Week 5 Storytelling: The Never-ending Magic Trick

The master fell in love. His wife betrayed him. He killed her. He set out to kill all women but with a twist. They wouldn’t die if they could perform a magic trick that he enjoyed. So each day the master’s servant would go out and find him a woman, and the woman would have a day to figure out what kind of magic trick she wanted to perform. Some did well, some did not. Of course, those that did not do well had to die that night, all for the servant to find the master a new woman the next day. But then one day a woman was brought in by the name of Genie. The master didn’t know it, but she was known as the best magician in the land and could entertain and fool everyone that watched her.
She was not afraid of being in the master’s house, for she knew a magic trick that would end the master’s killing of women for eternity.
As she was brought into the mansion, she was greeted, fed a nice meal and then it was time for her to perform her duty.
She began her magic trick, and smoke appeared. The master was already intrigued by her and how she had started the magic trick. No woman before her had started a trick like this.
The smoke dissipated and from the woman’s mouth a snake slithered out and began talking to the master. The snake begins to dance and sing for the master. After the song was over, the master was pleased, but finally knew the girl’s time had come to an end. So as he was about to send her away to meet her fate, Genie said the trick wasn’t over. The snake began to act out a one-person (well animal) play that lasted the entire day. The master was so entertained that he let both the snake and Genie live to see the next day. Each morning when the master woke up, a play, story, or song would be played for the entire day so that the lives would be saved. The master never caught onto Genie and the snake’s plan.
One day they fly the master to another country but he thinks he is in a different time period and place. He enjoys what it has to offer him so much that he doesn't think of killing her because he still thinks it is a magic show. When really, Genie and the snake have drugged the master and flown him indeed to another country where he is living. The master never figures it out, but gets upset with her so she must drug him again to fly him back to his home. When he gets there, he plans to kill her, but Genie stops him again and tells him she has one more magic trick. Her magic trick is she disappears and takes all the women with her outside the village. The master can no longer take from the land he has power over.

Genie the Magician. Source: HDWallpaperpc

Author's Note: The story is loosely based off Scheherazade from Arabian Nights. Instead of Scheherazade telling stories, a woman named Genie does magic tricks so that the Master won't kill her.

Bibliography: UNtextbook, India Unit, Arabian Nights, The Story of the Merchant and the Genius

Reading Notes: The Arabian Nights' Entertainments, Part A

Notes from: The Arabian Nights' Entertainments


READING A:
Scheherazade

I think for this story I might change it from the Sultan just having the women killed to having the women perform a magic trick or show for him each morning, and if he didn't like it, then the wife would die. If he did like it, she had another day to live. 

Then I would change Scheherazade's original idea to think up of a magic trick that transported the Sultan to a different time period or something where he couldn't kill any more wives or Scheherazade herself.


The Story of the Merchant and the Genius 

Scheherazade continues doing her magic trick and making the Sultan think he is in a different time period and place and he enjoys what it has to offer him so much that he doesn't think of killing her because he still thinks it is a magic show. When really, Scheherazade and her father have drugged the Sultan and flown him indeed to another country where he is living. The Sultan never figures it out, but gets upset with Scheherazade so she must drug him again to fly him back to his home. When he gets there, he plans to kill her, but Scheherazade stops him again and tells him she has one more magic trick. Her magic trick is she disappears and takes all the women with her outside the village. The Sultan can no longer take from the land he has power over. 

The Story of the First Old Man and of the Hind
The Story of the Second Old Man, and of the Two Black Dogs
The Story of the Fisherman
The Story of the Greek King and the Physician Douban
The Story of the Parrot; The Story of the Ogress
The Story of the Physician's Revenge
The Story of the Sultan and the Fish
The Story of the Young King of the Black Isles

A genie that I would image in a story. Source: funnyfactsss

After reading these stories that Scheherazade is telling, I feel I could make up any tale that was intriguing. I think I would base my story loosely based off The Story of the Merchant and the Genius as well as Aladdin. There would be a genie who granted wishes, but every wish granted the grantee would realize that what he asked for wasn't really what he wanted.


Bibliography: UNtextbook, India Unit, Arabian Nights