Today was an average day for Mike Smith at first. He got up at the same time as everyday to say goodbye to his wife, Angela, and his daughter, Annie. Following him leaving his apartment to sit in traffic in New York City just to get to his job. At work he did almost the same thing as usual, had a meeting, did his work, ate lunch, did more work, then went home. Today was special though, it was Annie’s birthday! He had to clear out a space in their apartment where they kept a lot of things for her birthday party. While he was looking he found this really old lamp his grandmother gave him when she passed away. He looked at it and didn’t think much of it. Until he accidentally rubbed it, a bunch of smoke started blowing out of the top and out came with it was a beautiful genie with long blonde hair and a pink, flowy arabian outfit. He just stood there in shock.
“Wow that took a long time!”, said the genie.
“Who are you?”
“Oh sorry I didn’t introduce myself! I’m Anastasia, a genie. I’m here to grant you three wishes, there are many rules to it but first tell me your name.”
“I I I’m Mike Smith”, he said shaken.
“Mike smith, this is your lucky day, or not it’s all in your hands. But the rules to these wishes are, you may not exceed three wishes, you may not wish for money, power or fame, and you may not wish for more wishes. Think carefully, and be specific.
“How long will you stay here for?”
“Until I grant you all 3 wishes.”
“You’re not real, I’m just going crazy.”
“I promise you I am real, try, grant your first wish.”
“No I need to clean up this room, go away.”
“I cannot go away till I grant you three wishes.”
“Okay fine.”, Mike said annoyed.
He kept cleaning the room ignoring Anastasia. After about thirty minutes he finished cleaning the room and setting it up. It was already 6:30 and Annie’s friends would arrive in ten minutes.
“You stay in this closet while my daughters friends are here!”
“Fine.”
All of Annie’s friends started to arrive with their birthday presents for Annie, sleeping bags and pillows. All of the girls were having an amazing time watching movies and playing games. After having a pizza dinner it was time for cake. It was Mike’s job to get the cake, but with everything he had today he forgot. He didn’t know what to do it was already 8:30 he couldn’t go out and get a cake right now. He knew he had to at least see if this genie was real. He told them he would be right back with the cake, well at least he hoped. He rushed to the closet.
“Anastasia!”
“Yes?”
He remembered he had to be specific he didn’t want to mess up this cake.
“For one of my wishes, I want a mint chocolate chip ice cream cake that is three ters tall that is amazingly decorated with white and pink icing with the words happy 10th birthday Annie!”
He saw a poof of dust fly in the air and there it was, the amazing cake he just described, it was perfect. Mike stood there amazed at what he just witnessed.
“ Oh my  gosh! Thank you so much.”
He walked out with this amazing cake. He saw the biggest smile on his daughter's face which made his day. All the girls loved it. He was so happy till he lit the candles with his hair too close to the fire, burning his hair off. He didn’t know what to do. After everything settled down and everyone went to bed Mike decided to go back down and make his second wish.

“Anastasia.”

“Oh my gosh! What happened to your hair?!”

“I burned it off while lighting the candles for Annie’s cake.” Mike said embarrassed.

“I’m guessing you want to make your second wish?”

“Yes please.”

“Okay, what will it be?”

“I want my hair back the way it was, growing and perfect.”
“Alright as you wish.”

In a second Mike’s hair was back the way it used to be.”

“Thank you again Anastasia.”

“Your welcome, and remember just one more wish. Use it wisely”

Mike went to his room and fell asleep. He had a good sleep and was so happy to remember he had his hair back. Then his wife Angela woke up too and looked at him with a shocked face. Mike didn’t know what was wrong he thought she’d be happy about his hair back.
“MIKE! What’s wrong with your hair?!” Angela said shocked.
“Oh I just used this growing shampoo so it turned back to normal.”
He didn’t want her to think he’s crazy by saying he wished for it back from a genie.
“That is not normal.”
“What are you talking about?” Mike said confused.
He went to go look in the mirror and was shocked to see what he saw. His hair was longer than ever. He then realized that he told the genie he wanted growing hair and it not to just stay where it was before. He had a big day at work today and couldn’t do this. He cut it back to normal.
“Better?”

“Much better.” said Angela relieved.
 
He then set off for work. In the taxi the driver was extremely rude, and during the ride he took a sharp turn and his coffee spilled all over him. When he got to work he realized his hair was two inches longer and just kept cutting it whenever it would grow. At work he was getting ready for a big meeting with the owner of the company he worked for. When he went into the meeting he looked like a mess. There was coffee all over his shirt, he was exhausted and stressed.

His boss looked at him and said “Do you want to reschedule this?”

“No, no, I’m okay.

So they continued. In general everything wasn’t going well. It was a big mess and to make it even worse the boss looked at him terrified so Mike asked what was wrong.

“Your hair! It’s five inches longer!”

This was his biggest nightmare that came true.

“Can you excuse me for a minute”

“No, I think this meeting is over.”

By the end of that terrible meeting, it was time to go home. When he got home everything was still bad. His hair kept growing, he had to tell his wife that his job is basically ruined, and that everything is just terrible. He decided his final wish out of anger, not thinking. He then marched to the closet.

“Anastasia! My final wish is for every human being to just go away!”

“Um… Okay, whatever you wish.”

Mike didn’t realize what he meant while saying that and then everyone just disappeared out of nowhere.

“No wait! What happened? I wasn’t thinking! I wasn’t specific! I meant people to leave me alone I didn’t want this!”

“That’s what you wished for.”

“But I didn’t mean it like that!”
“Sorry but I told you before to be specific, and to think about it first. Also that was your third wish I have to leave.”

“No, please don’t leave me! I need one more wish please I need it, I’m begging you!”

“I’m sorry Mike, I really am, but I can’t do that.”

In one second Anastasia went back into her lamp. Everything was gone, nothing was left, Mike was alone. He was sobbing wishing for a miracle. He was banging and knocking and screaming at the lamp.

“Anastasia, please come out I made a terrible mistake!”

No answer. There was nothing he could do. He would spend the rest of his life to just find another genie. He traveled and traveled trying to find another genie or even if another one existed. He looked everywhere online, in the newspaper, in anything. He had a big world map and all the articles and crossed out the parts on the map he’s been to that claimed had a genie lamp. He went everywhere in the world that anything said.

A year went by and Mike was so lonely, he was driving himself insane. One day he reached one of the final places just begging for there to be one. There he searched for days, he needed to find one. He kept looking and looking. A week went by and Mike almost gave up.

“Please just please let me find one.” Mike cried out.

After searching what seemed like forever. He finally found a lamp. He screamed in joy. He hoped it was a genie lamp, it almost looked the same as the one Anastasia was in. He then hoped for the best, closed his eyes, and rubbed the lamp. Smoke came out and with the smoke out came another genie.This one was tall and beautiful with long brown hair and a purple flowy arabian outfit on. Mike cried in happiness.

“Hello, I’m Jada. I am a genie and I am here to grant you three wishes, but you cannot  exceed three wishes, you cannot wish for money, power or fame, and you may not wish for more wishes. Think carefully, and be specific.”

“Yes. Thank you so much Jada, I am so thankful for you. I had another genie and I messed up and wished for everyone to go away, then everyone disappeared. I’ve been searching a year alone to find you. My name is Mike.”

“Okay Mike would you like to make your first wish now?”

“Yes please, I would like to be back in my apartment in New York  City.”
And poof! There they were back in the quiet lonely apartment in New York City.
Mike was happy to be back in his home but sad to not see his family there.

“Jada, I want to make my second wish. I wish everyone and everything on Earth were back and just the same as it was a year ago.”

“Okay, as you wish.”

POOF! A big swirl of purple dust flourished around the city and the whole world as each person kept coming back right before his eyes.

“I can’t believe it!”, Mike exclaimed.

Mike ran up and hugged his whole family and was so happy to finally have them back in his life again. He went into another room to tell Jada something though.

“Jada, my last and final wish is for you to go back in your lamp and for no one to remember them disappearing.”

“Okay, bye Mike.”

“Bye Jada, thank you for everything.”
One big last woosh swirled around once again, and everything went back to normal. Mike used to think his normal was boring and he didn’t like it. But now normal was the best thing ever for him. Mike woke up and was so happy to wake up to see his wife and daughter, he was so happy to have his normal life back, and he couldn’t wish it any other way.