On the beach, tangled in seaweed, I found an ancient lamp. With avarice aforethought, I started rubbing.

From within the lamp, “not so hard you’ll ruin the finish!”

I eased up a bit, and smoke billowed from the spout; a genie appeared.

“What wish may I fulfill?”

“Oh Genie of the lamp, I ask a boon…”

A sonic boom rattled my teeth.

“There’s your boom.”

“NO! Boon, B-O-O-N!”

“Sorry pal, you’re done, no backsies.”

“Wait, I get three wishes…!”

“Nah, the new contract stipulates one.

Just my luck, a union genie.

Art is a retired computer programmer. After forty years of writing in COBOL and Assembler, he decided to try writing in English; it’s much harder than it looks. He lives in New York City with his wife/muse and regularly visiting grandkids. Art’s had stories published in The Arcanist, Third Flat Iron Anthologies, The Rabbit Hole: Weird Stories, and Fall Into Fantasy. He can be contacted at ALASKY9679@YAHOO.COM.