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. His trade was successful and he had to return through the same desert on his way back home. He stopped to rest and drink water at an oasis. Tying his horse to one of the trees, he sat down in the shade of a walnut tree. He pulled out his packet of food and ate the dates, throwing the seeds away. Kneeling beside the small pool to wash his hands and drink water, he was startled by the sudden appearance of a ferocious-looking Genie carrying a gleaming sword. “I’ll kill you!” said the Genie, “For, you have killed my son!”
A Promise
The frightened merchant stammered, “But I have just been eating dates! I haven’t killed anyone!” The angry Genie replied, “One of the date seeds you threw hit my son in the eye and killed him!” The merchant said it was an accident, and pleaded to the Genie to spare his life. But the furious Genie wanted revenge. Finally, when his pleading failed, the merchant requested him to permit him to return home for one year, so that he might bid farewell to his family and settle his affairs. “I promise I will return to take your punishment!” said the merchant. The Genie was very suspicious because he was quite sure that the frightened merchant might not return. But when the merchant kept weeping and promising him, he finally allowed him to go. “If you don’t return after a year,” threatened the Genie, “I shall kill you and your family!”
The grief-stricken merchant returned home to tell his family about his promise to the Genie. They wept and mourned. After settling his house and trade, he bade his family goodbye and returned to the oasis. He waited under the tree for the Genie. After a while, an old man leading a hind came there and asked the merchant why he was sitting in such a dangerous place. When the merchant told him what had happened, he decided to stay and watch the outcome of this strange story. He tied his hind to a tree and settled down with the merchant to wait. After some time, another old man came along, leading two large black dogs, followed by a third one who was dragging along a mule. Both of them were also curious about the men waiting under the tree. When they heard the merchant’s story, they too joined the others under the tree to wait for the Genie.
The merchant and his companions watched a cloud of dust race across the desert. It was the Genie with his sword, who came to kill the merchant. The old men pleaded with him for the merchant’s life. “We’ll tell you far stranger stories than the merchant’s,” they said. The Genie agreed to hear their stories. “If I find your story stranger than the merchant’s, I will pardon one-third of his sin,” assured the Genie. He sat down to listen to their stories. Each of the old men told a story about their companions: the hind, the two black dogs and the mule. As each story was told, the Genie found it stranger and more amazing than the merchant’s tale. Each time he forgave one-third of the merchant’s sin. Thus, at the end of the three stories, the Genie completely forgave the merchant! The merchant thanked the Genie and the three old men began riding joyfully back home!
