Jul 28, 2010
By now, Ali Baba had opened the shop which he had always dreamed about. He was a fair and generous shop owner. He was happy, his family had plenty, and every neighbor was his friend. Ali Baba hired a helper named Morgiana. She was a very clever and beautiful young lady. She enjoyed her work at the shop. And Morgiana cared for Ali Baba and his family very much. One day, a stranger came calling at the shop. He asked Morgiana many questions about the owner. The odd stranger's questions worried Morgiana. She vowed to keep a watchful eye on the shop. The stranger was really a thief in disguise. The thief returned to the robber's cave to report back to the Captain. "His name is Ali Baba, Captain," said the thief. "He lives behind his new shop in town. He was a poor woodcutter only a few weeks ago." "Go back there at nightfall," the Captain ordered. "Mark his house with this white chalk, and later, I will take 20 men to the marked house and finish him." As he was told, the thief crept in the shadows to mark Ali Baba's home. Little did he know that clever Morgiana had spotted him. As the thief marked the door, she followed with white chalk, too, and marked all the doors. When the Captain and his 20 thieves arrived later that night, they found every door was marked. They did not know which house to attack, so they crept away in shame. Their leader was angry and said, "Who will get this right?" One brave thief stepped forward. "Here is some red chalk," the Captain offered. "Mark the door, and I will lead 30 men to storm Ali Baba's home."The thief did as he was told, but again Morgiana played her trick on the Captain and his 30 thieves. The Captain decided to use all his power against Ali Baba. The Forty Thieves gathered together and made a plan. The Captain would disguise himself as an oil merchant. He would lead a train of mules that carried 39 barrels. The thieves would hide inside the barrels and await their Captain's signal. It was a great plan. Early that night, they arrived at Ali Baba's shop. "I have brought some oil to sell at market tomorrow," the Captain lied. "But tonight I need a place to stay and I have a lot of cargo. Will you take me in?" Ali Baba was as generous as usual. "Of course you can stay here," he replied. "Leave your cargo in the back. There is hay there for the mules. Then come in for dinner."