Return For Deposit (Except in KY, IL, WI & NJ.)

                                                  By Jeff Baker

            The bottle was glistening as it washed onto the beach, not just with water and sunlight but a shimmering golden swirl of tiny stars which quickly faded.

            I sighed. “See what I mean?”

            “What? You got a bottle, didn’t you?”

            “I keep getting bottles,” I said. “Look.”

            I picked up the bottle and popped it open. I pulled out the rolled-up parchment, cleared my throat and read:

            “Friends! You have an opportunity to make money at home! Ask me how!” I looked over and glared. “See?”

            “Uh, oh,” he said.

            “I thought I cast the right spell…” I said.

            “The one to summon a djinn?” he asked.

            “Yeah,” I said.  “This stuff is all I get.”

            “What do you do with the bottles?” he asked.

            “Toss ‘em over there,” I said. “In the pile.”

            “Careful you don’t break it. All that glass on a beach…” he said.

            “Indestructible bottles,” I said, tossing the latest bottle on the pile with a CLUNK!

            “Great!” he said.

            “Not great,” I said. “You ever try to recycle indestructible bottles?”

            He shook his head.

            I sighed again. “This isn’t my day.”

                                                —end—