Jinn in the Well

"O', jinn in the well. I want my neighbor to die in the worse way possible." The voice in the well answers, "Do you truly wish misfortune unto another when you can do it yourself?" Kamal says, "I cannot pray to the goddess if my hands are soiled in blood! You are the jinn! You should do it!" And so the voice says, "A life for a life, mortal. Your wish is my command." Kamal doesn't hear the sneer in the tone, but all he cares is his wish coming true...

The Jinn in the Well is a cautionary tale about the horrors of wishing something more than you can bargain. It tells the story of Kamal, who discovers that the well behind his house has a jinn that can grant him wishes. Overtime, the wishes become extreme to the point of murder and things go awry for Kamal.

Summary

The story begins during a drought in Qadena. Kamal is a commoner who has a well behind his house, but the drought slowly dries it out. One day, when he drops the bucket down, a voice calls from the bottom of the well, chiding Kamal for dropping the bucket on their head. Kamal, though confused, apologizes to who or whatever is in the well. As an apology, Kamal throws in food for the thing in the well to eat. It thanks Kamal, and introduces itself as the Jinn. In return for the food, the Jinn grants Kamal his wish for a well that never dries. Kamal is elated as he doesn't have to worry about water during the drought. After some time, Kamal is slowly losing money from buying food for the Jinn. So he asks the Jinn to grant him an abundance of food. His neighbors begin to notice his sudden wealth and come to his home for food and water. At first, he generously gives them for free, until he realized the whole neighborhood comes to him. Kamal has a wicked thought and charges the neighbors for the food and water despite knowing most of them has no riel to spare. He knew he can't get any more riel if he charges his poor neighbors so he seeks the Jinn and throws a gold coin. He wishes to be the richest man in Qadena, which is immediately granted. Kamal becomes a rich man overnight and everyone in his neighborhood worships him as a god. Despite his riches, however, Kamal is a lonely man at heart with no family. So when he sees his neighbor, Adam, being happy with his wife and kids, he grows jealous. A poor man happier than him is something he can't accept. He seeks the Jinn and wishes for his neighbor to die. The Jinn questions him, telling him he can do it on his own but Kamal worries that killing someone won't make his prayers accepted, demands the Jinn to do it instead. And so the wish is granted... but for a price. The neighbor indeed die in the most gruesome way. Kamal is overjoyed, but it's short-lived when the authorities barged into his home and searches his house. They found the tools for murder; a meat cleaver and a screwdriver. Kamal, confused and afraid, denies the murder claims despite witnesses reported him lingering around Adam's house last night and heard screams. Unable to accept the truth, Kamal runs from the authorities but he falls and trips into the well as he did. His bones break from the fall and makes him crippled. The jinn in the well chuckles. "Your prayers are rejected the moment you seek me for wishes."

Related Ethnicities