needed was a quick influx of funds from outside the dimen- •
sion. ‘
“That’s when some marketing genius hit on the ‘Djin In
A Bottle’ concept. Nearly everyone in the dimension who
had the least skill or potential for magik was recruited for
service. There was resistance, of course, but the promoters
insisted it called for temporary contracts only, so the plan
went into effect. In fact, the limited contract thing became
a mainstay of the sales pitch . . . the mystique I was men-
tioning. That’s why most Djins have conditions attached …
three wishes only or whatever, though some are more ethical
than others about how the wishes are fulfilled.”
A thought suddenly occurred to me.
“Um, Kalvin? How many wishes do I get from you?
Like I said, the Deveel was a bit shell-shocked and never
said anything about limitations.”
“… On wishes or powers, eh?” the Djin winked. “Not
surprising. Shell-shocked or not, Deveels still know how to
sell. In their own way they’re truly amazing.”
“How many?”
“What? Oh. I’m afraid my contract only calls for one
wish, Skeeve. But don’t worry, I’ll play it clean. No tricks,
no word traps. If you’re only going to get one for your
money, it’s only fair that it’s legit.”
“I see,” I said. “So what can you do?”
“Not much, actually. What I’m best at is bad jokes.”
“Bad jokes?”
“You know, like ‘How do you make a djin fizz?”
“I don’t think …”
“Drop him in acid. How do you …”
19
MYTH-NOMERS AND IM-PERVECTIONS
“I get the picture. That’s it? You tell bad jokes?”
“Well, I give pretty good advice.”