Chapter 3 The ring and the lamp

Judith Dean

Scene 1 The ring 戒指

“Uncle Abanazar! Uncle!”Aladdin hit the stone but nothing moved.“Don't le⁃ave me here!Please!”

Aladdin put his ear to the stone, but he could hear nothing.“I am Aladdin, son of Mustafa,”he said, and listened again.But the stone did not move.

Then Aladdin began to cry.“What am I going to do?”he thought, and put his head in his hands.

After a time he began to feel hungry,and took some of the fruit out of his pocket.He put some in his mouth,but he could not eat them.“These are stones, not fruit,”he thought.“I'm going to die down here.”

For three days and three nights Alad⁃din sat on the stairs and waited, but no help came.On the third day he remem⁃bered Abanazar's ring on his finger—the ring to protect him.He could not see the ring in the dark so he put his right hand on it...

WHOOSH!

There was a sudden noise, and blue smoke came out of the ring.And then, out of the smoke came a big jinnee（神仙）.

“I am here, master.I am here,”the jinnee cried.“I am the slave of the ring.What is your wish?”

Aladdin was very surprised and afr⁃aid.At first he could not speak, then he said,“Take me out of here.”

“To hear is to obey,”the jinnee said,and a second later, Aladdin was back on the hills under the blue sky.

There was nobody there, and the fire was cold and black.Happily, Aladdin be⁃gan to walk home.

Scene 2 The lamp 灯

When he got there, his mother was very happy to see him.“Oh, Aladdin!”she cried.“What happened to you? And where is your uncle?”

“Abanazar is not my uncle, Mother.He is a magician and a bad man.He nearly killed me.”Then Aladdin told his mother all about the fire, the magic stone, and the garden under the ground.“Oh, I am very tired,Mother,”he said.“I must sleep.”

Aladdin closed his eyes and slept for many hours.The next morning, he opened his eyes and said,“Mother,I'm hungry!”

“My son,I'm sorry,”she said.“We have no rice or meat in the house.We have noth⁃ing.I must sell your new coat and get some rice with the money.”

Then Aladdin remembered the lamp from the garden.

“Wait a minute, Mother,”he said.“Take this lamp and sell that first.”

“That dirty old thing?”Aladdin's mo⁃ther said.“I must clean it first.”She began to rub it and...

WHOOSH!Noise, fire, and red smoke came from the lamp, and out of the smoke came a very big jinnee.

“I am the slave of the lamp,”cried the jinnee.“What is your wish, mistress（女主人）?”

Aladdin's mother was afraid and co⁃uld not speak, but Aladdin said,“Bring rice and meat to us.We are hungry.”

The jinnee went away, and came back in a second with rice, meat, bread, and fruit on twelve gold plates.He put the plates in front of them and went away.

Aladdin and his mother ate and ate.Then Aladdin took one of the plates to the market and sold it for two pieces of gold.

Every day after that, Aladdin rubbed the lamp.And when the jinnee came,Alad⁃din said,“Bring us rice and meat.”And ev⁃ery day he sold the gold plates.

Soon, Aladdin and his mother were rich.

Reading Check

1.What did the jinnee of the ring do for Aladdin?

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2.What did the jinnee of the lamp do for Aladdin and his mother?

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