Jinn

Chapter 5
The greatest day - part 2, The Ware-chicken

Chapter Description: Paul continues his adventure with Jinn. He see's a new side to her that he may not want to see again but in doing so he learns that some power costs, even for the most powerful of djinni's

The greatest day part 2

The ware-chicken

Mrs Button stood in the creche flabbergasted, all about her was chaos, disorder and noise.

The children of the creche were screaming wildly running about her in circles as if chanting with each squawking shriek of a chicken’s buck that left the lips of the tubby little lady in a floral dress.

Embarrassment was an understatement, this was a nightmare, the parents of the children stood horrified trying to regain some form of control over their wildly excited children.

Mrs Button lunged towards the nearest child who slipped out of her grasp giggling with joy running behind a chair, twice more she made for the children it was on her fourth attempt that she got one.

A small girl of about three, the girl was lifted under her arms, she saw the great flubbery neck of the chicken woman come into view past her round torso, she was held at arms length kicking her feet in a playful manner and a thumb in her mouth.

"BWAAAAAAAAARK bwark bwark" bucked Mrs Button, the child giggled hysterically as a deranged Mrs Button thrust her towards the nearest adult and made for the ball pit.

She grabbed Edward by the ear and dragged him to the lobby, he whimpered in pain as his enraged grandmother snatched their bags and made for the entrance.

Her beady little eyes scanned the view, the flickered from object to object, place to place and person to person. She saw Marv from the comic book shop performing some odd dance "scraggly little beggar should cut his hair" she thought.

She saw some teenagers sitting on the steps to the bank, the boys obviously trying to impress the girls, "filthy predators", she briefly examined a teenage mother pushing her pram along the street, "Silly whore" she barely caught a glimpse of the skaters as they slid the flats of their boards along the kerb edge and raced across her path barely missing her by inches, "DANGEROUS BAST***S!!!!" she meant only to think it but instead she squawked as well.

It was as if time had stopped, Marv had frozen with one leg balanced in the air, the teenage boys and girls had stopped mid sentence, the young mother had stopped across the street and the skaters had all turned in shock of the noise.

Collecting his board with a stamp to it’s rear the lead skater gingerly walked back to the woman "Whoa dude, lady you like totally just clucked like a chicken" he waited for a response, his lips slightly ajar, he waved a hand across his face to clear his sight of his greasy hair. "Lady, you a... ware chicken?"

"Bwark Bwark Bwark" Mrs Button screamed at the boy, Edward still in her grasp clutched by the wrist, was pulled along side as she stormed at the skater, he backed away and ran to the safety of his skater gang.

Mrs Button looked at all the shocked faces, cameras and mobile phones were now recording this most remarkable occurrence.

Her eyes fleeted once more as she spun on the spot, the bank, the creche, the comic book store, the barber, the bakery, the park....

There!! Across the street!! She’d found them!!! At the back of the park on a bench eating ice cream!!!! That odd woman and her delinquent juvenile son!!!!

Her eyes squinted and with a grunt she lunged across the road pulling Edward along side her, he struggled yanking at his arm which was burning red and bruising in her tight grip.

She marched up to Paul and Jinn who were laughing at the event. Mrs Button began her regime of clucks, some were like sharp shrieks and others were pro-longed.

Jinn stood now and smiled calmly as the clucking continued, "So it didn’t work" she exclaimed, "you just can’t give up.... talking, even if you can’t talk you’ll just keep on yapping?" She examined the boy in her grip.

She clicked her finger in the general direction of Mrs Button, she was silenced and her grip was released instantly. The boy fell to the floor cradling his bruised arm as tears trickled down his cheeks.

Paul turned to Jinn "Jinn I didn’t want them to get hurt"

The emotions demonstrated by Jinn demonstrated a side Paul had not yet seen, her emotions were of rage, her arms tensed as she held them out in front of her, she tilted her hands towards upwards with each finger tensing, she crossed her arms and bowed her head as the heavens clapped with thunder and lightening striking down upon the ground firing into her fingertips.

The skies had darkened with the thickest of clouds storming above as strikes of lightening struck the tips of her fingers which crackled and sparked as Jinn looked skywards.

With a downward swoop she released the power of thunder and lightening across the town the vision flashed and all was silent.

Not the sound of a single bird chirping, nor the putter of an engine. Just silence.

Paul blinked, before him were the statues of people, they were real but they were frozen, motionless, lifeless.

Paul touched the cheek of the boy in front of him, his skin squished, his touch was warm and damp from the tears, he looked into the eyes of the boy, at the expression of fear and pain.

Jinn stepped next to Paul, she had changed, she wore her gold jewels and silver veils that swayed gently off the pert of her breast. Her purple hair was long and flowing, it was tied at the back like a tail that flickered against her veiled buttocks, those large green eyes glistened amongst the darkness of the clouds, her skin was almost golden.

"I’m sorry Paul" she said, "I am sorry about what you are about to witness, this power should never again come to your world, time is a fragile thing, it is precious, it should be cherished"

She lifted a hand full of energy crackling at her fingertips, "Like my magic, to control time requires a great deal of power, unlike my magic, timer can only be borrowed" she put her hand over the boys bruising, "this is my fault and I am responsible"

"What did you do?!"

"I stopped time, and soon, I am going to reverse the last few hours so it will be as if we were never there and this never happened, but it takes great sacrifice to harness this power"

"No, but, please Jinn, I don’t want this to end yet."

"Don’t worry Paul, it’s only just begun"

She drew an arm across sending the power of lightening across the town.

Electrical devices removed the recordings, memories were re-written, the chaos of before was calmed.

Jinn was trembling as the power left her body, it looked like a struggle to control, her face twisted in anguish, wrinkles formed around her eyes and visibly Jinn aged, her had greyed, she looked old, exhaustion set in as the power diminshed.

She collapsed to the bench and groaned in tiredness, "it is done Paul" she croaked, she held her wrinkled hand up to his face, that’s something of the watch would normally be do."

Time began moving again and Mrs Button instantly began her rant, "Your grandson is a terrible influence upon mine, he should be punished immediately, a good thrashing ought do the trick, making fun of me indeed... and to tell me to be quiet, well young lady, as the saying goes, Boys should be seen and not heard"

It’s ok Mrs Button, "I’ll talk to him" Mrs Button’s attention returned to Edward for a moment whilst Jinn clapped her hands, in a light puff they were home, in the study by the lamp.

"That was an annoying woman" sighed Jinn, Paul on the other hand was smiling, he held the lamp and whispered a few words into it.

"I wish that Mrs Button would be seen but not heard"

Back in the park Mrs Button was still rambling as she experienced the most peculiar sensation, as if she were shrinking.

She looked around her as the bench and swings grew taller, she stumbled as her dress tumbled to the floor. Her body grew shapeless as her dress whirled around her, the expensive floral dress cheapened by the second, the fancy material separated, the top became thin and white, thick pleats formed into a skirt at the bottom, her bag reformed into a sachel and her hat became a ribbon, white socks spread up her legs and dainty little shoes fastened where her heels once were.

She gasped at her pre-teen attire but quickly remembered she was watching her brother Edward for the moment.

"Do you want to see her?" Jinn asked, she had been twirling and dancing, Paul had sat in a stunned silence, he had watched as she grew younger during her dance, more beautiful, the vibrant purple color returned to her hair and the wrinkles softened on her face as she wafted about dancing elegantly.

Paul nodded to a renewed Jinn who lifted him to the mirror, it rippled, as it settled he saw a school girl watching her brother, she was young, perhaps 6 or 7 years of age.

"If she is good tonight, maybe she’ll get to stay up and watch the movie.... but only if she’s quiet"