Hundreds of years ago, there lived a boy named Gene. Gene
was sarcastic and hilarious, meaning people loved to have fun around him. He
lived his life to the fullest and was a friend to everyone he met. Gene married
his wife and eventually had many children. One day while Gene was walking to
the store, a huge thunderstorm covered the town. He began to jog a little to
avoid the rain, but made his situation worse. Gene was struck by lightning and
it shook every ounce of his being. The lightning electrocuted him and turned
him into a superhuman. He quickly evaporated into a nearby lamp and fell
asleep.
A few hours later, Gene woke up to a large jolt. “Where am
I? What is going on?” He walked around in this dark place until he found a
match. Striking the match on the wall, he guided himself around the room until
he found an oil-burning candle. Inside the room, there were a million books and
jewels. Gene picked up a notebook that was on the bed and began reading. The
journal described what had happened to Gene. Essentially, Gene was chosen to be
a Genie. Genies were known to be the nicest and most helpful people on the
Earth. In a way, he was happy, but he was also very sad. The book told him that
he would be stuck in the lamp until someone rubbed it and asked for something.
The genie knew he would be here for a while, so he studied the journal and
books more.
A few hours later, the storeowner was cleaning the lamps. He
reached for the genies lamp, but noticed something different about it. Once he
started to clean it, the genie appeared. Frightened, the store owner shouter
“Who are you?” The genie calmly responded and explained who he was. The
storeowner was delighted to hear of the wishes. He wished for money so he could
stop working. The genie immediately granted it. He then wished for a boat so he
could travel. The genie walked him to the ocean, where the storeowner saw his
new boat. The owner then asked for the boat to take him to the most exotic
places. The genie granted this wish and said farewell to owner.
Genie returned to his lamp and once again picked up a book.
After 30 days, the genie was finally released again. This time was different.
The boy, named Aladdin wished for the genie to be his forever and always grant
him wishes. The genie agreed because Aladdin was so kind. Genie and Aladdin shortly
became the best of friends. They spent every hour of everyday together. Aladdin
told the genie of the princess that lived in the palace and how much he loved
her. One day, Aladdin and the genie plotted out a brilliant plan. Aladdin would
dress up as a prince and fool the princess into thinking he was royalty. After
this, the princess would want to marry Aladdin. Their brilliant plan worked,
and no one ever learned the truth about Aladdin. Even if he was a poor boy from
the streets, no one ever knew. Aladdin lived to be the greatest ruler of all
time with his best friend, Genie, by his side the whole time.
Author's Note: It was really hard to differentiate this from Disney's Aladdin and the story Aladdin. Something I have always wondered is where did the Genie come from? I know that him being struck by lightning was a little dramatic, but I wanted to show how he got his super powers. In the original story, Aladdin finds the genies lamp in a cave. I left that part out because most people have their own idea of Aladdin and how he found the lamp.
Bibliography:The Arabian Nights' Entertainments by Andrew Lang, link to the reading online.
Image: Inside the genies lamp from Domythic Bliss.
