots of it; or to live forever, or to have a mega-robot so we don’t get bullied. What about a dog or the latest games console?”
Emily grinned, “Yeah, lots of jewellery, hundreds of cats. A motorbike, a castle, — jeez, you know, I don’t know what to wish for.”
Nathan looked thoughtful, “An end to war and fighting? Plenty of food for everyone? How about no more religion? That could sort a lot of problems out.” Emily looked doubtful. “No religion? Are you nuts? We need something for us. Money’s always a good one.”
Al Kassim looked troubled, “Please choose wisely young masters. An end to all religion can be granted but you may wish to consider the consequences.”
“I guess there would be world peace, nothing to fight over.”
Al Kassim chose his words carefully, “Religion is not the sole reason that mortal kind has a reason to fight. You may consider greed, disagreements about your different beliefs, fear and even that a nation may think it better and stronger than another. Religion unites a common people, whether for good or bad.”
Nathan groped for Emily’s hand. She took it without thinking. “Can Emily and I think about it, maybe choose tomorrow?”
Al Kassim took a step forward and the children were able to see that his pale red skin glowed slightly. The rings on his fingers sparkled with their own fire.
“It is foretold by the great Al Yazeed, father of the Marid, greatest of all Djinn tribes that your desires are to be fulfilled within the day of a Djinn’s release. That is the way of things. What is your final request, young masters’?” Al Kassim bowed again in respect.
Emily hopped indecisively from one foot to the other, “Oh bloody hell, I can’t decide!”
Nathan was quiet, head bowed, apparently deep in thought.
Al Kassim suddenly took two steps back until the sea was up to his knees. He clapped his hands, threw his head back, eyes closed and spread his arms wide. He slowly lowered his head and looked at the children with his piercing green eyes. Bowing his head forward, a look of sadness crossed his face.
“Your desire has been granted, young master. It has, as was foretold by the wisest of all Djinn, Al Marak, and the most evil, Asmodeus, king of demons and angels that this wish would come to pass. From my lips to my heart to the breath and hearts of all my Djinn brethren and so to your God ― go in peace, for you now have something to live for.” Al Kassim’s face had a look of resigned sadness.
As he uttered the last of his words the water around the Djinn’s feet started to boil and climb up his body until the waterspout formed again and sped out across the sea. Slowly the dark skies lightened and shafts of bright sunlight speared like lasers onto the sea surface and across the beach. The sound of gulls started to intrude and small waves started to curl back up the shingle. A larger wave splashed onto the ornate bottle and sucked and dragged it back into the water. Neither child moved to save it.
“What did you wish for Nathan?”
Nathan looked at Emily with tears in his eyes and sat suddenly on the sand. “I’m not sure. I just briefly wished that there were no more problems in the world, and then I thought, ‘How can that happen?’ Then I thought, ‘If we were all dead then there’d be no more problems, Earth could start again.’ Then I thought that was silly, and then I panicked and thought of something else ― I wished for a new set of Dr Who DVDs; but I think it’s too late.”
“Well, you must have wished for something because old genie-boy has gone and we’re still here.” She squeezed his hand that she was still holding, “No one’s going to believe us you know.”
Nathan stood up and brushed the damp sand from his shorts, “Yeah, maybe you’re right.” He brightened slightly. “Maybe it’s all a dream!”
Emily checked the time on her phone and frowned. It had been ten o’clock when she last checked her phone and now it still said ten o’clock.
Nathan looked around again. Everything seemed normal. He shrugged. “Yeah, it’s all some crazy dream. Let’s go.”
As they trudged back through the sand along the water’s edge Emily’s phone rang again. “Hi mum.” Emily stopped walking, her face shocked. “What? A horse! You’re kidding! Ok, Ok. Where did it come from? No! Alright, I’ll see you later. Bye, love you.”
She grinned and looked at Nathan. “Some dream, huh? Mum said she got a call from a next-door neighbour to say that a beautiful chestnut horse was in our front garden.”
Nathan didn’t smile back. “Well hopefully my parents are like newlyweds and I’ve got a pile of DVDs when I get back then.”
Emily teased, “So do I, I wouldn’t want us to all die some horrible death just as I was getting to know you.” Nathan blushed again.
The two of them scrambled over the rocks back onto the main beach and Emily went to meet her parents and brothers after telling Nathan that she would see him later. Back at his caravan, Nathan found his mum and dad outside in deck chairs holding hands and chatting animatedly, a radio playing some music in the background.
His mum saw him and beamed. “Hi darling, you’re not going to believe this but your dad and I have decided to really give our marriage a go. We know it’s been rough on you lately and we’re very sorry. We’ve suddenly realised how much we love each other and we’re going to make it up to you. I’ve thrown away all the booze and fags too.”
Nathan gave a wan smile. His mother looked younger and more radiant and his father grinned from ear to ear.
“That’s great you two. I’m not feeling very well so I’m going to lie down for a few minutes.”
Nathan’s dad looked serious for a second. “Ok, dude. You go and get some rest and then we’re all going out to lunch to celebrate.” He looked at Nathan’s mum and wiped his brow and then looked at the sky that was now a white hazy colour. “Wow, looks like it’s going to be a scorcher today!” The music on the radio crackled with static.
Nathan went into his small room in the caravan. His dad was right though, it was already very warm. Sweat trickled down the side of Nathan’s temples. He looked around the inside of the caravan. There were no DVDs; nothing indicating a Dr Who presence of any kind. Slightly panicking, he turned the room upside down. Nothing. Maybe they were back at his house, a giant pile on the living room floor, but as soon as that thought left him he knew it wasn’t true. Nathan climbed out of his caravan window and silently made his way around the back towards the beach again. As he crossed the sand he heard someone calling his name. He ignored it and carried on to the water’s edge where he walked through the surf in his shoes. He ignored the wet sand filling the insides, making his feet drag. He finally stood at a stretch of surf where there was no one else around.
Emily came panting up behind him and stood in the water next to him, “Hey, you alright? You didn’t hear me. I was calling you. Our TV and radio have stopped working. I was coming over to see if yours was okay.”
Nathan continued looking out over the horizon. “Have you noticed how hot it is all of a sudden?”
Emily gazed at Nathan’s face, searching for something. “Yes,” she said carefully. “It is hot, but they did say that it was going to be 29 degrees today.”
Nathan pointed out to sea. “Look at that. That is not good.”
Emily looked out to the horizon where the ocean met the white sky. “I don’t see anything, only a boat.”
The sea was flat now, like a mirror. It had a peculiar colour to it, a dark stormy grey with streaks of deep bottle green that was at odds with the bright hazy sunshine of the day.
Nathan’s shoulders slumped and he sighed, “Look at the sun. My wish came true.”
It took Emily a minute to see what he meant as she shaded her eyes against the glare and then she saw it, two suns, close together, one brighter than the other.
She looked at Nathan in puzzlement, “What does it mean?”
Nathan stared at Emily’s face, as though seeing it for the first time, “No more bullies…” he paused, “No more violence or fighting. We’ll all be at peace at last.”
“How?” Emily asked. Nathan shrugged. “Asteroid, maybe giant meteor I guess. It’s the only way that the world could end.” Tears streamed down his face, “I’m sorry, what have I done?”
Emily clutched his hand. Now she had seen the second sun, the asteroid, she could feel the heat radiating down.
“You idiot!” she screamed. “My family…we should tell people…” she paused as she realised how futile it sounded. Tears fell from her eyes too and she whispered,
“Just one more wish...”
The End
That’s it my friends for the time being. I shall go back to writing for now and see what the future holds.
Cheers!
Simon