The story of the Genie and the wise man

A wise man was walking down a country lane when he happened upon a small genie sitting at the roadside. The genie smiled mischievesly and confessed that as he had been discovered he must grant the man a wish.

‘But to earn his wish’ he said ‘you must first look at these two small shoots growing out of the ground and tell me which is the flower and which is the weed’

The wise man asked the genie if there were any rules to the challenge?

‘Only that the answer is your own, with the help of no one’ the genie replied.

The next day the wise man arrived with some compost and a watering can and tended to the seedlings.

Each day he returned and repeated his nurturing, until after a week he declared with total confidence…

‘Genie, this is the flower and this is the weed’

The Genie granted his wish and they all lived happily ever after.

The End