Sindbad's Second Voyage

In the city of Baghdad there once lived a merchant called Sindbad. He had already sailed across the seas once and come home rich, and for a long while he lived happily in his beautiful house. But after a time his feet began to itch again. He missed the salt in the air and the wind in the sails. He missed the strange islands where he had never set his foot. And so, one morning, he gathered together fine goods, walked down to the river and stepped aboard a great ship. A cheerful company of merchants came with him, and the wind took hold of the sails. Sindbad stood by the rail and smiled out across the sea, for now he would see the world again.

The ship sailed for many days. They went from island to island and from sea to sea, and in every port the merchants bought and sold their wares. The wind stayed cool and kind. One morning, just as the sun had risen, the lookout caught sight of a green patch far away. Soon an island lay right before them, so beautiful that everyone held their breath. The trees bore ripe fruits in every colour. Birds with glossy feathers flew among the branches and sang little glad songs. Clear streams ran down to the shore. The skipper had the anchor cast, and the merchants climbed into the boats and rowed ashore to stretch their legs and fill up on fresh water.

Sindbad walked deeper into the island than the others. He found a place by a stream where the moss was soft and the sun fell through the leaves in green patches. There he sat down with his little bundle of food. The stream chuckled. The wind whispered in the treetops. Before he knew it, he had fallen asleep. When he opened his eyes, the shadows were long. He hurried back to the shore, but there was nothing left. No merchants, no boats. Far, far out on the sea he saw only the sail of his own ship, and it grew smaller and smaller until it vanished into the blue. They had forgotten him. Sindbad was utterly alone on the island.