The Day I Saw the Lamp

The Day I Saw the Lamp

by Jaida Roberts

“NO! Girls should have the right to go to the spring ball! NO! Girls should have the right to go to events! WHO RUNS THE WORLD? GIRLS!” screamed Zino in front of City Hall.

“Has this girl come again?” whined the governor of Delta State, Ifeanyi Okowa, “Just get out of my way with your silly protests!”

Ewhomazino Ibodge was an eighteen-year-old girl who lived in Asaba, Delta and was fondly called Zino. She was from a pretty wealthy family, and everything was going well for her father financially for a while as she grew up. But, there was one problem. In Asaba, men were known as the superior species and women were inferior. Women were not allowed to have jobs; they were only allowed to cook. They were not allowed to go to school; they just get married once they come of age.

But in Zino’s case, she wasn’t married because her father was very protective and didn’t want men to take her away and rule over her uncontrollably. Zino was glad about that. But, one thing that Zino was furious about was that women were not allowed to go for events.

The annual Spring Ball was coming up because it was February and the people of Asaba wanted to welcome spring into the New Year. The spring ball was a day that every man in Asaba would dress elegantly and eat a lot of garri and beans. Zino heard a lot of good stories from her dad about the spring ball. She always asked her dad if she could go, but her father always said: “I may lose my position in society if I allowed you to join me, honey.”

Now, Zino just turned eighteen. She knew she could take matters into her own hands.

“NO! Girls should have the right to go to the spring ball! NO! Girls should have the right to go to events! WHO RUNS THE WORLD? GIRLS!” screamed Zino in front of City Hall.

“Has this little girl come again?” whined the governor of Delta State, Ifeanyi Okowa, “Go, you and your silly protests! Mtcheew!”

Zino, feeling hurt, quietly walked away and left, angry. She felt like slapping Sir Okowa fifty times until he got a brain injury, then take him to the hospital to fix his injury, and do the same thing again, over and over.

As she was strolling back home, kicking a lot of things out of her way, she found a rusty, golden-brown teapot lying on the floor. It looked like a genie lamp. She picked it up, remembering the stories of genie lamps, she rubbed it out of curiosity.

Of course, it made the usual ‘squeaky sound’ all genie lamps make. She was about to give up when she felt a shake in her hand, and purple smoke coming out of the genie lamp.

“Could this be it?” she thought.

“Yes, this is it master. I am your new genie, Hamza. I hope you know the rules!” responded Hamza.

“Yes, I know the rules!” replied Zino excitedly! “Rub the lamp, make a wish, and remember you only have three wishes!” answered Zino confidently.

“Nope!” laughed Hamza.

“What!” Zino hated getting things wrong.

“I am an African genie lamp, not just any genie lamp. My dear child, you only have one wish to make!” explained the genie.

“What! I have so many things in my head!” complained Zino.

“But you only have one!” teased Hamza.

“But—,” Zino started to say before she was interrupted by Hamza.

“I have some points to help you know what you should wish for. When you make your first wish, you have a new wish. Your first wish has to be very important, for it is only good hearts that get a second wish. And also,” the genie started sobbing, “I’m supposed to be a human! But, an evil witch changed me into a genie. I had made her my slave and beat her, and when she left my house, she put a curse on me! She said I would be serving people and I’ll have to call them master! That’s the worst part, MASTER!”

“Not my problem! I have a genie now! Who calls me master! And he is a guy! I have never felt more superior!” replied Zino in a snobbish way.

“What do you mean by ‘is a guy’?” asked Hamza.

“Don’t you know about gender discrimination and all? We’re not even allowed to go to the spring ball! So, my first wish is to make the female species equal to the men species and women will be allowed to go to school, clubs, and the Spring Ball!” ordered Zino.

“Boom! Zamanay! First wish of the day! Genie divine! Your wish is my command!” chanted the genie.

Immediately after that, all the women who were walking on the road started driving. All the schools had so many girls in it! And, most of all, the fashion stores were filled with women getting dresses for the SPRING BALL!

“You own a good heart, and although you are pretty sassy, I declare you a second wish!”

“Thank you so much!” said Zino!

“Wait, before you make your wish, let me warm up to back into that tiny lamp.” sobbed Hamza.

“I don’t think you’re going to be going there again, because, my second wish, is to set you free!” shrieked Zino

“Boom! Zam- Wait! What?” said Hamza.

In the flip of an eye, Hamza changed to a handsome young man, with beautiful thick black hair and cute brown eyes. He knelt and kissed Zino on her hand, thanking her dearly.

“Zino,” he proposed, “would you go to the spring ball with me?”

“YES!” screamed Zino. “AHHHHHHHH! I am going to the SPRING BALL!”

Zino was so excited, and when the spring ball came, she saw the governor and said “Unme! Unto! Unparacetamol!”

Presently, Zino Abdullahi and Hamza Abdullahi live a happy life with two sets of amazing quadruplets in one big happy world.