Many years ago, in a faraway city, lived a young man named Aladdin. He was poor and rather mischievous, and he spent his days playing instead of helping his mother.
One day, a mysterious sorcerer arrived. Pretending to be Aladdin’s uncle, he took him into the desert and used magic to open a hidden cave.
“There are wonderful treasures inside,” he said. “Bring me only an old lamp.”
Aladdin entered and found piles of coins, jewels and precious stones. He picked up the lamp, but when he tried to leave, the sorcerer demanded that he hand it over first. Aladdin did not trust him and refused. Furious, the sorcerer sealed the cave and left him trapped.
Frightened, Aladdin rubbed the lamp to clean it. A huge genie appeared in a cloud of smoke. “I am the genie of the lamp. What do you wish for?”
“Help me get out!” Aladdin cried. In an instant, he was outside again, and he hurried home.
The genie could grant wishes. First, he brought food to Aladdin and his mother. Later, Aladdin met Princess Badar and fell in love with her. With the genie’s help, and above all by trying to become a responsible person, he earned the trust of the princess and the sultan.
But the sorcerer was still searching for the lamp. Disguised as a merchant, he tricked the princess and carried her and the palace away to a distant land.
Aladdin did not give up. He used a magic ring to reach the palace, cleverly recovered the lamp and freed Badar. The genie returned the palace to its proper place.
Aladdin and Badar lived happily. Although they kept the lamp, they used it wisely. Aladdin had learnt that true wealth is found not in gold, but in love, responsibility and wisdom.
