The part of the story I know started in the Persian wasteland in the early sixteenth century.  Adam was an English adventurer: lost and facing death under the summer sun.  He scrambled toward an outcropping of rocks hoping to find a corner of shade.  Then he saw an unbelievable vision.

Standing upright on a rock shelf was an elegant blue glass bottle.  It looked impossible in this desolate scene.  He thought it must be some trick of his thirst and exhaustion.  Crawling toward the small band of shade under the overhanging ledge; he reached up to grasp the object.  He was almost certain it would vanish when he touched it.

He touched it.  The brilliant blue glass was cool.  He could barely see through it but there was obviously some liquid within.

On awakening he reached for the bottle and was rightly surprised to discover that it was still filled with clear cool water.  Again, he drank his fill and began the slow but purposeful march to the nearest village. 

After three months, most of it at sea, he arrived at his home in England.  There he proudly placed the blue bottle on his mantle where friends could see it.  Though he told his story no one believed.  Some concluded that it was a delusion from his dire experience.  When he offered a drink of the cool water; they were convinced he was playing a trick on them by filling the vessel before their visit.

Adam became weary of his attempts to impress others.  Then, a year and a day after he had found the bottle, he discovered it was empty. 

An empty bottle suggests filling.  So it was that Adam filled it with a decent vintage of wine for his dinner table.  After several days the magical object was still full.  Was he mistaken or did the wine taste better the longer it stayed in the flask?

Thinking that he could make a profit by selling this treasure to a wealthy man; he took it to the Baron of the Shire.  Adam was no connoisseur; His Lordship was. 

The nobleman paid Adam a good price, perhaps because he was drunk.  However, by the end of the next day the bottle was empty except for the bitter dregs of vin ordinaire.  The Baron had Adam seized and shipped to a penal colony. 

Adam never arrived at his destination.  The ship was lost in a storm.  It was believed that he was drowned in the cold blue waters of the ocean.

The guardsman who was assigned the job of disposing of Adams worldly goods took particular note of the beautiful shining bottle.  He took it with him back to his quarters that night.  When he was alone and the stopper extracted there was a welcome aroma in the air.  No doubt about it.  The bottle was filled with Gin.  Bryan, the guard, had a particular liking for the potent and expensive liquor. 

That night he indulged himself as only an avid drinker can without killing himself.  It was a great effort to make muster in the morning but Bryan held to the thought that he would have a hair more when his duties were over for the day. 

On return to his quarters; Bryan discovered that the bottle was still full.  The thought of temperance never entered his mind.  Each morning it was harder to rise and properly equip himself for duty.  He was given warnings and for a time he moderated his drinking so he could keep his rank.  He learned to sip a little when ever the occasion offered.   Off duty he drank all he wanted.

Bryan never wondered at the magic of his jug of Gin.  He hid it well from the others and especially from his superiors.  It wasn't that he wouldn't share; it was his treasure and someone might try to steal it from him.

It was a year and a day from the time Brian had first opened the orbed stopper.  However, on this day the bottle was empty.  It was dry as a bone.  There was a moment of panic as the guard searched his belongings for any money he could use to get his liquor.  The few coins he found were not enough but then he thought of the bottle that was now worthless to him.  It was pretty with its long smooth lines and the glass ball at the top.  He reasoned that the publican would sell a glass of Gin for a beautiful flask of blown glass. 

The owner of the tavern took the bottle and insisted on the coins as well.  He read the desperation in Bryan's eyes. 

The Bottle went on a shelf behind the bar and Bryan crawled back in a corner to nurse his final drink.  In the morning the guard found himself out on the street with a foot soaking in the stinking gutter.  He really needed a drink. 

The man's hands began to tremble.  Slowly he stumbled to his feet and lumbered toward the Castle Tower.  It was the only home he knew and the only possible refuge from the fears that were creeping into his brain.

At first it was the snakes that slithered by his feet.  He kicked at them and sought the higher ground of the crenellated wall around the top of the Keep. 

As he climbed; Bryan felt an ominous presence following him up the stairs.  He didn't want to look back but when he reached the top there was no choice.  He turned and saw the dragon.  It was a shimmering blue like the color of the bottle and snarls of liquid fire dripped from its grinning jaws. 

He backed away from the serpent.  The stone defenses blocked his way.  He could back no further so he turned and leaped over the wall.  It was a hundred feet to the paving below.

The Captain of the Guard arranged for a proper funeral.  Little was said about Bryan's strange behavior.  This was not the first or the last soldier to die a casualty of drink.

The beautiful blue bottle stood like a bright sentinel on the shelf behind the bar.  Some people admired it but it was only a decoration; perhaps an excuse to talk about Bryan's tragic end.

One of the serving wenches, a girl named Catherine, took special interest in the flask.  She asked what was in it and the publican assured her it was filled only with dry air.

Still Catherine wanted to see it; to hold it in her hands.  The man humored her and went on to speak with a customer.  While the girl was holding the bottle she pulled the cork and sniffed at the glass lip.  There was a most intriguing aroma coming from the blue container.  She quickly corked it again and asked the tavern owner what price he would charge her for this empty flask.  He laughed and asked for a silver penny.  She laughed back and offered a copper.  They settled for two coppers and that night the barmaid took home her prize. 

Once in her small room the girl confirmed the fact that the bottle was not empty.  It was filled with a lovely and delicate scent that caught the attention and would not let go.  It was exactly what Catherine needed.  She had long been convinced that if she could but capture the eye of a wealthy man her future would be assured.  Now she decided that she would capture his nose. This thought brought a smile to her prematurely hardened face.

The next day "Cat" was the center of attention at the Pub.  Customers wanted to wait on her.  Money and gifts came to her without effort.  By the evening's end she was invited to accompany a wealthy merchant to his home for a job on his staff.  There was much winking and elbow nudging about that but no worry to Miss Catherine.   The owner of the pub was just as glad to see her go since her popularity was an annoyance to the other girls and a disruption to his business. 

A place in the house of a merchant was not the height of Catherine's ambition.  When her master entertained important guests she was sure to splash on a goodly amount of the wondrous perfume.  She had no fear of using too much since it never became too strong and the bottle refilled itself between uses. 

It was not long before the girl caught the nose of the Baron himself.  She became the pet of his court and in many ways brought high persons together.  Soon she was quite wealthy and had the finest cloths.  Her jewels were almost outlandish but that was the style in those days.   She was a most admired Courtesan and secretly hated by many of the highborn ladies.

When a year and a day passed, Catherine's rapid rise to fame had reached a place of giddiness for her.  She was almost happy when she discovered the bottle was empty.

She called on her servant, Dora, to help her pack only those things she could use for expenses and investments.  Then at a quiet hour of the day she rode out with a few of the horses that had been given to her by admirers.  She did not return.   Cat was no fool.

For the rest of Catherine's life she sought a life where she would go unnoticed.  Sometimes she missed the notoriety but not for long.  Wars were fought and heads were lost but the girl did quite well.

Dora, the serving girl left the Baron's service rather quietly as well.  She returned to a small fishing village that had been her family's home.  With her she brought only a small amount of money she had saved and the beautiful blue bottle left behind by Lady Catherine.

Dora never opened the bottle.  She liked the way it looked.  She knew it was very old.  It reminded her of shards washed up by the sea. When they were long in the sun the blue color would come into the glass and darken with the years..

Some times Dora wondered if there was anything she wanted in life beyond this home and her people.  She would think for a while, look at the bottle and shake her head.  No, she had all she needed.

A year and a day after she returned home Dora picked up the bottle and tossed it out into the ebbing tide.  She lived a long and happy life.

So my friends, should you find a beautiful blue bottle, there may be another story waiting for you.  Just think about what you really want.