The Lamp
What can happen when you let the Genie out of the lamp? It may not be what you think.
Ellie loves her friends and antiques. She even opened her own little antique shop, Timeless Treasures, when she graduated college. Little did she know that her love of antiques would introduce her to a supernatural being…a
Jinn who possesses the most powerful object ever sent to Earth; King Solomon’s ring.
Not only did she just discover that the supernatural actually existed, but now she finds that she must make a decision as to whether or not to embark on a dangerous adventure that could cost her her very life, as just as she finds the love of her life, Matthaus. Will she make the right decision before it’s too late to stop Iblis from claiming Solomon’s ring and enslaving the world of humans for all eternity?
Excerpt from The Lamp
By 3:00 that afternoon, Ellie was exhausted. She felt like she had sand in her eyes, and she was finding it difficult to concentrate. She stood up hoping that walking around the shop might wake her up a little.
“Lila, where’s that 1st edition copy of The Catcher in the Rye?”
“Why?” Lila asked, looking up from the shelves she was dusting. “Is Mr. Anderson finally gonna buy it?”
“Yep, for a cool $3200. He’s coming to pick it up around 4:00 this afternoon.”
“It’s about time. He’s only been looking at it for three months. I put it on top of the bookcase against the far wall. Be careful getting it down. The bookcase it still kind of wobbly. Rusty’s suppose to fix it, but he hasn’t gotten around to it yet.”
Ellie nodded and walked to the back of the shop. The bookcase was six and a half feet tall, but if she stood on her tip toes, she could just reach the top. She put her hand on the top of the bookcase and felt around. She could feel just the corner of the plastic bag that the book was in, but couldn’t quite reach it. She tried to use her fingertips to drag the book closer to the edge so she could grab it, but it wouldn’t slide.
She put her feet on the bottom of the bookcase to get just a little higher up; completely forgetting what Lila said about it being wobbly, and stretched up again, sure she’d get the book this time...and then the bookcase tilted forward.
The bookcase was solid wood and stuffed with books and glass figurines; and she was about to be underneath all of it. She heard Lila scream out a panicked warning, but it was too late. The bookcase was already falling. She jumped off the bottom of the bookcase, covered her head, and waited to be crushed.
But the bookcase didn’t fall. Nothing fell from it, either. She peaked through her hands to see if the bookcase had somehow rocked back against the wall. The bookcase was still tilted forward, but it seemed to be frozen in place. There were books and figurines just hanging in mid-air.
“I told you that you should have stayed home and gotten some rest. You could have been killed by that thing because you’re too tired to focus on what you’re doing.”
She turned to find Matthau standing behind her. He had his hand held out in front of him and she realized that he was holding everything in the air. He pushed his hand forward and the bookcase settled back against the wall, and all the books and glass items floated back onto the shelves.
Lila was staring at Matthaus in amazement. “He just saved your life.”
Matthaus smiled at her. “Like Ellie told you, it’s my job to keep her safe.”
“How do you know that?” Lila asked. “You weren’t here when we were talking.”
Matthaus answered Lila but looked at Ellie. “Just becauseyou don’t see me doesn’t mean I’m not there.”
Rusty walked out of the storage room, looking down at the two vases he was carrying.
He spoke before he noticed that Matthaus was there. “Ellie, don’t forget that you have a date tonight.”
“No, she doesn’t,” Matthaus said, never taking his eyes from Ellie’s. “She’s going to be at home tonight.”
“She can’t bail on her date,” Lila said indignantly. “I spent months setting them up!”
“Now you can spend a few minutes unsetting them,” Matthaus said. “She’s going home to get some rest.”
Ellie shook her head. “Lila’s right. She went to a lot of trouble to get me to go out with this guy.”
Matthaus stepped up to her, wrapped one arm around herwaist, and kissed her softly on the tip of her nose. “You’re exhausted, and you’re going home.”
His kiss set Ellie’s skin on fire. She would have said something but she had suddenly forgotten how to breathe; and she was too tired to argue with him anyway. All she could do was nod her head. She’d never been struck speechless by a man before. She wasn’t sure she cared for it.
She didn’t get her breath back until Matthaus stepped away from her. “I am tired. Just let me grab my purse, and I’ll be home.”
“You are tired, and you don’t need to be behind the wheel of a car right now.”
Ellie frowned at him. “How would you have me get home? Walk?”
Matthaus stepped to her again and wrapped both of his arms around her waist this time. “No need.”
She suddenly felt as if she’d been sucked through a vacuum hose. It was over before she had a chance to scream. When Matthaus stepped away from her again, she found that she was standing in her living room.
“Cool trick, huh?” he said with a grin. “Not even an angel can do that. Not without exploding your guts, anyway.”
“That doesn’t sound pleasant.”
He shrugged. “There’s not much about most angels that is pleasant.”
She sat down, closed her eyes, and rested her head on the back of the couch. “Angels are supposed to be all warm and loving. Why do they hate you so much?”
“Don’t sell yourself short. Most of them hate you, too.”
Her eyes flew open in alarm and fear. “Me? Why would they hate me?”
He laughed. “I didn’t mean that they hate you personally. I meant, like most of the Jinn, angels tend to hate humanity as a whole.”
She scowled at him. “Is that supposed to be comforting?”
“Not at all. I’m just relating the facts of the matter. I can’t change how angels feel about humans or the Jinn, so I just don’t let it bother me. And you have nothing to fear. There are no angels coming after you.”
“But they may be coming after you. If they find you, I may become collateral damage.”
“They wouldn’t touch you.”
“How can you be sure of that?”
“Because I would never let them harm you. I told you. I’m Marid; I can stand against most types of angels.”
“So why do angels hate the Jinn?”
“Because they are soulless creatures and the Jinn are not.”
She looked at him in confusion. “I don’t understand.”
He sat down on the couch next to her. “When God created the Jinn, he gave them a feature that angels don’t possess; a soul, and therefore, an afterlife.”
“Angels don’t have a soul?”
He shook his head. “No, they don’t. When I die, my soul will go to Heaven, and I will stand before God to be judged just like you will someday. When an angel dies, they just turn to vapor and vanish from existence.”
“I didn’t know that an angel could die.”
He nodded his head. “Everything in creation can and will eventually die. There is no such thing as living immortality. The only thing that is immortal is a soul; something an angel doesn’t have.”
“So angels are jealous of the Jinn because the Jinn have souls?”
“I think so,” Matthaus said, nodding his head. “But that’s just my opinion. Who really knows what goes on in the mind of an angel? But angels aren’t my primary concern. My worry is about Iblis.”
“You mentioned him, and I read a few things about him on the internet. He’s like your leader, right?”
“Some consider him to be the King of The Jinn,” he said coldly. “I do not, nor will I ever consider him to be my leader. He leads with fear. In my eyes, he is no better
than Solomon.”
“I guess it’s a good thing he’s locked away then.”
“Well, actually…he’s not,” he admitted. “I told you that I imprisoned most of the Jinn in bottles and lamps. Iblis wasn’t one of them. He realized that Solomon was dead
before any of the other Jinn and slipped away with a few of his followers.”
“If he’s loose in the human world, then why hasn’t he caused the damage that you were afraid he would?”
“Because he wants Solomon’s ring,” he explained. “If he did anything without the ring, he would risk gaining the attention of the angels, or worse, Archangels. He doesn’t want to do that. But let’s not talk about it right now. I’m going to make you some dinner. You just stay here and relax.”
She watched him as he walked out of the room and then laid her head back against the couch again. She closed her eyes, intending to just rest them for a minute, and drifted off to sleep.
“Lila, where’s that 1st edition copy of The Catcher in the Rye?”
“Why?” Lila asked, looking up from the shelves she was dusting. “Is Mr. Anderson finally gonna buy it?”
“Yep, for a cool $3200. He’s coming to pick it up around 4:00 this afternoon.”
“It’s about time. He’s only been looking at it for three months. I put it on top of the bookcase against the far wall. Be careful getting it down. The bookcase it still kind of wobbly. Rusty’s suppose to fix it, but he hasn’t gotten around to it yet.”
Ellie nodded and walked to the back of the shop. The bookcase was six and a half feet tall, but if she stood on her tip toes, she could just reach the top. She put her hand on the top of the bookcase and felt around. She could feel just the corner of the plastic bag that the book was in, but couldn’t quite reach it. She tried to use her fingertips to drag the book closer to the edge so she could grab it, but it wouldn’t slide.
She put her feet on the bottom of the bookcase to get just a little higher up; completely forgetting what Lila said about it being wobbly, and stretched up again, sure she’d get the book this time...and then the bookcase tilted forward.
The bookcase was solid wood and stuffed with books and glass figurines; and she was about to be underneath all of it. She heard Lila scream out a panicked warning, but it was too late. The bookcase was already falling. She jumped off the bottom of the bookcase, covered her head, and waited to be crushed.
But the bookcase didn’t fall. Nothing fell from it, either. She peaked through her hands to see if the bookcase had somehow rocked back against the wall. The bookcase was still tilted forward, but it seemed to be frozen in place. There were books and figurines just hanging in mid-air.
“I told you that you should have stayed home and gotten some rest. You could have been killed by that thing because you’re too tired to focus on what you’re doing.”
She turned to find Matthau standing behind her. He had his hand held out in front of him and she realized that he was holding everything in the air. He pushed his hand forward and the bookcase settled back against the wall, and all the books and glass items floated back onto the shelves.
Lila was staring at Matthaus in amazement. “He just saved your life.”
Matthaus smiled at her. “Like Ellie told you, it’s my job to keep her safe.”
“How do you know that?” Lila asked. “You weren’t here when we were talking.”
Matthaus answered Lila but looked at Ellie. “Just becauseyou don’t see me doesn’t mean I’m not there.”
Rusty walked out of the storage room, looking down at the two vases he was carrying.
He spoke before he noticed that Matthaus was there. “Ellie, don’t forget that you have a date tonight.”
“No, she doesn’t,” Matthaus said, never taking his eyes from Ellie’s. “She’s going to be at home tonight.”
“She can’t bail on her date,” Lila said indignantly. “I spent months setting them up!”
“Now you can spend a few minutes unsetting them,” Matthaus said. “She’s going home to get some rest.”
Ellie shook her head. “Lila’s right. She went to a lot of trouble to get me to go out with this guy.”
Matthaus stepped up to her, wrapped one arm around herwaist, and kissed her softly on the tip of her nose. “You’re exhausted, and you’re going home.”
His kiss set Ellie’s skin on fire. She would have said something but she had suddenly forgotten how to breathe; and she was too tired to argue with him anyway. All she could do was nod her head. She’d never been struck speechless by a man before. She wasn’t sure she cared for it.
She didn’t get her breath back until Matthaus stepped away from her. “I am tired. Just let me grab my purse, and I’ll be home.”
“You are tired, and you don’t need to be behind the wheel of a car right now.”
Ellie frowned at him. “How would you have me get home? Walk?”
Matthaus stepped to her again and wrapped both of his arms around her waist this time. “No need.”
She suddenly felt as if she’d been sucked through a vacuum hose. It was over before she had a chance to scream. When Matthaus stepped away from her again, she found that she was standing in her living room.
“Cool trick, huh?” he said with a grin. “Not even an angel can do that. Not without exploding your guts, anyway.”
“That doesn’t sound pleasant.”
He shrugged. “There’s not much about most angels that is pleasant.”
She sat down, closed her eyes, and rested her head on the back of the couch. “Angels are supposed to be all warm and loving. Why do they hate you so much?”
“Don’t sell yourself short. Most of them hate you, too.”
Her eyes flew open in alarm and fear. “Me? Why would they hate me?”
He laughed. “I didn’t mean that they hate you personally. I meant, like most of the Jinn, angels tend to hate humanity as a whole.”
She scowled at him. “Is that supposed to be comforting?”
“Not at all. I’m just relating the facts of the matter. I can’t change how angels feel about humans or the Jinn, so I just don’t let it bother me. And you have nothing to fear. There are no angels coming after you.”
“But they may be coming after you. If they find you, I may become collateral damage.”
“They wouldn’t touch you.”
“How can you be sure of that?”
“Because I would never let them harm you. I told you. I’m Marid; I can stand against most types of angels.”
“So why do angels hate the Jinn?”
“Because they are soulless creatures and the Jinn are not.”
She looked at him in confusion. “I don’t understand.”
He sat down on the couch next to her. “When God created the Jinn, he gave them a feature that angels don’t possess; a soul, and therefore, an afterlife.”
“Angels don’t have a soul?”
He shook his head. “No, they don’t. When I die, my soul will go to Heaven, and I will stand before God to be judged just like you will someday. When an angel dies, they just turn to vapor and vanish from existence.”
“I didn’t know that an angel could die.”
He nodded his head. “Everything in creation can and will eventually die. There is no such thing as living immortality. The only thing that is immortal is a soul; something an angel doesn’t have.”
“So angels are jealous of the Jinn because the Jinn have souls?”
“I think so,” Matthaus said, nodding his head. “But that’s just my opinion. Who really knows what goes on in the mind of an angel? But angels aren’t my primary concern. My worry is about Iblis.”
“You mentioned him, and I read a few things about him on the internet. He’s like your leader, right?”
“Some consider him to be the King of The Jinn,” he said coldly. “I do not, nor will I ever consider him to be my leader. He leads with fear. In my eyes, he is no better
than Solomon.”
“I guess it’s a good thing he’s locked away then.”
“Well, actually…he’s not,” he admitted. “I told you that I imprisoned most of the Jinn in bottles and lamps. Iblis wasn’t one of them. He realized that Solomon was dead
before any of the other Jinn and slipped away with a few of his followers.”
“If he’s loose in the human world, then why hasn’t he caused the damage that you were afraid he would?”
“Because he wants Solomon’s ring,” he explained. “If he did anything without the ring, he would risk gaining the attention of the angels, or worse, Archangels. He doesn’t want to do that. But let’s not talk about it right now. I’m going to make you some dinner. You just stay here and relax.”
She watched him as he walked out of the room and then laid her head back against the couch again. She closed her eyes, intending to just rest them for a minute, and drifted off to sleep.
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$4.99 Kindle Book: http://alturl.com/2j9rz
$4.99 Nook Book: http://alturl.com/ixhrn
$4.99 Smashwords: http://alturl.com/ed64d