A Box of Tricks

Hello again readers and welcome to my latest story! A Box of Tricks was meant to be a shorter submission than usual, but I enjoyed the characters so much that it quickly sprawled out into a full length ENF/CFNF tale. If you'd like to hear more about my upcoming projects then I've started a twitter account under the name @JerichoLit, which you can find through the webpage link in my bio. Let me know if you enjoyed this new supernatural theme in the comments, and please feel free to send in any other pieces of feedback or plot ideas you may have too. Enjoy!

*****

539 BC, Ashkelon, Israel.

In the early hours of the morning a young man hurried down to the coastline, panting breathlessly as he clutched a bundle of cloth to his bare chest and tried not to stumble on the hot, loose sand. With the sun beaming down onto the beach he reached the water's edge, furtively glanced behind him to ensure that he was still alone, and then began to carefully pull apart the ball of rags, wiping away beads of sweat from his brow as he tried to keep his hands from shaking.

The makeshift wrapping fell away to reveal a peculiar, small metal box, and the man held his breath as he gingerly extracted the unusual object and held it up to the light, allowing himself one final moment to marvel at its unique design.

"The greatest trick the Devil ever pulled was convincing the world they didn't exist..."

The man whispered to himself in a trembling voice as he let the box fall back down to sit in his open palm, then he turned so that he stood side-on to the shore and launched it as far as he could, away into the Mediterranean Sea.

The box glinted under the sunlight as it arced across the sky, hanging in mid-air for a moment as if it was reluctant to fall, but then it splashed down into the water where in an instant it was gone, lost under the turquoise swell of the ocean. The man let out a strained gasp of relief, squeezed his eyes tightly shut as he recited a prayer, and then turned to trek back across the sand, satisfied that he'd done all he could.

Deep beneath the waves, just now sinking down to settle on the pitch-black seabed, something sighed quietly, made itself comfortable, and settled in for a long, long wait.

*****

Present Day, London, England.

Zoe Coulson, a twenty-year-old politics student who was home from university visiting her family for the weekend, finished off her shower and padded back across the landing to her room, wearing one towel loosely wrapped around her hair with another held against her chest. As her wet legs shed droplets of water onto the carpet she shut her door behind her, fished some clothes out from the wardrobe and threw them onto her bed, then turned to her bedside cabinet and picked up a bottle of lotion.

Zoe had been doing a lot of tanning in the backyard recently, and was really starting to see the results of her hours spent lazing around in the sun, so with that in mind she'd recently ramped up her moisturising regime to take care of her newly bronzed skin. After squirting some cream onto her hand Zoe began to moisturise her arms, then her shoulders, and as she moved onto her upper chest she casually let both towels unravel and fall away to the floor.

Now standing naked in front of her full-length mirror she continued to rub the scented lotion into her upper body, finishing off her torso and back before moving on to her thighs. She turned to the side to check out her butt as she massaged her glutes, which were particularly tight after a leg session that morning at the gym, and as she proudly admired her toned reflection there came a knock at the door.

"Zoe? Do you still need that light changed love? I've think I've found the right bulb."

Zoe's bedside lamp had unexpectedly switched itself off last night, and so earlier at breakfast her dad had offered to come up and swap out the blown bulb for a new one. Right now though Zoe's hands were still covered in moisturiser, so she quickly began to wipe the last streaks of cream onto her lower stomach and called out for her father to wait and give her a moment to get ready.

"Yeah Dad, just a min!" she shouted.

Unfortunately for Zoe her father slightly misheard her, and instead thought that she'd yelled 'yeah Dad, just come in'. Admittedly it was an easy mistake to make, but that didn't make it any less embarrassing when Zoe's door was unexpectedly pushed open and she received the shock of her life as her father walked straight in.

To be fair he was equally surprised to be greeted by the startling sight of his totally naked daughter as she stood there facing him head-on, with her completely exposed and freshly lubricated body glistening all over and her oiled-up hands suggestively hovering just above her groin.

Rather understandably Zoe screamed. "Fuck! Dad, get out!"

The mortified student instinctively drew both arms up and clamped them across her chest, then drew one thigh over to tightly squeeze against the other and collapsed down into a ball, as she desperately tried to hide everything that her father had unfortunately already seen. He in turn immediately realised his terrible mistake and brought a hand up to cover his eyes, then began to blindly back out of the room as he apologised profusely.

"Oh sorry, sorry! I thought you said to come in!" he winced.

"No Dad, I said to give me a minute! God!" Zoe scooped up one of the discarded towels, holding it against her chest as she stomped forwards and slammed the door in her father's face, then she threw her head back in exasperation and swore. "Shit..."

"Sorry again love!" her father called out from the corridor, but apologise as he might the damage had already been done.

Zoe spent the rest of the day moping around the house as she tried her best to forget about the painfully cringeworthy accident. It was no good though, as every time she bumped into her dad he would give her the same apologetic little smile, and just like that Zoe would be reminded about what he'd seen when he walked into her room unannounced.

She began to wish that she could mess with her father's brain, that she could delete the memory of her naked body from his mind, so that then they could both go back to acting like the unfortunate incident had never happened.

However, as Zoe would soon discover, you should always be careful what you wish for.

*****

"Achoo!"

The following afternoon Zoe's head flew back as she erupted into a loud sneeze. With a snivel she rubbed her eyes and tried to blink away some of the dust that was swirling around her head, but it didn't work and she immediately sneezed again.

Zoe had spent the day after she'd accidentally flashed her dad precariously wedged halfway up a ladder, blindly feeling around the recesses of a musty old loft and tugging out boxes of ancient clothes and long forgotten trinkets as she helped her parents to clean out her recently deceased grandmother's house.

"You alright love? Do you need a break?"

Zoe coughed as she cleared her throat to answer her mother's concerned call from down below. "No don't worry mum, I'm fine," she replied, "there's only a couple more left to go."

As Zoe reached back into the farthest corner of the attic, straining as she tried to pull forwards the penultimate box, she accidentally ripped off part of the faded cardboard and looked down in surprise as it came away in her hand. Through the tear she'd inadvertently created something small and shiny come loose, falling out and then clinking loudly as it first hit the exposed wooden floorboards, then rolled over a couple of times, and finally came to a stop.

Zoe leant over into the shadows to pick up whatever it was she'd dropped, and as she brought her hand back into the light she found herself staring down at a peculiar metal cube. It was a perfect five-by-five inch box, made out of solid copper or maybe bronze, she wasn't sure, and it felt heavy and strangely warm to the touch, as if there was something heating it up from within.

There were no markings or decorations on any of the smooth surfaces to give her a clue as to what the box's purpose was, but as Zoe rotated it around in her palm she found that embedded in one of the six sides there was a beautiful green Emerald, an Emerald which glinted and sparkled as she tilted it left and right.

When Zoe lightly traced along the surface of the precious Jewel it too felt as if there was some energy source beaming through it from below, which would account for its unnaturally brilliant and intense shine, and when the intrigued student held the cube up to her ear she was convinced that she could hear a very deep, albeit almost imperceptible, hum.

She wasn't sure what the mysterious box was, or how on earth her grandma had ended up with such a fascinating object tucked away in her attic, but out of sheer curiosity she decided to hold on to the cube and have a proper look at it when she was back home.

*****

It was early evening by the time Zoe and her parents had driven all the carboard boxes over to their house and dumped them all in the garage, and after all of that hard work she'd actually completely forgotten about the strange cube which was tucked away in her back pocket. That soon changed when she returned to her room and flopped down onto the bed, then immediately bounced up again as she felt a pointy metal edge dig painfully into her butt.

"Ow!" Zoe rolled over, pulled out the box, and then sat leaning against the wall as she used the tips of her fingers to slowly turn it around, enjoying the feeling of the warm metal as it gently vibrated against her skin. Once again her attention was drawn to the gorgeous Emerald, and she found herself wondering how much such a perfect rare stone would cost.

As she gently ran her thumb over the Jewel's crystal-clear surface she felt it budge slightly, almost as if it was slightly loose. Intrigued Zoe pressed down harder, and to her great surprise the Emerald slid effortlessly into the cube with a satisfying metallic click. Instantly a brilliant burst of white light shot out from the box, temporarily blinding the astonished student, and a wave of hot, turbulent air sent Zoe's hair flying wildly across her face.

"Shit!" For a moment Zoe genuinely thought she'd set off some kind of small bomb, so she instinctively chucked the box away from her across the room.

It ricocheted off the door with a bang, leaving a not-unnoticeable dent, and then came to rest in the middle of the carpet. Still perched up on her bed Zoe rubbed her eyes, got her vision back as the imprint of the dazzling whiteness began to fade, and then let her jaw fell open in complete disbelief.

"What the hell..?" she gasped.

Hovering there in front of her, floating a metre or so above the box, was a projection of what appeared to be a beautiful woman. They were suspended in mid-air, sitting there with their legs folded and their head bowed low as if they were asleep. The incomprehensible figure was constructed out of rays of golden light, meaning that their body was very slightly see-through, and their otherworldly form shone so warmly that it cast a rich orange glow onto the bedroom walls.

It was all so unbelievable that Zoe had to briefly consider the possibility that yes, she had actually detonated some kind of bomb and died, which would mean that this was heaven and the stunning woman hovering in front of her was actually an angel. The golden figure opened their eyes for the first time and calmly looked around, and after they'd taken in their surroundings their gaze finally settled on Zoe.

"Hello," they said in a surprisingly normal voice.

Zoe realised that her mouth had totally dried up, so she gulped a couple of times and then managed to force some words out. "Who... who are you?"

The figure smiled softly, but their eyes remained cold and unblinking. "I am Jinn," they replied, "an ancient Spirit who has been entrusted with protecting the Forgotten Cage. And you are Zoe Coulson, correct?"

Zoe tried to pinch herself awake but no, somehow she wasn't dreaming. There really was some kind of ghost or phantom floating there in her bedroom, and rather alarmingly it already knew her name.

"Err, yeah?" she stammered, unsure of what to say. "But sorry, Jinn? Forgotten Cage? What are you talking about?"

The Spirit sighed quietly, rubbed their brow with a definite sense of world-weariness, and then adopted a drier, almost patronising tone.

"The ancient name 'Jinn' has had many human interpretations over the centuries, but I think these days 'Genie' is probably the closest translation," they explained. "Although I'm not entirely sure, it's been a while since I last visited this dimension you see, and your people seem to change your mind about these things quite a lot."

Zoe was still confused. "So you're like a genie? And you're in charge of this box?" she asked, pointing at the metal cube on the floor.

Jinn seemed to bristle at Zoe's crass remark, and this time their reply came through slightly gritted teeth. "I am the Guardian of the Forgotten Cage, yes. Thousands of years ago mankind found a way to bind Spirits to physical objects, in order to harness our powers for their own use. I was one such Spirit and they used me to create this... this 'box', as you put it."

Zoe nodded slowly, even though that still didn't really help to her to understand anything at all. "Why though, what does it do?" she asked.

Jinn cleared their throat and sat up a little straighter. "Well, whomever wields the Forgotten Cage, in this case you Zoe, has the power to permanently wipe the short-term memory of anybody they meet. Simply depress the Emerald and everyone you've met that day will suddenly have absolutely no recollection of the last time they saw you."

Before Zoe hadn't been able to believe her eyes, but now it was her ears that she couldn't trust. "Seriously? This box can really erase anyone's memory?" she asked.

Again Jinn's eyes flashed in irritation, but then they seemed to give up on trying to correct Zoe's terminology and instead sighed again. "Yes, the Forgotten - fine, yes the box really can do that."

Zoe frowned thoughtfully. "So I can just press the button, and then people will forget about the most recent time they saw me?"

"They will indeed," Jinn confirmed.

'Jesus Christ', thought Zoe, 'if that's true then this is a pretty overpowered box'. "And it's all mine now, because I found it?" she pressed. "I'm the only one who can use it?"

Jinn stretched out their fingers as they absentmindedly checked their nails, then patiently nodded again. "Quite so, the box is now yours and I am merely here to act as your guide."

"Wow..." Zoe took a moment to digest all of this new information, then she quickly came up with another question to ask. "And... err, Jinn?"

The Spirit looked up. "Yes?"

"Why... are you naked?"

"Oh..." Jinn looked down at their golden body, which indeed wasn't covered up by even so much as a scrap of clothing, and shrugged indifferently. "Well this is only a rough interpretation of my ethereal form as it might appear in your world... I can look like anything to be honest, it doesn't really matter to me..."

Jinn's image flickered in and out of focus for a moment before their body suddenly reappeared dressed in a beautiful satin kimono, with their hair tied up in a messy bun. The Spirit looked down at their new outfit and smiled to themselves, then glanced up at Zoe with a grin.

"Is this better?" they asked.

Before Zoe had even opened her mouth to reply Jinn had transformed again, this time returning clad in a gleaming suit of armour complete with silver chainmail and a worryingly large sword. "Or is this more to your taste?" the Genie joked.

Zoe shrugged apologetically. "No, I didn't mean that you had to -" she began, before being cut off again.

"Oh, so you did prefer my natural form after all?" Jinn sheathed their new weapon and interrupted Zoe with another transformation, this time reverting back to their completely naked state. The Spirit still wasn't done playing around though, and just to amuse themselves they leant back to sit with their legs unashamedly angled out to the sides and casually resting their forearms their knees as they shamelessly flaunted their body.

It was clear now that Jinn was just messing with Zoe, so the rather taken aback student just shook her head in bemusement and courteously averted her gaze. "No really, I just... ok, never mind. Dress as you like," she surrendered.

The Spirit smiled. "Alright, I shall."

As Jinn lazily stretched her arms high up above her head Zoe risked a quick peak at the golden Genie's flawless body. It really was the most enviably flawless figure she'd ever seen in her life, and Zoe found herself thinking that if she looked like that naked then she probably wouldn't wear clothes that often either.

Forcing herself to refocus Zoe looked back up at the Spirit's eyes, noting how they were the only part of Jinn's body that didn't seem to shimmer with that golden glow, and then asked them a question. "So Jinn," she said, "can I try out this box now?"

The Genie rolled their head around as they loosened their neck, before nodding as if the answer were blindingly obvious. "Of course, it's yours to use as you see fit."

Zoe grinned. "Ok great... wait here, I'll be right back."

*****

Zoe stepped out into the hallway, making sure to shut her door behind her in case her parents walked past and wanted to know why there was a naked woman floating by her bed, then walked across to her brother Chester's room and poked her head inside.

"Hey Chester?"

"Yeah?" Her older brother, who had just got home and was sitting on his bed untying his shoelaces, frowned suspiciously as he glanced up to see Zoe lurking in his doorway. "What do you want?"

Zoe smiled apologetically and held up her phone. "Sorry but I've lost my charger somewhere," she lied, "so can I borrow yours for half an hour?"

Chester sighed but then nodded and reached over to unplug his cable from the wall. "Fine, but make sure you give it back afterwards, ok?" he warned.

Zoe took the outstretched charger and grinned. "You're the best, thanks."

She went back to her room and found an increasingly bored Jinn waiting for her, lying on their front with their legs nonchalantly kicking back and forth behind them as they watched Zoe conduct her little experiment.

"So?" the Genie asked. "Do you believe that the Forgotten Cage works yet?"

"Hold on Jinn..." Zoe took the box in her hand and cautiously pressed down the sparkling Emerald, nervously holding it away from her at arm's length as she braced herself for another explosion. This time though there was no loud bang but just another reassuring click, and the Jewel activated and sent a warm pulse of energy up through her finger. "So was that it? Did it work?"

Zoe stared anxiously over at Jinn who listlessly rolled over onto their back and twirled a lock of hair around their little finger. "Yes, it worked," they replied nonchalantly.

"Ok, let me go and see." Zoe headed back down the corridor to her brother's room, her heartrate beginning to rise as she thought about the mind bending power she now held, provided that the box really had done its job. "Hey Chester?"

"Yeah?" Her brother was still sitting on the bed with his shoes now lying discarded on the floor. "What do you want?"

'Holy shit, it might actually be working', thought Zoe, as once again she smiled apologetically and held up her phone.

"Err... sorry but I've lost my charger somewhere, can I borrow yours for half an hour?" She made sure to deliberately repeat herself word for word to see if Chester would notice, but to her complete shock and utter delight her brother didn't seem to notice that they were echoing a conversation they'd just shared less than thirty seconds ago.