A bottle washed up on the beach, half buried in the sand. Was this just refuse from nearby or from some far-off land? The bottle didn’t look like any one I’ve seen before. I wondered how it came to rest before me on this shore. I picked it up and brushed it off, then looked on out to sea. I had the feeling this was meant especially for me. The color was a dirty green; I could not see inside. It was the perfect place, I thought, for something you might hide. That something might be anything, your guess as good as mine. But it was sealed up good and tight, protection from the brine. I shook it once or maybe twice but nothing made a sound. So maybe there was nothing in this bottle that I found. But I had heard of tales like this; I should have paid more heed. A genie could be stuck inside just waiting to be freed. That genie would grant me a wish, whatever I would ask. But first I had to get him out; a not so simple task. The seal that kept the bottle closed might take a little while. Hey, maybe this was how it worked - I had to pass this trial. And so I took the bottle home to come up with a plan. I put some deep thought to this job. I am a modern man. I looked at it from every side, and then I used my wits. I took a hammer in my hand and smashed the glass to bits. That genie didn’t say a word; I hoped he was okay. But that was all the plan I had, so what else can I say? There was no genie hiding there. There was a simple note. A little piece of paper where some unknown person wrote. This bottle is a fine antique It is extremely rare Its worth will make you very rich So handle it with care I’m sure that genie had a laugh, and I am laughing, too. I swept the glass up off the floor. Well, what else could I do? |