Aladdin and the Magic Lamp

In a great city in China lived a boy named Aladdin. He was the tailor's son and spent most of his time running in the streets and playing. His father was poor, and his mother worked hard, but Aladdin mostly dreamed of adventures.

One day, a strange man came to the city. He saw Aladdin and smiled broadly. "I am your uncle from far away," he said kindly, though it wasn't true. The man was actually a sorcerer from secret lands. He gave Aladdin fine sweets and new clothes and asked to meet his mother. "Let me take care of the boy," he said. "I will make his future bright."

The next morning, the sorcerer took Aladdin out of the city to a desolate place. There he lit a strange fire, scattered powder over it, and mumbled words that sounded like wind in caves. The ground shook, and a stone with an iron ring rose up from the earth. "Pull the ring," said the sorcerer, "and go straight down. There is a wondrous garden under the ground. Touch nothing but an old, dirty lamp hanging in a chamber. Here, take this ring for your safety."

Aladdin went down. Beneath the earth, trees glittered, bearing fruits that shimmered like rubies, sapphires, and emeralds. He thought they were glass and picked some to play with. Soon he found the old lamp, dusty and heavy. When he came back to the opening, the sorcerer stretched out his hand. "Give me the lamp first!"

Aladdin became suspicious. "Help me out first, uncle," he asked. The sorcerer became furious. He threw powder onto the fire, the stone fell again, and Aladdin was alone in the darkness.

In terror, Aladdin rubbed his hands. Then he felt the ring on his finger and accidentally rubbed it. Suddenly, a spirit rose in a blue light. "What do you command, you who wear the ring?" rumbled the spirit. Aladdin trembled, but said: "Take me home to my mother!" In an instant, he stood again in the little cottage in the city.

He told everything. They were hungry, so Aladdin's mother took out the old lamp to polish it and maybe sell it. When she rubbed it, the room filled with light. Another, much mightier spirit rose like smoke from the lamp. "What do you command, my master?" Aladdin blinked. "Food!" he said. And instantly, silver dishes appeared with steaming meals, bread as soft as clouds, and juice as sweet as honey.

From that day, Aladdin knew he had two helpers: the ring, which could save him, and the lamp, which could give anything. He never sold the lamp. When the food ran out, he asked the lamp's spirit again, and they managed.

Sometime later, Aladdin heard that the sultan's daughter, Princess Badrulbudur, would go to the bathhouse. Everyone had to stay away, but Aladdin happened to see her for a brief moment, and his heart beat like a drum. "I want to marry her," he said seriously to his mother. She laughed at first, but Aladdin was determined. He asked the lamp's spirit for gifts befitting a sultan: chests of gold and jewels and forty servants dressed in velvet suits.

Aladdin's mother went to the palace with the gifts. The sultan was so surprised by the splendor that he gave his promise: if Aladdin could show that he could take care of the princess, they could marry. He also wished for a wedding gift like no one had seen before. The lamp's spirit nodded at Aladdin's wishes and built a palace overnight, studded with gold and crystal, with a hall where twenty-four tall windows were framed with jewels. One window was left unfinished, so the sultan would have the honor of coming with his best jewels and trying to complete it. When the sultan couldn't finish the window, Aladdin let the spirit complete everything in a dazzling glow. Thus, everyone knew Aladdin was wise and rich, and the wedding took place. Aladdin and Princess Badrulbudur got along well.

Far away, the false sorcerer heard of a young man who had overnight gained riches and a palace that seemed to sing with light. He understood: "The lamp!" He traveled to the city and called under the princess's window: "Trade new lamps for old!" The princess, who knew nothing of the lamp's power and thought Aladdin's old one was ugly, sent it down. The sorcerer rubbed it in a hidden alley, and the lamp's mighty spirit obeyed his command. In an instant, Aladdin's entire palace was lifted, with the princess in it, and carried through the air to a land far away.

When the sun rose, the sultan saw the palace was gone. He became furious and thought Aladdin had betrayed him. Aladdin was left with only his ring. He rubbed it quickly. The ring spirit's voice rumbled, deep as a drum. "I cannot move a palace," said the spirit, "but I can bring you to your wife." "Do it!" asked Aladdin. With a whoosh, he stood by another coast, in front of his own palace, but now in a foreign land.

Princess Badrulbudur became relieved when she saw him. They whispered together and forged a plan. The next evening, she invited the sorcerer to a feast with everything he loved. She raised her goblet and said: "You drink first, our guest." In the wine, she had mixed a drink that would make even the cleverest person weary. The sorcerer yawned widely and fell asleep with his head against the table.

Then Aladdin ran forward, took the lamp from the sorcerer's belt, and rubbed it. The lamp's spirit rose, mighty and still. "My master," he said, "what do you command?" "Bring us home, and bring the palace home, and let the sorcerer never harm us again," said Aladdin. In the next moment, the palace stood where it should, next to the sultan's, and the city rejoiced.

The sultan embraced his daughter and took Aladdin's hand. "My son," he said softly, "you have courage and understanding."

But dangers sometimes take a long time to disappear. The sorcerer's brother, equally cunning, heard what happened. He disguised himself as a holy woman who gave advice and comfort. People began asking her to come to the palace. The princess wanted to do good and invited her in. Aladdin suspected trouble when he saw the "holy" woman's eyes, so dark and watchful.

He asked the ring spirit's help to reveal the truth. At night, the spirit whispered in his ear what hid under the cloak. Aladdin thanked him and went calmly to the princess. Together they pulled off the disguise. The deceiver was revealed and taken away by the city's guards, far from the palace and the city. Thus, they found peace again.

Aladdin never forgot that riches without honesty are empty. He used the lamp's power wisely: he helped the poor, listened to the people's concerns, and advised the sultan with a calm voice. Princess Badrulbudur was as wise as he, and their palace stood as a light for the whole kingdom.

And the lamp? It was carefully hidden and rubbed only when something good should be done. The ring's spirit also rested, ready to act if danger approached. But mostly neither ring nor lamp was needed, because Aladdin had learned the most important thing: courage in the heart, sharp eyes, and kindness toward everyone.