Aladdin - Part 1

When Aladdin was fifteen years old his father died. Now there was just Aladdin and his mother. ‘What are we going to do, Aladdin?' his mother asked. 'We have no money.’

‘You can make dresses, mother,’ said Aladdin.

‘And will you help me in the house, Aladdin?’

‘Oh yes, mother,’ said Aladdin. ‘I will work very hard.’

But Aladdin did not help his mother. He played all day in the street with the other boys. He only came home to eat and drink.

One day Aladdin was playing in the street with his friends when a stranger walked by. The stranger stopped and watched the game.

The stranger

After a few hours Aladdin went home for dinner. The stranger watched him go. ‘Who was that boy?’ he asked the other boys.

‘Aladdin, the son of Mustapha,’ said the boys.

The next day the stranger met Aladdin in the street. ‘Are you Aladdin, son of Mustapha?’ he asked.

‘Yes, sir,’ said Aladdin. ‘But my father is dead.’

The stranger put his harm around Aladdin. He started to cry.

‘Why are you crying, sir?’ Aladdin asked. ‘And how do you know my father’s name?’

Lost Uncle

‘Aladdin, your father was my brother,’ said the stranger. ‘I am your uncle. For years I have looked for my brother. Someone told me he lived in this city. I came here quickly, but I am too late.’

Aladdin was surprised. He looked at the stranger. ‘You are my uncle?’

‘Yes,’ said the stranger. ‘I see my brother in your face!’

‘But I don’t look like my father,’ said Aladdin. ‘My father had a big nose.'

‘You are your father’s son!’ said the stranger quickly. He gave Aladdin a bag of coins. ‘Give this money to your mother,’ he said. ‘I will come to see her tomorrow. I want to see my dear brother’s house. I want to see his family.

The stranger comes to dinner

Aladdin ran all the way home. ‘Mother,’ he cried. ‘I have an uncle.

His mother looked at him in surprise. ‘No, you don’t,’ she said. ‘Your father had a brother, but he is dead. I have no brothers or sisters.’

Aladdin told his mother about the stranger. ‘He gave me this money,’ he said. ‘And he will come and see us tomorrow.’

Aladdin’s mother shook her head. ‘This seems very strange,’ she said. ‘I have never heard of this brother. But we do need this money.’