Page 45 of Rubbing One Out

Dae nodded as a tear rolled down his cheek. Ben wiped it off tenderly. “I promise all of that,” Dae whispered. “I’ll miss you too, Ben Sinclair. These last few weeks have been special to me. You’ve made me welcome in your world, and I hope I get to stay here with you, even if it means giving up who I was. I’ll always be yours, no matter where I am.”

He leaned in and for the next few minutes, Ben was lost in the feel of Dae’s lips on his, the taste of salty tears and the warmth of skin against skin. When they pulled apart, Ben could hardly speak. Dae squeezed his hands comfortingly.

“It’ll be all right. Say it,” he whispered. “Say the words.”

Ben’s throat was dry, dread welling inside like the steady seep of a broken tap. But Dae looked so fearless right now, his eyes trusting, an expression of calm on his face.

Ben closed his eyes, then opened them again. Time to speak the phrases he and Dae had practised so often. Dae had warned him sometimes things got lost in translation when making a wish and the more detailed, the better.

“Oh Djinn of the lamp, please grant me my second wish. My wish is that Daeliel Jadu Alario, Elliel of the Kingdom of Quimaria, Djinn of Calado’r and son of Sameria and Medeaus, brother to Jannalor, be granted human form and the ability to remain on Earth, here with me.”

He stopped and waited for Dae to do his bit. The granting of a third wish was something of a mystical process involving a lot of muttered words.

Dae nodded and closed his eyes, his hands waving in the air in strange circling movements interspersed with an occasional sharp clap. When he spoke, the language was like nothing Ben had ever heard before. It was captivating. Soft, hushed tones, the words an exotic chant of Middle Eastern dialects were mesmerising with their soft lilt.

Ben held onto Dae’s shoulder tightly, dreading whether Dae would disappear into thin air suddenly. Who knew how this all worked? What he’d wished for was without precedent in the archives, and even Dae wasn’t sure what would happen next.

To his relief, Dae seemed as solid as he’d been a minute ago, and when he’d finished his incantation, he nodded to Ben to say the next wish. They clasped hands, and Ben thought Dae was also as worried as he was that he’d suddenly vaporise and end up back in the lamp.

“Oh Djinn of the lamp, please grant me my third and final wish. I wish for Daeliel Jadu Alario, Elliel of the Kingdom of Quimaria, Djinn of Calado’r and son of Sameria and Medeaus, brother to Jannalor, to be granted access to his home world of Quimaria, that he may visit his family after he is human.”

They both knew this was a tall order, but hey, they’d nothing to lose. That Dae had been willing to give up his family to stay with him had been humbling. Dae had said he had enough residual magic captured in a charm bottle to perhaps effect one last visit if the last wish weren’t granted, but it was a gamble and there was no guarantee it would work.

Ben sensed a change in the air around them. They looked at each other as the room became scented with the faint perfume of jasmine and a haze began to rise from the ground, permeating the room with steamy clouds as it took over.

Ben grabbed onto Dae. Oh God, is he disappearing? He didn’t seem as solid as a moment ago. Lethargy overtook Ben and he couldn’t stop his eyelids from closing. He desperately tried to stay awake but something was taking hold of his senses and he could no longer resist the pull of sleep.

Perhaps if he had a quick nap, he’d wake up and everything would be fine. Perhaps this was the way it was all supposed to work.

That last thing he remembered was his hand dropping to his side as he lost his grip on Dae.

Then Ben tumbled to the floor.

***

Something wet and smelling vaguely fishy was licking Ben’s face. He opened his eyes drowsily as a lolling tongue wet with drool lapped at his lips. It was gross, and Ben pushed the furry beast assailing him away with a shout of disgust.

“Ugh, Tess. Take that tongue of yours away, you beast. Only Dae’s tongue has any right to be in my mouth.” He shook his head groggily and sat up. As the fog in his head cleared, he realised what had happened before he passed out, and he shot to his feet, looking around in panic.

“Dae? Are you here?” The mist or whatever it had been was gone, and the only beings in the room were him and Tess, who sat at his feet, tail wagging.

Ben dashed out the door, into the hallway, calling Dae’s name as he tore down the passage.

“Baby, are you here? Oh hell, please tell me you are.”

It was a few torturous minutes later when Ben finally stopped, his heart breaking, and he faced the truth.

It hadn’t worked.

Dae was gone.