The Lamp of Luminous Dreams🔊

In the bustling city of Al-Yaqut, where silk banners danced with the wind and golds chimed to the rhythm of the lively streets, lived a small unnoticeable man named Habib. Habib was an alchemist by craft, his uncanny talent to blend the unusual elements shrouded him with an unnamed magic. But his life was not as shiny as the city itself maybe the only similarity was the uninterrupted flow,

for despite having such extraordinary talent, he lived a life of obscurity.

One pressing afternoon, a stranger garbed in robes of mystic patterns appeared at Habib's doorstep. His azure eyes held stories untold, he carried a peculiar lamp of tarnished brass resting with him. The stranger called himself Sulaiman, a traveler lost and weary from his endless journey. Struck by the unexpected visit, Habib invited him promising a meal and dwelling for the night.

Sulaiman, around the warmth of dinner, disclosed the truth. The peculiar lamp he carried was no ordinary artifact; it was the 'Lamp of Luminous Dreams' – a lamp containing a powerful jinn who could grant dreams instead of mere wishes. Intrigued and thrilled, Habib questioned about the Lamp's truth but Sulaiman only smiled with his eyes, his lips forming a cryptic curve.

At the breaking of dawn, Sulaiman was nowhere to be found. The only trace of his existence was the Lamp, lying patiently on Habib's worktable. Uncertainty filled his heart, yet, the temptation of the compelling possibility coaxed Habib to endure. He hesitantly picked up the lamp, feeling the cold tarnished brass, and as he rubbed it, a magnificent jinn materialized.

The jinn, a towering figure, cloaked in billowing smoke and stardust, with eyes glinting like quicksilver, said, 'I am Rashid, the harbinger of dreams.' He explained that the Lamp was indeed a mystical artifact, and that it had the power to make dreams real, but with a condition. For each dream it granted, it would feed on a memory to sustain its magic.

Blinded by the promise of dreams granted, Habib agreed. His first dream was simple: wealth. Rashid nodded, and as Habib blinked, mounds of golds and jewels appeared. Simultaneously, a part of his past faded. It felt minor, for, in the breathtaking spectacle of his newfound fortune, a few forgotten names meant nothing.

As days grew into months, Habib had become a man of fame in Al-Yaqut. His dreams grew and with them dissolved his past. People he had known, places he had been to, moments he had shared - each of them began drifting into oblivion. But Habib was too blinded to see.

One moonlit evening, he stood on the rooftop of his mansion, the city's magnificent skyline before him. His long-forgotten heart ached. For all his obtained dreams, Habib felt a strange void, an unfamiliar thirst. His heart yearned for something he couldn’t name.

Alarmed, Habib summoned Rashid. In a desperate plea, he asked, 'Can you tell me what my heart seeks?'

Rashid looked deep into Habib’s eyes and spoke, 'Return the dreams, Habib. Seek what your heart truly desires, for the price has been too great.'

With a deep sigh, Habib agreed. Next, the wealth evaporated into thin air, people forgot his existence, and he was back in his old, obscure life. But in return, threads of forgotten memories started weaving back - of love, friendship, and a life lived, not dreamed.

Habib realized the true dream he yearned for was not to surround himself with treasures, but to live amid life's simple blessings. He learnt that true richness is the wealth of love, kinship, and shared experiences, which no gold could ever buy.

Returning the lamp to its hidden realm, Habib found himself more luminous than ever. The humble alchemist of Al-Yaqut lived the true dream of his life - surrounded by lost friends, reliving his past in his memories and the City of Al-Yaqut heard the mirth of an obscure alchemist’s laughter – the richest man in the world.