How to Jolt a Jinni
A jinni may not be hostile.
First of all, I wouldn’t recommend jolting anything…especially not a genie. Jolt not lest ye be jolted. Yeah, I think that’s a rule that applies to most anything. But if the situation calls for jolting, there are some things you can do.
As many of you know, I write about genies. Specifically, I write fiction about genies. That’s right, I make up stories. However, all of my stories of the jinn are based on thorough research. Apparently, there have been situations throughout history where a human wanted to escape, elude, or otherwise divest themselves of a troublesome genie. And some of them figured out how to do it. How? I guess these methods resulted from a process of trial-and-error, or through assumed knowledge from stories in The Arabian Nights, or maybe somebody just asked a genie. “Hey, how can I make you scram?” I’m sure there were many other methods tried, but if we’ve never heard about them probably means they didn’t work.
Instead of just listing the few that I know, I’ll share a passage from my most recent novel, The Genie Smolders, which is the second book in The Zubis Chronicles. The book is due to be released in February, so this is what you call a sneak peek. The jinn are big on peeking. If the science of molecular manipulation is to be believed, genies often can see us when we can’t see them.
Anyway, the main character, Bethany O’Brien, is on her way to a rendezvous with Zubis, the jinni love of her life. Bethany’s friend Lisa doesn’t trust Zubis or any genie. She’s done some research of her own and tells Bethany how she can control or vanquish — basically jolt — any jinni that gets out of hand.
Excerpt from The Genie Smolders:
Besides holding a master’s degree in theology, Lisa had studied anthropology of the ancient world as a minor. But the application of her knowledge did not extend into her nightly shift as a barista at Tryst, an Adams-Morgan coffee shop. She preferred the authentic to the academic.
“I know, Lee.” Bethany waited.
“And I’ve done some research of my own.” She moved closer to Bethany, voice hushing. “You know, into the jinn….”
“Lisa, if there’s anything you can tell me that might help Fia, you should just say it.”
“Well, it sounds crazy, but both the anecdotal and the anthropological evidence going back for thousands of years—”
“Lisa.”
“Right. Well, there are some prevailing superstitions about how to handle these … entities. For instance, some accounts talk about killing a jinni with the Inwa. It’s a way to throw the stone of a fruit so hard that it could, in fact, kill a jinni. Or like in the Arabian Nights it says sometimes a jinni enters the body or consciousness of a human. As an antidote, you get a cat that’s all black except for a white spot on the end of its tail—”
Lisa waved her hand as a sign for patience when she saw the look on Bethany’s face. “I know, I know. Just listen. You would take seven hairs out of the cat’s tail, then burn the hairs in a small closed room with the person who is, um, possessed, so you would fill their nose with the scent. And that should release them from the jinni.”
“Okay.” Bethany grabbed her friend’s hand, which had been gesticulating the act of waving smoke under a person’s nose. “I just have to be really careful not to hurt him this time.”
Lisa shook her head as though hearing bad news. “Bethany, why do you care? He’s done nothing to help you these last two years. And before that. What did he ever do for you?”
Two years ago, Lisa’s words would have hurt her. Bethany would have doubted herself and questioned her choices. But now she knew she had to follow her heart. “How do you measure love?”
Lisa looked stricken. “You love him?” She closed her eyes, her head tilting back for a brief moment. When her brown eyes opened, they were gentle. “I know you do, babe. But it’s hopeless. You can’t ever be with him.”
So line up your iron nails, cat hairs, and peach pits. Then you’ll be prepared for any jinni onslaught.
Best Wishes,
Kellyann
Read The Genie Ignites today before the next book in the series releases in February 2013
From Boroughs Publishing Group.
