Once, there lived a merchant who had a very long beard. People called him ‘Long Beard’. He had lost his wife and wished to marry Sara, his neighbour’s daughter. Soon after their wedding, Long Beard had to leave for a trip. He said to his new bride, “You are the mistress of this mansion. Take […]
Long ago, a King had a daughter, Princess Stephanie, whom he loved dearly. She had been ill for a long time. Finally, the royal doctor declared, “She will be cured by eating a special apple.” The King announced, “Whoever brings the special apple, that will cure Princess Stephanie, shall have her hand in marriage!” Many
Once, a young soldier was returning after a battle. On the way, he met an old woman. She asked him to help her. The old lady, who was a witch, said, “At the bottom of this hollow tree-stump is a cave with a lot of treasure and a tinderbox. Please bring me that tinderbox and
Once upon a time, a young man had a magical flying trunk. He decided to explore the world in it. So, he climbed into the trunk. The trunk soared high up into the sky and landed near a beautiful town. In the town, the young man saw a big castle with high windows. He was
Once, there was a rich merchant. He had everything in life, whatever money could buy. So, he was very happy. The merchant was a good man. He was very helpful and kind to his servants and was loved by all. But sadly, the merchant caught an eye disease from one of his travels. None of
Once, a boy named Jack lived with his mother. They were very poor. One day Jack’s mother said, “Jack, we have nothing to eat. Go to the market and sell our cow.” On the way, Jack met a wizard who gave him some colourful magical beans in exchange for the cow. Jack went home happily.
Once upon a time, there lived a man who was so wild that the Governor of the province sent him away to make his fortune and improve himself. Reaching a forest, he saw a dead horse. He took its head and was about to go on, when he saw some evil spirits coming there. Carrying
The King of Persia was loved by his people as the kingdom was prosperous and the King was kind and just. One day, a merchant came to his court, leading a slave girl whom he presented to the King. She was so beautiful that the King fell in love with her and decided to marry
An old man always went everywhere leading a hind tied with a rope. When he was asked why he took her everywhere, he said she was his wife! He explained that they had no children, so he had adopted the son of a slave as his son and looked after his mother too. When his
In Baghdad, a merchant died, leaving a thousand gold coins for each of his three sons. They set up shops as merchants. After a while, the eldest brother was bored and wished to travel. He sold off his shop and its wares and went off to try his fortune. He returned after a year and
One day, after a meal, Sindbad told his guests that, wishing to travel again, he bought merchandise and sailed with other merchants, selling their goods at different islands. One day, they arrived at a deserted island thick with fruit-laden trees, springs and streams. While the others explored the island and ate fruits, Sindbad fell asleep
Once upon a time, there was a happy land over which a King ruled with his kind wife. They had a son whom they named Sunshine. Unfortunately, the Queen died and later the King married another lady and had a son whom they named Moonshine. The boys loved each other. But as they grew up,
Long ago, in Persia, there was a place known as the Valley of the Angel of Death. Ghouls lived there. Travellers were terrified of passing through that land because the ghouls would lure them into their caves to rob and kill them. The ghouls were cannibals. No one had seen their real shape but they
There was a poor fisherman who went every day to the sea to catch fish. He had made it a rule to cast his net four times each day, neither less, nor more. He would sell the fish he caught in the village market. One morning, he went as usual to the sea and cast
A few times two thieves came for their treasure but couldn’t find the house at night. Finally, the chief himself went, and he was able to remember the house, even without the chalk-mark. As for punishment, he killed the two thieves who had failed in their duty. That night, he disguised himself as an oil