Retold by Marie StuartLong ago, in China, there lived a tailor, named Mustafa. He was very poor. He had a son called Aladdin.Mustafa wanted Aladdin to learn how to make clothes so that he could help him. But all Aladdin wanted to do was to play in the street with other boys.Then his father fell ill and died. Aladdin's mother had to do all the work."I wish you would help me sometimes," she said. But he never did.One day, when Aladdin was out playing, a man spoke to him."Do you know Mustafa the tailor?" he asked. "He was my father," said Aladdin, "but he is dead. Did you know him?""He was my brother," the man replied."Then you must be my uncle," said Aladdin."Yes," said the man. "Now that I have found you I want to help you and your mother.""Here is some money for your mother," said Aladdin's uncle. "Tell her I shall come to see her soon."Next day, Aladdin saw the man again."I shall come and have dinner with you and your mother tonight," he told Aladdin. "Here is some more money so that she can buy something nice for us to eat."Aladdin took the money home to his mother.When the man came to their house, Aladdin's mother said,"I did not know that my husband had a brother. He never talked about you."The man was not really Aladdin's uncle, but a Magician.He said, "I left home a long time ago. Now that I have come back, I want to help you both.""What work do you do?" he asked Aladdin."He just plays with the other boys all day," replied Aladdin's mother."It is time you did some work," said his uncle. "Would you like me to buy a shop for you to look after?""I would like that, " answered Aladdin. Next morning the Magician took Aladdin shopping."First I will buy you some new clothes, Aladdin," he said.Aladdin liked his new clothes and so did his mother.Next day, they went to look at big houses with lovely gardens. Aladdin liked them very much."One day, I shall buy you a big house with a garden," promised the Magician. "But let us sit and have something to eat. We have walked a long way."The Magician had a bag of cakes and sweets and gave Aladdin as much as he could eat.Then he said, "I want you to see the best garden of all before we go back.""Is it a long way?" asked Aladdin. "I don't think I can walk much more.""We shall soon be there," said the Magician. So they walked on again for a while. Then he cried, "Stop! This is the place.""I don't see a garden," said Aladdin."You soon will," replied the Magician. "But first we shall make a fire. Find me some dry sticks."The Magician lit the fire and put something on it that made black smoke.Then all at once, under his feet, Aladdin saw a big stone with a ring in it."Pull that ring," said the Magician.Aladdin pulled, and up came the stone. Then he saw that it had been on top of a well.It was very black inside the well and he did not like the look of it."You must go down," said the Magician."Will you come?" Aladdin asked."No. No one but you must go," replied the Magician. "But if you do everything I say, you will be very rich."

"All right! Just tell me what to do then," said Aladdin.The Magician replied, "When you go down, you will find a door. Open it and go through. You will come to a very big cave and you will see some boxes with money in them. Do not take any of the money.""How can I get rich if I don't take any?" asked Aladdin."Do as I say!" the Magician answered angrily."You must go on until you come to another cave, and then another. You will see boxes of gold and silver in these, but do not take any.""When you come out of the last cave, you will see a fine garden. At the end of the garden, you will see a table with a lamp on it. Bring the lamp to me.""You can have anything you wish from the garden," said the Magician.Then he took off a ring and gave it to Aladdin."This may be of use if you need help," he added. "Now go!"Aladdin went down into the dark well. Down, down he went! Everything was just as the Magician had said.He found the cave with the money in it, but did not take any.The next cave had the gold and silver in it, just as his uncle had said.He touched nothing there and went through a door into the garden.There he found the lamp. He took it and then looked around.On every tree he saw what looked little fires; but they were rich jewels---red, blue, green, gold and white. And there were so many of them!He put down the lamp and took as many of the jewels as he could carry. Even when he could carry no more, there were still many left on the trees."I shall come back again one day," he thought, "but now I must take this lamp to my uncle."So he left the garden and went back the way he had come.When he got to the top of the well he could see the Magician."Help me out, please!" he called up to him. "Give me the lamp first," said the Magician, "then you can use both hands."But Aladdin answered,"No! I shall give it to you when I get out."When the Magician saw that Aladdin would not let him have the lamp first, he was very angry.He put something on the fire again and said some magic words.At once the stone moved back into place over the top of the well. Aladdin was under it and could not get out."Uncle! Uncle! I will give you the lamp if only you will help me out," he called. But the Magician had gone.When Aladdin found that it was no use calling, he tried to go back into the garden. But the door was closed and he could not open it.He sat down in the darkness and cried. It was cold and wet. For three days he had nothing to eat or drink."I wish I had a little fire to warm me!" she said.He rubbed his hands and, as he did so, he rubbed the ring that the Magician had given him."What do you want?" said a voice in the darkness."I am the Slave of the Ring. I will come whenever you rub the ring and will do anything you ask.""Please take me home," begged Aladdin.No sooner had he said this than he found that he was home!His mother cried, "Here you are at last! I thought you were lost!"She gave him something to eat and drink and he went to bed.Next day she said, "There is nothing left in the house for us to eat. I must work to get some more money." 

The Slave returned to Aladdin to tell him what had happened.Then Aladdin said to the Slave, "Bring me many bags of gold and jewels, and some slaves to carry them to the King. On the way to the Palace my mother shall give money to all the people."Off went the slave and Aladdin's mother to the Palace. Everyone ran after them because of the money she was giving away.When the King looked inside the bags of gold and jewels, he cried, "I have never seen such wonderful jewels before.""NOW will you let the Princess marry my son?" asked Aladdin's mother."Yes. Tell him to come here at once," replied the King.Before Aladdin went to see the King, he rubbed the lamp and said to the Slave, "Bring me new clothes made of the richest cloth in the land, and a fine, white horse."When Aladdin sat on the horse he looked just like a Prince. When the Princess saw him she fell in love with him at once."Before I marry her, I must have a house to take her to," said Aladdin. "Where would you like it to be?""You could build a house near the Palace," replied the King. "The Queen would like the Princess to live nearby.""It shall be done," promised Aladdin.Then the happy Aladdin went back home.That night he rubbed the lamp and said to the Slave, "Make me the best house that anyone has ever seen. You must put in it the best beds, chairs and tables, and the best pictures. Let there be flowers in all the rooms."The Slave left to do as Aladdin asked.Next morning the house was ready. It was in the place where the King had said he wanted it to be.It was much nicer than the King's own palace. Everything that was in it was of the best.So Aladdin married the Princess and they went to live in their new home.All was well for a year or two. Then one day the Magician came back.When he found that Aladdin was alive and that he was now a Prince, it made the Magician very cross."It must be because he had the magic lamp," he thought. "Somehow I must get it away from him."The Magician thought for a long time. Suddenly he had a clever idea.He went to a shop to buy some new lamps. Then he walked up and down the streets calling out, "New lamps for old! New lamps for old!"When the women heard the Magician calling they came running out of their houses to give him their old lamps and get new ones for them.One of the Princess's women went out to ask what the fuss was about. Then she ran back indoors to tell her mistress."Aladdin has an old lamp in his bedroom," thought the Princess. "He will be pleased to get a new one for it."The Princess did not know it was a magic lamp, so she gave it to the Magician in return for a new one.Aladdin had gone away for a few days. If he had been there he would never have let her change his lamp.As soon as the Magician had the lamp in his hand, he took it to a place where no one could see him and gave it a rub.When the Slave appeared he told him, "Take the house of Aladdin, and all that is in it away from here and put it down in Africa."The Slave did so.When the sun came up the next morning, the King and Queen saw that Aladdin's house was no longer there.

Where could it be? No one could tell them. They did not know what to do about it."Where's Aladdin?" shouted the King. "Find him at once and bring him to me."The King's men rushed off to look for Aladdin.At last they found Aladdin. They pulled him from his horse and took him to the King."Where is the Princess?" cried the King."She is at home," Aladdin replied."But where is your home?" asked the King."What do you mean?" said Aladdin. Then he saw that his house was not there any more."Bring the Princess back or you must die,"cried the King.Aladdin ran out to get his lamp. But he could not find it because his house was gone.He sat down to think. Then he remembered his magic ring. He gave it a rub.At once the Slave of the Ring stood before him."Take me to the Princess," said Aladdin. Suddenly, he was in his house with the Princess.The Princess told him about the old man who had given her a new lamp for Aladdin's old one.Then Aladdin said, "This man says he is my uncle, but he is a wicked Magician. I must get the lamp away from him quickly."He gave the Princess a little bag, and said to her, "Tonight you must ask the Magician to supper. When he is not looking, empty this bag into this cup. Don't put any of it into your own cup."The Magician came to supper and the Princess did as Aladdin had told her.When the Magician drank from his cup, he fell back dead.The lamp dropped to the floor. Aladdin picked it up and gave it a rub.When the Slave appeared, Aladdin ordered, "Take us, and our home, back to where it was before."When the King looked out of the palace window, he was delighted to see Aladdin's house back where it had been.The King became excited."Look!" he said to the Queen. "The Princess and Aladdin are back! Let us go over to see them at once."They went over as fast as they could. The Princess ran to meet them."I am so glad to be back," she cried."A wicked Magician took me away but he is dead now. Dear Aladdin found me. I love him very much and you must love him too."The King and Queen agreed to do so, and they all lived happily ever after.