I Wish...

"Anything! It could be anything!" said Scott, his arms spread wide. "What have you akways wanted? A car? A house? A million dollars?" Alan shook his head, at which Scott sighed heavily. "Seriously?! There isn't anything you'd do with a genie from a magic lamp who offered you three wishes?" he asked. "Alan, just picture it. Just imagine it. You've found a lamp, within which is a genie who offers you three wishes. What are you going to do with them?"

Finally, Alan shook his head, sighing in defeat. "Ok. I find a genie. We have an adventure. A big grand one. I don't know about my other two, but with the last wish, I'd say, Genie, I wish for your freedom." Alan closed his eyes, a big grin spreading across his face as he pictured the moment. "I'd say Genie, you're free!"
Scott's shoulders drooped and his mouth fell open. "That's it?"
Alan shrugged. "Yep. I wouldn't need any wishes. If I found a friend in Genie, he would've fulfilled all my wishes without me even having to really wish for them."
"You've got a friend in me," said Scott.
"Don't I know it!" said Alan, slipping an arm round his shoulders. "But think about it. If you had a genie for a friend, you'd have never had a friend like him!"
"Well that's true," said Scott. "What I wouldn't do to have a genie friend!"
"Why?" asked Alan. "What would you do if you had three wishes?"
"Well I could do just about anything. I could wish for a new life."
"You don't like the life you have?"
"I never said that!" Scott walked across to the other side of the room. "Um... I could wish for a more comfortable. Enough of a fortune that I would never have to worry about money again."
Alan nodded, seeing the logic in it.
"I could wish for the trip of a lifetime."

"I wouldn't want to waste my wishes if ever I had any," said Alan honestly.
"You think my wishes are wasteful?" Scott walked toward him, arms folded across his chest.
"No. I just think that no amount of money or magic in the world will buy you happiness." Scott raised a brow.
"You have to make your own magic," said Alan simply. "You have to make your own happiness."
"Huh," said Scott breathlessly. There was certainly no arguing with that.
"I want to make my mamma proud of her boy. No amount of wishes or magic in the world, nor any genie, let alone one from a magic lamp is going to do that for me. I have to do it for myself."
"Right."
"So what's the point in wishing for material things?" asked Alan. "They'd probably only bring you temporary happiness anyway."
"So, what would you wish for then?"
Alan scratched his chin. "Hmm... I'd probably wish for some kind of experience. Something that would give me memories to treasure for the rest of my life."