Adaptation of the story of One Thousand and One Nights
Once upon a time there was a boy named Aladdin who lived in the Far East with his mother, in a simple and humble house. They had just enough to live on, so every day, Aladdin went through the center of the city in search of some food to put in his mouth.
On one occasion he was walking among the fruit stalls in the market, when he came across a very strange man who looked like a foreigner. Aladdin was surprised to hear that he called him by name.
– You are Aladdin, the son of the tailor, right?
– Yes, and it is true that my father was a tailor, but… Who are you?
– I’m your uncle! You don’t recognize me because I haven’t been here for many years. I see that you are wearing very old clothes and it pains me to see you so thin. I imagine that in your house there is not enough money…
Aladdin lowered his head a little embarrassed. He looked like a beggar and his dark face was so bony that it made him look much older.
– I will help you, but in return I need you to do me a favor. Come with me and if you do what I tell you, I’ll give you a silver coin.
Aladdin was surprised by the stranger’s offer, but since he had nothing to lose, he accompanied him to a secluded area of the forest. Once there, they stopped in front of a hidden cave in the mountain. The entrance was very narrow.
– Aladdin, I’m too big and I don’t fit through the hole. You go in and bring me a very old oil lamp that you will see at the end of the passageway. I don’t want you to touch anything else, just the lamp. Got it?
Aladdin nodded yes and entered a long underground corridor that ended in a large room with stone walls. When he agreed to it, he was amazed. Indeed, he saw the old lamp lit, but that was not all: the dim light allowed him to distinguish hundreds of jewels, coins and precious stones, piled up on the ground. He had never seen so much wealth!
He hurried to pick up the lamp, but he couldn’t help but fill his pockets as much as he could with some of the treasures he found. What he liked the most was an ostentatious and brilliant ring that he put on his index finger.
– What a beautiful ring! And it fits perfectly on my finger!
He went back to the entrance and when he poked his head through the hole, the man said to him:
– Give me the lamp, Aladdin.
– I’ll give it to you, but first let me get out of here.
– I told you that first I want you to give me the lamp!
– No, I’m not going to do it!
The foreigner was so enraged that he covered the entrance with a large stone slab, leaving the boy locked in the damp and dark underground passageway.
What could I do now? How to get out of there alive?
He looked around the place trying to find a solution. He was absorbed in his thoughts when, without meaning to, he caressed the ring and a genie came out of it. Aladdin almost died of fright!
– What do you want, my master? Ask me what you want and I will give it to you.
The boy, with eyes full of tears, said:
– Oh, well… I just want to go home.
As soon as he spoke these words, as if by magic, he appeared in his home. His mother greeted him with a big hug. With nerves that shook his whole body, he tried to tell the good woman everything that had happened. Then, calmer, he took a cotton cloth to clean the dirty old oil lamp. As soon as he rubbed it, another genie came out of it.
“I’m here to grant you a wish, sir.
Aladdin and his mother looked at each other dumbfounded. Two genies in one day was much more than one could hope for! The boy launched himself to ask for what he most wanted at that moment.
– We are looking forward to eating! How about something delicious to satisfy all the hunger accumulated over the years?
Immediately afterwards, the old wooden table in the dining room was filled with delicious delicacies that they had never tasted in their lives. Without a doubt, they enjoyed the best food they could imagine. But that did not end there because, from then on and thanks to the lamp that was now in his possession, Aladdin and his mother lived comfortably; everything they needed they could ask the genie for. They tried not to abuse him and limited themselves to requesting just enough to live without hardship, but they did not lack for anything again.
One day, on one of his morning walks, Aladdin saw a beautiful woman pass by, on a litter, with whom he instantly fell in love. She was the daughter of the sultan. He returned home and because he couldn’t stop thinking about her, he told his mother that he had to do everything possible to make her his wife.
This time he would have to abuse a little of the generosity of the genie to carry out his plan! He rubbed the wonderful lamp and asked him to have a luxurious home with beautiful gardens, and of course, suitable clothes to appear before the sultan, from whom he wanted to ask for his daughter’s hand. He also requested a retinue of lackeys mounted on slender steeds, who would pull carriages laden with riches to offer to the mighty emperor. With all this he presented himself before him and he was so impressed that he accepted his beautiful and kind daughter as his wife.
Aladdin and Princess Halima, that was her name, got married a few weeks later and from the beginning, they were very happy. They had love and lived for each other.
But one afternoon, Halima saw the old oil lamp around the house and since she didn’t know anything, she sold it to a rag picker who went through the streets buying knick-knacks. Unfortunately, it turned out to be the evil man who had locked Aladdin in the cave. Wanting revenge, the old man turned to the genie of the lamp and ordered him, as the new owner, that everything Aladdin had, including his wife, be transferred to a very distant place.
And so it was… When poor Aladdin returned home, his house was not there, nor his servants, nor his wife… He no longer had anything at all.
He began to cry desperately and remembered that the ring on his index finger could also help him. He caressed it and asked the genie to return everything that was his but, unfortunately, the genie in the ring was not as powerful as the one in the lamp.
– My master, it is impossible for me to grant you that request, but I can take you to where your wife is.
Aladdin accepted and automatically found himself in a distant place with his beautiful Halima, who fortunately was safe and sound. They knew there was only one option: retrieve the wonder lamp by any means necessary so that they could return to the city with all their possessions.
Together, they devised a new plan. They asked the genie of the ring for a dose of poison and Aladdin went to hide. At dinner time, Halima sneaked into the evil foreigner’s kitchen and slipped it into the wine without him noticing. As soon as he poured himself a glass and wet his lips, he fell asleep in a dream that, as the genie had promised, would last hundreds of years.
Aladdin and Halima hugged each other and ran to retrieve their lamp. It was then that he told his wife the whole story and the power that the oil lamp had.
– And now that you know everything, dear, let’s go back to our home.
He rubbed the lamp and as always, the great genie came out who always granted all the wishes of his lord.
– What do you want this time, my master?
– Today I am more than happy to see you! Take us home, old friend! – Aladdin said laughing with happiness.
So it was! Halima and Aladdin returned, and with them, everything the old man had stolen from them. From then on, they kept the wonderful lamp in a safe place and continued to be as happy as they had been until then.
