Post by Nalkarj on Jan 25, 2019 23:54:03 GMT
“mcjunker” wrote this story, based on The Arabian Nights’ “The Fisherman and the Jinni,” on Reddit without providing a solution, and I wonder if anyone here might be interested in trying to figure one out. I came up with one, or at least a general idea for one, but I’m not sure how workable it is. Still! Enjoy.
My solution, attempting to fit in the details mcjunker gave us:
As my lord will remember, our hero Ali Addad had just escaped the dungeons of the Mad Prince with the help of the Prince's sister. But he was far from being out of danger!
For beyond the castle lay the broad, scorching desert, where by day the sun burns and blazes and by night it's so cold that one may freeze to death if there's a hole in one's blanket. A man without provisions, in such an environment...
But Ali was too filled with the fear of Allah to have room in his heart for earthly terror. He walked in faith, knowing that Allah would provide.
And indeed, Allah did not forget him. He led him unerringly to a seemingly insignificant hill coated in sand a day's walk from the dungeon. The hill had a cunningly hidden cave that protected Ali from the sun, as well as a shy desert fox.
In this cave there lay, on a bed of arranged goat bones, a simple copper pot with its lid sealed with wax.
Ali was like you, my lord. He burned with curiosity. He scraped off the wax and opened the pot.
Smoke streaked out, thicker and darker than any bonfire. The sand swirled harshly, buffeting him, scraping his skin. The fox howled in terror.
For jinni cannot be seen, as my lord knows. You can only perceive them by how they touch the world.
And this jinn was furious.
"FOR FREEING ME" it said, "I SHALL GRANT YOU ONE WISH. I WILL LET YOU CHOOSE HOW I KILL YOU."
"But why?" cried Ali. "I did you a favor! What manner of monster repays kindness with death?"
The jinn whispered like the wind whistling through the fog in a graveyard of nonbelievers. Its voice lowered to the rumble of a mudslide.
"the first thousand years in there, i swore to reward the man who freed me with gold and jewels."
"the second thousand years stuffed in there, i swore I'd repay my rescuer with a kingdom, a noble wife, and three wishes besides."
"the third thousand years was worse than hell itself. i swore to serve in slavery forever anyone who so much as let me taste the sky and the wind for a day and a night."
"the fourth thousand years... oh, how i grew to loathe all humans. i swore the first human i saw would pay for my suffering...
"CHOOSE, RESCUER! SHALL I BURN YOU ALIVE TO CHAR YOUR BONES AND MELT YOUR EYES? SHALL I THROW YOU TO THE NORTH STAR AND LET THE HEAVENS DESTROY YOUR MIND BODY AND SOUL? SHALL I SKIN YOU AND LET THE DESERT SAND SALT YOU LIKE BEEF?"
Ali prayed to Allah for the wisdom to escape the wicked jinn... and that's when he figured out a way to win!
He pointed a finger at the cowering desert fox and said...
Ah, but it's midnight and my lord has plans for the morning. I shall continue the story tomorrow night.
For beyond the castle lay the broad, scorching desert, where by day the sun burns and blazes and by night it's so cold that one may freeze to death if there's a hole in one's blanket. A man without provisions, in such an environment...
But Ali was too filled with the fear of Allah to have room in his heart for earthly terror. He walked in faith, knowing that Allah would provide.
And indeed, Allah did not forget him. He led him unerringly to a seemingly insignificant hill coated in sand a day's walk from the dungeon. The hill had a cunningly hidden cave that protected Ali from the sun, as well as a shy desert fox.
In this cave there lay, on a bed of arranged goat bones, a simple copper pot with its lid sealed with wax.
Ali was like you, my lord. He burned with curiosity. He scraped off the wax and opened the pot.
Smoke streaked out, thicker and darker than any bonfire. The sand swirled harshly, buffeting him, scraping his skin. The fox howled in terror.
For jinni cannot be seen, as my lord knows. You can only perceive them by how they touch the world.
And this jinn was furious.
"FOR FREEING ME" it said, "I SHALL GRANT YOU ONE WISH. I WILL LET YOU CHOOSE HOW I KILL YOU."
"But why?" cried Ali. "I did you a favor! What manner of monster repays kindness with death?"
The jinn whispered like the wind whistling through the fog in a graveyard of nonbelievers. Its voice lowered to the rumble of a mudslide.
"the first thousand years in there, i swore to reward the man who freed me with gold and jewels."
"the second thousand years stuffed in there, i swore I'd repay my rescuer with a kingdom, a noble wife, and three wishes besides."
"the third thousand years was worse than hell itself. i swore to serve in slavery forever anyone who so much as let me taste the sky and the wind for a day and a night."
"the fourth thousand years... oh, how i grew to loathe all humans. i swore the first human i saw would pay for my suffering...
"CHOOSE, RESCUER! SHALL I BURN YOU ALIVE TO CHAR YOUR BONES AND MELT YOUR EYES? SHALL I THROW YOU TO THE NORTH STAR AND LET THE HEAVENS DESTROY YOUR MIND BODY AND SOUL? SHALL I SKIN YOU AND LET THE DESERT SAND SALT YOU LIKE BEEF?"
Ali prayed to Allah for the wisdom to escape the wicked jinn... and that's when he figured out a way to win!
He pointed a finger at the cowering desert fox and said...
Ah, but it's midnight and my lord has plans for the morning. I shall continue the story tomorrow night.
it’s based on wording.
The djinn says, “Oh, how I grew to loathe all humans. I swore the first human I saw would pay for my suffering!” First human. So I thought Ali’s wish was going to be to die as that fox. That would put the djinn in a bind, because he specifically swore to make the first human pay for his suffering, thus making him [the djinn] unable to kill the fox.
Very technical and it wouldn’t work unless the djinn obeyed all the old mythological rules about technical wording.
But those were the lines I was thinking along.
The djinn says, “Oh, how I grew to loathe all humans. I swore the first human I saw would pay for my suffering!” First human. So I thought Ali’s wish was going to be to die as that fox. That would put the djinn in a bind, because he specifically swore to make the first human pay for his suffering, thus making him [the djinn] unable to kill the fox.
Very technical and it wouldn’t work unless the djinn obeyed all the old mythological rules about technical wording.
But those were the lines I was thinking along.
