Aladdin - the Arabian Nights

Chapter 1

Once upon a time in the land of Agrabah, there lived a poor tailor with his wife and their young son, Aladdin. They had very little money and the man and his wife were constantly worried about it, and they were especially worried by Aladdin. He never seemed to understand their low station in life. The family lived in a hovel cut out of old buildings behind Agrabah's bustling marketplace, and the upper level that served as Aladdin's room had a huge hole that could serve as a window, which overlooked the Sultan's palace. And ever since he was very little, Aladdin had been fascinated by the palace. More often than not, if he was home, his parents would discover him gazing out of that makeshift window with a dreamy look in his eye; if he was out, his path would almost inevitably take him past the enormous walls with the gates that were only occasionally open. And his parents worried. Didn't Aladdin realize he would never be able to do more than dream about that magnificent building? Didn't he see that there were more important things to worry about, like getting himself a decent income so his aging father would not have to struggle to support him forever? Dreaming of a palace was entirely beneath the son of a poor tailor, and more to the point it was unrealistic and dangerous.

Finally, when Aladdin was ten, disaster struck.

Ten was the age when Aladdin must begin to learn a trade, but of course, sending him off to study with someone was out of the question with their income, and therefore so was giving Aladdin any choice in what trade he would learn. He would simply have to become a tailor like his father. Well, Aladdin was less than enthusiastic at the prospect. He'd seen both his parents sit there pushing the needle through the cloth, and it just held no interest for him. Palaces aside, he really wanted to be up and about, moving and doing things, not sitting in a shop staring at the delicate work on his lap all day. But his father made it very clear that he was to have no choice in the matter. Aladdin would have to, as his father put it, stop being so lazy and unhelpful with his fantasies that were way above his station. As if a poor tailor's son could ever hope to live in a palace the way – the way the Sultan did!

Aladdin was far from enthusiastic, but he tried, he really did. At least, he tried for the first ten minutes. But sitting inside his father's shop watching him pulling that needle in and out, again and again, it was as if there was a heavy weight inside him at the thought that he too might have to do this every day for the rest of his life. The dingy walls of the shop seemed to be closing in on him. He had to get out of there. Just for a little while. Just for maybe an hour or so, he'd wander away, maybe walk past the palace and see if today was one of the days the gates were open, and he could see inside and catch a glimpse of the court assembling or of those beautiful gardens....

The moment his father's attention was turned to a customer, Aladdin slipped away. He slipped easily through the alleys and the market stalls, something which came naturally to him. Even here, among all the people bustling about and shouting their wares, he felt better. His father's shop had been so tight and stuffy, a feeling only amplified by the knowledge that his father expected him to do this for the rest of his life too, that his father thought he was a less-than-satisfactory son for even thinking he might like to do something else. At least out here, Aladdin was free.

And so before Aladdin knew it, the sky was turning dark and he realized he had spent all day wandering the streets without ever returning to his father's tailor shop. Uh-oh. He was going to be in big trouble when he got home. He knew how much weight his parents put on him following in his father's footsteps....

Aladdin expected his father to be furious. But what he found was much worse.

His mother told him the whole story. When his father discovered Aladdin gone, he realized what must have happened. His son had wandered off to avoid his responsibilities again, and it was clear that ten-year-old Aladdin would always continue to act this way. He would never support himself or his aging mother, and the thought of having all the responsibility for the family forever was too much for the poor tailor. He had been stricken with grief, Aladdin's mother said. Her husband had been found lying dead on the floor of his tailor's shop.