| 1 | Genie-us by Louise Cooper |
| 2 | ‘If you want to marry my daughter,’ said the king, ‘you must prove yourself worthy of her hand.’ |
| 3 | ‘Anything!’ cried the poor young man. |
| 4 | ‘I love the princess, and I will brave any peril for her!’ |
| 5 | The princess stood behind the throne, crying. |
| 6 | ‘Right then,’ said the king. ‘You must climb to the top of the Ice Mountain, and fetch the magic lamp that a wicked rival stole from me.’ |
| 7 | ‘I'll do it!’ the young man declared, and rushed from the throne room. |
| 8 | The king chuckled. |
| 9 | ‘That's fixed him! |
| 10 | The cheek of it - poor as a church mouse, and weedy too, and he thinks he's good enough to marry my daughter! |
| 11 | Well, he won't be back!’ |
| 12 | The princess was still crying. |
| 13 | The young man might have been poor and weedy, but his love for the princess gave him courage. |
| 14 | He struggled up the freezing, slippery slopes of the Ice Mountain. |
| 15 | And he found the wicked rival's hideaway, where the magic lamp was hidden. |
| 16 | (Luckily, the rival was away at the time.) |
| 17 | Holding the lamp, he wondered what sort of magic it could do. |
| 18 | You were supposed to rub magic lamps, weren't you? |
| 19 | Well, then... |
| 20 | He rubbed the lamp. |
| 21 | And - WHOOSH! |
| 22 | A cloud of purple smoke burst out, and a genie appeared. |
| 23 | The genie was tall and handsome and proud. |
| 24 | He said, ‘Who are you?’ |
| 25 | ‘I'm a poor young man who loves the princess. And when I take the magic lamp, with you in it, back to the king, he'll let me marry her,’ said the young man happily. |
| 26 | ‘In your dreams!’ snorted the genie. |
| 27 | He reached out and grabbed the young man. |
| 28 | ‘I've been in that lamp for a hundred years, and I'm fed up with it! |
| 29 | So you can take my place - in you go!’ |
| 30 | And with another puff of smoke, the young man vanished into the lamp. |
| 31 | The genie picked up the lamp, grabbed a magic carpet that was rolled up in a corner, and told it to take him to the palace. |
| 32 | ‘I've brought your lamp,’ he announced as he strode into the throne room. |
| 33 | ‘It isn't magic any more. |
| 34 | But I am. |
| 35 | And I claim your daughter's hand in marriage!’ |
| 36 | The king looked at the genie. |
| 37 | Tall and handsome, and magic, too! |
| 38 | ‘That's more like it!’ he said, and turned to the princess, ‘Daughter, this is your future husband!’ |
| 39 | The princess stopped crying. |
| 40 | ‘Oh, goody!’ she said. |
| 41 | ‘I was so afraid I'd have to marry that poor, weedy creep instead!’ |