It is told that a merchant decided to put all his wealth on a ship and transfer to a new land, but unfortunately, it sank, and he was left with nothing but his son and a piece of land. One night, while he was resting in his land, a strange dwarf called Malak appeared to him. He said to him: My friend, why the sadness? What saddens your heart? He said to him: I lost my wealth, and I’m worried about my son. He said to him: Ask for whatever you want, and you will find it, and in return, give me the first thing that touches you when you reach your home after 12 years.
The merchant agreed and returned to his home happily. His son came from behind and hugged his leg, so he realized what he did without remembering. Fear overtook him. He climbed up, opened a box, and found it empty, so he felt relieved and decided to refuse the money if it came. But after several days, he climbed to find the box filled with gold, and he became wealthier than he was before. Years passed, and the time came to hand over the son.
He said to his son: I will tell you about a bad thing I did. The son said to him: Father, rest assured. No harm will happen. On the previous night, a magical jinniyah visited him and told him that he would get great wealth and what he had to do for it. Thus, the son took his father to where he would meet the dwarf, sat his father, and drew a circle around them. The dwarf appeared and demanded his right, but a magical power prevented him from entering the circle. The dwarf said: Oh old merchant, you have brought what belongs to me, so give it to me.
He said to him: Sorry, my friend, he is my son, and I won’t give him to you. He lied, saying: You promised me. The son said: Master, forgive me. I have an offer for you. The dwarf agreed with the father that the son would be put in a boat, pushed to the sea, and leave the matter after that to the waves to decide the boat’s fate. This is what happened.
After standing for a period, the boat was exposed to high waves and sank. The father felt sad about losing his son. The dwarf felt happy because he took revenge. The two men turned around and disappeared. But the son was able to survive after he kept holding the boat. After several days, he reached a strange shore with a huge palace and a golden mountain. He entered the palace and found it empty. His happiness turned to despair after searching in all the rooms.
In the end, he found himself before a white snake. It said to him: Welcome to you. I am Princess Mirada. An amulet was cast on me that hides when I endure the torment of the men of darkness. I will be tormented for three nights, and the amulet will end. Then I will return to human form, I will heal you and marry you, and we will restore our subjects and become king and queen of the Golden Mountain.
He agreed. The men came and beat him. The amulet disappeared, and she healed him. The subjects returned to them. They married and had a small child. Seven years passed. The son thought about his father and wished to see him. He told the queen. She fell into great sadness, but he insisted on her until she agreed reluctantly and gave him a wish ring, but with the condition that he not wish for our presence in your son’s house. He agreed.
He closed his eyes and wished to reach his father’s town. When he opened them, he found himself there indeed. He searched for his father and said: Father, this is me, your son. He said: No, my son died years ago. I saw him myself. He said to him: I am your son, and I am a king in a distant land. He said: But you are not a king. Where is your shepherd, and where is your family now? The queen arrived, but she was unhappy but didn’t show it. He took her to the shore and slept at her feet. She took back her ring and returned with her son to her palace. He woke up and knew what happened. He decided his father wouldn’t believe what happened, so he decided to look for a way to return to his family.
In another place, three giants were fighting over an inheritance: a cloak that makes you invisible, shoes that transport whoever wears them to where they want, and a sword that, if ordered to kill, can kill everyone around him. He offered to solve their problem and convinced them that he wanted the things to test them. He reached the shore of the Golden Mountain to find a huge celebration there. He wore the cloak and entered the crowd. He found the queen marrying another man.
He reached the dining hall where the celebration was being held and decided to teach the queen a lesson. He grabbed her food dish and drink whenever she tried to hold it. The queen got angry and left the hall, went to her room, crying, remembering what had happened. He went to her, took off his cloak. Despite the queen’s shock, she felt relieved seeing him. But he was in great anger. He started screaming and throwing things.
He went to the celebration hall and said to them: I have returned, and I cancel the wedding. But he was met with ridicule from the subjects. He revolted, took out the sword, and said: Kill them all except me. He killed all the subjects, including the wife and child. He realized what had happened and knew that no matter how angry he reached, nothing was worth sacrificing his family for.