I sat next to the bed and held her cold hand in my palms. The room was clean and quite comfortable. If the word "comfortable" can even be applied to a hospital room. Of course, I took care that she should lie separately, and in the best conditions. Even with a personal nurse. However, how could this help now? Unfortunately, even money cannot solve all problems. Eh, if it was all about them, about their loved ones... I would give everything to save her. According to doctors, she had at most a month to live. All I could do was sit like that, hold her hand, and look at her pale face.

The morphine injection gave her the opportunity to rest for several hours from constant pain. Now she was sleeping. I kept sitting and thinking about how to save her. In fact, I knew that I had one remedy in stock - the last one...

It's hard to be inactive like this and constantly repeat the same thing in your head. I let go of her hand, stood up and walked around the room to stretch my legs. I wanted to smoke, and I went out into the corridor, carefully closing the door behind me. That's when I ran into Max. Nose to nose. He was wearing a white robe, draped over his shoulders over his casual clothes. In hands is a bouquet of flowers.

"Well, I wanted to visit her..." he commented embarrassedly, lowering his eyes.

"I see," I sighed.

Max was our mutual old friend.

"You know what..." I said, letting him into the room. "Put down the flowers and go out. I need to talk to you. We are unlikely to help her with our presence. But I think I have an idea..."

I didn't cheat. Perhaps I know how to help her...

The bar where I dragged Max when we found ourselves on the street was a very ordinary one. Closest to the hospital. Wooden tables and chairs, quiet blues, dim lights and whiskey, the color of burnt sugar. When this drink ended up in wide cut glasses, we clinked glasses with each other.

- For health!

- For her health...

We drank. Alcohol flowed like a warm wave through my insides. I relaxed a little and lit a cigarette. Max waited patiently, apparently understanding that there was no need to rush me.

- What do you know about jinns? - I asked when the pause was already too long.

- About whom?! - Max was surprised.

It was clear that he simply did not believe his ears.

- About jinns. You heard right, - I repeated.

- What does it matter? - He exclaimed.

"It has," I answered weightily and took out an antique oil lamp kept in the inner pocket of my jacket.

The lamp was very small and did not at all look like a valuable relic. Nevertheless, it was clear from everything that this was a very old object. Dark green and shabby, however, not devoid of grace, for it was made in the peculiar style of oriental trinkets. I placed it on the table in front of us.

- What is this? - Max asked.

- This is a lamp. A genie lives in it, - I answered.

Max looked at me with pity, as if I were crazy, going crazy under the weight of the trials that befell him.

- Do not believe? - I continued calmly. - I understand. For you, a jinn is something fabulous. A kind bearded person, the mysterious East, the cartoon "Aladdin" and all that. Meanwhile, reality is much wider than our understanding. And what I call a jinn may not be a jinn at all. I named it that way because it appeared when I accidentally rubbed this lamp.

I glanced at the object standing between the glasses.

Max nodded sympathetically, but it was clear that he had not changed his opinion.

- I won't tell you how this lamp came to me. It doesn't matter at all, - I continued. - I got there by accident. I was not at all looking for a method to get myself such a gift of fate. Perhaps have you noticed that my financial situation has improved dramatically recently?

Max nodded confidently.

- This happened after I rubbed the lamp for the first time. As I said, it was an accident. I didn't expect anything like this. You probably think that at that moment, smoke flowed from there, from the lamp, which condensed into a blue-skin man, or tongues of flame appeared. Not at all. Actually, nothing emerged from the lamp as such. However,...

I paused to take another sip.

- However, something appeared... I don't know how to describe this feeling. Imagine that you are an ant and then you find yourself in the shadow. In the shadow of a boot raised above you and ready to crush itself at any moment. This is a shadow from a being... from an entity whose scale is significantly greater than what you, in principle, can see or realize with your mind. I have not seen anything. The light went dark. On the other hand, maybe I lost consciousness. I only remember the feeling as if someone was looking at you intently. Someone standing behind you.

- What happened next? - Max leaned forward.

I realized that he, unwittingly, was imbued with my story.

- And this entity spoke. Or didn't speak. I don't remember exactly. Let's call this "information transfer". The jinn conveyed to me the information that he is an entity whose raison existence is destruction. An entity whose power is almost limitless. But, as happens in such cases, there are still limits. And these frameworks: my three wishes. It is not entirely clear who imposed these chains. Nevertheless, the jinn can do three my wishes. Those that do not contradict the basic laws of nature, do not manipulate time and cause-and-effect relationships. In general, everything is to the point. However, if I wish for the third, he immediately becomes free. I assume that this will be followed by total destruction.

- And what are you? - Max asked excitedly.

- I wished for two, - I continued. - The first thing, as you yourself understand, is money.

- And the second?

- Her love. This, as it turned out, does not contradict the laws of nature.

- So what now? I think I can guess, - Max sighed. - You want to wish for her to get well. But you can't...

- But you can! - I moved the lamp closer to Max.

- I'm giving it to you. Provided that you ask for her recovery. Give me your word! I know that you are a decent person, and you are not indifferent to her fate.

- What about you?

- What about me? I have already exhausted my desires. I hope you won't make a third guess either. This is in the general interest. Otherwise, nothing will make sense anymore. Do you know what I mean?

- I understand, - Max agreed and lowered his eyes to the surface of the table in front of him.

- And with your second wish you can order money, success, anything, - I convinced him. - Well? Do you agree? Do you promise that you will cure her?!

- I promise! - Max agreed and extended his hand to the lamp.

- Just be careful, - I stopped his hand at the last moment. - Don't try to deceive THIS. There is no need to think of "two in one" using the conjunction "and". Like, my second wish is a million dollars and for her to be healthy. These are already two wishes. Make sure you don't make a mistake.

- I'll be careful, - Max nodded. - I'm not a fool, and I'm not that greedy.

Only after that did I allow him to take the lamp.

*

"And she has already left. Some man with a bouquet of flowers took her away," that's what I heard in the hospital. I called Max - his phone was silent. A bad feeling pierced my heart. I went to his house. A closed door and a brand new intercom at the front door greeted me. I felt like a homeless person trying to get into the house to warm up. With great difficulty, I remembered Max's apartment number. I typed the numbers on the button panel. A familiar female voice answered me.

- Who's there?

- Honey, it's me! - I shouted.

Nevertheless, she didn't answer. In addition, a second later I heard Max's voice.

- It's you? What do you want?! - He spoke instead of her. - Don't you understand that we don't want to see you anymore? She doesn't love you anymore!

Max kept his word. And his second desire, like mine, did not contradict the basic laws of nature.