The Old Man with the Two Black Dogs
It was a long time ago. Our family was happy and prosperous. We were three brothers and loved each other very much. In time, our elderly father fell seriously ill and passed away. He left us each a thousand gold dinars in his will.
We were wise, so we invested the money in different shops and soon became well-off businessmen. One day, my eldest brother had the idea of expanding his trade with other kingdoms—and he decided to sail across the sea. To do so, he sold all his shops, luxuries, and even his house. He boarded a beautiful merchant ship and set sail.
Time passed, almost a year, but there was no sign of him. One afternoon, while I was at the shop, a beggar came—very frail and in tattered old clothes. I took a silver coin from my pocket and gave it to him. He burst into tears and kept saying, “Alas! What luck—one brother giving charity to another out of kindness.” I looked at him carefully and suddenly recognized him—it was my older brother. I brought him home. I bathed him with warm water, fed him a good meal, and he told me his sad story. He explained that his investments had failed to yield profits; he had been penniless due to the huge losses and had barely returned home.
At that time, my business was doing well—I had two thousand gold dinars—so I gave him one thousand dinars and encouraged him to start a new venture. A few months later, my other brother also decided to go abroad and expand his business. I told him my older brother’s example, but he persisted and left with a caravan. I didn’t hear from him for a year. Then one morning, he arrived at my doorstep in the same condition—his caravan had been looted by bandits, and he had returned home having lost everything. I lent him another thousand dinars. He happily resumed his business.
Gradually, both brothers did well, and our old happiness returned. Then one morning, both my brothers came to me and said, “Brother, let’s go on a big business trip together for the third time—all three of us will go together and earn a fortune.” I refused, because I had seen them go bankrupt twice before due to such trips. But they tried to persuade me, and finally, after about five years of persistence, I relented. After making the necessary arrangements, we bought a lot of goods to sell. My brothers spent all their money on the purchase. So, I took out the six thousand dinars I had and gave them one thousand to each of my brothers. I kept one thousand dinars for myself and buried the remaining three thousand dinars in a safe in my house. Then we loaded the goods onto a large ship and set sail.
About two months later, we landed at a port and earned a lot of money by trading there. As we were ready to leave, a beautiful but poor woman approached me. She bowed, touched my hand, and said, “Sir, please accept me as your wife. I have no one to care for me and no place to live.” I was astonished and said, “Dear lady, I don’t even know you—how can you expect to marry me?” She tearfully pleaded and agreed to marry me. She promised fidelity and love, and after the necessary arrangements, we were married.
As soon as we set sail, she played the role of a true, caring wife—she was soft-spoken, hardworking, and always ready to help me and my brothers. I was overjoyed to be with her. But my brothers didn’t like my happiness; they grew increasingly jealous. Their resentment gradually turned into a conspiracy, and one night, while my wife and I were fast asleep, my two brothers threw us overboard.
My wife was actually a fairy—she used her powers to save us both. Soon, I found myself on an island. My wife said, “Darling, I am a fairy. I married you because I saw kindness in you, and you are the perfect partner for me. You took great care of me, but I am deeply hurt and angry by what your ungrateful brothers have done to you. I will sink their ship and punish them.”
I was horrified and said, “Please don’t do this—they are my brothers. Let’s forgive them and forget.” But nothing could stop my angry fairy wife. She said that her anger would only subside if she took revenge. Then she said some magical words—and suddenly we were standing in front of our house in our hometown. Her fairy wife was next to me. I opened the door so she could get comfortable in her new home.
Inside the door, I was shocked to see two dangerous black dogs. I thought, “Man, where did these black dogs come from? I’ve never had pets.”
“I know, my love. These two black dogs are actually your ungrateful brothers. I’ve turned them into dogs to punish them. Now they will be under your control—you can treat them as you wish. Now I must take leave of you. This spell I cast will last for ten years. After that, you will be able to contact me.”
With this, she told me her whereabouts and disappeared.
Now ten years have passed. I’m wandering with these two black dogs by my side, searching for my fairy wife.
Then I said to the genie, “Now tell me, O genie! Have you ever heard such a wonderful and incredible story before? I beg you—give me one-third of the merchant’s life in exchange for this story.”
The genie agreed. Then the third old man said, “Now I will tell you another strange and wonderful story.”
He told a tale so full of events and magical wonders that the Jinn agreed to pardon the merchant’s last third of his punishment.
So the Jinn departed. The merchant and the three men continued on their journey. When the merchant arrived home, his family joyfully welcomed him. He told everyone this strange tale of his liberation.
Moral of the Story:
True kindness and good-natured people always find safety and success, while those who are greedy, jealous, and treacherous ultimately suffer the harsh consequences of their actions.
