The Genie's Familiar
    Our eternity of solitude is interrupted only infrequently by interlopers; those poor souls who unearth our enchanted abode, unknowingly unleashing an ancient curse which will follow them all their mortal years. This time is like any other - the vessel is jostled and shaken, the exclamations outside excited and muffled, and then the inevitable polishing of the lamp, which ultimately calls forth my mistress from our cozy den within. In a swirl of mist and magic she is brought unwilling into the light of the Sun, unable to refuse the bidding of creatures far beneath her interest or energy. And now here I am left to sit and wait for her return, and although we have existed through eons of time, these minutes among mortals seem to tick on the longest.
    Three wishes she begrudges. They never seem to consider being careful in their words, no matter the language. My mistress loves riddles, and can tangle their phrases of hope into webs of woe. She always finds a way to punish these invaders of her eternal slumber, but they are unaware of their demises until long after my mistress has returned to me. Our beautiful vessel will once more be lost to the eyes of the mortal world, and I can spend many more eras at her feet, granting every desire she wishes.