The Enchanted Horse

Long ago, in the city of Shiraz in Persia, the king was celebrating the New Year. All day the great square had been filled with music, jugglers and bright tents. As the sun went down and the sky turned pink, a stranger stepped before the throne. He led a horse that shone like a black mirror. 'Your Majesty,' said the man, bowing deeply. 'None of the wonders you have seen today can match this horse.' The king smiled a little wearily. 'It is nothing more than a pretty toy.' 'Not at all,' answered the stranger. 'Sit upon its back, wish yourself to any place in the world, and in an instant you will be there.'

The king pointed to a mountain far away. 'Bring me a palm leaf from the foot of that mountain.' The stranger swung himself into the saddle and turned a small screw on the horse's neck. In an instant the black horse rose like lightning and vanished into the evening sky. A quarter of an hour later he came riding back, a green palm leaf in his hand, and laid it smiling at the king's feet. The king was astonished. 'That horse must be mine,' he whispered. 'Name your price, whatever you wish.'

The stranger smiled with narrowed eyes. 'My lord, the horse is dearer to me than gold. I will give him only in exchange for the hand of the princess, your eldest daughter.' The court gasped in amazement. Prince Firouz Schah, the king's son, flushed with anger. 'Father, you cannot even consider so impudent an offer!' But the king had already fallen in love with the horse, and answered thoughtfully: 'My son, try the horse first. Who knows whether all he says is true?' The prince hesitated a moment, then bowed stiffly and climbed into the saddle. The stranger began to whisper instructions, but the prince, full of impatience, turned the screw at once.

The black horse lifted like a bird and rose, and rose, and rose. Soon the palace was no more than a glittering coin far below, and the mountains looked like folds in a blanket. The wind whistled around the prince's ears and the stars came out one by one. When at last he had had enough of the journey, he turned the screw the other way, but nothing happened. He turned again. And again. His heart pounded. 'I forgot to ask how to come down!' The prince did not lose courage. He felt carefully with his fingertips along the horse's neck, until he found a much smaller peg close to the right ear. He turned it, and the horse began to sink gently towards the earth.