EMILIANO DE LA GARZA AND THE GENIE by Marc Calderwood

EMILIANO DE LA GARZA AND THE GENIE

Marc Calderwood

Synopsis

Everyone wishes for something, it’s learning how to wish that’s the real trick.

EMILIANO, a pragmatic Mexican, 20, works as a fisherman by day and a musician by night to take care of his deranged MOTHER, SOPHIA. His AUNT GRACIELA covets her sister’s property and needs to get rid of Emiliano. She convinces him to travel to the United States, where he will win The International Ranchera/Corrido Contest and return home rich enough to take care of his mother.

On the road north, Emiliano is rescued from a group of ill-tempered MARIACHIES by ARNULFO, and in return offers to help the stranger secure passage to the U.S. Arnulfo, a terrorist, secretly slips a weapons software disc into Emiliano’s belongings.

Traveling with a truckload of fellow illegal’s the two cross the border where they are ambushed by ANGLO RANCHERS. Everyone escapes but Emiliano, who is left behind. More importantly to Arnulfo, the irreplaceable software is left behind as well.

Lost in the desert, Emiliano finds, and accidentally calls forth, the occupant of an old bronze canister, an irascible GENIE who tricks the delirious Emiliano into making a wish. When Emiliano recovers, Genie prompts him to make another, but Emiliano doesn’t believe in the “something-for-nothing” aspect of “wishing,” and refuses. For 5000 years Genie has provided wishes for sex, power or riches, and here is someone unwilling to wish for anything. This creates a conflict that Genie is not familiar with. Emiliano prods the emotion between the two when he questions whether Genie wishes for anything. Of course Genie does, but he won’t lower himself to revealing his desire to a mere human.

In L.A. Arnulfo assigns DANGEROUS MEN to locate the boy and retrieve his software.

A thousand miles away, Emiliano gets work with a group of ILLEGAL’S. The kindness of their leader, JOSE, is well spent on Emiliano as he finds a father figure in the older man and falls in love with Jose’s bullheaded daughter, ROSA. Jose has kept his group independent from the gangster, SAMMY, who controls the work of local illegal’s. Then, one night, Jose is murdered by one of Sammy’s henchmen and Emiliano is forced to use a wish to help Rosa and the group. Rather than wish for money Emiliano “thinks” about what he wants; “I wish for a job where I get a little respect. A job where men look up to me, and I get lots of money and nice clothes.” Poof! The boy is transformed into a nightclub stripper known as Emily. Emiliano/Emily is helped by two other strippers STAR and JR and he assists Rosa and the group as he intended.

The terrorists close in, and with Sammy’s help they locate the illegal’s camp and take Rosa hostage in order to draw Emiliano out.

With the help of Genie, Star and JR, Emily rescues Rosa and they head to Los Angeles. But to become Emiliano again means using the last wish leaving him unprotected from Arnulfo. Emily/Emiliano finally understands that wishes are not made from the center of desire; the mind, but from the center of love; the heart. She wishes, and it works, but when Emiliano puts himself in personal danger against Arnulfo the outcome is nearly fatal. Only the power of a willing genie can save him, but the cost appears to be a life for a life; Genie’s for Emiliano’s.

Emiliano recovers, returns to Mexico with Rosa, Star and JR. He rescues his mother and their home and soon learns that Genie did not die, but by sacrificing his life for Emiliano’s he has received his wish, the wish of all genie’s ... to serve God as an Angel.