Be Careful What You Wish For
From Create Your Own Story
You are a rather boring, average-looking middle-aged man with a boring job, average-sized house, and an old, boring sedan. You're not married, not dating, and have no children, few friends, and even fewer interests. You are about as boring as they come. But all of that is about to change.
You are spending a quiet Saturday afternoon doing one of the few things that you enjoy -- browsing a local flea market. You rarely buy anything, because your boring job barely manages to pay the bills, but sometimes you can find something that you like. Today, your attention is drawn to a cluttered table full of old metal things - iron trivets and silver platters, brass candlesticks and copper pots. Almost lost among these things is a small, tarnished oil lamp, the green-gold metal scratched and dented, but you can't help but pick it up. It looks just like the lamp from Aladdin.
On a whim, you ask the vendor how much he wants for it. You talk the guy down from five bucks to three, and you walk away with the lamp tucked under your arm.
When you get home, you sit down at you tiny kitchen table and try to rub some of the tarnish off the lamp. As you rub, something strange happens. The lamp starts to shake! A stream of thick purple smoke issues from the mouth of the lamp, and you stare in disbelief as the smoke coalesces into a tall, tanned man with dark hair and exotic lavender eyes. He has broad shoulders, his chest bare except for a lavender vest. He's wearing billowy, silky purple pants and soft, golden slippers with pointed toes. If you didn't know better, you'd say he was a--
"I am the genie of the lamp," the strange man says in a deep, rich voice. "What dost thou wish of me, Master?"
