Week 5 Storytelling: Aladdin and the Wonderful Lamp

There once lived a young boy. His name was Aladdin. He loved nothing more than to play in the streets with his friends. Unfortunately, he loved playing a little too much. What started as several hours a day as a child soon turned into his entire existence. This became a problem as he grew older, as it prevented him from taking up a trade. This so grieved his father that finally, his father suddenly became ill and died.

However, this did not stop the young boy's habits. He was oblivious to the world.

One day, he and his friends took their playing from the streets into his house. After searching for new adventures, they eventually made their way into the attic. And it was here that everything changed.

While Aladdin was playing hide-and-seek with his friends, he stumbled upon an old box of his father's belongings. In the center of this box sat a perfectly-jeweled ring.

He could hear echoes of his father's voice from his childhood.

...

"Aladdin." He would be holding his son.

"Yes, daddy?" His son would reach for the ring on his father's hand.

"One day, you will receive this ring. It was my father's, and it was his father's. But only when you are old enough and responsible enough. Until then, you must promise me to never touch it."

"I promise."

...

And here he was. Was he old enough? Could it be time for him to touch the ring?

It glistened in the box, inviting him to slide it on his finger. He reached for it, surprisingly warm to the touch. As he slid the ring on his left ring finger, he rubbed the side of it to remove what appeared to be a scratch mark.

Suddenly, the whole room began shaking. Aladdin screamed.

Before his eyes, an enormous genie appeared with a billow of smoke.

"You have woken me up, child. What is it you want?"

Aladdin shuddered. "What do you mean?"

The genie blew smoke from his nose and closed his eyes.

"Son. You have the ring. Did your father not tell you? This ring enables you to ask any wish, and commands that I oblige."

Aladdin could not believe what he was hearing. Anything? Surely not.

"I'll take a chicken fried steak."

Before he could take a breath, a silver platter appeared in front of him, holding the most glorious meal he had ever seen.

The genie winked.

As Aladdin took a skeptical bite, he glanced out of the attic window.

His heart stopped. She was the most beautiful woman he had ever seen. The way she looked, the way she walked, the way her eyes sparkled.

He looked back at the genie as a grin spread across his face.


Author's Note:

This is a spin-off of the original story about Aladdin, though it only manipulates part of the introduction. In the original, a young boy (named Aladdin, of course) refuses to take up any work, and in doing so, causes his father's death. However, a man appears from out of town, claiming to be his uncle. He takes Aladdin on an adventure, but has been lying the whole time. He tries to manipulate Aladdin into retrieving for him a magical lamp, but Aladdin refuses to give in. The boy ends up trapped in a cave, soon discovering that the magical lamp contains a genie that will grant his every wish. He wishes to be out of the cave, and the wish is granted. He returns home and provides for his and his mother's every need because of the genie's ability to grant their wishes. But one day, he spots the daughter of the sultan, and his life suddenly takes a turn. My version simply retells the introduction of this story. Instead of adventuring with his "uncle" to find this magical lamp, Aladdin is simply playing in the attic when he discovers a possession of his father's. It turns out to be a magical ring, which contains the genie from the original story. As soon as Aladdin discovers its power, the same plot twist occurs as in the original story: he spots a beautiful woman and decides that he must do whatever it takes to win her over.

Bibliography:
"The Arabian Nights' Entertainments: Aladdin and the Wonderful Lamp" by Andrew Lang: online link

Image Information: Aladdin, the genie, and a dancing woman.
Link: Image