The Magic Jar II

Englishstory12 - Many years ago, on the east coast of Malaysia, there was a poor fisherman who had a wife and large family to support. One day, while he was fishing, his net felt very heavy. He thought he had caught a large fish. But when he pulled his net out of the water, he saw there was a jar in it. The jar was tightly closed with a lid, on which were written the words "The Holy Prophet Sulaiman". The fisherman was very pleased.

"Wonderfull" he said to himself. "I'm sure the jar must be very valuable. And it's so heavy there must be something in­side." He quickly removed the lid. Nothing came out except a cloud of thick black smoke. He could hardly see. "How can so much smoke come out of such a small jar?" he asked himself.

Suddenly, there was a loud bang and the smoke whirled round and round and changed into a jinn, or spirit.

The fisherman was frightened. His whole body started to shake. Who are you, sir?" he asked.

"I have been sent to see you by the Holy Prophet Sulaeman."

"But, sir, Allah's Holy Prophet Allah Sulaiman died more than a thousand years ago," answered the fisherman. "How long have you been shut up in a jar?"

"I disobeyed the Holy Prophet Sulaiman. He shut me up in the jar and threw me into the sea. I've been a prisoner inside the jar for a thousand years. I promised myself that if anyone saved me before one hundred years had passed I would give him4 as much money as he wanted. But if anyone saved me af­ter that time, I would kill him."

"0 great jinn, please forgive me. I have not done you any harm. I only wanted to help you."

"I don't care about that," shouted the jinn angrily. "How would you like to die?"

"I am under Allah's protection," thought the fisherman. "He will not allow any harm to come to me." He said to the jinn, "In the name of the Holy Prophet Sulaiman whose name is written on the jar, may I ask you one question before I die?"

On hearing the name of the Holy Prophet Sulaiman, the jinn became frightened. "All right. But be quick and make your question short."

"I don't believe, sir, that such a big person as yourself could come out of such a small jar. Even my hand is too big to put inside the jar."

"What are you talking about! " the jinn answered. "Don't you believe what I told you?"

The jinn shook his body and changed into a cloud of smoke. He sank into the jar. In a flash, the fisherman closed the lid. "Now I can ask you how you would like to die," he said to the jinn.

"Help! Help!" the jinn's voice sounded very faint. "Let me out. I'll give you anything you want. I swear that I won't harm you if you'll let me out."

Although the fisherman was still afraid, he opened the jar and released the jinn.

The jinn kept his promise. He took the fisherman to a lake which was full of fish of all colours of the rainbow. The fisher­man did not have to use his net to catch them. They jumped into his boat. He caught as many as he wanted and sold them in the market for a very high price. He never had to worry again about being poor.

Magic Jar I