The government clerk and the genie
A government clerk was sitting at his desk one afternoon, staring at the clock and wondering how it was possible for five minutes to feel like an hour.
With nothing else to do, he decided to clean out an old filing cabinet that had probably been there longer than he had.
Behind a stack of dusty folders, he discovered an old brass lamp.
“This might look nice at home,” he said, slipping it into his bag.
That evening, while polishing the lamp, a genie suddenly appeared.
“You have three wishes!” the genie announced.
The clerk thought for a moment.
“For my first wish, I want an ice-cold Coke.”
Poof! A cold Coke appeared. He took a sip and smiled.
“For my second wish, I want to be on a beautiful tropical island, surrounded by wonderful company, with absolutely nothing to worry about.”
Poof! He instantly appeared on a sunny island, relaxing beside the ocean.
The genie reminded him, “You still have one wish left.”
The clerk smiled.
“I wish I never have to work again!”
Poof!
He was suddenly back at his desk in the government office.
He looked around in disbelief.
The genie smiled and said, “Congratulations. Your wish has been granted.”
The clerk sighed.
“Wait… I thought I said I never wanted to work again!”
The genie nodded.
“Exactly. And where else can you spend an entire day doing absolutely nothing and still get paid?”
The clerk looked at his desk, smiled, and finally understood.
He had accidentally wished to become the perfect government employee!