{D-7-C}
You approach the door, and turn the key. Instantly, you hear and feel a low rumbling sound as purplish smoke emanates from the bricks and mortar of the building’s walls.
“What on earth is going on?” you ask, as the smoke billows up, forming a monstrous, human-like figure looming in the air over you before drifting off in the wind.
Just then, the alarmed pet shop owner rushes out, shouting, “No! You’ve released the djinn!”
“What?” you cry. “What do you mean?”
“The magic of the pet shop depends on the djinn trapped in its masonry,” he says.
“Why would you trap anyone like that?” you ask, but he is shaking his head emphatically.
“The djinn exist only to cause mayhem in the world!” he says. “Now he’s free to roam about causing problems for people!”
“We can’t let that happen,” you say. “Singer, can you track that thing?” Singer only looks at you soulfully, and begins to whine. The other two puppies join in a chorus of barking and whining.
“What’s going on?” you ask. “Why aren’t you answering me?”
“I told you,” the pet shop owner explains, “the magic of the pet shop is gone, and that’s what allowed the dogs to use human speech.”
“So what do we do now?” you ask, noticing that the sky is suddenly turning dark and cloudy, and there is a deep rumbling of thunder. The pet shop owner looks up at the sky, and following his gaze you suddenly see the terrifying face of the djinn momentarily lit up in the clouds.
“There’s not much that we can do now!” the pet shop owner shouts. “Quickly, get inside!”
You and the pet shop owner pick up the puppies, and rush into the pet shop, hunkering down in the basement while outside a terrible storm rages. Eventually, it blows over, leaving behind a mess of broken trees and damaged buildings.
“Did the djinn do all that?” you ask.
“I’m afraid so,” the pet shop owner says, shaking his head sadly. From then on, every time something terrible happens, you wonder if it was because of the djinn, and if you are ultimately responsible for letting it out of its magical prison.
Destiny Discovered