I have always thought of what a united world would look like. Everyone working together, same religion, no wars; it is essentially a dream. To this day I think about why the first humans thought of going their separate paths. What would happen if they hadn’t gone separate ways? I think that humans would have been stronger, and everyone hand in hand, we would have gone to places beyond the stars.
My name is Anthony. On the day I was born, my dad was on a business trip to New York. My mom would say that he would always talk about seeing the Twin Towers in person; that it would have been amazing. At least that’s what he thought. He died on one of the planes that crashed into the Twin Towers on 9/11. I was born on the same day. That is why I wonder what would have happened if there was world peace. My dad would still be alive; my mom would be happier.
Eventually as I started high school, I got interested in world history, and before I knew it, I was in Florida teaching smelly ninth graders about the history of the world. Fun. Eventually came the time to talk about World War II, and then I saw Emily raise her hand. “Yes, Emily?” I asked reluctantly.
“Why can’t people just work things out by talking? What would the destruction of cities and innocent people do to help someone?” Emily asked.
I froze. What answer is best for an answer I don’t know? “I- I guess that people just get extreme when they don’t get what they want,” I stuttered.
“Um… okay, I guess.” Emily replied in a plain voice.
After school, I started to drive back to my house, but was blocked by the usual protests. Currently, America is going through a war with Russia that was related to the Cold War when the Soviet Union broke up. Russia was trying to be the superpower it once was, and America didn’t like that, mainly because of all that communism. People were protesting to let Russia go as long as they weren't hurting anyone. This was just another problem because there was no world peace. Since I couldn’t go home, I decided to go to the food market, because I needed to get some food anyway. After getting some basic vegetables, I started to pay for everything I bought. That is when I saw a rusty teapot for sale. “Is that it sir?” The cashier asked in a monotone voice.
“Before I pay, what is this teapot for sale?” I asked.
“A person came in and gave this to me, but I didn’t want it, so the boss allowed me to sell it,” the cashier sighed.
Without thinking I said, “Okay then, I’ll buy it. It looks interesting.”
“Okay, is that it sir?”
“Yes.”
“Please insert your card.”
After I got home, it was already time for dinner, but I first decided to wash the teapot. After washing it and getting my dinner ready, I got on the couch, opened up Disney Plus, and started watching Aladdin, the 2019 version.
When Aladdin rubbed the lamp, I thought of rubbing the teapot as a joke, and that is when I knew why that person gave the cashier that teapot. Suddenly a wave of blue dust covered the room, and when I stopped coughing, I saw a floating blue lady with her legs replaced with blue smoke that she was floating on. Oh yeah, I forgot to mention the blue bra that she was wearing, and extremely long black hair.
“Am I finally outside of that painful teacup and in someone's living room?” she questioned.
Well my expression must have been extremely stupid, because then she was looking at me and asked, “Are you okay? It looks as if you just saw something illegal happening.”
“Since when do girl genies exist?” I asked in shock.
“What, is that a problem? Us ladies got the same things as those men, but the male genies are just show-offs, we get to the point quickly and easily.”
As she said that, she turned around to the movie Aladdin playing, and the genie was singing “Friend Like Me”. “Ugh, this of all things is entertainment? Male genies showing off?” She said in disgust.
“That isn’t a genie; that’s a blue Will Smith,” I corrected her.
“Do you think I care if it’s a blue Will Smith? Male Genie or Blue Will Smith, both are show-offs,” she yelled; the TV also turned off immediately.
“Wasn’t this supposed to be quick and easy?” I asked.
“Okay, okay, geez, no need to rush me so much.” The genie pulled out, more like summoned, a white board and Expo marker.
“So your first wish?” The genie asked.
I first thought of how I always felt lonely when I was by myself at my house.
“For my first wish, I wish for a girlfriend,” I said proudly.
The genie just stared at me.
“Why isn’t anything happening?” I asked.
“You forgot to rub the teapot. Just because I get to the point easily and quickly doesn’t mean you don’t have to rub the teapot,” she answered.
“Oh yeah, sorry,” I said while rubbing the teapot.
I heard a knock on the door, but when I opened it I saw a woman with the same face as the genie come in.
“You never said that she would look like you,” I told the genie.
“You never specified what she would look like. Besides, now whenever you kiss her, you will remember me, the person who made that possible,” she chuckled.
“Anyways,” I started, noticing that she wrote down my first wish, “For my second wish I want to own a charity.” I finished, remembering to rub the teapot while thinking about how this would help many kids around the world.
“Okay,” the genie said while writing my wish on the white board.
“And your final wish? It better be a good one! I don’t want you to complain and whine saying ‘you didn’t give me what I wanted, waah!’” the genie teased.
That was when I thought about how my dad died on 9/11, how that if everyone was working together, and that if there was world peace, that would have never happened. “For my third wish,” the genie started looking at me eagerly, “I want world peace.”
The genie looked as if she had a secret, “Umm, I will give you that but are you sure?” she asked in a worried voice.
“Yes, I am sure! why wouldn’t I be sure?” I replied.
The genie uncapped the marker and right before she started writing down my third wish on the white board she asked, “Are you super sure? I just don’t want you to-”
“This is supposed to be quick,” I snapped while rubbing the teapot, “Just grant my wish and be over with it.”
“Okay, just be warned,” the genie said slowly.
After she finished writing down my last wish, my new girlfriend pulled out her phone from the pocket of her jeans. When she turned it on, she gasped. “What’s wrong?” I asked her.
“It looks as if every country in the world is at war!” She said in fear.
“You said you would bring world peace! Instead you brought world war!” I yelled at the genie.
“Okay then, define world peace,” she said, concerned.
“It is every person on the earth working together as a whole community!” I answered.
“That is where you are wrong,” she explained, “Everyone sees world peace in their own different way. Everyone in this world is different, therefore they have different opinions. If you want true peace, everyone has to be the same, which you didn’t ask for. Thankfully no one is the same, or else no one would progress in life. World peace would just slow people down, not bring them up. It is a shocking truth, but it is not false.”
I realized my mistake, how much of a fool I was. “But can’t-”
The genie went back into the teapot. I held the teapot in misery, knowing that it was all over. Knowing that it was all over because of me.
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