A Short Short Tail

Aston and Nora were strolling by the ocean one day when they stumbled upon a bottle. When Aston opened the bottle, a well-aged parchment fell out.

"Hello, you have reached the answering parchment of Najeeb the Genie. Please leave your name, the date, an address, and your three wishes, and I will grant them upon my return. Thank you very much and have a great life!"

The rest of the parchment was filled with scribbles of people's names, addresses and wishes.

Aston was the first to speak. "Remember how the others laughed at us as we planned our escape? They would be so jealous of our fortunes right now."

"Indeed," replied Nora. "Let us take it with us. It will make a good addition to our home."

So Aston and Nora took the parchment and left the bottle behind. At home, they put it on top of a pile of wood shavings.

Several centuries pass and upon his return, Najeeb found the front door to his house ajar, the inside flooded with ocean water and his answering parchment missing. He could not have known that his residence was left in such a state by two rabbits that escaped from a local petting zoo. The answering parchment was used as part of their bedding until it disintegrated from overuse. There really was no way Aston and Nora could have followed his succinct instructions.

After all, rabbits can't read.