Aladdin and the Magic Lamp
So far, Aladdin had thought only good things about his fake uncle, the Maghrebi. In his episode, he will start to change his mind. Soon, he will realize that he is the puppet of this man and that he is only kind to him for his own purpose.
ON THE SIXTH NIGHT
Sheherazade said:
The Maghrebi took leave of Aladdin's mother, kissed Aladdin, and retired. And Aladdin, during the night, thought of all the beautiful things he had just seen and the joys he had just experienced, and he promised himself fresh delights for the morrow. So, at dawn, he got up, without having been able to close his eyes, dressed in his new beautiful clothes, and began to walk up and down, while tripping over the long robe to which he wasn't used yet. Then, as he thought, in his impatience, that the Maghrebi was taking too long to come, he went out to wait for him in front of the door and ended up seeing him appear. And he ran to meet him like a young stallion and kissed his hand. And the North African kissed him and gave him a lot of hugs, and told him to go and tell his mother that he was taking him away. Then he took him by the hand and walked away with him. And they walked together talking of this and that; and they passed through the gates of the city, from which Aladdin had never yet come out. And in front of them, began to appear the beautiful private houses and the beautiful palaces surrounded by gardens; and Aladdin looked at them in wonder and found each one more beautiful than the previous one. And they thus advanced very far in the countryside, approaching more and more the goal which the Maghrebi had in mind. But, at some point, Aladdin began to get tired, and said to the Maghrebi: “O my uncle, are we going to walk much longer? Here we have already passed the gardens, and there is only the mountain in front of us! Now, I am very tired, and I would like to have a bite to eat!" And the North African took from his belt a scarf in which there were fruits and cakes and said to Aladdin: "Here, my son, for your hunger and your thirst. But we still have to walk a little to reach the wonderful place that I want to show you and which has no equal in the world! Gather your strength and take courage, Aladdin, now that you are a man!" And he continued to encourage him while advising him on his conduct in the future and urging him to detach himself from the association of children and draw closer instead to wise and prudent men. And he knew how to distract him in such a way that he ended up arriving with him at the foot of the mountain, at the bottom of a deserted valley where there was only the presence of Allah!
However, this was precisely the purpose of the trip that the Maghrebi had started several months ago! And it was to arrive in this valley that he left from the bottom of the Maghreb and came to the ends of China!
So he turned to Aladdin who was exhausted with fatigue and said to him with a smile: “We have arrived at the goal, my son Aladdin!" And he sat down on a rock and made him sit down beside him and put his arms around him with great tenderness and said to him, "Rest a little, Aladdin. Because I will finally be able to show you what the eyes of men have never seen. Yes, Aladdin, you are going to see presently, right here, a garden more beautiful than all the gardens on earth. And it's only after you've admired the marvels of this garden, that you'll really be right to thank me, and that you'll forget the fatigues of walking, and that you'll bless the day you met me." And he let him rest for a moment, his eyes wide with astonishment at the thought of seeing a garden in a place where there were only rocks and bushes. Then the Maghrebi said to Aladdin: "Get up now, Aladdin, and gather among these bushes, the driest stalks and all the pieces of wood that you will find, and bring them to me! And then you will see the free show to which I invite you!" And Aladdin got up and hastened to go and pick up among the bushes and brushwood a number of dry stalks and pieces of wood, and brought them to the North African, who said to him: "That's all I need. Get out now and come get behind me! And Aladdin obeyed his uncle and came to stand some distance behind him.
Then the Maghrebi took a lighter from his belt, beat it, and set fire to the pile of dry branches and stems, which blazed and crackled. And immediately he took a tortoiseshell box from his pocket, opened it, and took out a pinch of incense, which he threw into the middle of the fire. And a very thick smoke rose which he began to divert from side to side with his hands, muttering formulas in a language completely unknown to Aladdin. And at the same time the earth shook, the rocks moved on their base, and the ground parted for a space about ten cubits wide. And at the bottom of this hole appeared a horizontal marble slab five cubits wide, with, in the middle, a bronze ring.
At this sight, Aladdin was terrified. He uttered a cry and, taking the bottom of his robe between his teeth, turned his back and fled, running away. But the North African jumped and run, and caught him. And he looked at him with fearful eyes, shook him, holding him by one ear, and raised his hand and slapped him so terribly that he nearly sank his teeth in. And Aladdin was quite dazed and fell to the ground on his back.
However, the Maghrebi had only treated him in this way to dominate him once and for all, since Aladdin was necessary for his operation and since, without him, he could not attempt the enterprise for which he had come. Also, when he saw him lying dazed on the ground, he picked him up and said to him in a voice that he tried to make very soft: "Know, Aladdin, that if I treated you like this, it is to teach you to be a man! For I am your uncle, your father's brother, and you owe me obedience!" Then he added, in a completely gentle voice: “Come on, Aladdin, listen carefully to what I will tell you, and don't miss a word! Because, by doing so, you will reap considerable benefits, and you will quickly forget the various troubles that happen to you!" And he kissed him and, having henceforth completely dominated him, he said: "You have just seen, my child, how the ground has opened up a little by virtue of the words that I pronounced! But you must know that I acted in this way only for your good; for below that marble slab which you see at the bottom of the hole, with a bronze ring, is a treasure which is written in your name and can only be opened by yourself! And this treasure, which is destined for you, will make you richer than all the kings of the world! And, to prove to yourself that this treasure is indeed intended for you and not for another, know that it is only possible for you alone in the world to touch this marble slab and lift it; for myself, despite all my power which is great, I could not reach the bronze ring nor lift the plate, were I a thousand times more powerful and stronger than I am. And, once the plate has been lifted, it is also not possible for me to enter the treasury or to go down just one step! It is therefore up to you alone to do what I cannot do myself! And, for that, you only have to execute, to the letter, what I am going to tell you! And you will thus be the master of the treasure, which we will share in all fairness, in two equal parts, one for you and one for me!"
— At this point in her narration, Scheherazade saw the morning appear and quietly fell silent.
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