Søren

The cirrus clouds make the sky look like a rippling sea.

I weave my way through the crowd packed between the stalls. I love medieval fairs, but I hate that they’re always so crowded—it makes walking almost impossible.

«Nero, is that you?» I stop, convinced I’ve heard my name, but it must have been my imagination. No one seems to be coming toward me.

As soon as I start walking again, a heavy hand lands on my shoulder. I turn around and there he is. «Hey, Nero! It’s me, don’t you recognize me?» he asks with a smile.

I stare at his face for a moment, trying to focus on the memory. «Professor Caruso?»

«Yes, that’s me! It’s been so long!»

«I’m not sure… a couple of years, I guess.»

«Exactly! Since your graduation! And I see you’ve grown your hair out and even a bit of a beard!» he exclaims, giving me a couple of heavy pats on the shoulder. “Wish he’d stop that”, I think, clenching my teeth.

«How’s it going? What are you and your friends up to these days?»

«Nothing much. They’re studying at university and I’ve taken a gap year.»

«I see, so they’ll be graduating next year. That’s good. You should try to find your path too, because time flies, and if you don’t buckle down and study, it’ll be hard to find a job.»

“I know this perfectly well already…” My hands curl into fists.

«Well then, I have to go now—I’m here with my wife, and if I linger any longer she’ll get mad.»

“Then go. No one’s stopping you.”

«Goodbye! Have a nice day!» he calls, waving as he walks away.

«Thanks, you too.» I watch him for a moment before moving on.

After wandering for a few minutes, my attention falls on a familiar stall. I walk over to see what’s new. My eyes drift over the leather pouches and handmade jewelry, the usual skulls and wild animal bones used as ornaments.

«Hey, Søren!»

«Oh, hi Miguel!» I answer, looking up. «How are you?»

«Not bad. And you?»

«All good.»

«So, when are you coming back to medieval fencing?»

«For now I’d rather wait—I’m still saving up.»

«For that trip to Japan you mentioned, right?»

«Yeah, exactly.»

«Alright, but try to stay in shape, otherwise when you come back you’ll have a hard time keeping up.»

«Yeah…» “He’s right. I really should get in better shape. I have to stop putting it off.”

«Oh! Speaking of which, I know you’re into this stuff.» He bends down and rummages under the counter. «The other day, while I was walking in the woods looking for bones, I found this.» He hands me a necklace with what looks like an ancient arrowhead. The stone is a dark gray, with white veins forming a strange pattern. But I’m sure I can’t afford it. «I took it to a friend who studied in the field. He told me it wasn’t an arrowhead like I thought, just an ordinary stone. If you want, you can keep it. I don’t really care about it.»

I’m stunned by what he says, but I don’t want to take advantage of his kindness. «Are you sure?»

«Of course! Go ahead.»

«Thanks.» My eyes lock onto the necklace. “It’s incredible that a stone could naturally form this way. Miguel’s always the best.”

«No problem—after all, we’re friends,» he says, giving me a thumbs-up. «But try changing your expression once in a while. I can’t tell if you actually liked it or not.»

«Mh, yeah, yeah, sorry. I do like it,» I nod, slipping the necklace into my pocket.

«Sorry, I’ve got to get back to work. See you later?»

«I don’t think so—I need to head home before dinner.»

«Got it. Next time then, bye!» he calls before turning to a couple of customers.

«Bye.» I wave and return to wandering through the crowd.

°°°

A few hours later, I’m finally back home. I’ve barely closed the front door when my grandmother calls from the kitchen, «Where have you been?»

«I went to a fair.»

She leans into the hallway, resting one arm on the doorframe and waving a spoon smeared with mashed potatoes. «Oh! You finally went out! But you know I don’t like you going to those fairs. You should be looking for a proper job.»

“I’m tired of her repeating that. It drives me crazy. I already know!” But since I don’t want to argue, I just nod. «I already tried uploading my résumé online, but I can’t find anything.»

«If they don’t call you, go to some interviews.»

«Alright, I’ll try to go to a few.» Without another word, I head to my room.

«Hurry up, dinner’s almost ready!»

I close the door behind me, empty my pockets onto the dresser—wallet, tissues. I pull out my phone, put on a song while I take off my socks and shoes.

As I stand up, I hear a clink. Looking down, I realize the pendant has fallen to the floor.
«I can’t stand these pants. The moment I sit down, something slips out of the pockets,» I mutter with a sigh.

I bend down, pick it up, and wipe the dust away with my thumb. «Beautiful… Maybe I’ll try it on before dinner.»

But the moment I put it around my neck, the veins glow with a deep violet light. From the pendant, a heavy, suffocating smoke spreads out, enveloping me completely. I feel a blow, like being hit in the chest with a soccer ball, and collapse to the floor. The smoke detaches from me, thickening, starting to take shape.

It looks like a woman… no, maybe a girl. She floats in the air with her back to me, her long black and bright fuchsia hair drifting as if underwater. «Finally out,» she yawns so widely that if I were closer I could count her vocal cords. She stretches with feline grace, arms extending until her fingertips brush the ceiling.

I try to open my mouth, but my jaw won’t move. I realize every part of my body is completely rigid. My breathing quickens with each heartbeat.

The girl turns to me, her vaguely East-Asian features coming into view. She drops onto the bed with a faint, soundless thud, crossing her legs with a casualness that borders on vulgar. Her eyes, bright and mischievous, rake me up and down. «Who are you, and more importantly, what do you want? Hurry up, I don’t have all night—and eternity is already boring enough as it is.»

My chest still aching, breath unsteady, I scramble to my feet, head lowered. «S-sorry…»

«What’s wrong now? Why won’t you look at me?» she asks, but I can’t raise my eyes or answer. «At this rate, I might as well die again just to pass the time,» she mutters, snapping her fingers. A swirl of smoke condenses before her, revealing what looks like a floating mirror. «Oh-ho! Now that’s interesting! Is this how females dress nowadays? And are they really this pretty? I could get used to it.»

She twists and turns to admire herself from every angle, puffing out her chest and tilting her head to look at her horns. Her bright pink eyes sparkle, oblivious to my panic. She seems to have forgotten I exist. She lingers on the sleeveless sweater with its deep back cut, observing the floral tattoos covering her body.

I can barely comprehend what’s happening, and I… I’m standing here, sweaty, terrified, unable to move a muscle. “Grandma could walk in any moment to call me for dinner. If she saw her, she’d be furious I didn’t say we had a guest. Should I do something? But what?”

«Well?» the girl’s voice slices through the silence. She turns, the mirror dissolving in a puff of smoke. She gives me the look of an office worker exhausted after just starting their shift. «Don’t you have any wishes to make? If you don’t, I’ll just go back to sleep for another hundred years.»

«W-wait!» I barely manage to say. She just raises an eyebrow, arms crossed. «What… what are you? Are you a genie? And what do you mean by wishes?»

She sighs. «I’m a Haab-Shu. A genie, a fairy, a gnome—call me whatever you like, it doesn’t matter anymore. What you see is just a form convenient for you to perceive me, blah blah blah.»

“A form convenient for me?! There’s nothing convenient about interacting with you like this! And that’s no explanation at all!”

«And if you want something from me, you need to sign a contract. And…» she pauses, her eyes staring through me as if seeing something else, «I don’t have a name. None of you humans ever bothered to give me one,» she mutters distantly. «Do you want to call me ‘Thing’ forever?» A smirk tugs at her lips. «If you want a wish, first give me a name and agree to my rules.»

“A name? Her rules? This is all so surreal. My mind races, searching for something, anything. Something simple, something that sounds right… Black and fuchsia hair, pink eyes… I don’t know! Nothing about her inspires a name!” My gaze drifts around the room until it lands on the moon outside my window. «Laila… Would Laila work?»

Her eyes widen in surprise before settling back into their bored look. «Laila. Mmmh… Not bad, human.» She tilts her head as though granting me a favor. «Fine, Laila it is. Now, the contract. Don’t worry, I don’t want your soul. Just a small deal: I’ll grant you five wishes, and in return I won’t go back into the pendant until the contract is over. Finally, the necklace can’t be removed—not in death, not when the contract ends. Do you accept?»

“I don’t know… Should I? Is this worth it? Maybe there’s a catch. Her conditions seemed way too generous. Better leave it and keep living quietly… But what if not?”

My thoughts spiral, but among them, one rises above all the warnings. «I accept.»

«Good. Now, about your wishes—do you want to make one already?» Laila asks, lying on her stomach in midair until her eyes are level with mine.

I can’t help but stare. “A wish? Just like that? There are so many things I want, but they all feel… stupid. Inadequate. Work, school, girls. As much as I want them, it feels like a waste to use wishes on such trivialities. I want something that will take me away from this life of failure, indecision, and boredom.”

Professor Caruso’s words, my grandmother’s scolding, everything people expect of me, my own frustrations—everything crashes down in a whirlwind in my head. “I can’t take it anymore. I need to find my path, yes—but not here. Not in this suffocating world.”

«Yes,» I answer, my voice calmer than I expected, «I want to find a better life in another world.»

Laila watches me for a long moment, her expression unreadable. Then a sly smile slowly spreads across her lips. «Wish granted,» she murmurs with a careless flick of her hand.

I look around. My room is exactly the same. The shelves still crammed with manga, the pile of unfinished cosplay in the corner, the window overlooking the same old parking lot, and a plane buzzing overhead. Nothing. Nothing’s changed. «Sorry, but… it doesn’t seem like anything happened.» My voice cracks again.