Consequences of the Wish

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Consequences of the wish

Six months ago ...

The handsome arabic man smiled at me, and asked, “Are you sure that’s your wish?”

I nodded. “Yes. I want all the boys to know what its like to wear skirts or dresses. I can’t believe how they tried to look under my skirt today, so the shoe should be on the other foot.”

“Granted.” He said, and vanished.

The next morning, I hurried to school, anxious to see how embarrassed the boys would be to be in skirts.

Then they started to come in, alone, in groups, laughing and talking and acting like they’d dressed like that their whole lives.

I tracked down Mark, one of the boys who had looked up my skirt the day before, and said, “Nice skirt.”

He was wearing a bright pink skirt that exposed his nylon clad knees, and open-toed sandals that showed he had painted his toes. He looked down at what he was wearing and said, “Oh thanks. My mom got it for my birthday last week.”

I walked away trying to keep my temper from showing.

Finally, I couldn’t take it anymore and went to see my history teacher Mr. Saskaly. He was wearing a powder blue dress that went down to his ankles, and dark blue pumps.

“Mr. Saskaly, I have a question, if you have a moment.”

“Sure, Sally. What’s your question?”

“Why do boys wear skirts? I mean, why skirts and not pants?”

“Well, it goes back to Europe after the Dark ages ended. The Empress of the Holy Roman Empire started wearing pantaloons, and soon no self-respecting woman would be caught dead in dresses or skirts. In response to that, the men started wearing elaborate dresses, which also showed that they were wealthy, since you couldn’t exactly do hard labor in them.

Since then, fashions have changed radically for men, but the basic idea remained. Of course in the nineteen forties, nylon replaced silk, which allowed hemlines to rise.”

He blushed a bit, and continued, “I still have a picture of me from the sixties, in a micro-mini skirt that barely covered my butt, and go-go boots. Fortunately, that style is not common today.”

I thanked him, and went home. Once safely in my room, I rubbed the old lamp that had released the handsome arabic man who was in fact a genie.

“Yes, Mistress?” He said with a bow.

“My wish. It all went wrong! The boys ... they aren't embarrassed about wearing skirts. According to my history teacher, boys haven’t ever worn pants for hundreds of years!”

“Yes, mistress, you are correct. But such was your wish.”

“I wanted them to be embarrassed! I wanted them to know what I felt like when they tried to look my skirt! Instead, they think wearing skirts is perfectly natural for boys!”

“But you didn’t wish them to be embarrassed. You said you wished them to wear skirts, and so they do.”

“But ...”

“Your wish has been granted. You still have one more, if you’re ready to use it and release me from your service.”

I fumed, and said, “I need to think about how to word my wish.”

He bowed, and said, “Take your time, but as I told you when you found me, you had best not wait too long. Less than a month, I’ll be free, whether you wish or not.”

With that, he vanished, going back into the old lamp.

I sighed, and left my room to go down for supper, trying to ignore the fact that my dad was wearing a business skirt.

“Dad...” I started.

“Yes, dear?”

“Why would a boy tease me about what I’m wearing?”

He smiled at me, and said, “Did you get teased?”

I nodded.

“Well, dear, its possible he was just trying to get your attention, because he liked you.”

“He ... liked me? But that ...”

“Doesn’t make a lot of sense? Well, some boys have trouble figuring out how to get a girl to notice him. So they’ll try anything that at least gets your attention. Of course, it could mean he’s a bit of a jerk, too. Sometimes, its hard to tell.”

“So what should I do?”

“Try being extra nice to him, and see what he does.”

I thought about how Mark had acted when I had complimented him on his skirt.

“Okay, Dad. Thanks.”

After supper, I went back upstairs and rubbed the lamp.

“That was rather quick. Ready for your last wish?” the genie said when he appeared.

I nodded, and said, “I wish that both boys and girls could wear whatever makes them happy and comfortable, skirts or pants.”

“An excellent wish, mistress. It shall be done, and then I must say my goodbyes.”

I thanked him, and he disappeared, and then I got ready for bed.

The next morning, the lamp was gone,

I got dressed, (picking a skirt today), had breakfast, and went to school, curious how my last wish would work out.

When I got to school, I looked around at my fellow students .

Most boys and most girls had chosen pants, but a few of either sex seemed to be more comfortable in skirts, and to my surprise, one of those was Mark.

He was wearing a white tennis skirt and a black-and white t-shirt, and he blushed when I came up to him.

“You look nice” He said.

“You too.”

“Do you wanna sit together at lunch?”

I thought for a second, and then told him I would be happy to, which made him blush harder.

At lunch, we chatted, and the more I talked with him the better I liked him. I didn’t want to ask him about the skirt, but it seemed that it made him both more confident and more sensitive, so when he asked if I wanted to come over to his place for supper, I told him I would if my dad approved.

****

Epilogue

Mark and I have been an item for about six months, although we aren’t officially allowed to call ourselves boyfriend and girlfriend until next year according to our folks. He still wears dresses or skirts most of the time, and he likes heels even more than I do, but as far as I’m concerned, he’s the best boy I could possibly have.

Even if occasionally it frustrates me that he’s got prettier legs than I do ...

End.

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Comments

You have hit on the perfect...

...syllogism proving that magic does not exist. The fact of the existence of jerks creeps etc... If wishes were granted they would not exist.

The Battle of the Wishes: he

Daphne Xu's picture

The Battle of the Wishes: he who wishes last wishes best.

-- Daphne Xu

Some fun ideas here...

I would very much like to read some of the history books from the alternate Earths which Sally's wish takes her to.

alternate histories

always an interesting subject for me. I like the ones where some really small difference hundreds of years ago leads to a present we wouldn't even recognize ...

Thanks for commenting.

DogSig.png

Had an intresting thought.

Hypatia Littlewings's picture

How would growing up in a world where both boys and girls regularly can wear make up and skirts as something normal and expected impact/influence those with gender identity problems and shape their experiences.

PS. I recently noticed there are now several companies selling frilly hosiery for men.

frilly hosiery for men?

not sure it will be a big seller. Many years ago, someone tried to market a product called "Man-ty hose" - pantyhose for men, and it did't go over well.

As gender identity issues in the world she created, I'm not sure. for some of us, it might be an answer, but I think hormones and surgery would still be on my agenda ...

Thanks for commenting, Hypatia

DogSig.png

Actualy:

Hypatia Littlewings's picture

I have seen recent adds and fashion news, I looks like they are trying again, "frilly hose for men". Somehow I don't think that will go mainstream, but who knows.

I also have noticed it has become fairly common for men to wear tights or leggins under shorts for exercise and sports activities, during colder weather. And they are not all or even mostly "Sports Compression type Tights" any more, although I think those opened the door to the possibility. Plus it seems wearing them underneath pants as an extra warmth layer instead of thermals has also become relatively common. I would not call either use a trend but it's common enough not to get any reaction any more.

I doubt it but maybe this mini trend might eventually help the frilly "Man-ty hose" go over. I do see listings for "Meggings" on "Amzaon". Wondering, Do you remember the push for Nail polish for men, in metallic and earth colors, and black of course?

hmmm

Boys in skirts heels and nylons....

Hoping for something?

Jaci! Dont make me blush!

now I'm gonna have that image in my mind all day ...

DogSig.png

An interesting premise

I missed it on the first go around.

well, you found it now

glad you found it interesting.

DogSig.png

Be Careful

Daphne Xu's picture

Be careful what you wish for; you may get it. At least now, it was a happy ending.

One wonders how history changed because of the wish. "... back to Europe after the Dark ages ended. The Empress of the Holy Roman Empire ..." Apparently a wish that changed the current era also changed history centuries back leading up to the current era.

-- Daphne Xu

Yaaay!

I really wish that last wish woulda leaked over to our universe too. Well ... actually, it does seem to have leaked over a little bit. There's still a lotta stuff 'bout what ya can or can't wear, but things slowly seem to be expandin' a bit. Hope that leak keeps growin'! :)

me too

after all they're just clothes, why should it matter what you wear?

DogSig.png

"Three wishes" that came out well ...

In many 3 wish stories, each successive wish makes things much, much worse ...
---
"Alternate History"

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Connections_(British_documentary) did "odd takes" on history and technology. (The link goes a bit awry, you'll need to pick the right alternative.)

I don't know if this was in the series, or just an account I heard:

For a time, the diameter of the solid boosters on rockets like the Space Shuttle were limited by the size of railway tunnels and such.

Railway gauge rather dictates tunnel and vertical clearances.

The railway gauge (distance between rails) had been 'set' by horse-drawn carriage makers at the time of the England's development of the railroad. That gauge in turn, had been 'inherited' from Roman carriages (Rome occupied England for a time, including 'Romanizing' a certain town as Londin/ium.)

Romans were no dummies, and built their carriages to be drawn by two-abreast horses.

So, part of design of the Space Shuttle was dictated by the size of two Roman horse butts ...

A different 'decision' at any point in this chain of events might have rippled across 2+ millennia to change the Shuttle.