Notable Characters
- The merchant
- The demon
- The first old man
- The second old man
- The third old man
Plot Summary
On his way home from a journey visiting another country, the merchant stopped to eat some dates. As he ate them, he tossed the pits to the side without care. As he was finishing with his break, he was approached by a demon carrying a sword.
The demon told the merchant that he had to kill him because the merchant had murdered the demon’s son. The merchant protested, having no recollection of killing anyone or thing. The demon explained that one of the date pits the merchant had thrown to the side had hit his son and killed him.
The merchant begged for his life, but the demon insisted. Finally, the merchant struck a deal: he would leave for one year to settle his affairs and say goodbye to his family, and then he would return to the same grove and let the demon kill him then. The demon reluctantly agreed
One year later, the merchant returned to the same spot and waited for the demon to arrive. While waiting, three old men came by and stopped, each wishing to see what would happen with the merchant and the demon before continuing on their separate journeys.
When the demon arrived, each of the three old men told their tale in exchange for a third of the merchant’s life. At the end of this story, the demon spares the merchant’s life, and everyone goes their separate ways.
The World of the Arabian Nights 