Jinny & Cooper: Curse of the Genie's Ring

by Tania Ingram

  Tyrone looked me square in the face. ‘I don’t want to be your brother any more.’

  I gasped.

  I couldn’t believe it.

  Humphrey jumped onto my shoulder as I walked away from Tyrone.

  ‘Where are you going?’ he cried. ‘You can’t just give up.’

  ‘What am I supposed to do?’ I said, sobbing. ‘If I don’t leave, Tyrone will send me to the moon . . . or worse. We need another plan.’

  ‘You don’t understand,’ Humphrey said. ‘The genie has almost taken all of your brother’s goodness. If he gets it all, then Tyrone will be beyond our help.’

  I stared at Humphrey. ‘What do you mean?’

  ‘I mean, once the genie has stolen all of Tyrone’s goodness, he won’t be a genie any more,’ Humphrey replied.

  I shook my head. ‘Humphrey, I still don’t understand.’

  ‘The genie will be free,’ Humphrey said, ‘because Tyrone will take his place.’

  ‘Tyrone will become a genie?’ I asked, horrified.

  ‘Exactly,’ Humphrey said. ‘The genie is cursed because he’s empty of goodness. But if he can find someone else who doesn’t have any goodness to take his place, then they will be bound to the ring instead.’

  ‘So the genie tricks people into making wishes until he’s stolen all of their goodness. And then they’re trapped by the genie’s curse until they can trick someone else.’

  ‘That’s right,’ Humphrey said. ‘And by the looks of your brother, he doesn’t have very much goodness left at all.’

  ‘But what can we do?’ I pleaded.

  ‘We need to get that ring,’ Humphrey said. ‘Without the ring, Tyrone can’t make any more wishes.’

  ‘And the genie can’t steal any more of his goodness,’ I added. ‘Great idea, but how are we going to do that?’

  Before Humphrey had a chance to answer, there was a shout from behind us.

  ‘GET OFF ME, YOU FUR BAG!’

  I spun around to see Tyrone rolling on the floor wrestling with something.

  ‘Ouch!’ Tyrone shouted. ‘He bit me!’

  Tyrone picked himself up off the floor, rubbing his hand. He sat on the couch with a sulky pout.

  I looked closer at whom Tyrone had been wrestling with, and screamed with delight.

  Cooper stood there with a grin on his face . . . and the genie’s ring in his mouth!

  When the genie saw Cooper with the ring, he let out a furious shriek.

  ‘You again!’ he shouted. ‘I thought I’d seen the last of you when I threw you into my labyrinth. How did you get out?’ He hopped from foot to foot, purple with rage.

  ‘You never throw a guinea pig into a labyrinth made of shrubs and hedges,’ Cooper said with a chuckle. He patted his stomach. ‘It’s more salad than I’ve eaten in a long time, but I figured I’d take one for the team.’ Cooper smiled at me. ‘And you said I didn’t eat anything healthy.’

  I could have kissed him! I’d never been so happy to see anyone before.

  The genie looked as though he was about to explode. ‘Why you little rat! I’m going to . . . to . . .’

  ‘You’re going to do nothing,’ Cooper said with a smirk, ‘because I’m your master now.’ He paused and stroked his chin with his paw. ‘What should I wish for? A never-ending biscuit that re-forms every time I bite it? Or maybe a cake the size of a house?’

  The genie stopped stomping around and gave a sly smile.

  ‘Why not ask for both?’ he said to Cooper. ‘And perhaps a chocolate-filled swimming pool as well.’

  ‘Mmmm, a chocolate-filled swimming pool,’ Cooper said dreamily.

  ‘This is bad,’ Humphrey whispered to me. ‘If Cooper starts wishing for food, the genie will capture all of his goodness in no time.’

  ‘And why stop there,’ the genie added. ‘Why not wish for a mountain of muffins as well.’

  ‘I do like muffins,’ Cooper replied. ‘Muffins are my seventh favourite food.’

  ‘Don’t listen to him, Cooper!’ I shouted. ‘Don’t make any wishes!’

  Cooper looked at me blankly.

  ‘Please, Cooper,’ I said. ‘If the genie takes all of your goodness, you’ll have to take his place.’

  ‘Don’t listen to the girl,’ the genie cooed. ‘She just wants the ring for herself. She doesn’t care about you.’

  ‘That’s not true!’ I shouted at the genie. ‘I love Cooper. He’s my best friend in the entire world.’

  Cooper continued to stare at me with a strange look on his face. ‘I wish . . .’ he said.

  ‘Don’t do it!’ Humphrey shouted.

  ‘I wish . . .’

  ‘Please don’t, Cooper,’ I whispered. ‘Once you start, you won’t be able to stop.’

  ‘I wish . . . to give the ring to Jinny.’

  The genie let out a howl as Cooper flicked the ring to me.

  I caught it, my heart pounding. Suddenly, thoughts raced through my mind of all the things I could wish for. It was as though someone had hijacked my mind and was playing a movie filled with everything I had ever desired.

  I saw the red shoes I had really wanted to buy last year, but Mum wouldn’t let me have. Then there was the mood ring I’d seen at the markets a few weeks ago. I could wish for an iPad or a computer of my own. I could go on a holiday to Disneyland. I could buy all the clothes I liked and go to the cinema every day. I could feel the greedy thoughts taking over my mind.

  I really, really wanted to make a wish and it took all my effort to resist. I could hear the genie’s voice in my head whispering for me to do it: Make a wishhh, make a wishhh, make a wishhh . . .

  Cooper’s voice broke my thoughts. ‘Jinny, you have more goodness than anyone I’ve ever met,’ he told me. ‘You could make a thousand wishes and the genie still couldn’t take it all. He’ll never be free so long as you have the ring.’

  I turned to the genie, who was watching me intently.

  ‘Anything your heart desires,’ he said in a singsong voice. ‘Just make a wish.’ He leant towards me with an encouraging smile.

  I slipped the genie’s ring onto my finger. I suddenly knew what I had to do.

  ‘Genie, I wish for you to be free,’ I said.

  The genie stood up straight, the smile slipping from his face. ‘What did you say?’

  ‘I said I wish for you to be free. I wish for the curse of the ring to be broken and for you to be free.’

  ‘What are you doing?’ Humphrey cried.

  ‘I’m saving my brother,’ I replied.

  ‘But if you set the genie free, you will have to take his place,’ Humphrey said.

  ‘No, I won’t,’ I said. ‘You told me yourself that a person needs to be empty of all goodness before the curse can transfer to them. I’m not empty of goodness, so I can’t take his place.’

  ‘That’s my Jinny,’ Cooper said proudly.

  The genie fell to his knees. ‘Do you really mean it?’ he asked. ‘You’re really setting me free? Even after all I did?’

  ‘Yes,’ I replied.

  The genie bowed to me until his forehead touched the ground. ‘Please, let me do something for you before I grant your wish,’ he said. ‘Anything you want. Riches . . . fame . . . anything.’

  ‘You could whip up one of those never-ending biscuits,’ Cooper suggested.

  I looked at Tyrone who was still sitting on the couch.

  ‘Return my brother’s goodness,’ I said. ‘Take his wishes back and return him to how he was before.’

  ‘And make a never-ending biscuit,’ Cooper whispered from the corner of his mouth.

  The genie stood up and folded his arms. He closed his eyes and nodded in Tyrone’s direction. The pinkness returned to Tyrone’s cheeks and he blinked as though waking up from a long sleep. He looked over to where we all stood.

  ‘Jinny! Cooper!’ he cried, jumping off the couch and running into my arms.

  Cooper climbed onto Tyrone’s shoulder an
d nuzzled his ear as I hugged Tyrone tightly.

  ‘It is done,’ the genie said. ‘And now I grant your wish.’ He gave me a genuine smile and nodded in gratitude.

  The genie clicked his fingers and, with a flash of light, he disappeared.

  ‘Thank goodness that’s over,’ Humphrey said.

  Tyrone looked around me to where Humphrey stood.

  ‘Who’s that?’ he asked.

  ‘This is Humphrey,’ I replied. ‘Cooper’s brother.’

  ‘Cooper’s brother!’ Tyrone exclaimed.

  ‘Don’t ask. It’s a long story,’ I said.

  ‘And one we don’t have time for right now,’ Cooper added. ‘Look!’

  Above us, the rainbow-coloured glass ceiling was beginning to crack.

  The genie’s world was falling apart.

  ‘We need to go now!’ Cooper shouted, leaping onto the floor.

  I grabbed Miss Morgan’s bag of containment and we ran across the marble room to where there were two doors.

  ‘Which way do we go?’ I asked.

  ‘Left,’ Tyrone shouted.

  ‘Right,’ Cooper said at the same time.

  I automatically headed towards the door on the right, hoping it was an exit. As I glanced at Tyrone, I saw the crushed look on his face and thought of what he had said to me back at Miss Morgan’s house. Perhaps Tyrone had been correct after all. Perhaps I did listen to Cooper more than him. The truth was, we didn’t know where either of these doors led, so Tyrone’s guess was as good as Cooper’s.

  ‘Let’s go left,’ I said, grabbing Tyrone’s hand. Tyrone gave me a big smile and nodded.

  As we went through the doorway on the left, we heard a loud crash from behind and the rainbow-coloured ceiling collapsed. I glanced back and saw the walls bending and folding in impossible ways. It was as though the bones of the house were shrinking somehow. I ran even faster.

  I was relieved when the next doorway we ran through opened onto a walled courtyard. Beyond the courtyard was a heavy-looking gate. Tyrone and I pushed the gate as hard as we could and it crumbled with a splintering crack.

  We sprinted through the gateway and found ourselves standing in the front yard, facing the house.

  ‘How can we be in front of the house when the house is behind us?’ Tyrone said, looking back towards the gateway.

  ‘Another illusion,’ Humphrey said. ‘Nothing makes sense here.’

  The house was now creaking and shuddering as though some invisible force pushed down on it. As we watched, the house crumpled inwards like a sheet of paper being squeezed into a ball. It got smaller and smaller before disappearing into a pin of light.

  ‘Whew! I’m glad we’re not in there any more,’ Tyrone said.

  I looked around at the mist that seemed to be moving quickly towards us, consuming everything in its path. ‘Something tells me we’re not that safe out here either. How do we get home, Humphrey?’

  Humphrey pulled out from his satchel the second ball of red light he’d created earlier.

  ‘Everyone huddle together,’ he said.

  Tyrone picked up Cooper and I grabbed Humphrey. He nodded at me and threw the ball of light. Red smoke poured out of it, only the smoke seemed to dissolve as quickly as it formed.

  ‘Something’s wrong. The spell’s not working,’ Humphrey said.

  He jumped from my arms and picked up the ball of light again. He gave it a shake and sniffed it.

  ‘There’s not enough energy for all four of us to get back,’ he said. ‘The spell’s lost some of its strength in this land.’

  He lifted the ball of light towards me. ‘Take it,’ he said. ‘Use it to get yourself and the others back home. There should be enough energy for the three of you.’

  ‘But I don’t know how to use it,’ I said. ‘I’m not a sorcerer.’

  ‘All you have to do is throw the ball of light and think about where you want to go,’ Humphrey replied.

  ‘But what about you? We can’t leave you here,’ I cried.

  ‘Don’t worry about me,’ he said quietly. ‘Just go.’

  Cooper leapt from Tyrone’s arms and stood next to Humphrey.

  ‘What are you doing?’ Humphrey asked.

  ‘If you stay, I stay,’ Cooper answered. ‘I’m not leaving my brother here alone.’

  Humphrey gave Cooper a grateful smile.

  ‘You really have changed, haven’t you?’ he said.

  ‘That’s one thing we can agree on,’ Cooper replied. ‘Now if you’d only agree that you overcook your cakes . . .’

  ‘Cooper!’ I said. ‘Now is not the time.’

  ‘There has to be something else we can do,’ Tyrone sobbed. ‘We can’t leave them behind.’

  I suddenly had a thought. ‘What about the bag of containment? Could you and Cooper hide inside so we can all go together?’ I asked.

  ‘That might work!’ Humphrey said, grabbing Cooper’s arm and bouncing around.

  I passed the ball of light to Tyrone and opened the bag wide enough for Cooper and Humphrey to climb inside, where they immediately disappeared. Closing the bag, I stood up and placed it gently over my shoulder. I took Tyrone’s free hand.

  ‘Ready to go?’ I asked him as the mist snaked around us.

  ‘Very ready,’ he replied.

  Tyrone threw the ball of light to the ground again. This time the spell worked. Tyrone snuggled closer to me, gripping my hand as everything was swallowed up by red smoke.

  When the smoke finally cleared, I was relieved to find that we were in Miss Morgan’s living room.

  ‘It worked!’ Tyrone cried. ‘This is exactly where I was thinking of.’

  Miss Morgan came into the room at the sound of Tyrone’s voice and was surprised to see us back. She was wearing a long velvet cloak and held a wand in her hand.

  ‘I was just coming to search for you!’ she said. ‘I woke up and everyone had disappeared.’ She looked around the room. ‘Where’s the genie?’ she asked.

  ‘Gone,’ I replied. ‘For good, this time.’

  I slipped the ring from my finger and handed it to Miss Morgan. The stone was no longer rainbow-coloured but instead a dull brown. Miss Morgan glanced at the ring and gave me a quizzical look.

  ‘We set him free,’ I said and yawned before I could catch myself.

  Miss Morgan looked from me to Tyrone.

  ‘You two are tired. Go and jump into bed and I’ll bring you both some hot milk and biscuits. You can tell me all about it later.’

  She turned towards the kitchen but stopped suddenly.

  ‘Wait a minute,’ she said. ‘Where’s Cooper? He always appears at the mention of biscuits.’

  I opened the bag of containment.

  ‘Cooper? Humphrey? Are you there?’

  There was no answer, so I put my hand into the bag. I felt something furry and warm and pulled it out. Cooper was holding an open packet of biscuits between his paws. He stopped chewing and looked at me.

  ‘Um, Humphrey and I are just bonding over some snacks,’ he said guiltily through a mouthful of biscuit.

  ‘I’m glad you’re spending time with Humphrey. You two have a lot of making up to do.’ I gave Cooper a squeeze. ‘I hope you work it out with him,’ I said. ‘After all, he’s the only brother you’ve got.’ I looked at Tyrone. ‘And brothers are very important.’

  Tyrone smiled at me and I knew we were going to be okay.

  Cooper scratched his nose on the end of the biscuit packet. ‘Technically, Humphrey is one of my six brothers,’ he said. ‘And I have five sisters as well. That was at last count anyway. Guinea pigs tend to have multiple litters with several pups at a time so there could be more by now.’

  ‘That’s a scary thought,’ I shuddered. ‘The possibility that there could be more of you out there.’

  Cooper chuckled and gave me a wink. ‘Now if you don’t mind, I’d like to get back to bonding with my brother . . . if you know what I mean,’ he said, shaking the biscuit packet. He glanced at
Miss Morgan and back to me. ‘But don’t tell Miss Morgan where her fancy cheese and olives went, will you?’ he whispered.

  I laughed as I placed him back into the bag with Humphrey.

  I somehow had a feeling Miss Morgan would work that one out all on her own.

  How much do you remember from Curse of the Genie’s Ring? Test your knowledge below:

  What object falls out of the bag of containment? A candle

  A ring

  A cupcake

  A genie’s lamp

  Why are genies dangerous? They steal people’s goodness

  They steal people’s wishes

  They steal people’s life force

  They steal people’s belongings

  What is Cooper’s seventh favourite food? Muffins

  Fish flakes

  Cheese

  Olives

  Who is Humphrey? A genie

  Miss Morgan’s brother

  The genie’s brother

  Cooper’s brother

  What does Jinny wish for? The genie to disappear

  A never-ending biscuit

  The genie to be free

  Red shoes

  Tania Ingram lives in the Adelaide Hills with her husband and daughter, two guinea pigs, a goldfish called Bionic Mouth and three elderly chickens. Tania worked as a child psychologist for a while before becoming a full-time writer. When no one is looking, Tania likes to drink milk straight from the container and gargle the national anthem.

  For more information on Tania’s books visit TaniaIngram.com

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  First published by Penguin Random House Australia Pty Ltd, 2016

  This digital edition published by Penguin Random House Australia Pty Ltd, 2016

  Text copyright © Tania Ingram, 2016