The Toymaker Of Baghdad

Once upon a time in the far off city of Baghdad there lived a toymaker whose only daughter the Sultan wanted to make his wife but she did not want to marry the old Sultan and so, secretly, the toymaker built a wind – up doll that looked just like his daughter and he sent her to the palace of the Sultan in his daughters place.

“Now we must flee”, the toymaker told his daughter, “For eventually my wind-up doll will run down and then the Sultan will discover that I have tricked him and he will have my head cut off”.

So the toymaker and his daughter piled up all their most precious possessions onto a camel and made their way out of the city and into the desert.

Not long afterwards, however, just as the toymaker had predicted, the clockwork doll he had constructed wound down; right in the middle of the Sultans wedding ceremony in fact.

At first, the Sultan thought that she was merely ill but then his sharp – eyed vizier spotted a key in her back and, enraged and embarrassed, the Sultan bellowed, “Get me the toymakers head”.

When the Sultans men went to arrest the toymaker, however, they were told by his neighbours that he and his daughter had fled into the desert and, when they returned to the Sultan with this news, the wicked Sultan ordered his Vizier, “Take an army of a thousand men and do not return until you have brought me the head of the Toymaker and his daughter in chains”.

While the Sultan was barking his orders, the poor toymaker and his daughter were caught in the middle of a terrible, howling sandstorm but then, fortunately, they saw an old house nearby and, hoping to seek refuge, they knocked on its door.

The door of the house opened as if by magic and, inside, they saw a room decorated all over with tinfoil and paper Christmas decorations; there was a large Christmas tree at one end of the room covered in magically glowing lights and, across the length of the room was an enormous table upon which a Christmas feast was laid out with a gigantic turkey and roast potatoes and Christmas pudding too and, because they were both very hungry, the toymaker and his daughter decided to eat.

“There’s so much food here that I’m sure no one will mind if we take some”, said the toymaker, his eyes glowing at the sight of such a sumptuous feast.

But, just at that moment they heard the sound of marching from outside the house and singing.

“It is the Sultans army come to get us!”, said the toymaker panicking.

But he needn’t have worried, for then, in through the door of the house marched a hundred tiny arabic elves with flowing turbans and behind them came a wizard with a winding red turban and a long white beard.

“You are welcome strangers”, he said to them, “I am called many things in many different countries. Some call me father Christmas but here, in Arabia, I am called Idah Saidan Wa Sanah Jadidah”.

Then they told him of how they were fleeing the cruel Sultan and, feeling sorry for them, the Wizard gave them a parcel of food to take with them and one of the Christmas crackers from his table.

“If you should ever need help, just pull the Christmas Cracker between you”, he said.

Then, thanking the Wizard, the Toymaker and his daughter went on their way again through the desert but, as they were nearing the outskirts of a strange city, they heard the sound of galloping horses approaching.

“This time it is surely the Sultans men”, said the Toymaker, “What shall we do?”.

But then his daughter reminded him of the Christmas cracker that the Wizard had given them and they pulled it together.

Suddenly, there was a loud bang, a flash and a puff of smoke and a lady genie appeared before them.

“I am Gina, the Genie of the Christmas cracker”, she said, “What is your wish, oh master”.

“Can you turn our camel into a magic flying carpet?”, asked the toymaker.

The genie of the cracker shook her head.

“No. I can only grant Christmas wishes”, she replied.

The Toymaker didn’t know much about Christmas but they were in a hurry.

“Please”, he said, “Just turn the camel into something that flies”.

The genie clapped her hands together and immediately the camel turned into a flying reindeer and, climbing onto the back of the reindeer, the toy maker held on tight to its antlers and he and his daughter took off into the air and, with the genie flying beside them, they flew over the city before, seeing the palace of a king far below, they came to land just outside of its gates.

Then the toymaker told the keeper of the gates that he had a genie and a flying creature and that the king could have them in exchange for refuge within his palace.

However, when they were taken to see the king of that land and had told him their story, the king only replied,

“I am sorry but this is a peace-loving country and we have no army to protect us and so we will have to hand you over to the Sultan’s army when he comes or his army may destroy our beautiful city”.

The toymaker was very distraught when he heard this news and, turning to the genie, he pleaded,
“Genie, is it possible for you to raise an army to defend this city?”.

The genie thought for a moment and then, suddenly, her eyes lit up with a brilliant idea.

“Your Christmas wish is my command”, she said, bowing.

And then, out of the sky, they saw hundreds and thousands of little white snowflakes falling and they fell until the wide desert was covered in deep snow and then, at enormous speed, the genie flew about building hundreds of thousands of snowmen, each with a carrot nose and coal lump eyes and all dressed in bright red and gold soldiers uniforms.

When the Sultans men saw the thousands of snow soldiers in the distance they panicked.

“Look”, said the Sultans general to his vizier, “They have a gigantic army. We cannot hope to defeat them”.

And so the Sultans army turned back and the Toymaker and his daughter rejoiced that they were finally safe and they both had a very merry Christmas and a Happy New Year.