Aladdin and the Magic Lamp

Mon May 23, 2011 by Kunal Bansal

Once, there lived a poor tailor, who had a son called Aladdin, a careless boy who would play all day long. One day, when Aladdin was playing, an old man came up to him, and said ?Are you Aladdin? I can see you look very much like your father. You don?t know me, but I am your uncle, and had been away in a distant country for some time.? Thus he befriended Aladdin. Now, this strange man was no uncle of Aladdin, but he was a wicked magician, who wanted to make use of the boy's services. Next day the magician led Aladdin to a beautiful garden outside the city. They went a good way into the country, until they came to two mountains divided by a narrow valley. There he lighted a fire, and threw into it some powder, all the time repeating strange words. The ground then opened right before them, and a stone trap-door appeared. Aladdin got very scared by seeing this. But the magician calmly lifted the trap door and told Aladdin "Fear nothing, but obey me. Beneath this stone lies a treasure which is to be yours, so you must do exactly as I tell you. Go down, and at the foot of those steps you will find an open door leading into three large halls. Go through them without touching anything. These halls lead into a garden of fine fruit trees. Walk on till you come to niche in a terrace where stands a lighted lamp. Blow the lamp out, pour out the oil it contains, and bring the lamp to me." Aladdin went through the door, and found all that the Magician had told him to be true, and he found the lamp. As he came back through the garden, his eyes were dazzled with the bright-coloured fruits on the trees, shining like glass. He plucked and put some of these in his pockets, and then returned with the Lamp, and called to his uncle to help him up the steps. "Give me the Lamp," said the magician, angrily. "Not until I get out safe," cried the boy. The Magician, getting angry, slammed down the trap-door, and Aladdin was shut inside. Aladdin was sitting and crying, when he happened to rub the lamp by chance. There was a strange sound and some smoke came out of the lamp. Then the smoke assumed the shape of a strange figure, and the figure said ?Hello master, I am the genie of the lamp. I am at your command, please tell me what I can do for you.? Aladdin cried, ?I just want to go back to my mother?. In an instant Aladdin found himself at home. He told his mother all that had happened. She felt curious, and rubbed the lamp. The Genie of the Lamp arose again, and asked for their commands. Aladdin and his mother asked for some food, and the choicest fare instantly appeared on a pretty dish of silver. Aladdin and his mother feasted on the rich fare brought to them. They lived happily for quite some time after that, since the genie always fulfilled their wishes. One day, while Aladdin was out on his walk, he chanced to see the King's daughter, princess Bulbul. Bulbul was so beautiful, and Aladdin fell in love with her. So Aladdin?s mother took a bowl full of the shining fruits he had gathered before, and gifted it to the King, and asked for his daughter to be wed to Aladdin. The King was amazed at the richness of the fruits, and said to Aladdin's mother: "Your son shall have his wish, if he can send me forty bowls like this in a week." The Lamp Genie brought the bowls of fruits, and Aladdin's mother went with them to the King. The King was overjoyed at receiving these rich gifts, and had a grand feast to marry Princess Bulbul and Aladdin. Aladdin then ordered the Lamp Genie to build a superb Palace, and the young couple lived there quite happily for some time. Meanwhile, the wicked Magician heard about Aladdin?s wonderful palace, and knew that it was because of the Lamp Genie. He wished to get hold of the Magic Lamp for himself, so one day when Aladdin was out of town, he went near the palace with a basketful of lamps and cried out in the streets, "New lamps for old ones! New lamps for old ones!" On hearing him, the young princess, who did not know the value of Aladdin's old Lamp, changed it for a new one, and so the Magician got the magic lamp. Immediately, the Magician asked the Genie to transport the Palace and princess Bulbul to Africa. Aladdin's was so grief stricken, and went to Africa to find the princess. The Princess was rejoiced to see him again. He then gave her a powerful sleeping-tonic, and advised her to pour it into the Magician?s wine at dinner that day. The magician fell sound asleep after drinking the tonic. Then Aladdin came and took the Lamp, and called upon the Genie to transport the Palace, the Princess, and himself, back. Aladdin and Bulbul lived in the palace and enjoyed good fortune for a long time, and did not see the wicked magician again.