genie in a bottle

November 2027 - Autumn Miller and Tucker Wright are 24, Toby Wright is 2.

Autumn and Tucker love their modern apartment in what passes for downtown Providence, but between the toddler and the dog, the place is always cramped and zoo-like.

Construction on The Pier is still going on, and until it opens Autumn is working as a waitress. Tucker works in the music career, and between the two of them they're able to ensure at least one of them is always home with their son Toby.

But trading off being at home isn't a perfect system. Like when she's home alone, she can't take care of Toby and take the dog out at the same time, so the dog inevitably ends up peeing on the kitchen floor. "Bad dog!" she scolds. But she knows it isn't really her fault; it probably wasn't the best idea to have a large dog in a fourth floor apartment.

One morning while Tucker's still sleeping, she finds a funny gold lamp outside their door. She brings it inside and gives it a rub on a lark; she doesn't really expect anything to happen. But there's a clang and a shake, and suddenly a purple genie shoots out.

"What can I do for you, Master?" the genie booms.

"Um...well it would be nice to have a bigger apartment. This place is really too small for us."

He jerks his head sharply and suddenly there's a bag of money in their living room.

"Shit! Is this for real? Is this legal?"

The genie just laughs, spins around, and disappears into the bottle in a puff of smoke.

A few hours later, Tucker wanders out of their bedroom. "Hey babe, how's it going?"

"Um, good," she says. "Hey, how do you feel about moving into a new place? We have enough now for that beach house we had our eye on."



*****

I'm really glad that the Miller-Wright family got that genie's lamp. They really needed a bigger place. Their new house is so beautiful. They're going to move in during the summer of 2028, right around the time The Pier opens. Autumn will be close to the restaurant, and the whole family can enjoy having the beach right outside their back door.