Genies Meanies and Magic Rings Read online

  “Here it is,” he said. “This is the place.”

  The spy removed the blindfold, gave him another gold coin, and sent him on his way.

  Then he took a piece of chalk out of his pocket and scrawled a large X on Ali Baba’s door. All right, smart aleck, he thought. Now you’re done for. And he returned to the forest as quickly as he could and told his captain the news.

  “Good work!” the captain said. “Tomorrow we’ll go into town and kill everyone in the house.”

  Chapter 6

  That afternoon, when Marjanah went out to do the day’s shopping, she noticed the chalk X on the door. This is strange, she thought. Why would someone put a mark on our door? It can’t be for any honest reason, or they would have told us about it. Something suspicious is going on here, and I’d better do something about it.

  So she got a piece of chalk and drew a large X on every door in the neighborhood.

  The next morning, with their spy in the lead, the thieves arrived at Ali Baba’s street. But every door on the street had a large X chalked on it.

  “What is the meaning of this?” whispered the captain, furious.

  “I can’t understand it, sir,” whispered the spy. “I know I marked just one of the doors.”

  “You incompetent fool!” whispered the captain. “Take him back, men, and smash his skull. There isn’t a brain inside it, anyway.”

  The next day the captain himself rode into town, straight to the tailor, who led him to Ali Baba’s house. He stood in front of it for a long time, until he knew every grain in its wood and every scratch on its doorknob. Then he returned to the forest.

  He called the thieves together (there were thirty-eight of them now, plus the captain). “All right, men,” he said, “I know which house the intruder lives in. And tomorrow’s the day of our sweet revenge. I have a plan. Each one of you bring me a large urn, big enough for a man to fit into. Plus one extra. I’ll explain the rest to you later.”

  The thieves rode off to the bazaar and returned with thirty-nine urns. The captain, who had put on robes of the finest silk to disguise himself as a rich merchant, ordered them to fill one of these with oil. “The rest of the urns will be empty,” he said, “and you will be inside them. I will get the intruder to invite us into his house. Sometime after dinner, I will find an excuse to go out into the courtyard. I will knock once on each of the urns. That will be the signal for you to come out. We’ll storm the house and slit the throats of everyone in it. But until you hear the signal, stay put inside the urns.”

  Then he gave each of his men a knife, had each one tie an empty urn onto his horse, and climb into the urn. He covered each urn with a thin cloth, so that the men would be hidden, yet able to breathe. Finally he led the horses into town.

  When he came to Ali Baba’s house, the captain found him sitting on the front step, enjoying the mild evening air.

  “Good evening, sir,” said the captain, bowing.

  “Good evening,” Ali Baba said.

  “I am a stranger here,” the captain continued, smiling. “I came to sell my oil at the bazaar, but I arrived too late and don’t have anywhere to spend the night. Would you be kind enough to let me and my horses rest in the courtyard of your house? I would be most grateful to you.”

  “Of course,” said Ali Baba. “Hospitality to strangers is a sacred duty. You are welcome here, sir.”

  Ali Baba took the captain’s arm and led him into the house. “Marjanah!” he called. “Come here. We have a stranger who will be staying with us tonight. Tell the others to unload those big urns of oil and feed the horses. And make a special dinner for our honored visitor and see that the guest room is prepared with everything he might need.”

  As Marjanah was in the kitchen cooking dinner, her lamp suddenly ran out of oil.

  This is ridiculous, she thought. Here we are, with no oil in the house, while just outside are dozens of huge urns filled with oil. Our guest certainly won’t mind if I borrow a little from him until tomorrow morning.

  Holding the lamp, she walked out into the courtyard, to the place where the thirty-nine urns had been put. She knocked on one of the urns to see how full it was. A voice whispered, “Is it time?”

  In a flash Marjanah understood exactly what was happening and whispered, “Not yet!” She knocked on each urn, and each urn whispered, “Is it time?” And to each question she whispered, “Not yet!”

  Her heart was racing. She knew that Ali Baba and his whole family were in great danger, and if she didn’t do something quickly, they would all be dead. But what could she do? If even one of these villains was allowed to live, they might come back and kill someone. Ah, the oil! Boiling oil would be one way to kill them. The last urn was filled with oil, so she took several bucketfuls from it and went back to the kitchen. Then she poured the oil into a large cauldron and put it on the fire. When the oil was boiling hot, she went out to the courtyard and poured it into the urns, one by one. The thieves were scalded to death.

  After dinner the captain walked out into the courtyard and knocked on one of the urns. Not a sound came from it.

  He knocked on a second urn. Still no sound.

  These filthy dogs! he thought. They’ve fallen asleep on me! But when he touched the urns they were hot, and he smelled the odor of burnt flesh.

  Someone has killed them, he said to himself. He must be lying in wait for me, too. I’d better get out of here! So he jumped over the courtyard wall and ran back to the forest.

  Marjanah took Ali Baba out to the courtyard and had him look into the urns. Each one contained a body. Ali Baba almost threw up. But he was happy to know that the thieves were dead, and very grateful to Marjanah for her courage and quick wit.

  “Dear, dear Marjanah,” he said, with tears in his eyes. “This is the second time in two days that you have saved our lives. From now on, you will no longer be our slave, but our own beloved daughter.”

  They buried the thirty-eight bodies in a large hole in the yard. And for the next five years, Ali Baba and his family lived in happiness and peace.

  Chapter 7

  By now Ali Baba’s oldest nephew had made a great success with Kassim’s shop and had become a rich merchant. One day he said to his uncle, “You have never met my dear friend Hassan. It’s been six months since he opened the shop next to mine, and he’s been so kind and generous to me that I’d love to do something nice for him. May I invite him over for a feast in his honor?”

  “Of course!” said Ali Baba. “Any friend of yours is a friend of mine. We’ll prepare a splendid feast.”

  The feast was spread on the table. All the guests were seated and talking cheerfully when Marjanah came in from the kitchen with a golden platter of delicacies. When she looked at Hassan, she shuddered. I’ve seen that man before, she thought. Who can he be? He looks awfully familiar. And suddenly, to her horror, she realized that Hassan was none other than the thieves’ captain, whom they hadn’t seen for years and had almost forgotten. He had a knife tucked into his belt; even though it was well hidden, she could see the glint of the steel.

  When the feast was over, Marjanah again entered the room, this time dressed as a dancer. Ali Baba was a little surprised; they hadn’t planned any entertainment. But everyone enjoyed Marjanah’s dance. It was a traditional dance about a warrior woman. Around and around she twirled, with the ceremonial dagger in her left hand. Hassan, who liked anything that had to do with war and warriors, was especially delighted, and he took out his purse to get a gold coin for her. As he bent forward she rushed up to him and stabbed him in the heart.

  “What have you done?!” Ali Baba screamed.

  “You must be crazy!” shrieked the nephew. “You’ve murdered my best friend!”

  “Look!” Marjanah said. And she tore off the merchant’s belt. The knife fell to the floor.

  “Don’t you remember?” she said, pointing at his face. “It’s the captain of the thieves! He came here to kill you!”

  “Dear Marjanah,” Al
i Baba said, taking her into his arms. “Once again you have saved us. How can I reward you? Ask for anything you want.”

  Marjanah blushed. “I already have everything I want. I have a wonderful home here, and I really do feel like your daughter.” Then she looked down at the ground.

  “Nephew,” Ali Baba said to Kassim’s oldest son, “can you think of anything our dear Marjanah might want?”

  “Well, Uncle,” he said, “if she loves me as much as I love her, perhaps she might want to marry me.”

  “That’s an excellent idea,” Ali Baba said. “Is this what you want, Marjanah?”

  Marjanah blushed again and whispered, “Yes.”

  “Wonderful!” Ali Baba said. “There’s nothing that would make me happier.”

  And so Marjanah married Ali Baba’s nephew, and they were very happy with each other.

  A year after the wedding, when Ali Baba felt that it was safe to return, he went back to the cave in the forest. The path was covered with long grass and was almost invisible. Obviously no one had been here for a long time. Ali Baba stood in front of the rock and shouted, “Open, Sesame!” And once again the rock opened.

  After this, he made many trips to the cave, and he taught the secret to his children and his grandchildren.

  So Ali Baba became the richest man of his time, and he used his wealth with great wisdom. Everyone blessed him and said, “He is fair to the rich and compassionate to the poor.” And he and his family lived happily until the end of their days.

  Abu Keer

  and

  Abu Seer

  Chapter 1

  A very long time ago, in the city of Alexandria in Egypt, there were two neighbors. One was a dyer named Abu Keer, the other a barber named Abu Seer. Their shops were right next to each other at the bazaar.

  Now Abu Seer was a kind, honest man. But Abu Keer was a liar and a cheat. Whenever a customer brought him a piece of cloth to be dyed, he would insist on being paid in advance, and he would go out and spend the money on expensive food and wine and tobacco. Then he would sell the cloth and spend that money. And when the customer returned, he would say, “Come back tomorrow.”

  The next day he would say, “I’m terribly sorry, your cloth is still not ready. I had guests all day yesterday, and of course I had to entertain them. But it will be ready tomorrow, I promise.”

  The customer would return on the third day. Abu Keer would say, “Would you believe it?! My wife had a baby last night, and I had to take care of her all day. But tomorrow your cloth will definitely be ready.”

  Things would go on like this until the customer ran out of patience and asked for his cloth back.

  “Ah, if only I could return it to you,” Abu Keer would say, looking down with tears in his eyes. Then he would pause and pretend to choke down a sob. “But God is just and will punish the wicked.”

  “What happened?” the customer would ask.

  “Sir, I dyed your cloth yesterday. A beautiful job, if I may say so myself. You’ve never seen such an artistic dye job! Then I hung it out to dry. And—would you believe it?!—when I came back, the cloth wasn’t there! Some filthy thief must have taken it!”

  “Ah, well,” the customer would sigh, if he was a kind man. “God is just and will make all things right.” If he was a badtempered man, he would rage and curse and call Abu Keer every foul name under the sun. But the curses would bounce off Abu Keer like water off a raincoat.

  In time, though, word got around, and people began to warn one another about Abu Keer’s tricks. So his customers grew fewer and fewer, until there were no customers at all.

  With nothing to do, Abu Keer began to hang around Abu Seer’s shop, and the two became friends. Abu Seer hadn’t heard any of the gossip. He considered Abu Keer to be a very clever man and enjoyed his conversation. Abu Seer was a loyal friend, and being an innocent, trustworthy person, he thought that his friends were as trustworthy as he was.

  One day Abu Seer said to Abu Keer, “What terrible luck you have! Every time someone brings you a piece of cloth, it gets stolen. There must be more thieves in this town than ants at a picnic.”

  Abu Keer said, “I’ll let you in on a secret, neighbor. Nobody has ever stolen a thing from me.”

  “Really? Then what happened to all that merchandise?”

  “I sold it. You have no idea how delicious rich people’s food can be! Stuffed nightingale tongues, mocha date-nut tarts … And the wines! They are like beautiful music playing on your tongue.”

  “But, neighbor!” Abu Seer interrupted. “Stealing is a crime! You can’t pull the wool over God’s eyes, you know.”

  “Ah,” sighed Abu Keer. “I only steal because I’m so poor and business is so bad. I’m the best dyer in Alexandria. By all rights I should be rich. When you’re rich, it’s easy to be honest.”

  Abu Seer said, “I disagree with you, neighbor. I don’t think it’s ever right to steal. But business is terrible for me, too. I wish we could do something to improve it.”

  “Maybe we can,” said Abu Keer. “Why don’t we just leave this miserable city and see if we can find a better one? Maybe somewhere else they’ll appreciate having a master dyer and a good barber.”

  So they agreed to travel and find a better home. They also agreed that whenever one of them had work and the other didn’t, the one who was working would support the one who wasn’t. And all the money left over as profit would be divided equally between them.

  Chapter 2

  The very next morning they set sail.

  Abu Keer immediately curled up in the cabin and went to sleep. Abu Seer, taking his equipment—scissors, razor, a basin of water, soap, and a towel—went out for a walk on the deck.

  “Hey, barber! Over here!” one of the passengers shouted. Abu Seer cut his hair and shaved him. “How much will that be?” the passenger said.

  “Well, my friend and I are hungry. If you can spare a loaf of bread …”

  “Certainly,” said the passenger. “It was such a good haircut that I’ll even throw in a piece of cheese.”

  Pretty soon there was a line of people waiting for Abu Seer. By the end of the first day, he had earned thirty silver coins, thirty loaves of bread, and a pile of cheese, olives, and fruit.

  When he brought his earnings back to the cabin, he found Abu Keer still asleep.

  “Wake up, partner,” he said. “Look what I have!”

  Abu Keer got up and began to stuff the food into his mouth, as if he had been starving for a week. He ate seven loaves of bread, four large hunks of cheese, a hundred and forty-two olives, nine apples, three pears, three peaches, and a medium-sized bunch of grapes. Then he let out a loud belch and went back to sleep.

  The next day there was another long line of customers for Abu Seer. Everyone on board, it seemed, wanted a haircut. In the afternoon, the ship’s captain came. He was so pleased with his haircut and shave that he invited Abu Seer and his friend to join him for dinner every night for the rest of the voyage.

  “Wake up, partner,” Abu Seer said when he returned to the cabin with another load of food at the end of the day.

  Abu Keer got up again and began to stuff the food into his mouth.

  “No, wait,” said Abu Seer. “The captain has invited us to dinner. Don’t waste your appetite on this.”

  “You go by yourself,” Abu Keer mumbled, his mouth full of bread and cheese. “I’m feeling seasick. Just remember to bring me some leftovers.”

  The captain’s dinner was magnificent. There were twelve kinds of meat, including shish kebab and roast chicken, ten different vegetables, and two dozen desserts, including baklava and sherbet. Abu Seer had never eaten such delicious food. There were tears of gratitude in his eyes as he thanked the captain.

  “By the way, sir,” he continued, “I wonder if I may take back some leftovers for my friend.”

  “Of course,” said the captain. “But didn’t you say that he was feeling seasick?”

  “Well,” said Abu Seer, “mayb
e he’s better by now. I would love it if he could taste this amazing food.”

  Back in the cabin Abu Keer was still eating the bread and cheese Abu Seer had brought him.

  “I told you to save your appetite,” Abu Seer said. “Look what I have for you.”

  Abu Keer said, “Hand it over!” and wolfed down the roast chicken and the lamb and the fish and the beef, the beans and the peas and the rice, the date cake and the almond cake. Not a single crumb was left. “Is this all you brought?” he snarled.

  “I thought it would be enough,” Abu Seer said. “It was a huge plateful, and you had just eaten.”

  “A fine friend you are!” Abu Keer said, snarling. Then he got into bed, rolled over, and went to sleep.

  Chapter 3

  Things continued like this for the next twenty days of the voyage. Every morning Abu Seer went off to work; every evening he brought back the day’s profits. Abu Keer never woke up except to eat, and never left his bed except to go to the toilet.

  On the twenty-first day, the ship docked in the harbor of a large city. Before Abu Seer left the ship, the captain took him aside and said, “Let me give you a piece of advice. Don’t go to the king of this city unless you have something valuable to offer him. He is known for his short temper, and everyone is very careful around him because he wears a magic ring. Whenever he wants to kill anyone, all he has to do is point with his right hand, and immediately that person’s head falls off, like a ripe melon falling off a vine.”

  “My goodness,” Abu Seer said. “I’ll certainly remember your advice. Thanks.”

  Once they had disembarked, Abu Keer and Abu Seer found a cheap hotel and rented a room with a bed in it and a small cot. “I’ll take the bed,” Abu Keer said, and immediately went to sleep.

  Every morning, for the next forty days, Abu Seer would go out, find a few customers, and return with food for dinner. He would cook it and serve it and clean up afterward. Abu Keer would wake up only long enough to gobble down a large meal. Whenever Abu Seer suggested that he look for work, Abu Keer would grumble, “Don’t bother me,” and he would go back to sleep.