apachefirecat

They never ask what he would choose if given the opportunity, but the ancient being, who feels even older than his years and bluer than what passes for his skin, knows exactly what his three wishes would be:

Freedom! Freedom to do as he chooses, to go where he chooses, and to be all, or as little, as he chooses.

A love, oh so fair, of his own, someone who actually chooses him for him, not for all he can give them.

A friend who meets the same bill.

Maybe a pet would be that friend, but what kind? He’s heard it said, more than once, that animals are the only ones who truly love a guy with open hearts no matter what he is, can do, or has done.

If he could escape Agrabah, under his own power, maybe he’d no longer have to be a Genie. Maybe he could be his own being, and find these people of whom he dreams.

In the end, Genie knows, he really just wants to be loved and liked for who he is, not what he is.






Trely looks up from polishing the King’s leather boots. Jareth is bored again, tapping his tightly-clad leg with his rod and looking irritated at all the other Goblins running amock. They all love him and respect him as best as their little brains can. Yet they cannot help pestering him. All the other Goblins together might have half the brain she does, and she knows her own mind isn’t very much at all. Why, the dirt she’s cleaning off of his Royal Boots is probably smarter than she is!

Of all the things she does know, though, one weighs far heavier on her than all the rest. She looks up at her King, and she remembers when a baby came to them, so many years before. He was supposed to be their savior, but their lives and world have not allowed him the ability to save them yet. Not yet, she knows, but one day, he will. One day, he will save them all.

She wonders if he remembers. She’s far smarter than she, of course, but does he remember when he came to them? Does he know that today is the anniversary of that most special day in all the days? She’s heard it’s traditional to give gifts on such a day, but she knows she cannot give him what she wants. If she had the power to, though, she’d grant him everything she knows he wants:



A girl not just to help save the land and to save them all but to love him for himself

Something, or some other creatures, that would actually keep him entertained, not a dangerous adventure that could hurt His Majesty but something that would keep his interest instead of boring him with the same dull things and Goblins day after day and night after night

Freedom. Not just the ability to go Above Ground but the ability to come back Underground whenever he chose, to go wherever he pleased and to come home, too, to them, and to her, when he pleased.



But she is only a Goblin. She does not even deserve to speak to him and knows her small mind, and smaller words, only bores him further, so she sits in quiet, other than the ruckus the other Goblins insist on making, and polishes his boots brighter than she has in a long time. Nobody of any importance will see the boots except for him, but maybe they at least will make her King smile.

Her finger slides suddenly through a small hole in the top of one of his boots. Trely freezes, her big eyes glancing anxiously up at the King, but Jareth isn’t paying her any attention, not that he ever does. She is, after all, just one servant out of millions. (4) New boots, she thinks, and (5) a whole new outfit would be a grand addition to what she would like to be able to give him. A new outfit to wow the girl of his dreams, not just the traditional clothing of the cursed King he has to use, and of course, just being able to break that awful curse would be the grandest present of all for her beloved King, the little boy whose makeshift cradle her tiny arms once rocked....







His birthday’s in a week, but Henry can’t get in the mood. Regina’s already been trying to bribe his affection and forgiveness for the last several days. They’ve stretched into each other to the point that Henry no longer knows how many days it’s been since she’s been finding every excuse under the sun to buy him gifts he doesn’t want. He doesn’t want the new game system, or any book or movie, or any sweet pastry, especially with apples. His desires are simple, but he knows his adopted mother will never grant them. His birth mother might, but she, like the rest of their town, is far too controlled by the Queen.

Maybe he could talk to her. Maybe he could tell her, but he knows it will never matter. Any amount of begging will fall on deaf ears. All he wants is

His family to love each other and all to get along. (and)

To be able to have friends of his own choosing and making, like Archie, Gepetto, and Violet too.

Maybe if he could find her (3) a man who would truly love her instead of fearing her and who (4) she would find the strength to allow herself to love in return, she could let him go to be himself and actually let him have the family and friends he wants.

Besides, Henry thinks, swinging his legs off the dock, if she’s really determined to make his birthday something and buy his affection, she could at least buy him the (5) latest Kingdom Hearts game and (6) let him have a full-on birthday blast party at Granny’s, complete with his choice of ice cream and pie. He sneered in disgust. Apples would certainly be nowhere near his celebration, if he did get to choose the fare!