Too Many Wishes - Margaret's Wishes

In the middle of vacuuming the living room carpet, Margaret's clothes changed. She'd been wearing old sweatpants and a faded band tee-shirt with a bandana in her hair when she was suddenly wearing shorts, a tank top, and adorable flip flops. 'OK, this is just weird' she thought as she looked for a mirror. The full length mirror in the bedroom closet showed a tall, trim blonde girl with some curves and a modest bust. She looked a lot like her mom, she thought before chiding herself about it. Well, of course she did. Who else would she look like, she chided herself as she examined herself.

She liked the way things worked together- her short blonde hair bounced delightfully over her trim shoulders. Her small waist was well-displayed in the snug clothes she favored. She ran her hands over her 34-22-34 figure and giggled delightedly. Abazeel had obviously done it again, although she was a bit fuzzy on what 'it' was exactly. As long as she was in the closet, she checked and sure enough- everything was there and fit properly... although she sort of missed some of her favorite snuggly clothes. She had a flash of her old woman's warm wraps or the pudgier version's well-worn sweats.

Her phone alarm went off and she suddenly remembered she had to be at work soon. She was so glad she got the job in the backroom of the boutique. She laughed at the close call where she almost accepted a boring job at a call center. Working with nice clothes was so much more fun, and she loved the discounts she got!

Maggie's week went as they usually do for the tall slender blonde. Lots of time on Facebook with mostly some casual school friends, watching her favorite shows, her weekly visit to her parents for supper, and of course, listening to her mom go on about how there are no men in her life. She explained again that she just liked her quiet life and had plenty of friends. Her ma rolled her eyes and served some delicious cake for dessert, even as she reminded her daughter to watch her figure. Only her ma could tell her 'Eat up, you are too skinny!' and 'You really should be watching your figure, you know young lady!' in the same conversation.

Margaret's fourth wish took Abazeel to Fort Benning in Georgia to meet a young man. Chris Howard had a bit of a crush on the quiet young woman. He never had the guts to do anything about it, or for that matter, to do anything too exciting in his life until he decided to join the Army after graduation. Abazeel was granted enough influence to get through security and meet Sgt. Howards in his small duty office. "Yeah, I guess Maggie could have used more self confidence. She was even shyer than I was back in school. I bet a lot of our classmates never even noticed her sitting in the back. You know, I still wish I had talked to her more back then.

"Well, to work. I wish Margaret Rivers had all the self-confidence she ever wanted. She learned self-confidence from her very confident and successful parents, and from classes in things like dance and martial arts she took growing up. How's that?" The young soldier asked.

"Perfect!" Abazeel smiled. As he let the geas go, he left a tendril and Chris wondered what Maggie was up to lately. Maybe she was on Facebook? He made a note to check after work.

Maggie was in the back room of the boutique putting away the most recent shipment as she pulled out the correct size dress for her customer. She gracefully glided back onto the sales floor to show it to one of her favorite customers. "This should look wonderful with your eyes and figure" She said as she helped the woman in the dressing room. Merry felt no embarrassment to be next to the very attractive woman, even though she knew she should have been mortified! And to be on the sales floor? Dressed like... well, she was dressed perfectly. The clothes suited her slender figure nicely, with a delightful decolletage and just that perfect short length that drew eyes without looking like it was trying.

Merry, as all of her friends called her because of her happy nature, shook her head and focused on her customer's needs. Once she was rung up and Merry had a tidy commission, she took a moment to review what had happened. As Maggie or Margaret, she was a wallflower, a mouse, someone who did not want to be noticed and had no faith in her own abilities. As Merry she was a happy, friendly, outgoing social butterfly with a huge circle of friends, a few young men she was keeping circling her at all times, and just not enough hours in the day to do all she wanted. She was one of the boutique's best salespeople, and was close friends with many of her co-workers- even the shy stock girl that reminded her of... well, her. From before, or from her dreams, or something.

She glanced in one of the many mirrors in the shop and winked at her perfectly made-up reflection. One benefit of this timeline was that she finally had the confidence to pull off makeup. Oddly, she found she most loved to recreate looks from old movies. Those femme fatales fascinated her, especially Jean Harlow. She had worn a modernized version of Harlow's hair for a few years now. More recently, she used her skills to look more like the beautiful woman and succeeded to a great degree.

The background music changed and Merry found herself singing and dancing to it as she tidied up the shop. She was so thankful that her parents were well-enough off that they could afford those classes for her! She loved dancing, and at least one of her beaus was taking lessons as well, just to improve his odds with her. When Yvonne, her boss, came in, she listened and watched as the tall woman enjoyed herself. When Merry saw her, she swept her up and the two women danced together like it was the most natural thing in the world.

Driving from the south back to the north was a long haul. He'd been a good boy this trip. So far he had not had pushed the rules or crossed the council on this assignment, and he'd been thriftier than usual. When he got to Peoria, he decided to splurge a little and visited a pub that was occasionally frequented by beings of his ilk. He was delighted to find someone who knew his cousin Jeannie. The two had a nice night together sharing stories and gripes. He woke up feeling pretty queasy, but counted it as a great night. He was actually looking forward to his next stops. It was almost nightfall by the time he was back in Margaret's hometown so he hit another roadside lodge and decided to visit the next friend in the morning.

Abazeel rapped on Yvonne's door in rare high spirits. Yvonne welcomed him in, accepted the geas without struggle, and was soon contemplating his odd request.

"Why on Earth would that girl want to be shorter? She's such a great dancer and such a wonderful person, and I have to think that a lot of it is because of her height. I mean, look at me! I'm only 5'2" and I would LOVE to be her height! I wish we could just swap heights somehow."

Abazeel felt a tingle he had not felt in a long time. He checked his magic and was amazed to see that the wish was accepted as is! There was going to be an oddly-shaped ripple to cover the changes, but as far as Abazeel could determine, this fell square in middle of the 'Heartfelt Wish Of A Pure Soul' Clause of the genie contract. Wonderful! He bid her a good day and took off whistling.

Merry was sitting at the table having breakfast when she felt a bit discombobulated. It felt more odd than when she was an older woman, or a heavier girl, or had suddenly become a girl. Everything around her was suddenly... so big! She scooted off the chair and dropped a bit before her feet hit the floor and ran to the bedroom mirror, startled by how much higher the doorknobs were!

The much lower mounted mirror clearly showed her slender body, blonde hair, youthful face, and tastefully sexy clothes all neatly arranged around her now-short body. She looked up to where her nearly six foot tall head would have been in relation to the door frame and got dizzy at the thought. Had she really been that tall? It seemed impossible, and yet she remembered it as if it was yesterday... or just a few minutes ago actually.

She sat on her now much lower and smaller bed- it had been a king, now it was a queen. It used to be raised a little to accommodate her long legs, now it was just a bit too tall for her to sit on the edge comfortably. Much of her furniture was smaller and somehow cuter. She remembered inheriting her height from her rather short and cute ma as her da towered over the two of them in all her photos.

But it was time to head to work. She dressed, slipping on heels taller than any she dared wear before lest she loom over everyone and being glad that she could now wear such darling shoes, as she had for years. Driving was a bit of a challenge- everything was off for her, and she seemed to be fighting some war between brain memory and muscle memory. She made it in safely and enjoyed her morning opening routine.

A bit later Yvonne showed up, all six feet of her. Merry loved Yvonne and looked up to the woman in more ways than one. She blushed a bit as she remembered them dancing and smiling at the memory of Yvonne only coming up to her chest. If Yvonne was that short now, she'd only be, what... four feet tall? She gave her boss and mentor a big welcoming hug and got to work.

Abazeel drove up to the beautiful home of Aunt Joann. Merry's aunt was sort of the family matriarch, married to a successful man who passed away some years ago. She maintained the family history and hosted most family holidays. The regal woman greeted him at the door, nearly turning him away thinking he was just a beggar of some sort. With the geas applied, however, she let him into her chambers.

He explained his mission and her role. "A nicer home? But her parent's home is just sitting there empty, waiting for her to move in. Why doesn't she just move in there? It is one of the nicest homes in the area."

Abazeel would have had a heart attack if he had had a mortal heart. She was an Artifact! He cursed the heavens and hells for this terrible thing! With all the ripples and changes wishes create, there is always the risk that someone or something will be resistant to them, or be bypassed by them, or something. The fact was, no one really knew why it happened- maybe changing them would create some sort of paradox that would end life as we knew it, or maybe the universe was just lazy.

To Aunt Joann, Merry's parents were dead and wealthy. That means she was caught between a couple different ripples or in some sort of reality loop. If he allowed her to make this the official wish, it would suck Merry into it as well! He had to figure something out before...

"Let's not dilly dally. I wish Merry would have already moved into her family's home years ago and be done with it."

Noooooooo! Abazeel fell to his knees, weeping over Merry's having to lose her parents again.

At work, Merry was weeping on Yvonne's shoulder. Yvonne had gotten on one knee to hold her friend as she had suddenly burst out crying. "I miss my parents so much, Yvonne. I don't know why it came over me like this, but I can't help it!" Yvonne patted and comforted her as she guided the smaller woman to the office.

"Relax in here. I'll drive you home if you want to go." She stayed with the disconsolate woman for a bit longer until she got called to the front.

Merry's memories were raging through her mind. Her parents were dead years ago, but also alive and blonde, poor but wildly successful. Her ma was a kaleidoscope of heights, hair colors, and ages. Her da nearly as bad. She remembered two distinct sets of graves and markers, two very different funerals, and a virtual parade of different homes.

Her phone rang and she could barely answer. "Hello?" She mumbled.

"Margaret? It's me, Abazeel. I am so sorry this happened. How are you doing?"

She wept to him, then grew angry with him, then began to insist it was all a horrible dream. As she worked through her feelings, Abazeel just let her rant and rage. When she was more settled, she asked. "I guess I live in the big house now, huh?" Abazeel told her yes. "I guess I remember that. I had it redecorated, didn't I, with the money they left me." Abazeel agreed again. "Will it feel like home?" Her tone broke Abazeel's heart but he promised her it would be OK.

She drove home on autopilot, right up the big driveway, right into the multi-car garage with the remote that was where it always was but never had been before. She went to the master bedroom with all of her things in it and collapsed on the bed.

Things >were< better in the morning. Her parents were dead and she missed them, but she had been through the grief process and had lots of friends to help. She called her high school sweetheart Josh to see if he could come over for a while and the two spent a pleasant morning together. The house had an indoor pool, so they got a good swim in. Part of the inheritance provided for a couple staff. The maid/cook started a lunch for them while the butler/caretaker was busy clearing the walks and drive. All too soon, it was time for the two to head off to their jobs.

Merry greeted her partner at the shop in much higher spirits than when she left. She gave Yvonne a big hug and thanked her for her support before the two started on the books. She really felt like she should be doing something like stocking the back room, but they had a perfectly competent girl for that. Maybe she should be working the phones? She shook her head clear- they didn't get that many calls to need a call center... although maybe in a few years they could launch an online store and need one then? It would be easy enough to do the script and set up the account, she pondered.

She thanked the day she decided to invest some of her inheritance in the small store she loved so much, and was having a pleasant talk with her friend and partner.

Abazeel, on the other hand, was talking to Josh.

When Abazeel mentioned fame, all Josh could do for a moment was think of the theme song from the old movie, or was it a series? 'FAME! I'm gonna live forever! I gonna learn how to fly HIGH! I feel it coming together. People will see me and cry!'

"Merry can already sing like an angel and dance like a butterfly. I guess she could be famous for that. But, I know she loves those old movies and the women in them. Who is that one she loves so much, Loretta Young? Marilyn Monroe? I don't remember. Anyway, I guess I wish that she would find fame as a leading Hollywood starlet in the footsteps of her favorite actress." Abazeel nodded, knowing full well that there was a good chance the two of them would never see each other again, but already trying to think of a way to keep that from happening.

Margaux Rivera, as she was widely known by, was still sitting in the store's office tinkering with the books. She did not know why she bothered. Yvonne was a wonderful partner and general manager, and they had a battery of accountants and lawyers to do this for her. On the other hand, she liked to keep involved. After all, 'Merry's Boutique' was her first and most successful business venture outside her movies. The only thing she did not love was having go through the back door to prevent being mobbed.

She stretched, appreciating the chance to do what she wanted and visiting friends back home between movies. Her critically-acclaimed remake of the old Jean Harlow movie "Dinner at Eight" was still a big box office draw, and a modern version of "Hell's Angels" (WWI pilots, not bikers) was due out for the holiday season. She was especially excited to play Maria in a remake of the classic "Metropolis". She could not figure out why playing a robot excited her so much, but she was looking forward to shooting starting in a couple months.

She went to the small patio behind the shop to wait for her ride. She noticed an older car off to the side with a vaguely familiar Arabic face in it. She waved at the man. He smiled back, then just drove away. He seemed to be whistling. Curious.

Just then her cell phone rang. Josh was only a block away from picking her up. Her fiance was so great! She was so glad she had reconnected with her childhood friend when she was in town to start Merry's. He was so supportive and helpful. Thanks to him, her life was just perfect.