Sam ran towards his grandfather crying: “Tom took my chocolate bar from me.” The grandpa smiled and asked him: “Why did he do that? Do you know?”
“He said he gave me one yesterday. But I want my bar back grandpa, please.”
The grandfather pointed to his six-year-old grandson: “Come here Sam and sit next to me. Sam, if you take something from somebody you should give them something as well. Life is to give and take. I’d like to tell you a story, a nice one.”
The boy wiped his tears and got ready to listen; his interest showed on his small face. “Tell me, what it’s about. I always like your stories grandpa.”
The grandfather looked at Sam and began his story:
“Once upon a time there was a fisherman in Arabia. He was a very old and very poor man. Every day he used to carry his fishing net on his back and go to sea on his small boat. He used to throw his net into the sea three times every day and return with whatever he caught. One day he threw his net the first time, but nothing came out except a big old piece of wood. He cast the net the second time and waited patiently without feeling any movement from it. All of a sudden, he felt a tug on the net. He gathered his strength and pulled the net back on to the boat. But again, he was unlucky; all he had caught was rotting vegetation. He decided to change his fishing place and try his luck for the third time. He was tired and he felt very sleepy but went on hoping to land a big fish that he could sell in the market. He threw his net and waited. The sea was calm, and the wind was merciful. After a while, he felt something moving inside his net. It wasn’t heavy but it wasn’t easy to get it out of the water. Finally, he pulled the net in and saw a huge black bottle with a golden cork. The bottle seemed very old with no markings or writings on it. The fisherman was very happy with his find but confused as to what to do. He decided to open the bottle and see for himself the treasure inside. The cork was very well sealed, and it took him another hour to loosen it. He opened it, but he couldn’t keep the bottle still in his hand as it started to jump everywhere out of control. Suddenly he saw thick white smoke coming out of it. The smoke got bigger and bigger and higher and higher. It started to take the shape of a huge creature; its head reached the sky and its legs went deep into the sea. The smoke then vanished and out of it came an Arabian Jinni dressed in red and black. The Jinni turned right and left as if he was looking for someone; he looked down with his big red eyes at the fisherman and said with a loud deep voice: “Fisherman, you freed me from my prison in this tiny bottle in which I had been imprisoned for thousands of years as a punishment from King Soliman. I am in your debt and should thank you for my freedom. As you gave me liberty, I should give you something in return. I can make three of your wishes come true right now.”
The fisherman, who had been terrified at first, overcame his fear and said in a faint: “I do not want anything. You can go free.”
The Jinni started to get angry; his eyes got wider. He screamed: “Give me your wishes fisherman as I want to go before, I turn into smoke again.”
The fisherman replied meekly: “I wish I had a bigger boat, a proper house instead of my hut and enough food for my wife and myself.”
The moment he told the Jinni that, the fisherman saw a storm of smoke covering the sea and all of a sudden, his small old boat turned into a big luxurious boat. He sailed to the shore and looked towards his hut to find a big palace of two stories. When he entered the new palace, he found bountiful food, a garden full of fruit and some sheep, cows, and goats. He was very pleased with what he had and lived happily ever after.
The grandfather looked at Sam who was about to sleep and said: “What do you think Sam?” The grandson yawned and took a deep breath and said: “I will let Tom keep the chocolate bar; you don’t have to get it back from him.”
