Short Stories

5/20/2018 Short Stories

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Short stories

THE ADVENTURES OF ALADDIN

The Brothers Grimm

Once upon a time . . . a widow had an only son whose name was Aladdin. They were very poor and lived

from hand to mouth, though Aladdin did what he could to earn some pennies, by picking bananas in

faraway places.

One day, as he was looking for wild figs in a grove some way from the town, Aladdin met a mysterious

stranger. This smartly dressed dark-eyed man with a trim black beard and a splendid sapphire in his

turban, asked Aladdin an unusual question:

"Come here, boy," he ordered. "How would you like to earn a silver penny?"

"A silver penny!" exclaimed Aladdin. "Sir, I'd do anything for that kind of payment."

"I'm not going to ask you to do much. Just go down that manhole. I'm much too big to squeeze through

myself. If you do as I ask, you'll have your reward." The stranger helped Aladdin lift the manhole cover, for

it was very heavy. Slim and agile as he was, the boy easily went down. His feet touched stone and he

carefully made his way down some steps . . . and found himself in a large chamber. It seemed to sparkle,

though dimly lit by the flickering light of an old oil lamp. When Aladdin's eyes became used to the gloom,

he saw a wonderful sight: trees dripping with glittering jewels, pots of gold and caskets full of priceless

gems. Thousands of precious objects lay scattered about. It was a treasure trove! Unable to believe his eyes,

Aladdin was standing dazed when he heard a shout behind him.

"The lamp! Put out the flame and bring me the lamp!" Surprised and suspicious, for why should the

stranger, out of all such a treasure want only an old lamp, Aladdin wondered. Perhaps he was a wizard. He

decided to be on his guard. Picking up the lamp, he retraced his steps up to the entrance.

"Give me the lamp," urged the wizard impatiently. "Hand it over," he began to shout, thrusting out his arm

to grab it, but Aladdin cautiously drew back.

"Let me out first . . ."

"Too bad for you," snapped the stranger, slamming down the manhole cover, never noticing that, as he did

so, a ring slid off his finger. A terrified Aladdin was left in pitch darkness, wondering what the wizard

would do next. Then he trod on the ring. Aimlessly putting it on his finger, he twisted it round and round.

Suddenly the room was flooded with a rosy light and a great genie with clasped hands appeared on a cloud.

"At your command, sire," said the genie.

Now astoundede, Aladdin could only stammer:


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"I want to go home!" In a flash he was back in his own home, though the door wa tightly shut.

"How did you get in?" called his mother from the kitchen stove, the minute she set eyes on him. Excitedly,

her son told her of his adventures.

"Where's the silver coin?" his mother asked. Aladdin clapped a hand to his brow. For all he had brought

home was the old oil lamp "Oh, mother! I'm so sorry. This is all I've got."

"Well, let's hope it works. It's so dirty . . ." and the widow began to rub the lamp.

Suddenly out shot another genie, in a cloud of smoke.

"You've set me free, after centuries! I was a prisoner in the lamp, waiting to be freed by someone rubbing it.

Now, I'm your obedient servant. Tell me your wishes." And the genie bowed respectfully, awaiting

Aladdin's orders. The boy and his mother gaped wordlessly at this incredible apparition, then the genie

said with a hint of impatience in his voice.

"I'm here at your command. Tell me what you want. Anything you like!" Aladdin gulped, then said:

"Bring us . . . bring . . ." His mother not having yet begun to cook the dinner, went on to say: ". . . a lovely

big meal."

From that day on, the widow and her son had everything they could wish for: food, clothes and a fine

home, for the genie of the lamp granted them everything they asked him. Aladdin grew into a tall

handsome young man and his mother felt that he ought to find himself a wife, sooner or later.

One day, as he left the market, Aladdin happened to see the Sultan's daughter Halima in her sedan chair

being carried through the streets. He only caught a fleeting glimpse of the princess, but it was enough for

him to want to marry her. Aladdin told his mother and she quickly said:

"I'll ask the Sultan for his daughter's hand. He'll never be able to refuse. Wait and see!"

And indeed, the Sultan was easily persuaded by a casket full of big diamonds to admit the widow to the

palace. However, when he learned why she had come, he told the widow that her son must bring proof of

his power and riches. This was mostly the Chamberlain's idea, for he himself was eager to marry the

beautiful black-eyed Sultan's daughter.

"If Aladdin wants to marry Halima,' said the Sultan, "he must send me forty slaves tomorrow.Every slave

must bring a box of precious stones. And forty Arab warriors must escort the treasure."

Aladdin's mother went sadly home. The genie of the magic lamp had already worked wonders, but nothing

like this. Aladdin however,when he heard the news, was not at all dismayed. He picked up the lamp,

rubbed it harder than ever and told the genie what he required. The genie simply clapped his hands three


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times. Forty slaves magically appeared, carrying the gemstones, together with their escort of forty Arab

warriors. When he saw all thls the next day, the Sultan was taken aback. He never imagined such wealth

could exist. Just as he was about to accept Aladdin as his daughter's bridegroom, the envious Chamberlain

broke in with a question.

"Where wlll they live?" he asked. The Sultan pondered for a moment, then allowlng greed to get the better

of hlm, he told Aladdin to build a great, splendid palace for Halima. Aladdin went straight home and, in

what was once a wilderness, the genie built him a palace. The last obstacle had been overcome. The

wedding tbok place with great celebrations and the Sultan was especially happy at finding such a rich and

powerful son-in-law.

News of Aladdin's sudden fortune and wealth spread like wildfire, until.... one day, a strange merchant

stopped beneath the palace window.

"Old lamps for new," he called to the princess, standing on the balcony. Now, Aladdin had always kept his

secret to himself. Only his mother knew it and she had never told a soul. Halima, alas, had been kept in the

dark. And so, now, wanting to give Alladin a surprise as well as make a good bargain, she fetched the old oil

lamp she had seen Aladdin tuck away, and gave it to the merchant in exchange for a new one. The

merchant quickly began to rub it . . . and the genie was now at the service of the wizard who had got his

magic lamp back.

In a second he whisked away all Aladdin's possessions and magically sent the palace and the princess to an

unknown land. Aladdin and the Sultan were at their wits' end. Nobody knew what had happened. Only

Aladdin knew it had something to do with the magic lamp. But as he wept over the lost genie of the lamp,

he remembered the genie of the ring from the wizard's finger. Slipping the ring on his finger, Aladdin

twisted it round and round.

"Take me to the place where the wizard has hidden my wife," he ordered the genie. In a flash, he found

himself inside his own palace, and peeping from behind a curtain, he saw the wizard and the princess, now

his servant.

"Psst! Psst!" hissed Aladdin.

"Aladdin! It's you . . .!"

"Ssh. Don't let him hear you. Take this powder and put it into his tea. Trust me." The powder quickly took

effect and the wizard fell into a deep sleep. Aladdin hunted for the lamp high and low, but it was nowere to

be seen. But it had to be there. How, otherwise, had the wizard moved the palace? As Aladdin gazed at his

sleeping enemy, he thought of peering underneath the pillow. "The lamp! At last," sighed Aladdin, hastily

rubbing it.


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"Welcome back, Master!" exclaimed the genie. "Why did you leave me at another's service for so long?"

"Welcome," replied Aladdin. "I'm glad to see you again. I've certainly missed you! It's just as well I have

you by me again."

"At your command," smiled the genie.

"First, put this wicked wizard in chains and take him far away where he'll never be found again." The genie

grinned with pleasure, nodded his head, and the wizard vanished. Halima clutched Aladdin in fear:

"What's going on? Who is that genie?"

"Don't worry, everything is all right," Aladdin reassured her, as he told his wife the whole story of how he

had met the wizard and found the magic lamp that had enabled him to marry her. Everything went back to

normal and the happy pair hugged each other tenderly.

"Can we return to our own kingdom?" the princess asked timidly, thinking of her father, so far away.

Aladdin glanced at her with a smile.

"The magic that brought you here will take you back, but with me at your side, forever."

The Sultan was almost ill with worry. His daughter had disappeared along with the palace, and then his

son- in-law had vanished too. Nobody knew where they were, not even the wise men hastily called to the

palace to divine what had happened. The jealous Chamberlain kept on repeating:

"I told you Aladdin's fortune couldn't last."

Everyone had lost all hope of ever seeing the missing pair again, when far away, Aladdin rubbed the magic

lamp and said to the genie,

"Take my wife, myself and the palace back to our own land, as fast as you can."

"In a flash, Sire," replied the genie. At the snap of a finger, the palace rose into the air and sped over theSultan's kingdom, above the heads of his astonished subjects. It gently floated down to earth and landed on

its old site. Aladdin and Halima rushed to embrace the Sultan.

To this very day, in that distant country, you can still admire the traces of an ancient palace which folk call

the palace that came from the skies.


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Fairy tale

The 1001 NightsThe worlds most famous collection of magical stories originated in Persia and only laterbecame known in the West as the Arabian Nights. The collection includes stories, within

stories, within stories. This is the story that wraps around them all.A terrible sultan marries a new bride every night, and in the morning he executes her. OnlySherehezade, the greatest story-teller the world has known, has a chance to soften theheart of the man with a tyrannical grudge against all women.

Praise be to Allah, the beneficent king, the creator of the universe, Lord of the three worlds,who set up the sky without pillars to hold it aloft, who stretched out the earth like a bed, andwho filled the ocean like a bath. Lend me the art and the craft of she who outwitted a greatking. Of she who for 1001 nights captivated the shah, while she threaded her plots aroundhim, the woman whose stories held conquered the all-powerful man, and prevented himfrom carrying out his terrible intent. I speak of her, Sherehezade, the greatest storyteller theworld has ever known.

She lived in a time of sorrow for the ruler of the land held in his heart an awful grudgeagainst all women. This grudge had terrible consequences for every family in the land. Butit was not always so. He began his reign with a kinder heart. His name was Shahryar, Hewas in the fullness of his youth and power, but as yet, without a wife. One evening he stoodwith his younger brother, prince Zaman, on the balcony of the palace, which overlooked thepleasure gardens. They watched a young serving girl as she stepped out to the fountain tofetch water.

Shahryar whispered: See brother. Is she not as lovely as the moon and as graceful as agazelle?

But Zaman, replied: Do not let your eyes deceive you. Although you are older than me,and more powerful, yet I am more experienced in the ways of women, for I already have awife. I tell you no woman on earth has a pure and faithful heart. Each day I watch myqueen. I see her give a visiting prince such a look that makes my blood turn angry. But itdoes not stop there. She gives the chief chamberlain a cheeky smile that is quiteinappropriate. Why, the day before I left my palace to pay honour to you, I saw herwhispering to the cook! She brings nothing but shame upon me.

Shahryar laughed My younger brother, you have been looking pale and ill of late. Now Iknow the cause. Jealousy is eating you up because you have such a lovely wife !

At this Zaman became quite offended, but he replied in no more than a mutter: My brother,you will learn for yourself in due time.

Shahryar was ready to marry. It seemed that wherever he looked he saw a beautifulwoman. But none so lovely as the one the two brothers encountered the very next day.They got up at dawn to go hunting. Just as the sun was spreading its gentle rays, they rodetheir horses side by side along the sea shore. Walking to towards them, along the desertedbeach, they saw a girl whose loveliness brought to mind the words:

She rose like the morn, as she shone through the night.

When she unveiled her face, the sun grew bright.


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As the brothers drew near to her, she gave them the sort of smile that gladdens a mansheart and Shahryar said to his brother:

I would not be ashamed to take her for my queen.

But no sooner had he spoken, than a huge wave came curling into the shore, and standingon top of the wave as a great geni. His skin was orange and his eyes blazing red.

As the wave broke into white foam the genie leapt onto the beach, and seized the g irl up inhis hands. He turned his awful eyes on the brothers, and they were so full of fire that theyfeared his gaze might burn them up. Then he spoke. His voice was terrible, but his wordsshowed that he intended them no harm:

hear me now and learn from my troubles. When I took this girl for my bride, I set her insidea trunk, and I placed the trunk inside another trunk, and that trunk inside yet another trunkseven boxes in all, each with its own lock. And then I placed the sevenfold container at the

bottom of the sea, so as to keep her faithful to me. But still she managed to escape, to flirtwith strange men on the beach, and to bring shame upon me. If I, a genie with all the powerof magic at my disposal cannot keep discipline over my bride, what hope have you meremen of doing so?

As soon as he had issued this warning, both the genie and the girl span round and rounduntil they became whirl wind that sped away across the sea.

For the rest of the day Shahryar was pale and brooding. By evening he had cheered upsomewhat. As the brothers stood on the balcony overlooking the gardens, once again, hesaid:

The remarkable occurrence of this morning has made a great impression on me. I see nowthat you are right. The genie has confirmed what you say. There was never one faithfulwoman on this earth. But I have thought deeply about this problem all day long, and I haveformed a plan.

It was not long before his brother and everyone in the land found out what the Shah had inmind.

As he sat on his throne the next day, giving orders to his ministers about this and that, hesent for his chief minister, a man who had served him for many years, and who had two

lovely daughters whom in time, we shall meet, ishallah ! God Willing!

He commanded the minister to bring a bride to him that very evening, and in the morning totake her way to be executed. Each and every day he was to do the same, to bring anotherbride for him to marry, and in the morning to strike off her head. And so it came to pass forthree years on end. There was not a family in the land that was not touched by this tragedy.The people cried out against their shah, and called on Allah to destroy him and his reignutterly. But his heart was relentless. By this terrible plan he made sure that none of hispeople would ever gather in a corner and gossip that his queen was faithless to him eitherin thought or deed.

Mothers wept or fled abroad with their daughters. At last there was hardly a woman left inthe city who was of marriageable age. At last, one day, as the minster searched the city, hecould not find a bride for the shah that night. He returned home in sorrow and anxiety, for


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he was afraid for his own life when he failed that evening to present a new bride to theShah.

Now he had two daughters, Sherehezade and Dunyazad [ending is long like a= ard]. Theeldest had read all the books, legends and stories in the library of the palace. She knew a

great many poems off by heart, and had studied philosophy and the arts. She waspleasant, polite, wise and witty. She saw that her father was looking sad and she quotedsome lines of a poem to him;

Tell whoso hath sorrowGrief shall never last.Even as joy hath no morrowso we shall go past

When the minister heard these words from his daughter, he told her the cause of his sorrowfrom first to last. When she had heard it all Sherehezade exclaimed:

Who long shall we endue this slaughter of women? I will tell you what is on my mind. Takeme to the Shah this night. Let me be his bride. Either I shall live by my whits and save thedaughters of this land, or I shall join those who have perished already.

The minister heard these words, and although he greatly respected his daughters wisdom,he thought these words were the greatest foolishness he had ever heard. he would nothear of his beloved daughter risking her life in this way. He went to the Shah and confessedthat he was unable to bring him any more brides, for there were none left in the land. ShahShahryar sat thoughtfully on this thrown and said:

None, but your own two daughters. Do not hide them from me, or it will cost you yourhead.

And so it was, after long deliberation, and much persuasion from Sherehezade, that hebrought his own daughter to the shah as his bride.

That night, when the Sherehezade lifted the veil from her lovely face, the Shah waspleased with what he saw. But there were tears in her eyes.

What troubles you? asked the Shah, thinking that he knew the answer. But she repliednot that she was afraid of what would happen to her in the morning, but that she was

missing her sister. She begged that she could bring her to sleep with them that night, sothat she would not be lonely. The shah willingly agree, and all went according to the planthat the ingenious Sherehezade had formed. Her sister Dunyazad slept on a couch at thefoot of the royal bed, and towards morning, as she been told to do by her sister, she awokeand said:

Oh Sherehezade, I cannot sleep. Will you not tell me one of your wonderful stories? Forthere is not a soul on this earth who can spin a tale as delightful and delectable as yours?

And Sherehezade stirred and said: I too cannot sleep and I will tell you a tale with joy, ifthis great king will permit me.

The Shah, who was also sleepless and restless, was pleased with the prospect of hearinga tale. And so Sherehezade began to relate the first story of the 1001 and one nights.


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Folk tales

Fire

A Myth from the Alabama Triberetold by S.E. Schlosser

In the beginning of the world, it was Bear who owned Fire. It warmed Bear andhis people on cold nights and gave them light when it was dark. Bear and hispeople carried fire with them wherever they went.

One day, Bear and his people came to a great forest, where they found manyacorns lying on the forest floor. Bear set Fire at the edge of the forest, and heand his people began eating acorns. The acorns were crunch and crisp andtasted better than any other acorns Bear and his people had ever eaten. They

wandered further and further away from Fire, eating the delicious acorns andseeking out more when the acorn supply grew low.

Fire blazed up merrily for awhile, until it had burned nearly all of its wood. Itstarted to smoke and flicker, then it dwindled down and down. Fire wasalarmed. It was nearly out. "Feed me! Feed me!" Fire shouted to Bear. But Bearand his people had wandered deep into the forest, and then did not hear Fire'scries.

At that moment, Man came walking through the forest and saw the small,flickering Fire. "Feed me! Feed me!" Fire cried in despair.

"What should I feed you?" Man asked. He had never seen Fire before.

"I eat sticks and logs and wood of all kinds," Fire explained.

Man picked up a stick and leaned it on the North side of Fire. Fire sent itsorange-blue flames flickering up the side of the stick until it started to burn. Mangot a second stick and laid it on the West side of the fire. Fire, nourished by thefirst stick, burned brighter and stretched taller and eagerly claimed the secondstick. Man picked up a third stick and laid it on the south side of Fire and laid afourth stick on the East. By this time, Fire was leaping and dancing in delight, its

hunger satisfied.Man warmed himself by the blazing Fire, enjoying the changed colors and thehissing and snapping sound Fire made as it ate the wood. Man and Fire werevery happy together, and Man fed Fire sticks whenever it got hungry.

A long time later, Bear and his people came back to the edge of the forest,looking for Fire. Fire was angry when it saw Bear. It blazed until it was white-hotand so bright that Bear had to shade his eyes with both paws. "I do not evenknow you!" Fire shouted at Bear. The terrible heat rolling of Fire drove Bear andhis people away, so they could not take it and carry it away with them.

And now Fire belongs to Man.


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