The Worst Genie
Five days ago, I was at my grandma’s house looking through her antique pots and vases when I found a peculiar teapot. It had strange markings, possibly an ancient language. The handle was rusty, and part of the markings looked scraped off.
Suddenly, the teapot rattled, and a man’s torso popped out. He was green like a sparkling emerald and covered in jewelry from head to toe. We stared at each other for a few seconds.
“Wow, humans really changed how they dressed, huh?”
I was too shocked to respond.
“I’m a genie, if you didn’t know.”
“Uh…”
“You know the rules, right? Three wishes, and no wishing for infinite wishes.”
I couldn’t believe genies were real, and I was lucky enough to meet one.
“So, have you made up your mind?” he asked. “I can do anything for you.”
“I’ll think about it.”
“Great. Tell me when you’re ready,” he grumbled. “I just want to go back to sleep.”
I took the teapot home and hid it under my bed. For the next few days, I thought about what to wish for. First, I considered boots that could make me fly, but I might lose them or grow out of them. Then I thought about infinite money, but that could destroy the economy.
Eventually, I decided on a cool sports car that couldn’t break and that I would have a license to drive.
I knocked on the teapot, and the genie appeared.
“Did you get an idea for your wish yet?”
“Yeah. I want an indestructible sports car, and I want a license to drive it.”
“May your wish come true,” he yawned.
Suddenly, a massive sports car dropped onto my bed.
“Hey! What’s your problem? You wrecked my house and almost killed me!”
“Should’ve been more specific,” the genie said casually. “You better clean this mess before your parents get home.”
“Fine! I want you to put the car in the middle of my driveway without hitting anything. Then make my house brand new, just like before you dropped the car, and fix my bed.”
“Okay, that’s technically two wishes,” he said. “So after this, I won’t be here anymore.”
A blinding light filled the room. When my eyes recovered from the flash, my house was brand new, and the genie was gone.
I looked around and sighed with relief. Everything was fixed. Then I noticed something. The entire house smelled like a construction site.
“Dang it,” I thought. “I guess I should’ve clarified how much earlier I wanted the house to be brand new.”
So now, I’m stuck with a stinky house, a driver’s license my parents think is fake, and a genie who is probably still laughing at me.