Husband Kept by a Rich Woman via Lamp I Wished Them Away

My husband found a magic lamp that could carry him through time into a future world.

One day, he and his mother both vanished for ten days.

When they came back, my mother-in-law's ramblings only got wilder.

We traveled to the year 2026. High-rises everywhere, and Arthur even married a rich man's daughter.

"We lived in a two-story house with people to wait on us. No firewood to chop, no cooking to do ourselves."

"The rich girl was carrying Arthur's child too. She said if it's a boy, she'd marry our Arthur."

I thought she'd lost her mind. I didn't take it to heart.

But after that, every single month, she and my husband disappeared for ten days.

Until the day I went into labor. I hemorrhaged, and neither of them was anywhere to be found.

Covered in blood, I crawled to Mrs. Chavez's door and knocked.

By the time she got me to the clinic, the baby was already dead inside me.

I dragged myself home, torn open with grief, only to find that the two of them had killed the one rooster we owned and packed our last ten farm-fresh eggs into a bag.

My mother-in-law shot me a look of disgust. "Useless thing, can't even hold on to a baby. Good thing my rich daughter-in-law gave me a fat healthy grandson."

"I'm taking this chicken and these eggs to build her strength back up. You can make do at home with some flatbread and foraged greens."

My husband didn't say a word. But his fist tightened around the bag.

Then the two of them vanished again.

I took the magic lamp my husband kept on the altar in the prayer room, and I raised it high.

Travel through time?

Fine. Let them go and never come back.

"Don't smash it!"

"I can grant you three wishes."

I stared at the lamp in my hands and, doubting, lifted it to my ear.

"You're talking?"

The lamp flickered once. "It's me."

"Your husband found me. I granted him three wishes. I sent him to the year 2026, gave him a rich wife, and gave him a son."

I stood frozen, staring at the lamp in my hands. So it was all true.

Arthur Dickerson really had used this lamp to go to the future, to take a wife and have a child.

My trembling hand came to rest carefully on my flat belly. While he was celebrating a son with another woman, our child had been smothered to death inside me.

"Do you envy him? If you're willing, I can grant you three wishes too. There's nothing I can't do."

The hand holding the lamp gave a small shudder.

"What's the price?"

The lamp's glow swelled a little. "You trade something belonging to you, or to someone of your blood."

"Your husband traded the life of his unborn child for his three wishes."

At that, my legs gave out and I dropped to the floor, tears running down before I could stop them.

Arthur Dickerson and I had been married five years. My first two pregnancies never made it.

This one I'd finally carried to full term, and he'd killed it for his own selfish wants.

If he could use the lamp to take my child's life, then I would use the lamp to make him pay in blood.

I clutched the lamp tight. "I want to trade my husband's life for three wishes."

The lamp dimmed. "I can't take the life or the years of someone already living. You can try something else."

Something else?

Weak as I was, I pushed myself up off the floor and stared at the photo pasted to the cabinet door, the three of us together: me, my mother-in-law, and Arthur Dickerson.

A rich wife?

A fat healthy grandson?

A future world?

I pulled my mouth into a cold smile. "I want to trade my husband's fertility for the rest of his life for three wishes."

The lamp blazed, almost blinding. "Done. Speak your wishes, and I will grant them all."

"I want him to lose his wife and his child."

"I want them trapped here forever, never to see that future world again."

"I want to become the richest businesswoman in the county."

It was a month later before the mother-in-law and Arthur Dickerson came back.

The second she stepped through the door, her face dark, she slapped Arthur across the cheek.

"You're twenty-eight. How are you as worn out as a man of eighty-two?"

"Back in the day your father was strong as an ox at forty-eight. How could you let a rich man's daughter-in-law kick you out of bed?"

Arthur crouched on the floor, defeated, his eyes ringed with black, sighing and groaning.

"I don't know either. It was all fine before. I can't figure out why it went wrong this time."

"It's because you've gone soft. Too long without hard labor, and your body's turned dainty."

Arthur shot to his feet, hoisted the hoe onto his shoulder, and headed out.

"I'll go turn the soil right now. Next time I go over there, I'll get Cordelia pregnant with another son for sure!"

I watched his back as he left, a sneer on my lips.

Another son?

He didn't have that kind of luck anymore.

The mother-in-law, who hadn't once looked me in the eye, suddenly turned to me, all orders and airs.

"Fern Smith, what are you standing around for? Is the firewood split? The water hauled? The meal cooked?"

"When Arthur gets back in a bit, are you going to make him wait for his food?"

Grovels like a nobody out there, comes home wanting to be the master of the house?

All these years I'd worked myself like an animal keeping this house running, and between the poor nutrition and the endless labor, I'd lost two babies, one after the other.

And even after a miscarriage, I still had to do the chores, because the moment the mother-in-law lifted a finger she ached all over and cried and moaned about it.

Back then I'd thought that Arthur and I were husband and wife, and she was the only mother he had, so I couldn't just leave her be.

But I didn't even want Arthur anymore. Who was still going to coddle her?

"I'm recovering. I can't do it."

Her triangle eyes bulged. She crossed her arms and glared at me.

"You won't do it, so what, I'm supposed to?"

"Over at the rich daughter-in-law's, I had everything handed to me, food brought right to my mouth."

"If crossing over didn't max out at one month, you think I'd come back here to suffer?"

I rolled my eyes at her and started walking out.

She caught up in a few strides, blocked my way, and let loose.

"Fern Smith, you've completely lost your mind!"

"If our Arthur hadn't been soft-hearted enough to marry you, who'd have wanted a parentless jinx like you?"

I raised my eyes to her and pointed out the door. "If you don't want to live here, then get out. This house was left to me by my parents."

Back then Arthur's family had nothing, not even a house.

My own parents had died early, and I'd figured Arthur was honest, simple, and knew his place.

Marrying him would mean a hard life, but at least I wouldn't be pushed around.

What I never imagined was that a man that honest could raise his hand against his own flesh and blood.

She stood there frozen, her face flushed with rage. "You cheap little slut, is that how you talk to me? I'm your mother-in-law. Say something that wicked and unfilial, and you'll be struck down by lightning!"

Struck down by lightning?

They'd killed the baby I carried ten months in my belly. Was I afraid of lightning?

I fixed her with a cold, hard stare. "Who ends up struck down by lightning is far from decided!"

Her face went white, and she didn't keep chasing me down to curse.

That night she boiled two bowls of noodles. There was no portion for me.

Arthur curled his lip in disgust and grumbled, "This is it? I want lobster, abalone, a pot roast."

She shot me a vicious look. "Conditions here aren't a match for the rich daughter-in-law's. You'll just have to make do."

"Once we've stayed out our days here, we go straight back. I won't put up with this misery."

Go back?

Soon enough she'd never go back again.

Arthur pulled a long face, ate only a few bites, and went into the room to sleep.

Arthur, who was sleeping farthest in against the wall, suddenly burrowed into my covers and started pawing at me, shameless.

My eyes snapped open and met his leering ones. "What do you think you're doing?"

He gave a couple of oily chuckles. "I want to test whether turning the soil worked. Don't want Cordelia getting upset with me again when I go back."

I stared at him, cold-eyed, and slapped him across the face. "Arthur Dickerson, you have no shame! I want a divorce!"

Arthur stared at me, dazed, clearly never expecting a word as unforgivable as divorce to come out of my mouth.

The commotion brought the mother-in-law running.

She saw the handprint on Arthur's face, and her narrow eyes bulged as she screamed, "You cheap little slut, you actually dared to hit my son! I'll tear you apart today."

She raised her hand to strike me. I didn't move. Out of instinct, my eyes went to Arthur.

The mother-in-law and I both had prickly tempers, and in those first two years of marriage she'd tried more than once to raise a hand to me. But Arthur used to shield me. Every time, before her palm could land, he'd already blocked it.

Arthur glanced at me and did nothing.

There was a sharp crack as her hand landed on my cheek.

The sting burned, my whole face on fire.

I stared at Arthur with a cold smile. Whatever five years of feeling there had been, it was gone now.

I swung my hand and slapped it hard across the mother-in-law's smug face.

"Divorce! Tomorrow we go to the village official and get divorced!"

The mother-in-law froze in place, then the next second she shrieked and lunged to hit me again.

Arthur suddenly stepped forward and stopped her.

Out of the corner of his eye, he glanced toward where the magic lamp was kept.

"Mom, that's enough!"

The mother-in-law glared at me, refusing to let it go, grinding her teeth. "You little slut, you just wait!"

Then she flung Arthur's hand off and stormed away, seething.

Arthur knotted his brow and stared at me, then rolled over onto the bed with his back to me, his tone edged with resentment. "Divorce, divorce, it's all you ever say. Not even afraid the neighbors will laugh."

I looked at his curled-up back, twisted my mouth into a sneer, and let my gaze fall on the lamp.

Afraid of being laughed at, or afraid the lamp would stop working and he'd never reach the future again?

Ten days later, Arthur and the mother-in-law disappeared again.

But only three days in, they were back.

The moment she came through the door, the mother-in-law dropped to her knees in front of Arthur, wailing, slapping her own face over and over.

"It's all Mom's fault, all Mom's fault. Mom never should have taken my grandson out for a walk alone and lost him."

"Whatever grudge you have, whatever anger, take it all out on Mom. Just please, please don't leave Mom behind here."

"As long as you still take Mom to the future, Mom will slave for you, do anything."

Arthur stared down at her with a dark face. Dutiful as he'd always been, he didn't help her up. He let her kneel.

He looked down at her from above. "Still thinking about the future? You heard what Cordelia said. If we don't find Bobby in two days, she divorces me!"

The mother-in-law went pale, crawled forward on her knees a couple of steps to keep begging him, then the instant she turned and saw me, all the pitifulness dropped from her face.

Her eyes bulged and she started cursing. "Fern Smith, you jinx, you couldn't keep your own child, so now you're cursing my grandson."

"If anything happens to my grandson, I'll make you go into the grave with him!"

Furious, I hurled the kitchen knife in my hand down onto the floor and fixed her with a cold stare.

"Was it that I couldn't keep my child, or that some heartless bastards murdered him?"

The mother-in-law went white and dropped to the floor, her body shaking beyond her control.

The next second she burst into loud sobbing. "She's going to kill me, the daughter-in-law's going to hack her mother-in-law to death, there's no decency left in this world..."

I reached over and rolled up my sleeves, then shouted at the top of my voice, "You want a scene? Fine, let's get every neighbor here to judge it and see whose side is in the wrong!"

The mother-in-law's narrow eyes bulged and she was about to say more, but Arthur immediately pulled her to her feet, his face deadly grim. "Finding Bobby is what matters!"

He lifted his eyes toward the lamp and lowered his voice. "Mom, that method will definitely get Bobby back."

I didn't sleep all night. The moment the mother-in-law and Arthur vanished, I climbed off the bed.

I looked up at the magic lamp and let out a laugh, cold and mocking.

Soon enough, Arthur would lose his wife and his child both.

While the two of them were gone, I did what the lamp told me and went to the county seat to collect scrap.

Ten full days of scavenging, and it all sold for nearly thirty dollars.

More than our whole family earned from a year of working the land.

I was walking home, pleased with myself, and the second I pushed the door open I heard Arthur roaring.

"It's your fault Bobby's dead. If Bobby hadn't died, Cordelia never would've divorced me."

"You traded away the luck of the Dickerson bloodline for three wishes, and two of them you spent on yourself. You're selfish, you never once thought about me!"

Compared to ten days ago, the mother-in-law was dripping in gold.

She gave the gold chain at her throat a little shake, thick as a wrist. "What's that got to do with me? Bobby was found, wasn't he? You were the one who didn't have the sense to keep from provoking his kidnappers, and that's why he ended up dead."

"And another thing, Cordelia didn't divorce you over Bobby. She divorced you because you're no good in bed!"

Arthur slammed a fist down on the edge of the bed. "That's not it! There's nothing wrong with me!"

The mother-in-law patted her fashionable new hairstyle. "So Cordelia doesn't want you. You've still got old Mr. Chavez's kin, haven't you?"

"Tom and I registered the marriage down at the courthouse. Long as you don't rile me up, you'll be living the good life from here on."

"And besides..."

She lifted her eyes to the lamp. "If nothing else works, offer up that little slut Fern to the magic lamp. Make your wish come true."

Offer her up.

The words went through me and I shuddered.

They'd killed my child, and that still wasn't enough. Now they wanted my life too.

Arthur said nothing, but a spark flickered through the darkness in his eyes.

He wanted to kill me.

I clenched my fists, turned to run, and Arthur shoved the door open and clamped a hand around my throat.

"Fern, I've got nowhere left to turn."

"I can't spend my whole life stuck here, breaking my back in the dirt. I want to go to the future and live better."

"Don't you worry. Help me just once more, and after you're gone I'll burn you plenty of spirit money."

I fought him, gasping, both hands clawing at the hand crushing my throat. "Arthur, you killed my unborn child for your own greed, and that wasn't enough. Now you want me dead too!"

Something wild came over him and his grip tightened. "You know? You actually know!"

"Then you really can't be allowed to live."

"Arthur Dickerson owes you. Next life I'll be your ox, your workhorse, I'll pay it all back. But in this life, I want to live well first!"

His face twisted as he hauled me up off my feet, fingers clamping down harder.

I glared at him through the pain, my chest crushed so tight it felt like it would burst.

Everything in front of me went blurry, my mind slipping away.

Just when I thought I was surely going to die, the lamp flared, the light blinding.

It shook violently, twice, and its voice thundered through the room. "The passage to the future is closed. Fern Smith's second wish is fulfilled. They will stay here forever, and never see the future world again."