Jinn punishment - Part 4

Martha sat next to Sami for a while. She had a bewildered look on her face. Her lower lip was shivering, from time to time. "Is something wrong?" Sami asked her.

"I guess I still expected that the principle of equality before the law would apply to humans, too. You know, as a human, this principle was something quasi-natural to me." Martha explained.

"Well, for most of history, it wasn't. Often Kings and Nobles could do as they pleased. Your much-treasured principle was first written down as a general law for everybody by the American colonies and by the French republicans, shortly before I was imprisoned." Sami replied. "And that's human law, only. The Jinn Law is much older. And the Great Law is for all jinn, the same. Not even the Nobles stand above it. But, that's a law for jinn, not for humans. Humans are not much different than animals, to many of us. And even those who see a difference between a human and an animal wouldn't think of them as equal to us jinn."

"So, a jinn could do with a human whatever it pleases?" Martha asked. "I guess, back in those days, no human could have hoped for mercy from a jinn?"

"It was very seldom, but it happened, too. Even during that trip to Amhadina, I was about to learn that, sometimes, jinn would do good for a human." Sami continued his tale.

"After the court of justice was closed, my parents finished their business at the market. We got something to eat and sat down by the corner of the market place when, I realized that my mother was strangely staring at the stone statue of a human man that was standing on the market place.

'Is something wrong, Mother?' I asked. 'Do you know this man?'

My parents exchanged some glances, then my father nodded.

'Sami, it's time that you learn something about me. I have known your father for 126 years, now. And I met him in this very market place. On that day, there was a human trader coming to Amhadina, too. But, he wasn't invited to this place and the jinn used every trick to keep him away. They conjured up howling voices in the desert, made wild beasts appear and even created a sandstorm, but the trader found his way through the canyon, anyway. When he reached the gate, the guardians appeared from their hiding places and took him prisoner. But, the trader was not alone. There was another human with him, a very young woman, almost a girl, still. The guards were surprised but took both of them before Lady Amhadina.'

'That was the same Lady Amhadina we saw today?' I asked my mother.

'Yes, and like today, she was to punish the two humans for intruding into the world of the jinn. The verdict was swift but not too harsh: Both humans were condemned to never leave the world of jinn ever again. Both would be transformed into powerless spirits like the human merchant today. But then, the trader stepped forward and spoke: 'Great jinn, if you let me go, I will present you with this beautiful house slave. She's young and very skilled. In fact, if you let me go, I can bring you even more human slaves and other human goods as well.'

The expressions of all jinn present changed within seconds. From mistrust to rage and finally to hatred. Lady Amhadina was the first to speak again: 'You unworthy worm. Not only have you broken the Small Law of Amhadina but also the Great Law of the Jinn. No Jinn shall be forced to work for such an indefinite period of time,' she quoted the first genie law.

'Alright, but that law talks of jinn, not humans so you can't..." the human trader tried to defend himself.

'SILENCE!' Lady Amhandina boomed. 'You humans are such cruel creatures. If our Great Law wouldn't prohibit it, I would squish you like a louse. No jinn would ever enslave another genie. But, you humans not only enslave your own kind, but also us genies, as well. For this, your punishment will be most severe. I already condemned you to never leave our world again. Additionally, you shall be locked away in a prison of stone, always to see the world around you but never to interact with the world again.' The Lady unleashed her power on the condemned. He raised his hands in defense, but he couldn't prevent his body from being petrified, trapping his mind inside.

Next, Lady Amhadina turned towards the slave girl. The girl was shivering in fear. 'Don't worry child,' Lady Amhadina said. 'I won't punish you in the same way like your tormentor. Still, I cannot allow you to leave our world again.'

The slave girl sunk to her knees. 'Lady Amhadina, is it true, that genies know no slaves?'

'That is true, child.'

'Then I ask for one favor: I've been the child of slaves and I've been a slave all my life. Please allow me to live as a free djinn among you.' the girl begged.

'Do you know what this means, child?' the lady asked. 'You will have to accept the genie law, the Great Law and the Small Law. And you will never become human again.'

'I know that.' the girl replied. 'But it's much better than being a slave or a powerless spirit. So, please make me a jinn.'

'As you wish!' Lady Amhadina said and blinked. The girl disappeared in a cloud of blue smoke. When the smoke had dissipated, the human girl had been transformed into a female jinn with sky-blue skin. 'Now you are part of our world. But don't worry, I'll get you a jinn to show you around. Any volunteers?' the Lady asked.'

'That's where I entered the story,' my father took over the storytelling. 'I volunteered and showed the new genie the settlement and what she must know. Needless to say, we spent a lot of time together and soon started a family. Eventually, we settled outside Amhadina and began to grow crystals. A few hundred years later, you were born, Sami', my father ended the story." Sami said.

"Wow, Sami." Martha replied. "I didn't know your mother was human. Why didn't you embrace your human heritage before?"

"After I found out about my mother, I often asked her about the humans. I became really curious about humans. My parents were not so happy about it. They feared I could get into danger because of my curiosity. And, in the end, it was my curiosity that made me step into Mardita's trap." Sami said, with a grave face. "You can imagine that my enthusiasm for humans quickly turned into hatred for the human kind."

"I see your point, Sami." Martha replied. "Still, you should accept that you have a human side in you, too. Human behavior shouldn't be something alien to you."

"You think so?"

"Sure!" Martha smiled at Sami. "Will you try it for me?"

"Ok, I'll try it for you." Sami said.

Martha kissed Sami on his cheek. "Oh, dear. Sami, I have to go now. Or I'll be late for my job."

"No problem, Martha. Will you be back later?"

"Of course I will. See you later." Martha hugged Sami for the last time, then blinked into her working attire and left his lamp.


Martha had left and Sami was alone again in his lamp. He looked around and found a black object on his sofa. It was Martha's smart phone. She must have left it behind. Sami knew that it was important for Martha's job, but he was trapped inside her lamp. Maybe he could give her a call? Getting behind the simple number code wasn't so difficult for Sami's magic but understanding the meaning of all the small, colorful symbols took some time. Eventually Sami found the address book. He browsed through it. There was David's number, Amelia's and also the reception for the hotel. Sami was about to dial the number of the reception, when suddenly Martha's words about exploring his human heritage came to Sami's mind. Even though he was trapped inside his lamp, there was maybe a possibility. He blinked and the pair of earrings Martha had returned to him appeared in his hands. Originally, these earrings had been a human girl but, after making a greedy wish, Sami had transformed her into a pair of earrings. Later, he had given the jewelry to Martha as a gift but, after a recent clash, she had returned them to him.
Sami pondered his choices:
Maybe Martha would like if he turned the earrings into a girl again. It seemed to him what humans would do. Martha might appreciate it, even if he wouldn't have another pair of earrings as a replacement.
But then, Martha never knew that the earrings had been human to begin with. He could simply leave them as they were now and hand them back to Martha when the opportunity appeared. They were now a token of their love.


TO BE CONTINUED...

Part 1: hippo2.deviantart.com/art/Jinn…
Part 2: hippo2.deviantart.com/art/Jinn…
Part 3: hippo2.deviantart.com/art/Jinn…

Part 5A: Turn the earrings back into a girl. hippo2.deviantart.com/art/Jinn…
Part 5B: Keept the girl as a pair of earrings. hippo2.deviantart.com/art/Jinn…

The furry genie in the background Ryder, an OC by

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