Usborne First Reading: The Gennie in the Bottle

This story is about a fisherman, a bottle and a BIG bad genie. Once upon a time, a fisherman went fishing. He threw his nets again and again. He caught slimy seaweed...shiny shells...and a smelly sock. "Yuck!" Then, he caught something else. "A fish!" he cried. But it wasn't. It was an old bottle. He pulled out the stopper and looked in. "Empty," he sighed. And he threw it away. Suddenly, smoke poured out. The smoke turned into a huge face. "Help," cried the fisherman. "A genie!" The genie's tummy rumbled. "I'm hungry," he growled. "I'm going to EAT you!" "That's not very kind," said the fisherman. "I don't care. I'm hungry," shouted the genie. "I've been in that bottle for a long, long time." The fisherman thought fast. "I have to get him back in the bottle." "You were inside this bottle?" he asked. "YES," snapped the genie. The fisherman laughed. "You'd never fit," he said. "Watch," said the genie. He whooshed back in...and the fisherman pushed the stopper in hand. "Whew!""Grrrrrr." Then the fisherman went on fishing...and caught a tasty fish for dinner.