The Tale of Abdallah the Land-Dweller and Abdallah the Sea-Dweller

Long ago, there lived a poor fisherman named Abdullah. He could barely feed his wife and nine small children. On the day his tenth child was born, the fisherman, as usual, went to the sea and cast his net into the water. He pulled it ashore and found nothing but some shards and seaweed. The fisherman cast his net again, but he was no luckier than the first time. He worked all day, casting and retrieving his net, but he didn’t catch a single fish. Saddened, he returned home empty-handed.

"Abdullah," called the baker. "How many loaves of bread will you take today?"

Abdullah couldn’t even look him in the eye. Seeing the empty net, the baker said:

"Come in, take as much bread as you want. If you can’t pay for it today, you can pay tomorrow."

He handed Abdullah ten loaves. The fisherman’s heart immediately lightened. "How good it is that there are still kind people in the world," he thought.

The next day, Abdullah went to the sea again, but it was as if someone had cursed his net. Every time he pulled it ashore, it was empty. On his way back, the fisherman tried to slip past the baker’s shop. Abdullah was ashamed that he couldn’t repay yesterday’s debt. But the baker seemed to be waiting for him. He ran out of the shop and shouted:

"Still no luck, poor man! Come in, take as much bread as you want, so your children don’t starve. When you have money, you can repay me."

The baker again gave Abdullah ten loaves, wished him a good night and luck for the next day. Abdullah walked home with a lighter heart. But worries about the future didn’t leave him. What would happen if he caught nothing again?

The next day, and the day after that, the fisherman had no luck. Every evening he returned home with an empty net, and every time he borrowed bread from the baker. For forty days, misfortune pursued him. Abdullah nearly lost his mind from grief.

On the forty-first day, he decided to try his luck one last time. If he had no luck this time, he would have to find another trade to feed his family. Abdullah came to the sea, cast his net, and pulled it ashore empty. From early morning until noon, he worked in vain.

When the sun was high in the sky, the tired and desperate fisherman lay down in the shade of a huge rock and began to think: "Should I go home now or try one more time? Or maybe I shouldn’t return home at all?"

But then Abdullah remembered his children, whom he loved so dearly, and began to scold himself for such sinful thoughts.

Just then, he saw slaves coming out of the city gates. They spread a carpet on the ground, and the king walked over it, surrounded by viziers and guards. The warriors held golden swords that glittered in the sun. Behind the king, beautiful slave girls walked modestly with lowered heads, their veils adorned with pearls and precious stones.

Abdullah thought that the king was probably heading to the sacred bathhouse. In that moment, he wished he could become a vizier, a friend and advisor to the king. Then he wouldn’t have to worry about feeding his children, and he could repay the kind baker a hundredfold.

But he was just a poor fisherman. After watching the grand procession for a while, the fisherman stood up and decided to try his luck once more: perhaps he could catch something this time.

He cast his net into the sea and began to pull it in, feeling that something heavy had been caught. The fisherman struggled with the net for a long time. He was afraid his arms might give out from the weight. But Abdullah didn’t let go until he had pulled it halfway out of the water. And then the fisherman was truly frightened: instead of a big fish, he saw a man in the net.

"O fisherman, help me get out of the net," the man exclaimed. "I will pay you well for this!"

"Who threw you into the water?" asked Abdullah.

"No one threw me into the water," replied the stranger. "I am a sea dweller. You live on land, and I live in the sea. If you help me out of the net, I will wait for you here every day and bring you emeralds, rubies, and pearls. And you will give me grapes, figs, melons, and peaches in return: we have none of these underwater. For a basket of fruit, you will receive a basket of precious stones from me."

Abdullah didn’t believe what this strange man was saying, but he helped him out of the net.

"What is your name?" asked the fisherman.

"Abdullah of the Sea," replied the stranger. "And what is your name?"
— Also Abdullah, — said the fisherman.
— So, you are Abdullah of the Land, — decided the sea dweller. — Wait here for a moment. I’ll bring you a gift so you can believe my words.

He disappeared under the water and soon emerged again. Abdullah of the Sea handed the astonished fisherman a handful of pearls and large precious stones. He reminded Abdullah to wait for him at the same spot the next day with a basket of fruit, and then vanished into the depths of the sea.

Abdullah was bewildered by the surprise: what should he do with such wealth? He hid the stones under his shirt, abandoned his net, and went home. He stopped in front of the baker’s shop and gave him half of his treasures.

— Take this. I’m repaying my debt. The baker began to refuse:
— I only want what you truly owe me. But Abdullah insisted he take the pearls and precious stones.

— You waited for forty days, — he said. — And you would have waited even longer. I’m giving you these stones not just for the bread, but for your kindness. The baker took the stones Abdullah gave him and said:
— From this day forward, I am forever in your debt.

He placed a few loaves of bread on his head and carried them to Abdullah’s home. Then he fetched vegetables and meat, prepared a meal, and wouldn’t let Abdullah lift a finger.

Abdullah endured it for a while but finally couldn’t take it anymore:
— I don’t want you to serve me. If you agree, let’s just be friends.

The baker didn’t object, and from that day on, they became loyal friends.

The next day at noon, Abdullah went to the seashore with a basket full of peaches, melons, oranges, and other fruits. He placed the basket on the sand and called out:
— I’m here, Abdullah of the Sea!

Abdullah of the Sea immediately emerged from the waves, took the basket of fruit from Abdullah of the Land, and disappeared underwater with it. Soon, he returned and handed the fisherman his basket, now filled to the brim with pearls, rubies, emeralds, and other rare stones.

— Farewell until tomorrow! — said the sea dweller, and the waves closed over his head.

Abdullah returned home with a basket containing such wealth that he could have bought an entire city with it. He stopped by his baker friend and gave him another handful of precious stones. The baker quickly selected the tastiest rolls he had and brought them to Abdullah’s house.

The following day, Abdullah picked out one of each type of precious stone he had and went to a jeweler to sell them. As soon as the jeweler saw such rare stones in the hands of a poorly dressed man, he immediately suspected him of theft. He discreetly signaled his servant, who brought guards. The guards seized Abdullah and brought him before the king.

The jeweler wanted to gain favor with the king. He went with the guards and said to the king:
— O ruler, I’ve heard that precious stones have gone missing from your treasury. I’ve caught the thief; here he is. — And the jeweler pointed at Abdullah.

The king called the queen and placed the stones taken from Abdullah before her. But the queen only glanced at them and immediately said:
— These are not my stones. These stones are far more beautiful than the ones I had.

She began to urge the king to buy them for the princess. The king immediately ordered the guards to release Abdullah and scolded the jeweler for suspecting an innocent man. Then he began to question Abdullah about how he had obtained such treasures. Abdullah told him everything. The king listened and said:
— From this day forward, you will rule alongside me, Abdullah. Abdullah of the Sea will continually replenish the royal treasury, so there will be none like it in the world. Go and bring your wife and children here.
Abdullah felt dizzy with happiness, for he had never dared to dream of such mercy. He went home to fetch his family. Meanwhile, the king ordered luxurious garments to be sewn for everyone. From that day on, Abdullah ruled alongside the king.

Every day at noon, he would go to the seashore with a basket of fruit and each time return to the palace with pearls and precious stones. The royal treasury overflowed, and it had to be expanded. Since Abdullah could influence state affairs, the people in that country began to live much better. Abdullah had not forgotten what hunger and need were like, and he began to care for the poor. For those without a roof over their heads, he ordered houses to be built. By his command, grain supplies were fairly distributed among the poor. Abdullah introduced many innovations. The royal nobles did not like this, but they were powerless in their malice: the king considered Abdullah his best friend. And how could it be otherwise? After all, thanks to Abdullah, the royal treasury was filled with pearls and the rarest precious stones the world had never seen before.

Abdullah traveled throughout the country and did what he could for the good of his subjects. One day, while walking through the city, he stopped in front of a baker's shop and was surprised to find it locked. Abdullah began asking the neighbors what had happened to his friend. They told him that the baker had once left the city and never returned. Abdullah began searching for him throughout the country. A week later, the baker was brought to Abdullah; he had been found in a distant village, where he had opened a bakery and lived without want.

The baker fell to his knees before Abdullah and exclaimed:

"I have done nothing wrong, O master, have mercy on me, spare my children!"

"Don’t you recognize your friend?" asked Abdullah. "Get up, let’s go to my chambers, where we’ll reminisce about old times."

The surprised baker rose to his feet and dared to look at Abdullah. Only then did he recognize the fisherman with whom they had once been friends. The baker told Abdullah how frightened he had been when he saw his friend under guard. He thought the poor man had been taken to the king because of those precious stones. The baker was genuinely afraid that he, too, would be summoned to court for helping Abdullah. Out of fear, he fled the city. And now, when everything had ended so well, the friends’ joy knew no bounds. Abdullah made the baker his vizier, and from then on, the loyal friends were inseparable.

Abdullah of the Land did not forget about Abdullah of the Sea. Every day, he went to the sea with a basket of fruit and received a basket of precious stones and pearls in return. One day, he returned to the sea, called out to his sea friend, and when he emerged from the waves, handed him the basket of fruit. Abdullah of the Sea took the basket and said:

"The time has come, Abdullah of the Land, to show you our underwater kingdom."

"But I will perish in the sea!" exclaimed Abdullah. "A man cannot live in water like a fish."

"Do not fear," reassured Abdullah of the Sea. "I will anoint you with a special ointment made from fish oil, and you will feel perfectly fine underwater."

He dove into the water and soon resurfaced on the shore.

"Undress, Abdullah," said the sea dweller. And he anointed his friend with a strange ointment. Then he took him by the hand, and they descended into the sea together.

The friends swam underwater, encountering schools of exotic fish: some glowed like stars, others shimmered with all the colors of the rainbow. Some were terrifying to look at—such monsters they were. But they all swam past, paying no attention to the friends. Abdullah of the Land felt as though he were dreaming. All around, wondrous plants swayed, opening their enormous flowers and catching small fish with their petal-like mouths.

Abdullah of the Sea led his friend to a city located at the bottom of the sea. There lived creatures resembling humans, except that from the waist down, they had tails like fish. Abdullah of the Land could not refuse his sea friend when he invited him into his home, built from shells and mother-of-pearl. He did not want to let him go until he had shown him everything in the underwater kingdom.

Abdullah of the Land felt as though he had spent only a few hours underwater. "It would be nice to see all these wonders," he decided. "After all, no mortal before me has had the chance to see this."

Abdullah liked that here, underwater, there were neither rich nor poor; everyone had beautiful homes made of shells and mother-of-pearl. The king of the underwater kingdom walked among his subjects, inquiring about their needs and settling their disputes as if he were an ordinary mortal.

"I will establish these customs on land," Abdullah resolved. He no longer thought about how much time he had spent underwater, only striving to learn and remember everything so he could apply it usefully back home.

At the bottom of the sea, there was neither night nor day. The sun’s rays did not penetrate there. Only the glow of luminous fish and plants illuminated the underwater expanse. Soon, Abdullah felt as though he had spent a week underwater. He thought that his family must be worried about him, and that his friends, the king and the baker, were searching for him throughout the country. Abdullah himself feared that, during the time he had spent underwater, discontented nobles might have seized power and undone all the good he had done for his people.

"Allow me, friend Abdullah," he said one day, "to return to land. I have much to do there, and my family and friends are worried about me."

At first, Abdullah of the Sea pleaded with Abdullah of the Land to stay, but when he saw that no persuasion would work, he escorted his friend to the surface of the sea and said:

"Farewell, we will never see each other again. It’s a pity you did not stay with us. Nothing good awaits you on land."

And before Abdullah of the Land could respond, his friend disappeared forever into the depths of the sea.
Abdullah went straight to the rock under which he had left his clothes before descending into the underwater kingdom. But there, he found nothing. In his heart, he cursed the thief and didn’t know what to do now: he couldn’t go into the city undressed. Just then, a fisherman happened to walk by. He glanced at Abdullah and said:

"What are you looking for, friend, yesterday’s luck? Come with me, help me catch fish."

"My name is Abdullah, I’m a friend of the king. Lend me some clothes, and tomorrow come to the palace for a reward." The fisherman laughed:

"You’d sooner pass for the king’s jester. I’ve never heard of any royal friend, and I doubt the king even has friends. I do believe your name is Abdullah, though. There are plenty of Abdullahs around here—enough to form a whole regiment. And as for going to the palace for a reward, I wouldn’t dare. The royal capital is a thousand miles from here."

"A thousand miles!" exclaimed Abdullah.

Only now did he look around and see that where lush gardens once grew, where the white walls of houses gleamed and the towers of the royal palace sparkled under the blue sky, now there were only sickly trees and poor huts. The poor man looked so distraught that the fisherman stopped laughing, approached Abdullah, and offered to share a meal with him. He thought Abdullah was mad. Abdullah thanked him and, with his head bowed, headed to the place where his house once stood. None of this made sense to him.

Abdullah approached the first hut. An old man sat at the doorstep, mending a fishing net.

"Old man, can you tell me how to get to the royal capital?" asked Abdullah.

"The capital? You’d have to travel a long, long time—weeks and months," replied the old man.

"How can that be? The capital was right here, in these parts," Abdullah said in surprise.

"Yes, you’re right, but that was so long ago that even my great-grandfather’s grandfather didn’t remember it. People say that a man named Abdullah once ruled here, a good and just man. They say he was even friends with the lord of the sea. But who knows what’s true and what’s just a tale."

Abdullah nearly went mad when he heard this. He realized that he hadn’t spent a week underwater, but a hundred years. Without saying a word to the old man, he went to the sea.

"Abdullah of the Sea, Abdullah of the Sea, help me!" he shouted with all his might.

The waves crashed noisily against the rocks, but no matter how much Abdullah called and pleaded, no one came to him.

And so, Abdullah walked into the sea. He went deeper and deeper, until the water reached his waist, then his neck. But he closed his eyes, took one more step, and a salty wave washed over him. Abdullah’s head spun; he wanted to open his eyes but couldn’t. His eyelids felt suddenly heavy, as if filled with lead. Yet a voice kept repeating, "Open your eyes, open them!" Abdullah summoned all his strength and lifted his eyelids.

And suddenly, instead of green water, he saw the sky above him, white houses nestled in gardens bathed in sunlight.

Abdullah lay there, covered by his old fishing net. He was wearing the same clothes he had worn before becoming the king’s friend. He shook his head, pinched himself, gathered his thoughts, and finally realized that it had all been a dream. He was still a fisherman, just as he had always been. The fisherman jumped to his feet, overjoyed that he would soon see his children again and bring them beautiful seashells instead of toys. But then Abdullah remembered his troubles. He hadn’t been able to repay the baker’s debt for forty days, and today he was too ashamed to walk past the bakery. How would he feed his children?

"I’ll try one more time," thought Abdullah, and he cast his net into the sea. As soon as the net disappeared beneath the water, the fisherman felt it grow heavy. He pulled and pulled, thinking he might not be able to manage, but he didn’t let go. He caught a whole pile of large, fat fish. He loaded the fish onto his back and cheerfully walked toward the city. He stopped by the baker’s shop, gave him two of the best fish, and took the rest to the market, where he sold them for a good price.

Abdullah repaid the baker’s debt, and since he had bought a whole armful of vegetables and fruits for his children at the market, he couldn’t take any bread from the baker. The baker placed ten of his best loaves on his head and, despite Abdullah’s protests, carried them to the fisherman’s house himself. Only this part of his dream came true. And one more thing: he and the baker became friends. In the evenings, they would meet by the bakery, talk to each other, and the baker often asked the fisherman to tell him about Abdullah of the Sea.

"Ah, if only we could advise the king as we did in the dream," the friends would sigh, "life would be better for everyone."

And so, the baker and the fisherman would discuss over and over what they would change in their country. The children listened intently and thought that surely they would be the lucky ones who could someday advise the king.

More fairy tales

• The Tale of Ja'far and His Brothers
• Bread and Gold
• Ali Baba and the Forty Thieves
• The Beggar and Happiness
• The Tale of Dishonest Hob