The Fisherman and the Genie

An aged fisherman ventured out one day to catch food to feed his family. He cast his nets and caught
nothing for the first hour. Frustrated, he persisted, but his nets held only trash.

Finally, on the third casting of his nets, he felt something. Eagerly, he pulled up the heavy net onboard his
primitive boat. There were no fish, but a humongous copper jar fell to the floor of the boat. It sparkled in the
sun like a stack of new pennies.

The fisherman was curious about the jar and its contents. Gingerly, he pried open the tight lid with a sharp
knife. As the top popped off, a dense cloud of smoke filled the air. Instantly, a genie appeared beside the old
fisherman. Dressed in baggy purple pants and a black vest, the genie sported a long black ponytail that fell
from the top of his head to well below his shoulders.

“Ahh, I am free at last!” the genie said with more annoyance than relief. He took a deep breath of the salty
air then leered at the fisherman with dark, glittering eyes.

“Yes, I have released you from your jar. Now, you shall grant me wishes, correct?” inquired the fisherman,
giddy with excitement. He was already imagining the riches that would soon lie at his feet.

“I am afraid not, old man. For I have been trapped so long that I resolved that whoever frees me shall have
nothing but bad luck, not wishes.”

“Bad luck?” cried the fisherman.

The genie explained that during his first 200 years in the jar, he planned to give riches and power to
whomever freed him. However, another 200 years had passed, and he had grown bitter.

The fisherman shook with fear. He did not want tragedy for himself or his family. He knew he must hastily
devise a plan to get rid of the irate genie.

“Oh, great genie,” exclaimed the fisherman, “I cannot believe that a man as large as you could ever be stuck
in such a tiny space! What you say must not be true.”

“How dare you question my word?” the genie roared. The boat rocked under the force of his voice. “I will
show you!”

The genie, proud of his might, created a large puff of smoke. Within seconds, he disappeared into the jar. In
a flash, the fisherman seized the jar and sealed it with the lid.

Oh, how the genie shouted and banged against the inside of the jar! But the fisherman hurled the jar back
into the choppy sea. He smiled nervously as he watched the jar disappear below the lapping waves.

The fisherman made his way back to shore. For the rest of his life, he told his tale to all who would listen so
that no one would ever give the genie his freedom again.

©2018 Voyager Sopris Learning, Inc. All rights reserved. Permission is granted to reproduce this page for teacher use. LETRS 3rd Edition