Watching the dollar's recent plight in the foreign-exchange markets, I am reminded of a fascinating story I came across some years ago in an anthology of supernatural tales called "The Bottle Imp." It has its origins in German folklore and goes something like this:
An imp residing in a bottle bestows upon its holder the power to have all of his or her wishes fulfilled. Whatever you desire is yours, as long as the bottle is in your possession. But as in anything connected with imps and wizardry, there is a catch.
If you die with the imp bottle in your ownership, you go straight to hell. So unless you have a morbid taste for eternal punishment, you must eventually get rid of it by selling it to someone else before you die.