A story
Ali Baba and Clever Morgiana (from One Thousand and One Nights)
Once upon a time, in a town at the edge of the hills, there lived a woodcutter named Ali Baba. Every morning, he took his gray donkey up into the hills to gather sticks. Every evening, he sold the sticks in the market. He did not earn much, but he was happy. He had a kind wife, a warm home, and a helper named Morgiana. Morgiana was quick, cheerful, and the cleverest person in the whole town.
Ali Baba had a brother named Kassim. Kassim was rich, and he always wanted to be richer. He lived in a big house and wore silk clothes, but he rarely smiled.
One day, Ali Baba was cutting sticks high in the hills. Suddenly, he heard the thud of many hooves. A cloud of dust was rolling toward him. Ali Baba quickly hid his donkey behind a rock and climbed into a leafy tree.
Forty riders came galloping up. They wore dark cloaks and carried heavy bags. They were robbers, and the bags were full of things they had taken from travelers.
The leader of the robbers stood in front of a big, rocky hill. He raised his arms and called out, "Open, Sesame!"
Rumble, rumble! A round stone door in the hill rolled open. The robbers carried their bags inside. After a while, they came out again. The leader called, "Close, Sesame!" and the stone door rolled shut. Then the forty robbers rode away.
Ali Baba climbed down from the tree. His heart was beating fast. He walked up to the hill and whispered, "Open, Sesame!"
Rumble, rumble! The door rolled open. Inside was a huge cave full of treasure. There were chests of gold coins, rolls of silk, and jars of sparkling jewels.
He did not take very much. He filled two small sacks with gold, just enough to help his family. He said, "Close, Sesame!" and went home.
His wife's eyes grew wide when she saw the gold. "We must be careful," said Ali Baba. "We will use it for good things. And we will tell no one."
But Kassim saw that his brother suddenly had new shoes and a new roof. He came to Ali Baba's door. "Where did you get this money?" he asked.
Ali Baba was honest, so he told his brother about the cave. "But please," he said, "take only a little. The robbers are dangerous."
Kassim did not listen. The very next morning, he took ten donkeys up into the hills. He said, "Open, Sesame!" and the door rolled open. Kassim rushed inside. He filled sack after sack. He was so excited about the treasure that the door closed behind him, and he forgot the magic words.
"Open, Barley!" he called. Nothing happened. "Open, Wheat! Open, Rice!" The door stayed shut.
When the robbers came back, they found Kassim inside, sitting on a pile of sacks. They were very angry. They tied him up and left him in a dark corner of the cave while they decided what to do.
That night, Ali Baba worried when his brother did not come home. He went up to the cave and said the magic words. He found Kassim, untied him, and helped him home before the robbers returned.
The next day, the robbers saw that their prisoner was gone. "Someone else knows our secret," said the leader. "We must find him."
One of the robbers went down into the town. He asked questions until he found Ali Baba's house. He made a white chalk mark on the door, so the robbers could find it later.
But Morgiana noticed the mark when she went out to buy bread. "That is strange," she thought. She took a piece of chalk and made the very same mark on every door in the street. When the robbers came that night, every door looked the same. They could not tell which house was Ali Baba's, and they went away grumbling.
The leader of the robbers thought of a new plan. He dressed up as an oil merchant. He brought twenty mules, and each mule carried two big clay jars. One jar held oil. But in the other thirty-nine jars, a robber was hiding, waiting for a signal.
The leader knocked on Ali Baba's door. "I am a poor oil merchant," he said. "May I rest my mules in your yard tonight?"
Ali Baba was kind. "Of course," he said. "Come in and have supper."
Later that evening, Morgiana needed oil for the lamp. She went out to the yard to take some from the merchant's jars. As she came close to the first jar, she heard a sleepy voice whisper, "Is it time yet?"
Morgiana did not scream. She thought very quickly. In a deep voice, she whispered back, "Not yet. Wait."
She went from jar to jar. In every jar but one, there was a robber. Morgiana ran to the kitchen and filled a big pot with cold water from the well. Very quietly, she tied the lid down tight on every jar. Then she poured a little cold water into each one, just enough to give the robbers a chilly, soggy fright. They wiggled and squirmed, but they could not get out.
Then Morgiana woke Ali Baba and told him everything. Ali Baba went to the merchant. "Your friends are stuck in the jars," he said calmly. "And the town guards are on their way."
The leader of the robbers looked at the tied-up jars. He looked at clever Morgiana. He knew his plans had failed. When the guards came, the robbers were led away, wet, grumpy, and sneezing.
The judge of the town told the robbers they must give back everything they had taken. Ali Baba helped. He opened the cave, and the treasure was carried back to the travelers and families it belonged to. The robbers had to work in the town gardens for many years, carrying water and planting trees, until they learned to be honest.
Kassim came to see Ali Baba. "I was greedy," he said quietly. "I am sorry." Ali Baba hugged his brother.
Ali Baba thanked Morgiana with all his heart. "You saved us all," he said. He gave her a little house of her own with a garden. And whenever the town had a tricky problem, everyone knew exactly who to ask.
Ali Baba had a brother named Kassim. Kassim was rich, and he always wanted to be richer. He lived in a big house and wore silk clothes, but he rarely smiled.
One day, Ali Baba was cutting sticks high in the hills. Suddenly, he heard the thud of many hooves. A cloud of dust was rolling toward him. Ali Baba quickly hid his donkey behind a rock and climbed into a leafy tree.
Forty riders came galloping up. They wore dark cloaks and carried heavy bags. They were robbers, and the bags were full of things they had taken from travelers.
The leader of the robbers stood in front of a big, rocky hill. He raised his arms and called out, "Open, Sesame!"
Rumble, rumble! A round stone door in the hill rolled open. The robbers carried their bags inside. After a while, they came out again. The leader called, "Close, Sesame!" and the stone door rolled shut. Then the forty robbers rode away.
Ali Baba climbed down from the tree. His heart was beating fast. He walked up to the hill and whispered, "Open, Sesame!"
Rumble, rumble! The door rolled open. Inside was a huge cave full of treasure. There were chests of gold coins, rolls of silk, and jars of sparkling jewels.
He did not take very much. He filled two small sacks with gold, just enough to help his family. He said, "Close, Sesame!" and went home.
His wife's eyes grew wide when she saw the gold. "We must be careful," said Ali Baba. "We will use it for good things. And we will tell no one."
But Kassim saw that his brother suddenly had new shoes and a new roof. He came to Ali Baba's door. "Where did you get this money?" he asked.
Ali Baba was honest, so he told his brother about the cave. "But please," he said, "take only a little. The robbers are dangerous."
Kassim did not listen. The very next morning, he took ten donkeys up into the hills. He said, "Open, Sesame!" and the door rolled open. Kassim rushed inside. He filled sack after sack. He was so excited about the treasure that the door closed behind him, and he forgot the magic words.
"Open, Barley!" he called. Nothing happened. "Open, Wheat! Open, Rice!" The door stayed shut.
When the robbers came back, they found Kassim inside, sitting on a pile of sacks. They were very angry. They tied him up and left him in a dark corner of the cave while they decided what to do.
That night, Ali Baba worried when his brother did not come home. He went up to the cave and said the magic words. He found Kassim, untied him, and helped him home before the robbers returned.
The next day, the robbers saw that their prisoner was gone. "Someone else knows our secret," said the leader. "We must find him."
One of the robbers went down into the town. He asked questions until he found Ali Baba's house. He made a white chalk mark on the door, so the robbers could find it later.
But Morgiana noticed the mark when she went out to buy bread. "That is strange," she thought. She took a piece of chalk and made the very same mark on every door in the street. When the robbers came that night, every door looked the same. They could not tell which house was Ali Baba's, and they went away grumbling.
The leader of the robbers thought of a new plan. He dressed up as an oil merchant. He brought twenty mules, and each mule carried two big clay jars. One jar held oil. But in the other thirty-nine jars, a robber was hiding, waiting for a signal.
The leader knocked on Ali Baba's door. "I am a poor oil merchant," he said. "May I rest my mules in your yard tonight?"
Ali Baba was kind. "Of course," he said. "Come in and have supper."
Later that evening, Morgiana needed oil for the lamp. She went out to the yard to take some from the merchant's jars. As she came close to the first jar, she heard a sleepy voice whisper, "Is it time yet?"
Morgiana did not scream. She thought very quickly. In a deep voice, she whispered back, "Not yet. Wait."
She went from jar to jar. In every jar but one, there was a robber. Morgiana ran to the kitchen and filled a big pot with cold water from the well. Very quietly, she tied the lid down tight on every jar. Then she poured a little cold water into each one, just enough to give the robbers a chilly, soggy fright. They wiggled and squirmed, but they could not get out.
Then Morgiana woke Ali Baba and told him everything. Ali Baba went to the merchant. "Your friends are stuck in the jars," he said calmly. "And the town guards are on their way."
The leader of the robbers looked at the tied-up jars. He looked at clever Morgiana. He knew his plans had failed. When the guards came, the robbers were led away, wet, grumpy, and sneezing.
The judge of the town told the robbers they must give back everything they had taken. Ali Baba helped. He opened the cave, and the treasure was carried back to the travelers and families it belonged to. The robbers had to work in the town gardens for many years, carrying water and planting trees, until they learned to be honest.
Kassim came to see Ali Baba. "I was greedy," he said quietly. "I am sorry." Ali Baba hugged his brother.
Ali Baba thanked Morgiana with all his heart. "You saved us all," he said. He gave her a little house of her own with a garden. And whenever the town had a tricky problem, everyone knew exactly who to ask.
