The Second Adventure: The Magic Lamp

Lamp- Goodfreephotos

“Dad, what happens next? What does the magic lamp do???” asked Kusha.

"Does the next part of the story have a big adventure?" questioned Lava.

"Well, boys, sit down and listen and we will find out exactly what happens when the power of the magic lamp is released" I said.

Kusha and Lava gathered the lamp from the king and quickly left the town of Atpat. They were excited to find out why the lamp was so special and why the rakshasi wanted it so badly. It was not immediately apparent that this piece of art had any magical value, but the boys knew that they could figure it out. They decided that since they did not know if they could trust the rakshasi, they would determine the value of the lamp before letting her use it. Lava and Kusha fully intended to let the rakshasi use the lamp as a trade for the magic grass that saved the town with no more milk, but they needed to learn how the magic in the lamp worked before they let it get into the wrong hands, and they didn’t yet know what the rakshasi wanted to do with it.

The boys spent a few days traveling through the woods while they worked together to make a plan. They tried all kinds of things to get the lamp to work. They spoke with sages of the forest, they rubbed the lamp, blew on it, put special berries in it- but nothing worked. They went to sleep that night frustrated with the lamp and the projects ahead of them. Surely the rakshasi already knew how to use the lamp, but they couldn’t trust her to tell them. They would have to figure it out on their own.

The next morning, the sun was so bright it woke them up immediately. They moved the lamp to a tree branch the night before and the light from the sun was now reflecting off of it, which is why they had been woken up by the bright light. They immediately noticed that the lamp had fine engravings on it which could not be seen under normal daylight, and the engravings were projecting a shadow onto the ground. In this shadow, there was a map. Lava and Kusha didn’t know where the map led, but they decided to pack up and follow it. They copied down the map by carving a replica of it into a piece of tree bark and they left.

After a few days of traveling, Kusha and Lava were exhausted. They reached the end of the map and there was nothing around. They were still in the forest and they felt like giving up. Suddenly, the lamp began to shake and spin around. When it touched the part of the ground where the map should have led, the lamp got hot and started glowing. There was obviously something special about this spot, and Lava and Kusha determined that the only choice they had was to dig. However, they did not have to dig far because a few inches below the surface of the dirt there was a golden ring. The ring immediately slipped itself onto Kusha’s finger because he was the closest to it. He held the lamp and rubbed it lightly. A genie came out and told him he could have anything that he wanted. Lava and Kusha were both thrilled. They had figured out the lamp and its power.

They spent the next several days playing with the lamp and using its unlimited power to pretend they were kings and live the most luxurious life. Unfortunately, all good things come to an end as the boys realized they had to go let the rakshasi use the lamp soon. They began their plans to keep everyone safe while the lamp was in her hands. There was no way to tell what she was going to do, but Kusha and Lava knew that it wouldn't be good and they might have to put their lives on the line to protect people from this source of magic.

AUTHOR’S NOTE: I put this story together after being inspired by the story The Magic Lamp from the Santal Folk Tales by A. Campbell. The Santal people are a large indigenous group in India and their stories have been passed down and recorded in this book. The original story was about a young boy who went traveling with his cruel uncle. The boy was made to do many things that he couldn’t do and his uncle eventually tired of him and left him in a hole behind a wooden door. While he was trapped there he found the magic lamp and when he rubbed it the genie granted him whatever he wanted. The boy used the lamp to make his life great, and when the uncle came back to try to get it he succeeded for a time, but the lamp eventually returned to the boy because he was the true owner. The story made a note that the boy was wearing a gold ring when he rubbed the lamp, so I thought it would be interesting to make Lava and Kusha find the ring that went with it. I also added in the aspect of the lamp projecting a map and having engraving. I think next week Lava and Kusha will have to fulfill their duty in allowing the rakshasa to use the magic lamp. I will find another story that has a strong villain character to inspire me to write about what the witch will do, so if you are interested, keep coming back to my storybook!