A man was walking along a deserted beach when he stumbled upon an old, dusty lamp. He picked it up and, out of curiosity, gave it a little rub.
With a puff of purple smoke, a massive genie appeared before him. “You have freed me!” the genie boomed. “For this, I will grant you one wish. What is your heart’s desire?”
The man was stunned but quickly recovered. “One wish? I thought it was supposed to be three!”
The genie crossed his enormous arms. “Times are tough. Inflation. You get one. Now, what will it be?”
The man thought for a moment and said, “Okay, I’ve always wanted to be incredibly rich. I wish for a constant, never-ending stream of money flowing directly to me!”
“A bold choice!” the genie declared. “Your wish is granted!” And with another puff of smoke, the genie vanished.
The man waited, looking around excitedly. Nothing happened. He checked his pockets, his bank account on his phone—nothing. Disappointed, he started his long walk home.
As he got closer to his house, he heard a strange noise. It grew louder and louder. It was the sound of coins, thousands of them, clattering and bouncing.
He ran the last block, turned the corner, and stopped dead. There, sticking out of his second-story bedroom window, was a giant metal chute, like one from a gumball machine. And pouring out of it, onto the street below, was a massive, never-ending stream of one-cent coins.