Ali Baba and the Shared Treasure

In a land far away, at the edge of a lush green forest, there was a charming village. In this village lived a kind-hearted woodcutter named Ali Baba. Every morning, Ali Baba would go to the forest with his faithful donkey, Karakaçan, to gather dry branches and help the villagers. He loved nature very much, listened to the chirping of birds, and smelled the flowers.

One day, deep in the forest, he heard sounds he had never heard before. Curiously, he moved towards the direction of the sounds and hid behind a large rock. He saw forty noisy and playful men in colorful clothes standing in front of a boulder. These were the Forty Thieves from the legends.

The leader of the thieves, a majestic man in ornate clothes, stepped in front of the rock. He raised his hands and shouted in a booming voice: "Open sesame!" Ali Baba couldn't believe his eyes. A door appeared in the middle of the rock with a magical glow.

The Forty Thieves entered the cave, laughing cheerfully and joking with each other. The inside of the cave flashed like gold for a moment, and then the door closed behind them. Ali Baba rubbed his eyes to see if it was all a dream.

After a while, the thieves came out of the cave. Their leader spoke the magic words again: "Close sesame!" and the door disappeared. The thieves mounted their horses and rode away as cheerfully as they had arrived. The forest fell silent once more.

Ali Baba gathered his courage and came out from his hiding place. His heart was beating fast, but he felt a sense of curiosity. He slowly approached the rock and took a deep breath. "I wonder if it will work for me too?" he thought.

He whispered in a trembling voice: "Open sesame!" And the miracle happened! The rock opened again with the same magical glow. Ali Baba paused at the entrance of the cave, filled with astonishment and joy.

The inside was like a dream world. The cave was filled to the brim with gold coins, sparkling jewels, silk fabrics, and wonderful toys from all over the world. Everything was dazzlingly beautiful.

Ali Baba was not a greedy person. When he saw so much treasure, the first thing that came to his mind was his village and his neighbors. "This treasure could change the lives of our entire village," he thought. He decided to fill only a small pouch.

As he left the cave, he said the magic words: "Close sesame!" The door closed gently, and the rock returned to its original state. Ali Baba returned to his donkey Karakaçan with the small pouch of treasure and headed for the village.

When Ali Baba arrived in the village, he went straight to the village square. He gathered all his neighbors and the children around him. Everyone looked curiously at his joyfully shining eyes and the small pouch in his hand.

Ali Baba told them what had happened and spread the contents of the pouch in the square. "This treasure belongs to all of us!" he said. "We will use it to make our village beautiful." The villagers were very moved by Ali Baba's generosity.

From that day on, a festive atmosphere began in the village. With the treasure, they built a new school, a playground, and lush green gardens for everyone to enjoy. Everyone started to help each other more.

When the Forty Thieves returned to the cave, they noticed that some of the treasure was missing. Their leader, Zagan, scratched his head. "I guess we forgot to count," he said, and he and his friends forgot about it and continued joking around. For them, hoarding was important, not sharing.

Ali Baba and the villagers, however, had understood what the greatest treasure was. The joy of working together, helping one another, and sharing was more valuable than all the gold in the cave. Because true wealth was in sharing.