This post has been published by me as a part of the Blog-a-Ton 40; the fortieth edition of the online marathon of Bloggers; where we decide and we write. To be part of the next edition, visit and start following Blog-a-Ton. The theme for the month is "MAKE A WISH"
Why is it that I get so easily deceived? Anyone with a sob-story can lay claim on the contents of my wallet - so much so that I sometimes feel like an ATM machine where the con-men come to swipe their sob-stories and make away with my cash. Whenever I seek something from someone they find it so easy to lead me astray conversationally that I end up forgetting what I came to ask and leave wondering what I had come to them for in the first place. If only I could make a wish and rid myself of this problem..
A bottle with a milky-white gas inside materialized in front of me.
"Open it, let the genie out and ask it for your wish", whispered a voice in my ear. So engrossed was I in my own problem that a disembodied voice speaking in my ear seemed quite natural.
How clichéd! The moment you start talking of wishes, you end up getting a genie in a bottle. They could have, at least, switched over to cans whoever they were.
Shit! The bottle was corked. The last time I tried to open a corked bottle - wine it was - without a cork-screw, which I anyway did not have, it was no fun at all. The screwdriver I tried on it chipped this end for a while and, when I tried to poke it through, it ended up pushing the cork into the bottle. Now, I do not know what the current fashion for genies in head-gear was but I had a suspicion that a chipped cork on the head would not be the latest attraction in any genie fashion show.
I picked the bottle up gingerly and laid a hand on the cork to test how tight it was. The cork slid out smooth as silk and the room started suddenly filling up with smoke.
"Hey! Enough with the special effects. Can you do something less corny?" I bleated.
"You dare complain of corny? For how long are you guys still going to be bottling us up - like some soft drink or beer? Can't you think of anything more inventive if you have to do it?"
"We did try lamps and rings."
"I was talking of something more spacious. Such cramped accommodation where we have no choice but to turn to smoke in order to feel a wee bit comfortable and you have the gall to complain? What did you expect - frothing champagne?"
By now the smoke had coalesced into a shape that filled most of the room. It was I, now, who was feeling distinctly cramped for space. The leering gargoyle of a face and the massive mass of the rest of the body made me want to recede as far as possible - but the wall got in the way.
"Listen!" I said weakly "I did not put you in the bottle. Anyway, I thought you were supposed to grant me a wish"
"And that is another thing. First you bottle us up and, then, in return for the generous favor of being released we have to grant you a wish in order to go free? Is that fair?"
"But..." I interjected weakly but the genie was not listening.
"Anybody would think that we were some sort of wish-vending machine. Species stereotyping is what I call it. And, unlawful incarceration. It is time that we djinns got together and started an agitation against this discriminatory behavior"
"Listen genie..." I tried to get some control of the situation. There was a dull throb north-northwest of my eyes.
"Huh? Genie, Genie! It is Djinn you idiot. You cannot even get our species name right. And what do you mean calling me genie? You even call your dogs by names and you do not have the common courtesy to seek the name of a sentient being?"
The dull throb in the head was sending out shooting pains.
"Ooh! Just go away. Get lost"
"Is that your Wish?"
"I am not just shooting off my mouth to hear my voice. Of course, it is my wish" I yelled.
"Your Wish is granted"
The genie vanished with a boom.
Uhoh! Cheated by a genie, too!
Shit! The bottle was corked. The last time I tried to open a corked bottle - wine it was - without a cork-screw, which I anyway did not have, it was no fun at all. The screwdriver I tried on it chipped this end for a while and, when I tried to poke it through, it ended up pushing the cork into the bottle. Now, I do not know what the current fashion for genies in head-gear was but I had a suspicion that a chipped cork on the head would not be the latest attraction in any genie fashion show.
I picked the bottle up gingerly and laid a hand on the cork to test how tight it was. The cork slid out smooth as silk and the room started suddenly filling up with smoke.
"Hey! Enough with the special effects. Can you do something less corny?" I bleated.
"You dare complain of corny? For how long are you guys still going to be bottling us up - like some soft drink or beer? Can't you think of anything more inventive if you have to do it?"
"We did try lamps and rings."
"I was talking of something more spacious. Such cramped accommodation where we have no choice but to turn to smoke in order to feel a wee bit comfortable and you have the gall to complain? What did you expect - frothing champagne?"
By now the smoke had coalesced into a shape that filled most of the room. It was I, now, who was feeling distinctly cramped for space. The leering gargoyle of a face and the massive mass of the rest of the body made me want to recede as far as possible - but the wall got in the way.
"Listen!" I said weakly "I did not put you in the bottle. Anyway, I thought you were supposed to grant me a wish"
"And that is another thing. First you bottle us up and, then, in return for the generous favor of being released we have to grant you a wish in order to go free? Is that fair?"
"But..." I interjected weakly but the genie was not listening.
"Anybody would think that we were some sort of wish-vending machine. Species stereotyping is what I call it. And, unlawful incarceration. It is time that we djinns got together and started an agitation against this discriminatory behavior"
"Listen genie..." I tried to get some control of the situation. There was a dull throb north-northwest of my eyes.
"Huh? Genie, Genie! It is Djinn you idiot. You cannot even get our species name right. And what do you mean calling me genie? You even call your dogs by names and you do not have the common courtesy to seek the name of a sentient being?"
The dull throb in the head was sending out shooting pains.
"Ooh! Just go away. Get lost"
"Is that your Wish?"
"I am not just shooting off my mouth to hear my voice. Of course, it is my wish" I yelled.
"Your Wish is granted"
The genie vanished with a boom.
Uhoh! Cheated by a genie, too!
The fellow Blog-a-Tonics who took part in this Blog-a-Ton and links to their respective posts can be checked here. To be part of the next edition, visit and start following Blog-a-Ton. Participation Count: 12
बढ़िया रचना सुरेश जी
ReplyDeleteक्या करे जमाना ही ख़राब हैं
जिंदगी से ले कर जिनी सभी ठग ही रहे हैं
Bahut Shukriya, Shashi! Pata nahin Blogspot ko aisa kyon laga ki apka comment Spam hai - pehla comment aapka tha aur woh abh doond nikala hoon main :)
DeleteGood one! You could have at least asked for a fatter bank balance than The Famiglia ..
ReplyDeleteWhat can I say? I get so easily distracted :)
Deletei have secretly wondered what it would be like to get a wish granted..and am always prepared for that..just one wish to get all my wishes granted.I wouldnt have let him go..would have held him by his pony tail.. :D
ReplyDeleteHe was as bald as I am :) You see that is the problem - if you are not sufficiently intelligent even the best of boons go waste :)
DeleteHaha! The genie, oops... djinn, proved far too clever for you!!
ReplyDeleteSadly it did :)
DeleteA very interesting encounter with the 'much desired' , 'much hyped' and 'much loved' genie! I wish you would have handled the situation a little wisely and enjoyed being the king of the world. But then, we would have been deprived of such a hillarious post :P
ReplyDeleteWisdom unfortunately ran out before I reached the counter :)
DeleteI would have asked him for a debit card whose balance never dips below the 10 digit limit
ReplyDeleteHe would have given it without a Pin and transaction password :)
DeletePsst,how sad!
ReplyDeleteCome to think of it ,i too would be flummoxed if suddenly i was asked to make a wish.
Oh! The genie sort of troubled me so much that I forgot all about wishes :)
DeleteOn second thoughts,i would certainly not pick up a fight with a djinnh.
ReplyDeleteNor would I :)
DeleteBeautifully narrated with subtle humour. Love the style. Awesome job !!
ReplyDeleteThanks for those lovely words, binzy
DeleteAnother wonderful post by you and so brilliant .. just wonderful Sureshji .. So true as well that when we think of a wish we think of a Genie oops Djinn ... but what can I say I am spoilt by 'I dream of Genie' ... All the Best for BAT.
ReplyDeleteMy Entry - Vikas Khair - Wishes
Thanks a million, Vikas, for those wonderful words.
DeleteSo you were dreaming of Genie and ended up having a headache northwest of your eyes. Genie or Djinn, this was fun read.
ReplyDeleteGood luck.
Thanks Alka! Good to see you back :)
Delete"It is time that we djinns got together and started an agitation against this discriminatory behavior." - Haha. What a wonderful post. What was it you wanted the genie to grant though?
ReplyDeleteOh! I just wanted to be able to Wish properly :)
DeleteLOL!! probably you should have wished for a fatter wallet and never ending balance!! :) nice on!!
ReplyDeleteMy entry - Uthra Suresh- If only wishes were horses
So did I - BUT.... :)
DeleteI am still getting used to your wonderful posts.
ReplyDeleteIf someone was to ask me,off hand i dont know what would I wish for?
Thanks for those lovely words! Hmm - there is one earlier suggestion. Wish to have all your wishes come true and think at leisure :)
Deletegreat post, I found it now. very good
ReplyDeleteThanks
DeleteHahaha...very well thought and written!! Oh the Genie...oops Djinn did get to you...
ReplyDeleteThanks Aditi! The Djinn just got away from me :)
DeleteOh you blew your chance! It is actually interesting to consider what would actually transpire when our childhood stories meet reality. It was fun read :).
ReplyDeleteSad story of my life - I blew all my chances :)
Deletehehehe....ah ha..so now i know what to do when i meet u .... :)
ReplyDeleteAs though I did not hv enough trouble with people doing this to me all by themselves i had to go ahead to teach everyone too :)
Deletepattinathil bhootham the old nagesh jaishankar classic :)
ReplyDeleteBut they got all their wishes :)
DeleteOh no! Is it likely to return?? Should I send you a list of what I need? :-D
ReplyDeleteLet us hope it comes to you :)
DeleteLol....This was hilarious. Even gennie wouldn't fulfill this poor guy's wish.
ReplyDeleteEven the genie cheats him :)
DeleteWonderful post! Loved the turnaround! Instead of wishing, you made the genie vanish!!!
ReplyDeleteMade the genie vanish by wishing :)
DeleteYour satire never fails to impress. Read a lot of your other posts too. And all the best for BAT-40 :)
ReplyDeleteMy Entry Are we on a high?
Thank Rahul
Deletewish vending machine- yeah true..... i am glad that jinnies dont exisst now-a-days.....
ReplyDeletephew what a relief :) :)
nicely written.... a slap on the face of the greedy people who makes such a wish... hope they read this
all the best for BAT :)
Hmmm! I am still sad that my wish went astray :)
DeleteHahahaha...Hilarious Suresh Ji :) Next time when your character visit someone ask him to start talking, putting out all what he wants and don't stop until he is done. Loved the story and specially the innocent character you created :)
ReplyDeleteIf he were capable of that, he would never get into situations like this :)
Deleteoops! can the genie..er djinn come back please :)
ReplyDeleteA nice humorous post :)
All The Best for BAT :)
I am still pleading with it :)
DeleteLol! But you get three wishes! Don't you? What happened to the other three?
ReplyDeleteAh! Well! So even the disembodied voice cheated me by granting only one wish? Sad :)
DeleteLoved the humour... so out of the box. Or should i say : out of the 'bottle' :)
ReplyDeleteOut of the bottle, certainly! :)
DeleteOh! What am I saying? People will start thinking of me a a dipsomaniac :)
Great humour.
ReplyDeleteThanks Dilip
DeleteHa! You too writing Genie stories. We should do a genie anthology.
ReplyDeleteWe will some day :)
DeleteNext time when you get a bottled Genie, call me!
ReplyDeleteI don't know about that Purba! Do not want you to get into trouble with a genie revolution happening in your house :)
Deletepoor you,even a djinn took advantage of your innocence
ReplyDeleteHmm! Such is life :)
DeleteLovely little piece that reflects our predicament. Anyway, you did just the right thing, Suresh. Even Djinns can't get little joys of life for folks like us....
ReplyDeleteWhen joy is all in your mind what can a djinn do? :)
Deletehahahaha enjoyed it Suresh :) tells so much of us human beings no.. stereotyping & always being confused with what we want from life... loved the way you portrayed it :)
ReplyDeleteThanks for that lovely comment - so u did see behind the humor :)
DeleteThese fellows are stereotyped as wish yielding machines , poor things . Should blame Aladdin for that ! If one is destined to go wishless even a genie cannot save you ha ha
ReplyDeleteHmm! Destiny is cruel to me :)
DeleteLol! What a cantankerous Djinn you unbottled! Its good you didn't wish for anything from this high and mighty one.
ReplyDeleteIt did not give me a chance :) And managed to elicit a wish to just get rid of it :) (I daresay it could come back and yell at me for calling it "it" :) )
DeleteNow this was a fun read.... Loved it! Hope your headache vanishes sooon :)
ReplyDeleteThanks Khushi! Aapne hume itna khush kar diya ki sir dard gayab :)
DeleteFun and Frolic.You will be one of the inspiration I can say in terms of what you write. A sense of rhythmic touch is attained by the way you express it Suresh Sir...loved the final end esp ..Ohh I miss genie...ha ha ha..
ReplyDeleteThanks Vajra! I miss the damn genie too :)
Deletehahaha, that was a fun read, Suresh! but i think, Genie did have a point.
ReplyDeleteCourse it did - but why take it out on me? :)
DeleteAnother wonderful post :-)
ReplyDeleteThanks Aativas
DeleteHey! This is good!
ReplyDeleteAll the best for BAT!
My entry:
http://www.locomente.blogspot.in/2013/08/best-days-of-my-life.html
Thanks!
DeleteNice to see BAT kindling your interest again! :) A good take on the prompt, Suresh. Sigh, genies take such advantage too? !
ReplyDeleteOf me they do :)
DeleteSigh! Guess 'I dream of Jeannie' only happens to astronauts?!! Your Genie was quite Machiavellian tricking you into freeing it all the while granting your wish...
ReplyDeleteIt never does to underestimate genies...err...djinns :)
Delete