A BREATHE OF FRESH AIR

She’s running across a huge field, the sun is scorching hot, and the air seems to be suffocating her. Someone’s following her.

It was as if she’s back to the day when someone was always trying to catch her.

She started treading the steep grounds, hoping that she doesn’t fall into the edge of the elevated place she’s trying to climb up.

But just as that thought was in her mind, she stumbled into a rock and fell right into the ground. She had no way of controlling how she’s rolling downwards.

Then a loud thump made her open her eyes.

A sharp pin started to attack her from her back. She groaned as she realizes that she fell right into the mansion’s floor.

“Well, that surely woke you up.” She turned to the woman whose body was splayed all over the love sofa across her.

“Were you watching me sleep?” she struggled to stand up.

“Yes. I wanted to know how long you’ll be knocked off.”

“Knocked off? Wait, how long was I out?”

“About fifteen hours.” Alvah says as she looked at her watch.

“What? I missed a whole day of class?”

Alvah grinned at her. Slowly, it registered to her. She was pranking her.

“You’re the worst. Do you know that?” she cracked her neck and sat back on the sofa. She filled one cup with the tea that’s on the table in front of her.

“How was your sleep?”

“I feel good. Except I guess for the dream I had.”

“Would you like to tell me about your dream?”

“It wasn’t anything grand. I was just in this huge field, and I was running. I felt like I was on that same night we first met. And then as I was running, I fell on this tee side of the field and then I woke up.”

“Insignificant.”

“Just as I said. Well, what happened to me last night? I never get to go back to the party again. The last thing I remembered were the orb of lights that sort of morphed with us.”

Alvah smiled wickedly.

“The consecration of the new jinni’s was done. Now, you are officially my protégé.”

Her eyes grew wide as the news started to set in.

“Are you for real?”

“I am.”

“Oh my God! I’m freaking out! Wait...” Charlie started pacing back and forth, “Does this mean I can grant wishes now?”

“When and when you succeed in al the tasks that are given to you. Most especially the tests.”

“Tests? Wait, there are tests?”

“Again, nothing that comes easy is worth keeping. Yours have already begun.”

“It had? When?”

Alvah stood up and walked out of the salon.

“Hey!”

But she never said anything.

Charlie grew frustrated with how Alvah simply dismissed her question. She sipped from her teacup, stood up and gathered her things. She’s supposed to clean out her apartment and have a quick repaint and redecorating.

She’s asked Lance for his help. She wanted to clean her entire apartment as soon as she can so she could put up an ad in craigslist.

She rushed outside of the mansion and was almost dashing towards her university.

As she passed by her favorite ice cream shop, something caught her attention.

Panting, she comes closer to the man she's been seeing since she drank the potion that Alvah gave her.

"Hey." she taps him on the shoulder and waited till he'd turn to her, but he didn't.

"When I was a kid, I was so determined to find my happiness. I thought that when I grow up, I'd figure things up. Find a good job, have a family."

Charlie sat down beside him. She looks at the same see saw and children playing in the playground not too far from where they were.

"It's sad sometimes when you thought you still have time. But then, the next morning you realize there's nothing. There's no more time, no more chance. You haven't lived your life at its best, you were stuck on that job you felt was important and you never get the chance to tell the people you love how much exactly do you love them. It’s just so strange."

"You must miss him."

"I do." he turns to her, "We lived together for about three years. And the next thing we wanted was to adopt a child. We've been planning it for such a long time. And I finally took some time off from my job. But then one day, when I was about to go home, I crashed into this steep slope along the road. That was when I saw myself under that huge tree, lifeless. I wasn't moving and I thought, how am I able to see myself?"

She could see the tears starting to fall.

"That's when it hit me. I'm dead. And I have no way of talking to him or telling him that I love him so much."

Charlie tapped him by his shoulder, sighing along with his grief.

“I will help you alright.” In her mind, was the fact that she has just recently been ordained as a jinni.

And even if she doesn’t know how she can help him, she wants to.

“Charlie!” she hears someone call her name.

The moment she turns to see who it was, she sees Lance coming towards her.

As soon as she turns back to the man she was just talking to, he was no longer there.

“We’re you talking to anyone?”

She squinted her eyes and looked at him.

“No, in fact I’m not. I am alone, right?”

“Yes, you are.” But he looks around, seeming looking for something or someone.

“Were you fetching me?”

“Sort of. Didn’t you say you’d like me to help you with your renovations?”

“I sure did. Let’s go.” She stands up and walked with Lance.

They picked up some sour sough on their way home. As soon as they get to her apartment, they didn’t waste time in starting the paint job for the entire space.

They chose a bright white color that illuminates the light that’s coming into the whole space.

She fixed up her sofa and her tired bed.

After a few minutes, she and Lance were sitting Indian style on the floor, munching on their bread and some cheese.

"Your room looks way much better now."

"Well, if I'd have to rent it out, it better be worth it right?" she spoke before placing cheese in a slice of her bread and munching it.

“So, if you’re renting this out, I would not se you around here anymore?”

“Are you going to miss me?”

“Well, I don’t really know a lot of people in here. You’re my breathe of fresh air around here.”

“Lancelot. That is too much to keep in.”

He smiled and munch on his bread once again.

“Thank you for all your help today. I love how this room turned out that I’m doubting my plans on getting it up for rent.”

“Well, why don’t you just keep it to yourself?”

“That...” she stood up and started, “is not possible. Right now, I need cash.” She started placing all used plates on the sink.

She thought, would being a jinni mean she can get out of her financial dilemma?

“Well,” Lance was already behind her. “Why don’t you ask for my help?” he was grinning from ear to ear.

Her eyes widened, pretending to be surprised with what he said.

“Lancelot, I didn’t know you were a rich bachelor.”

He chuckled at the joke she made.

“I’m not please.”

“Well, why then would you ask me to ask for your help?”

“Well, I might be able to help. Who knows?”

“You know that won’t work with me, right?”

“Well, I was really hoping it might.”

She grinned at him and continued cleaning out the dishes. She was occupied with the chore when suddenly, she heard a soft whisper.

If life is without you, I’d rather not live at all.

She blinked.

“Did you hear that?”

“What?”

She turned around, curious who was talking.

“Someone was saying something.”

“I didn’t say anything.” Lance spoke, now curious what’s going on.

She walked as the voice continues to whisper in her ears. Someone seems to be reciting a poem. An unfamiliar one.

She got out of her apartment and soon finds the man she’s been talking to on the stairs, crying his heart out.

“Hey..”

He lifts his head up and looks at her.

“Please… help me.”

“What’s going on?”

“He’s about to die.”

“What?”

“Please… help me. Help him.”