The Spirit in the Bottle

A young student walking in the woods, when he heard a small voice calling to him. He looked all around, but could not see anyone, The voice called out again, and appeared to come from the roots of an enormous oak tree. There the student found a bottle, in which there was a tiny man, who begged him, 'Let me out.'

So the student removed the cork, and a cloud of smoke emerged and grew into a frightening giant.

'I am a genie,' said the giant, 'and I was imprisoned in the bottle by a magnician. But now that I am freed, prepare to meet your end!'

'Wait a minute,' said the young man. 'I don't believe one word you have said. A giant your size could not have really come out of that little bottle. You could never get into it.'

'Of course I can,' said the genie. 'I'll prove it to you,' But as soon as the genie returned to the bottle, the young man put the cork back in. The next time, in order to get free, the spirit had to make a bargain with the student not only would it refrain from killing him, but it had also to give him a dagger which turned to gold everything it touched, and healed all wounds. And afterwards, thanks to that magic dagger, the student became a rich and famous doctor.