Kids Stories – Arabian Nights – Two Dogs And The Old Man

Second Old Man: “Great prince of the genie, these two dogs are my brothers, and I am the third one.”

Narrator:(Second Old Man) When our father died and left us the capital of three thousand gold pieces, I opened a shop with my share and my brothers did the same. However, my elder brother sold his stocks for a thousand dinars and journeyed to foreign lands. He had been gone

with his camel for one whole year. One day, as I was sitting in my shop a beggar stood before me asking for alms,

Second Old Man: “Go try somewhere else!”

Elder Brother: “Oh my god my brother, Have I changed so much that you don’t recognize me anymore?”Then I looked at him closely and saw he was my brother. I asked him the reason for his ill fate.

Elder Brother: “Don’t ask me, my wealth is all gone and so is my health”

Second Old Man: “Just assume that you didn’t make a journey abroad but remained at home. There’s no reason now for you to be dejected about your bad luck, don’t you think am right?”

Narrator:

(Second Old Man) Sometime afterward my second brother wished also to sell his business and travel. My eldest brother and I did all we could to dissuade him, but it was of no use. He rode on a camel and set out. He came back at the end of a year in the same state as his elder brother.

Second Old Man: “Did I not try to dissuade you from traveling?”

Elder Brother 2: [wept and cried] “Destiny decreed this way! Now I am a mere beggar without a penny to my name or a shirt on my back.” I took care of him, and as I had a thousand dinars to spare I gave them to him, and he re‐opened his shop.

Narrator:(Second Old Man) One day, my brothers began to urge me to travel with them, but I refused and argued.

Second Old Man: What did you two gain from all your voyages that would make me want to travel?”All right, my brothers, I shall be your companion and am ready to travel. Now, let me see what money you intend to bring with you.”I found that they did not have anything for they had spent their funds on the rich food and pleasures. I looked over my shop accounts and came out with a profit of six thousand dinars, which I divided into half. These three thousand gold pieces are for me and you to conduct our trade during our travels. Let’s bury the other three thousand in the ground in case anything should happen to us.

(Second Old Man) They readily agreed and we prepared some goods for trading and hired a ship to carry our merchandise and proceeded on our voyage. After a month at sea, we reached a city, where we sold our goods and when we were about to resume our voyage, we found a maiden on the seashore clad in worn and ragged clothes.

She came to me and said

Maiden: “Oh master is you a man of charity and kindness? If so, I am prepared to repay you

for your aid.”

Second Old Man: “You may find me kind and a man of good deeds, But I don’t want any return for my works.”

Maiden: “Please have me as your wife, oh master and take me to your city.”

Narrator:(Second Old Man) When I heard her words, my heart went out to her as though Almighty had willed it. Therefore, I took her, gave her a comfortable place in a vessel. But my brothers began to be jealous of my prosperity and set to work to plot against my life. One night when we were sleeping they threw my wife and me into the sea. My wife, however, was a fairy, and so she did not let me drown but transported me ashore.

Maiden: “When I saw you on the sea‐shore I took a great fancy to you and wished to try your good nature, so I presented myself in the disguise you saw. Now I have rewarded you by saving

your life. But I am very angry with your brothers, and I shall not rest till I have taken their lives.”

Second Old Man: “Oh dear Fairy! I am thankful for saving my life. But when it comes to

slaying my brothers, you must not do this.” Once I reached home, I took my savings and reopened my shop. When I went home, I saw two black dogs tied up and enquired my wife.

Maiden: “These two dogs are your brothers!”

Second Old Man: Who has done this to them?

Maiden: “I sent a message to my sister and it was she who transformed them into dogs. And

they will not be released from their present shape until ten years have passed.”

**********[back to the Merchant place] ********

Second Old Man: “you find me now, Oh Genie, on my way to my wife’s sister because the time has come to release my brothers. I stopped at this place when I saw this young man and I

decided not to leave here until I saw what would happen between you and him. Such is me

Tale!”

Genie: “This is certainly a remarkable story, therefore, I’ll give up to you the third of the merchant’s punishment.”

Third Old man: “If I can tell you a tale more wondrous than these two, will you grant me theThe remainder of the merchant’s Punishment?”

Genie: “You have my word!”

Narrator:(Scheherazade) The Third old man told his story to the Genie, but I cannot tell you what it was, as I do not know. But I do know that it was even more marvelous than either of

the others.

Genie: “Thanks to you and your storytelling, the merchant is yours! you’ve saved him and I now release him from his punishment.”

**** In the Palace ****

Dinarzade: “Oh sister, your tale was wonderful and delightful”

Scheherazade: “It is nothing compared to what I could tell you of the remarkable tale of ‘Aladdin and the Magic Lamp’ if the king would spare my life and let me live”

Shahariyaar:(to himself) “I Won’t slay her until I hear some more of her wondrous tales”