There once was a poor fisherman who went out every day to catch his living from the sea, having promised himself never to cast his net more than four times a day. One time, his net brought up an old copper jar sealed with a strange mark, and the fisherman rejoiced, thinking he could sell it for good money.

He opened the jar, and thick smoke poured out, gradually forming into a towering jinni whose head touched the clouds. The jinni told him he had been trapped inside for a very long time, and had decided to kill whoever freed him, since the long wait had made him furious at everyone. The fisherman was terrified by this unjust reward, but he did not lose his composure.

Thinking quickly, the fisherman said, «I can't believe your enormous body was ever inside that little jar — show me yourself, so I can believe it.» Offended that his power was doubted, the jinni turned back into smoke and returned into the jar to prove it. At once, the fisherman sealed the jar shut with its old seal and threw it back into the sea, saving his life through his own quick thinking in the most dangerous of moments.