Long, long ago in Persia, there was a Greek King who suffered from a strange illness that seemed incurable. All the physicians in the court and the kingdom had been summoned and each remedy had been tried. But nothing seemed to help the sick King. A new learned physician arrived at the court to cure […]
Long ago, in the city of Baghdad, there was a merchant named Ali. Once, he had to go on a long journey that would take time. Selling off most of his things, Ali placed a thousand gold coins in a large jar for use when he returned. To keep it safe, he placed a layer
Once upon a time, there was an extremely rich merchant who travelled to many places to sell his merchandise. Once, his journey took him to a land far away and the road passed through a desert where nothing was available to eat. The merchant, therefore, decided to carry some biscuits and dates for the journey.
Once upon a time, there were three brothers. The youngest one was a dwarf. One day, the three brothers left home to find their fortunes. After travelling for a while, they came upon an anthill. The eldest brother said, “Let’s destroy the anthill and watch the ants run.” The dwarf said, “No! I will not
A king had a beautiful daughter for whom he wanted a brave and wise son-in-law. So, he built an underground palace and hid the princess inside it. Then he announced, “Whosoever finds the princess, shall marry her. But if someone tries and fails, then he must die.” Many young men wanted to marry the princess.
An old couple lived in a hut made of corn. They had tied a scarecrow on top of their hut to guard it. He always barked when anyone tried to eat the hut. One night, when the old couple was fast asleep, some crows attacked their hut. The scarecrow started barking loudly, “Woof! Woof! Woof!”
Once, there were five brothers who looked alike and were gifted with strange abilities. The first brother could swallow the sea, the second one could not be cut by steel or iron, the third one could grow his legs and hands long, the fourth one couldnot be burnt by fire and the fifth one could
Once, a merchant helped an old lady by giving her some food and money. The old lady was actually a fairy in disguise. Pleased with the merchant, she said, “Since you are such a kind person, I will give you the power to understand the language of birds and animals. Then, you will be able
A king had a golden sword. It had never seen a war. One day, a dispute broke out between the king and the king of his neighbouring kingdom. It ended with both declaring war. The golden sword was excited as it would be taking part in a real battle. It would show everyone how special
Sam was a very greedy and selfish man. In his greed to make more and more money, he did not hesitate to cheat others. He paid very low wages to his servants. Also, he never shared anything with others. One day, Sam misplaced a small bag of money somewhere. It contained fifty gold coins. Sam
Once, there was a greedy merchant. He was very rich, yet he wanted more money. One day, he was taking a walk in a garden. He saw a beautiful little bird on a rose-bush. It had amazingly colourful feathers. The merchant had never seen such a bird in his life. He slowly went near the
Hans and Jake were brothers. Their mother had died when they were very young. Their father also died after some time, leaving behind a cow and a date-tree for his two sons. Hans was greedy and cunning. Jake was kind and honest. They decided to divide their father’s property. Hans said to Jake, “I will
King John of England did not like anyone else to look richer than he himself was. There was a rich merchant living in the kingdom who loved to dress up. The king sent his soldiers to bring him to the court. The king asked the merchant, “Who is the greater–the king or a merchant?” “The
Matt opened the box. Inside was a pair of blue shoes. “Wow! Can I wear them now?” he asked his mom. “Yes! Happy birthday!” she replied, hugging him. Matt wore the shoes and instantly felt an electric shock. It was as if the shoes were magical. He whooshed down the corridor, into the living room
There was once an old man so wise that people called him the Wise One. One day, when a merchant from his city was riding through the woods, a huge man blocked his path. The man was much taller than the merchant, and was dressed like him. The giant shouted, “None shall pass without a