Make a Wish! Read Free

teachers expelled me from school.” Little Genie sighed. “Everyone else got to start doing magic, but I wasn't allowed to. One of the teachers, Miss Spelling, was nice to me, and she let me choose the Lava lamp to live in. I was supposed to stay in there and learn about magic, to make up for the missed lessons.”
    Little Genie stared at Ali, her eyes sad. “I've been in there for
ages
, because I had to wait for the eleventh owner of the lamp to release me.” She brightened up. “And that's you, O Mighty Lord andMaster—I mean, Ali.” She bowed, holding her head sideways so that her ponytail didn't get caught on her slipper.
    “That bowing and stuff—is that all part of what genies do?” Ali asked. “It doesn't look very comfortable.”
    “Of course!” said Little Genie, looking surprised. “We learned that in Traditional Manners. I didn't miss
all
my lessons, youknow. Now, what do you want for your first wish?”

    “My first wish?” Ali repeated.
    “Are you thicker than a five-dollar malt?
Your first wish,”
Little Genie said slowly. “Don't you know anything about genies? You know, three wishes and all that?”
    Ali didn't know what to say Maybe she
was
thicker than a five-dollar malt. “Are you sure you weren't expelled before Traditional Manners?” she said finally.
    She watched as Little Genie's pink cheeks pinkened even more. “Scratch that. Let me start over O Lord and Master, for you I will capture the stars and harness the winds from the four corners of the earth. Your wish is mycommand.” She bowed. “How did that sound?”
    “Um, great,” Ali said. “So, can I have my first wish right now?” Even though she still wasn't sure this was really happening, excitement bubbled inside her like cream soda.
    Little Genie beamed. She gave a little dance of delight. “Yes indeed! Go right ahead. Oh, this is so exciting. After all those years, I finally get to do my first wish! Quick, think of something!”
    This was the biggest moment of Ali's nine-year-old life, and she couldn't think of a single thing. She and Mary had sometimes talked about the things they would wish for. But right now, Ali's mind had gone totally blank.
    Then, out of the corner of her eye, she noticed one of her magazines lying open on her pillow. She could see an advertisement for Tiger Chocolate, with a cute purple-striped cartoon tiger sitting on a chocolate bar.
    “I want a tiger,” Ali blurted out. “That's my wish.” If Little Genie could make that wish come true, Ali told herself, then she would really and truly believe that she had her very own genie.

    Little Genie raised her eyebrows. “Are you sure?” she asked skeptically. Her ponytail whizzed up and formed a question mark “A real tiger?”
    “Sure I'm sure.” Ali grabbed the magazine and held the picture up. “Oh, maybe you don't have tigers where you come from. You
do
know what a tiger is, don't you, Genie?”
    “Of course I do!” Genie looked hurt for a moment. Then she frowned, screwing her whole face up with concentration. She took a deep breath and snapped her fingers.
    More smoke filled the room. It was lilac-colored this time, and even thicker than before. Ali began to cough. She could hear Genie coughing too. Smokebillowed all around them in great clouds, and Ali couldn't see a thing.
    But she could hear something.
    A loud roar, ringing around the room.
    It was the roar of a wild animal.
    A tiger.

“Help!” Little Genie wailed, clutching wildly at Ali. “It's a tiger!”
    “I know!” Ali gasped. What had she done? She couldn't keep a real live tiger in her bedroom. Would it try to eat her? And what on earth would her mom say? “You're the genie—do something!”
    The lilac smoke was beginning to drift away. Ali and Little Genie backed into a corner, still clinging to each other.
    “What's that noise?” Ali whispered.
    “It's my teeth chattering!” Little Genie whispered back.
    They both jumped as another loud roar echoed round the