"Sorry, Mrs. Belden," said Di. "I knocked something over."

"Any damage?" Helen Belden asked.

"It was just the trunks of summer clothing, Moms," said Trixie sticking her head through the partially open attic door. "One of the trunks came open and the clothing fell on the floor. I think we knocked a couple of bricks loose in the chimney," she added sheepishly.

"My head is too hard too have been hurt by that little of a bump," she said turning to the apologetic Diana.

"You can clean up the mess later, and I’ll have Dad take a look at the chimney this evening. Come on downstairs and eat lunch."

The girls headed downstairs and, after pausing to wash their hands and faces, joined Helen and the Belden boys in the cozy kitchen.

After they were seated at the large table, and had been served cornbread and huge bowls of turkey soup. Brian turned to look at his younger sister.

"You interrupted our discussion, Trix," he said. "We were debating on what we would wish for if we were given one wish."

"I would wish Dinah had two eyes," said Bobby from his seat between Brian and Mart. Dinah was Trixie’s old rag doll.

"Better wish for a new head for Dinah first," said Mart with a grin. "All the king’s horses and all the king’s men…No that’s Humpty Dumpty. Well not even Honey’s needle could put Dinah back together again," he finished making six-year-old Bobby giggle.

That summer, Bobby had cut the head off Trixie’s doll for revenge. He had done a through job and even with Honey’s skill at sewing, the doll looked quite mangled. Trixie had given the repaired doll to Bobby.

"The soup’s delicious Moms," said Trixie.

"That’s the last of the Christmas turkey," said Helen. "The cookies are gone, and the fudge is almost gone."

"All of the holiday goodies tasted wonderful this year," Honey complimented her hostess. "Mother said Jim and I eat far too many meals at your house, but your cooking is too good to turn down."

"As much as you help around here, the least I can do is feed you well," the pretty woman said to Honey with a smile. "How is the attic coming?" she asked her daughter.

"We will be done in another hour. Thanks to Honey and Di, I’ll be able to take advantage of the new snow." Honey and Di had volunteered to help put away the Christmas decorations and clean up the attic so that Trixie could go skiing that afternoon. "That is unless you need help with anything else," Trixie added.

"I’ll be fine. I’ll just need to vacuum up the pine needles and start dinner," she said to Trixie.

"I know what I would wish for," Trixie said suddenly. "I would wish for lots of money so Moms wouldn't have to work so hard all the time. Or maybe I’d wish to not have so many brothers," she added looking at Brian and Mart. She was still stinging over their critical comments that morning on her holiday English assignment.

"I’d take Brian for an older Brother," said Diana who had only much younger siblings.

"Take Mart instead," offered Trixie. Diana blushed, as her interest in Mart was less than brotherly.

"No, I’ll go with cold hard cash," Trixie said with a nod.

"I wouldn’t," said Honey. "I would much rather live if a nice cozy farmhouse like this."

The group became silent as they concentrated on disposing of the remaining turkey.

 

 

Part 2 – The Discovery

"Let pick up the clothes first and then we can tidy up that side of the attic," said Trixie. "Mom wants those things carried downstairs for the Guild’s tag sale on Saturday.

The trio picked up the overturned trunk, and Honey and Diana began folding the collection of shorts, sundresses, and bathing suits.

"We knocked more bricks loose than I thought," said Trixie as she picked up two bricks from the floor. Examining the mortar, she exclaimed, "There’s something between the chimney and wall!"

"Maybe its another jewelry box," said Di.

"Or another emerald necklace," said Honey.

Trixie removed three more of the loose bricks and removed an oddly shaped, fabric wrapped parcel from the wall. The old fabric disintegrated as Trixie unwrapped the item.

"Or just an old copper lamp," said Trixie holding up the tarnished piece. "Maybe if I rub it a genie will pop out and we can make those wishes we were discussing."

As she talked, Trixie joking polished the side of the lamp with her sweater. She didn’t notice the vaporous figure behind her until a trembling Honey pointed at the Genie."

"Gleeps!" exclaimed Trixie as the lamp hit the floor with a dull thud.

The enormous figure appeared to have no substance at all, and Trixie could see the attic window through his body. She looked at him but could not decide what he looked like as the genie gradually but continuously changed shape. It was like seeing a somewhat human shape in a cloud of smoke.

"A genie," gasped Honey when she was able to speak again.

"I prefer just Gene," said the very masculine voice as he bowed to Trixie. "What is to be your reward for freeing me from my prison?"

"I suppose this is the part where I get to make my three wishes?" Trixie asked skeptically her voice dripping with sarcasm. "Actually, I’d like to give away two of my wishes to my friends here, and I guess we can save you some time as we just finished discussing what we want. Let’s see, I wished for enough money that Moms didn’t have to work so hard around here."

Gene crossed his arms and blinked his eyes as he gave his head a single sharp nod.

"Do you have to do that?" asked Trixie imitating him.

"Of course, not," he said sounding exasperated. "I guess I’ve been watching too many reruns from the ‘60’s. Anyway most people seem to expect that."

"Do I look like Larry Hagman?" she snapped. "Diana, now you wished for Brian for an older brother, right?" Diana nodded her eyes huge pools of fear. "And Honey, she wished…"

"I don’t have a good feeling about this," Honey interrupted. "Truthfully I wish he was locked up safe and sound in his lamp again. I’ll make my wish later," she said as Gene disappeared.

"I guess I hit my head harder than I thought," Trixie turned to look at her friends and saw their backs as they raced out the attic door.

Trixie followed Honey and Diana, and when the three girls ran into the kitchen, they were stopped by Peter Belden.

"Where’s the fire?" he asked laughing.

Trixie knew something had happened, as her dad strictly enforced the "no running in the house rule." He seemed to be in a good mood in spite of having just caught his daughter and her two friends breaking it.

"What’s up, Dad?" Trixie asked. "Why aren’t you at work?"

"I’m taking the rest of the day off. I just came home to share some good news with your mother. I just received news of a huge promotion! I need to discuss the details with Helen, but I’ll tell you all about it later. Bobby and Mart are waiting on you, so you better get your skis and get going."

"Don’t be late for dinner," her mother warned as she trimmed the crust on an apple pie.

"We won’t," said Trixie as the girls went to change into warmer clothing.

The girls forgot about the genie as they enjoyed an afternoon in the cold, crisp air.

As the sun was setting, Trixie remembered her promise to be on time for dinner. "Mart, Brian, Bobby," she called, "we are going to be late for dinner."

Brian looked down at his watch. Giving Di a gentle push, he said, "Trix is right, Sis. Mom and Dad told us to be on time."

"What!" cried Trixie. "Sis? You’re a Belden, remember?"

"Maybe you did hit your head pretty hard. The name is Brian Lynch," he held out his hand to Trixie who ignored it. The girls had told the other Bob-Whites about their little accident before they started skiing and sledding down the Wheelers' hill. Brian, who dreamed of becoming a doctor, had noticed the bruise on Trixie’s forehead and had asked what happened.

"Enough teasing Trixie," begged Honey.

"You aren’t being funny, Brian," warned Di.

"Are all you girls crazy? Do I look anything like those blonde Beldens?" he continued gesturing to Trixie, Mart and Bobby.

"Who am I?" he asked Jim Frayne, Honey’s adopted brother.

"Brian Lynch, my best friend in the world," Jim said seriously.

"Come on Di. Let’s go!" Brian started the hike to the Lynch Estate and, without looking at Trixie, Di slowly followed.

Trixie somehow made it through dinner, which was quiet without Brian’s intelligent contributions to the conversation. Mart was clearing the table when Di, Brian, Honey, Jim and Dan walked into the cozy kitchen. As Mrs. Belden cut and served freshly baked pies, Honey dragged Diana and Trixie to upstairs to the attic.

"I don’t want to live in that white elephant of a house," said Honey picking up the lamp. "But what if something goes wrong?"

"We’ve gotten exactly what we wished for so far," said Trixie with a shrug. "But I do miss Brian…"

"Go ahead and rub the lamp, Honey," said Diana.

Honey hesitantly rubbed the lamp and the genie appeared once more.

"You rang?" he said in a deep voice.

"I want to live in a quaint farmhouse," Honey said boldly.

The genie nodded and disappeared. The three girls ran to the attic window and looked out over the beautiful Manor House.

"I knew it wouldn’t work," said Honey.

"Girls," called Mrs. Belden. "Please come downstairs."

The girls trooped downstairs to the kitchen where Helen and Peter Belden waited along with Bobby and the other Bob-Whites.

 

After the girls were seated, Peter looked at the teenagers. He cleared his throat and began to speak. "I don’t quite know how to say this, so I’ll explain our situation as quickly as possible. I asked all the Bob-Whites to come over, so that I could break the news to everyone at once. Please don’t speak until I have finished. I was given a huge promotion at the bank and will be making several times what I did before. Unfortunately, this will result in my transferring to New York City."

The children sat in shocked silence as he continued, "The good thing is, our house will remain in good hands. Honey, your parents understand that you have always wanted to live in a farmhouse rather than on a huge country estate, and your Dad just phoned me with an offer to buy Crabapple Farm."