Once there was a very poor fisherman. He cast his net every day, but never more than four times. One day, he cast his net and waited. When he pulled it in, he found only the dead body of an ass.

Once again he cast the net. This time he pulled out an earthen pot full of sand and mud!

He tried his luck a third time and found only broken bottles and bits of glass. He tried for the fourth time and prayed, `Lord, you now this is the last time I will cast the net today. Do not disappoint me again.’

This time he found nothing but a sealed vessel made of brass.

`At least, I can sell the brass in the Bazaar, and buy some food,’ he thought, and opened the seal on the vessel.

Out of the vessel came a large cloud of smoke. The smoke slowly formed the shape of a genie. It was huge and terrifying. The fisherman was so frightened that he could not move.

The monster looked at him fiercely and said, `O fisherman! Prepare to die! I am going to kill you.’

`But why should you kill me?’ exclaimed the fisherman. `I have set you free. Is this my reward for helping you?’

`Yes, I must kill you,’ said the genie. `But what is my crime?’ asked the fisherman. Then the genie told him his own story.

`I am one of those who rebelled against God. As a punishment, I was shut up in this vessel. The vessel was thrown into the sea. I remained there for a hundred years. I thought to myself, `if anyone frees me, I will make him rich for ever.’ But no one set me free. During the second hundred years, I said, `If anyone frees me, I will give him all the treasures of the earth.’ Still, no one freed me. In the third century, I said, `I will grant three wishes to the person who frees me.’ Still I remained in the vessel. At last, I became angry and full of hate. I said, `if anyone sets me free now, I will kill him’. Now you have set me free, so I am going to kill you.’

The fisherman was very frightened. But he was also clever. He said to the genie, before you kill me, will you answer one question?’

`Ask and be brief,’ roared the genie.

`All right then,’ began him fisherman. `How can a big genie like you get into this vessel?’

The genie was angry when he heard this. `What? You don’t believe that I was in the vessel?’

The fisherman answered, `I will not believe it until I see it with my own eyes.’

Then the genie changed him back into smoke, and entered the vessel little, till all the smoke was inside. The fisherman quickly put the lid back on the vessel. Then he threw it back into the sea. He then picked up his net and went home.