INTRODUCTION

Be careful what you wish for.
While I’m dropping pearls of wisdom let me add, read the fine print.
Why am I wasting my time offering warnings that no one is going to listen to? Because as humans we have this unconquerable urge to try to help others learn from our mistakes. Or in this case my great, great, great, great grandmother’s mistakes.
She came from a very poor background and consequently wanted it all, riches beyond measure, beauty. Need I say more?
Great-great-plus Grams stumbled onto a genie’s lamp and made her wish.
You don’t believe in genies?
Trust me. They’re real all right. Unfortunately, when my ancient relative made her wish she didn’t bother to listen to the genie’s warning of strings attached. This lack of foresight has a direct bearing on the first born daughter of each generation, i.e. me.
To put it mildly, my life is complicated. I am literally grounded forever.
I live on a lavish estate in the mountains of North Carolina. Between sunset and dawn, my life is my own. But during the day I’m grounded in several hundred pounds of marble. If you happen to wander by the Stone Estate and peep through the fence, you’ll hear the rippling sounds of water from a lovely manmade pool surrounded by lush fragrant flowers. Beside it stands a life size statue of a young woman, with long flowing hair and classic bone structure, draped in a Greek toga a cat at her feet.
The young woman is me.
The cat is Merrick.