THE FLYING TRUNK

Long ago there lived a very rich merchant who had a son.  When he died, his son was left with enormous wealth.

The son was not as shrewd a businessman as his father. He spent unwisely and was left penniless very soon.

No one cared for this poor one. There was one person who came to help him.  He brought with him an old trunk and asked the poor one to pack up and leave the town.

Sad and alone he sat on the old trunk. Suddenly the trunk lifted off the ground, went out through the open window and rose high into the sky.  Holding the trunk tightly, the young man could see high buildings, church spires, rivers, ships and people who looked no bigger than insects.

Finally, the trunk landed slowly in front of a magnificent marble palace. The young man hid the trunk outside and entered the palace. A rich sultan, sitting cross-legged on a golden throne received him. The young man started to boast about his riches after seeing the wealth of sultan.

The sultan had a beautiful daughter.  Fascinated by the attractive, young man’s stories, she fell in love with him. He promised to take her to far-off lands. The princess pleaded her father to permit her to marry the young man.  The sultan finally agreed.

With the beautifully princess by his side, the young man started to tell his stories to everyone – the courtiers at the palace and people in streets. To these people of warm land, who knew nothing of cold weather, he told stories of high mountains covered with ice. He described the cold weather and how people in those places kept themselves warm.  The people listening to the young man’s stories, started to believe that he was rich and powerful.

The stage was set for the wedding. Fine clothes of silk and satin, jewellery studded with fine rubies and emeralds, gold and silver goblets for the wedding toast were all made ready for the marriage.

The palace was full of life on the wedding day. A holiday was declared for the royal wedding. Delicious food was prepared in the palace kitchens. As magicians and dancing girls were giving performances on the grounds, fireworks filled the skies.

As the time for the wedding ceremony was nearing, the young man was looking for a safe place to put his trunk. A spark from one of the many fireworks fell on the trunk and burnt it into ashes. And all the dreams of the young man were shattered.

The dejected young man without anything to offer to the sultan’s daughter went out of the palace leaving behind his beautiful bride. While the beautiful princess waited for the young man’s return, he left the country and wandered for the rest of his life.

In shabby clothes, the depressed man kept wandering. He never got back his happiness. Instead of working hard and saving, like his shrewd father, he wasted all the wealth left behind by him. He felt very hungry and to earn a piece of bread he told stories in the towns he travelled. He told them the tales of his wonderful journeys to far-off lands, of the strange people he met the about the delicious food he ate. He also shared with them his experiences in the sultan’s palace. He used to tell them about the fabulous palace, the beautiful princess, who had silky hair and gems like beautiful, shining eyes.

As he told these stories he used to get dejected sometimes. He would get up and start for the next town in search of happiness.  The happiness he never found.