There was a poor fisherman who went every day to the sea to catch fish. He had made it a rule to cast his net four times each day, neither less, nor more. He would sell the fish he caught in the village market. One morning, he went as usual to the sea and cast his net. After a while, it felt heavy and, thinking he had a good catch, the fisherman drew in his net. He was shocked to see that he had drawn in the body of a dead ass! Disgusted, he threw away the carcass. His net had got torn in places, so he repaired it before casting it again. This time, he dragged in a lot of garbage and waste! Once again, he cast the net and found stones, shells and mud in it! Somehow each throw had been a failure that day!
The Genie
The fisherman cast his net one last time. When he drew it in, a large copper jar lay in it. He saw that it was sealed with a lid. When he opened it, smoke came out and became an angry-looking Genie who threatened to kill him! The fisherman exclaimed, “I helped you out of the jar! How can you kill me?” The angry Genie said, “Choose the manner of your death! Someone has to pay for my imprisonment! The King of Genies sealed me up in that jar and flung it into the sea!” The Genie continued, “I thought I would reward the person who set me free. But time went by and I decided I would kill whoever opened the jar!” “Can you please show me how you got in?” asked the fisherman. The Genie showed him and, as soon as he got into the jar, the fisherman flung it into the sea and ran!
