Storytelling Week 3:

A young man with a large family recently came into a small fortune. The man, once a hardworking but poor farmer, now had the means to buy his family a grand place to live. He prayed and searched for the best realtor around and he finally settled on a homely old man who, though he had not been around long, had a solid reputation. The next day at sunrise he sought out the man. He described his dream to the realtor who listened intently.

"Yes, yes. I have just the place in mind," he uttered while staring off in the distance.

With that the old man shuffled away and the young man, curious and surprised at the old man's speed, followed hastily. The two men obtained two camels and rode and rode until just before sunset when they reached the gates of an ancient city.

The two men with their camels

The young man spoke up and asked "Where is the estate for which we have traveled such a way?"

The old man said nothing but gazed just beyond the city. The young man followed his gaze and his eyes rested upon a once grand spire that had blackened with age. His eyes then found another spire peaking out over the city.

The young man asked "to whom did this ancient palace belong?"

"A man long before your time. The name is of no consequence to you, but the legend may capture your attention. "

"Please, tell me the tale as we ride closer."

"It is said that the palace grew in one night. Ah, do not look so skeptical young one. After all it is simply a tale. The constructor was an Arab who committed himself to a very poor gentleman as his slave. The gentleman was much in need of money so he took the slaves offer to sell him in town. See, the slave was a grand architect who had plans for a gorgeous palace. He just needed someone to ask him to make it. So the two found a rich jeweler who wanted a palace and showed him a tiny model of one that the slave had. The jeweler bought the slave for a high price and offered him freedom if he built this palace. The slave agreed. He asked for no supplies nor workers and promised the palace in just one day's time. The jeweler, dumbfounded, led the man to the plot of land we now approach. As promised, the next day this palace appeared much to the astonishment of the jeweler and the now rich gentleman."

"But who was this miracle constructor?" the young man asked.

"That is of no consequence to you," the old man replied.

Though the young man was still burning with curiosity he let it be because they had just reached the gate to the palace. It was hanging open from rusted hinges. The young man stared up at the dilapidated building that rose before him. The building's once majestic marble walls were fully obscured under layers of dirt and dust. The cupolas were cracked. The metal railings stood only from rust.

The young man thought to himself "even with the money I now possess and the wretched state of this building I doubt I can afford it."

"How much does the palace cost?" he asked hesitantly.

"For you, nothing if one task you complete. The building is yours if in one night you can restore it."

"But how can this be achieved?" The young man asked desperate to have a place large enough for his family.

"That is for you to determine."

The young man turned back to look at the building, and by the time he went to look at the old man he was gone. He turned back at the palace, wondering how on earth to accomplish such a tall order.

He spent some time thinking through how many workers his money could buy. He then inspected the building from corner to corner and made a list of all the supplies needed. When he finished around midnight he just marveled at the insurmountable task that laid before him. The young man felt his heart drop to his stomach realizing he could never accomplish the task and the palace would not be his. Suddenly, he dropped to his knees and prayed. He prayed for hours upon his knees until he drifted into a restless slumber.

In his dreams, he saw workers appear in the dead of night and shine returning to the building. When he awoke from his desperate dream he was nearly blinded by the sunlight glinting off the spires and cupolas. Somehow, the palace was restored to all of its former glory.

The young man leaped up with joy and spun around looking for the old man. He spotted him on the horizon for only a moment before he faded as if disappearing.

"This must have been the work of Elijah," he thought as he thanked God for his palace.

Author's Note: This story is based on The Magic Palace. The story is summarized in the old man's retelling. I based the format of this story partly after the real-estate style. I started with that style and then just wrote the new story.

Bibliography: The Magic Palace is from Jewish Fairy Tales and Legends by Gertrude Landa (1919).