The Story of the Merchant and the Genie (From 1,001 Arabian Nights) And so Scheherazade addressed her husband, the King: My Lord! There used to be a merchant in a faraway land who owned great wealth, land, and gold. He used to travel a lot to sell his merchandise and conduct several other business affairs. One day, he set out on a journey to another faraway land on a business tour. He took along with him some dry fruits, biscuits and similar nutrition as he had to cross a great desert between the two lands. He completed the first half of the journey safely and reached his destination. Then, he completed his tasks and chores and set back on the journey to his home. Crossing through the same desert, he felt the scorching heat of the sun grow in the afternoon. He stopped by an oasis to relax under a date tree. He drank some fresh water from the nearby spring and started eating the dry fruits in his pouch. Whilst eating the dry fruits, he kept on throwing the shells up in the air to kill the time. Shortly after eating, he fell asleep and heard a loud rumbling sound coming from a nearby cloud of swirling dust. A Genie appeared from nowhere with a big sharp sword in his hand. He shouted out, I am here to kill you as you have killed my son. The merchant was shocked, terrified and petrified. He collected all his strength and asked the Genie how that was possible. He had never seen or met his son in person. The Genie yelled, When you were throwing the shells up in the air, one of them got into my sons eye and he died on the spot. The merchant was shaken from deep inside. The Genie came closer and grasped him by the hand to throw him on the scorching sand and cut his throat at once. The merchant begged him for mercy but in vain. As the merchant realized he could not do anything about his death penalty, he begged the Genie to grant him some time to say farewell to his family and children and wrap up all the business and financial affairs for his family. The Genie thought for a moment and took an oath from the merchant to return to the same spot exactly one year later to pay for his crime. He promised the Genie and trotted back home on his horse with a heavy heart. As the merchant entered his home, he was welcomed warmly by his wife and children. However, they soon noticed merchants tears and inquired why he was crying. With a trembling voice and shattered heart, he narrated the entire event to them. It was hard for them, but they accepted the reality and encouraged the merchant to accept his punishment. He wrapped up the wealth, wrote his will and stabilized the financial resources of the family. The entire year passed by as if in a flash. The merchant said goodbye to his family and rode away on his journey of justice and death. As he reached the spot, he waited under the same tree for the Genie. Meanwhile, an old man came by and warned him of the dangers of the desert. The merchant narrated the same story to him. He felt pity and sat down with the merchant to wait for the Genie. One more man came and the merchant narrated the same event to him as well. They all sat down and waited for the Genie to come to exact vengeance for his son. There was a rumbling storm of sand when the Genie appeared. As the monster came forward with the sword in his hand to cut the throat of the merchant, just in time the first old man fell at the feet of the monster. He begged that the Genie listen to his story, The Story of the Husband and the Parrot. If he did not like it, he could start his punishment of the merchant. The monster waited for a few seconds and nodded in approval... The king realized he could not kill Scheherazade that night because he was curious to know what was going to happen to the merchant.
Posted on: Mon, 03 Feb 2014 10:30:34 +0000
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