Service

Today is a Sunday. Of course for Mrs Dolly Sen its no different from
any other day. On the contrary she has more work on Sundays. Her son is
in college. Mr Jim Sen, her husband works in a bank. Both father and
son want to eat something special on Sunday evenings. It is generally a
recipe shown on television. Today afternoon Mrs Sen is boiling some
chickpeas in a pressure cooker. Mrs Sen wants to take a nap. But she
loves her son and husband too much to be able to leave the boiling
incomplete. Indeed, each time she recalls the praise her son showers on
her chickpea curry she feels inspired to make it even better. And her
husband brings home countless friends who all eat her chickpea with
relish. However she is feeling very tired today. It has been a long,
hectic week with little rest. Suddenly, there is a loud noise from the
pressure cooker. The kitchen fills with smoke. Mrs Sen is afraid that
something has caught fire. However the smoke gradually clears. Mrs Sen
is about to resume her cooking when she spots a tall man standing near
the cooking range. Before she can say anything the man who is wearing a
yellow t-shirt and jeans begins to speak. "Hello, Mrs Sen I am the
djinn from the pressure cooker. Thank you for liberating me. Your wish
is now my command." Though Mrs Sen is shocked she is smart enough to
ask, "Why have you come here? What can you do for me?" The djinn is
ready with his answer, "I am here to serve you. Ask for any three
things and they shall be yours. Just anything!" Mrs Sen is puzzled. But
she figures that there is no harm in trying a few things. Things that
she fantasizes about in her most private moments. "Bring the most
handsome man in the world to me!" Mrs Sen orders. The djinn says, "As
you wish." and suddenly disappears. Mrs Sen begins to think about all
the glossy pictures she had seen in magazines. After about five minutes
the djinn is back. With him is Mr Jim Sen, our Mrs Sen's husband. "But
I asked you to bring the most handsome man in the world."she says.
"That is what I did. You are the one who tells everyone that your
husband is the handsomest person in the world. So here he is"speaks the
djinn. Sensing that he has erred the djinn returns Mr Sen to his bed
where he had been sleeping. Mrs Sen is thinking hard. She remembers
that her son loves ice-cream. She has an idea. She speaks to the djinn,
"Take me to a place where I can make ice-creams all my life." The djinn
suddenly stands on its head. "This is how I think."he says. Then he
disappears. Five minutes later Mrs Sen begins to feel very cold. She
looks around and sees nothing but mountain after mountain covered with
snow. How on earth did she get here? The djinn appears suddenly. "Here
you are. We are on Mount Everest. There is more ice here than any other
place on earth. You can make all the ice-cream you want." As the djinn
stops speaking he understands that he has made a mess, again. He
returns Mrs Sen to her kitchen immediately. She has just one wish left.
She thinks and thinks. She remembers something. She feels that the
djinn would never be able to do it. She begins to speak, "My son will
appear for his college exams tomorrow. Can you bring his question paper
to my kitchen?." The djinn again becomes invisible. He is back in
exactly five minutes. This time, he has the question paper. Indeed it
is what Mrs Sen had asked for. She wants to know how he acquired it.
The djinn is frank, "I had to pay the man on duty a thousand pounds."
Surely even djinns from pressure cookers need to bribe their way these
days. Mrs Sen is happy. Before taking leave the djinn tells her that
whenever she needs him she has to only boil chickpeas in the pressure
cooker. And then he will appear to do any three jobs that she asks him
to perform.