Aladdin & Wonderful Lamp — The Alternate End

Like every kid, my son also likes to fall asleep while listening to stories. Last nights, I narrated him a story of Aladdin and Wonderful Lamp. Completing the story, I said:
……… and they lived happily ever after!
It struck me that stories we consume in this era doesn’t end with happily-ever-after. Most of them end on a sad note, and they call it a “realistic” climax. If Aladdin was written now, perhaps following is how it would have ended.
Original End as per 1001 Arabian Nights (skip if you know already know)
While Aladdin is out on a hunting trek, African magician visits his palace in the disguise of a lamp seller. His lucrative offers of exchanging old lamps for the new one impresses one of his domestic helpers. She exchanges the genie’s wonderful lamp, but with a new ordinary lamp. After getting possession of the wonderful lamp, magician becomes default commander of genie. He commands genie to transport Aladdin’s palace to his hometown. With the palace, princess (Aladdin’s wife) is also carried along.
When back in the town, Aladdin is awe struck by the incidence. He decides to travel to the magician’s town. On a flying mat, he reaches magician’s town and locates his palace. He intrudes into the palace and manages to meet princess secretly. They together plan to bring down magician. Princess offers the intoxicating drink to the magician which makes him lose his senses. Aladdin appears in the sense and thrashes magician in a decisive fight. Aladdin takes lamp in his possession again. On the command of the Aladdin, genie transports palace again to Aladdin’s home land. And they all live happily ever after!
Alternate End
After reaching magicians town, Aladdin chimes into his own palace. He witnesses guards and slaves patrolling. Being it his own palace, Aladdin is well aware of the hidden routes. He manages to reach the room where a princess is captivated. She is accompanied by the loyal female servant named Sarah.
On the reunion, Aladdin and princes embrace, cries and consoles each other. Aladdin hands out a bottle of poison to Sarah, and ask him to mix it in a magician’s drink. They plan to poison him post lunch when magician enjoys drinks with the performance of the slave girls.
At the Dining Table
The dinner table is overloaded with exclusive eatables. Princess arrives at the table where the magician is sitting half drunk, and playing lecherously with the dance performer. He is also unarmed, but carrying a lamp in his overcoat.
Finding the right opportunity, Sarah poisons the drink. With the pretended smile, princess pours the poisonous drink in the magician’s glass. Dumbfounded with this gesture, magician tries getting closer to the princess, gulping drink simultaneously.
Witnessing that magician has consumed the poisonous drink, Aladdin makes an appearance in the room. The magician is shocked to see Aladdin. Having learned that it was a plot by Aladdin and princess, magician attacks princess, who was closer to him. A strike on the head with the heavy copper plate makes princess unconscious at once.
Aladdin jumps upon magician and they enter into a combat. Since magician was already drunk and now poisoned, was easy to get over. For the decisive end, Aladdin pushes him out of a window.
Aladdin rushes to the princes. She is unconscious. Aladdin runs back to the dinner table and grabs a glass of water. He sprinkles some water on the face of the princess. Still, in the Aladdin’s arms, she regains consciousness slowly. Aladdin embraces her and thanks, almighty that she is alive.
In a breaking voice, princess asks for the water. Aladdin fetches her water from the glass he picked from the table. Princess takes a sip of water from the glass. Few minutes pass and princess start chocking.
In a moment of haste, Aladdin offers a poisonous drink to the princess, which they brought to kill the magician.
Aladdin didn’t know it’s cure, and by the time he could bring any help, eyes of the princess will be closed forever.
Aladdin turns to the genie, who was once again on his side. He pleads to the genie to save the love of his life. To which Genie replies, “master, I can bring you any worldly stuff, but stopping a departing soul is beyond me”.
As Aladdin was reaching closer to his destination, with all his materialistic gains, the princess was getting closer to the death. The moment genie settles palace in its original place, princess breathes her last! Aladdin had earned back everything, but for the loss of his life partner.
When Aladdin had nothing to court for, he thought about what caused this suffering to him. Was it a magician for his enemy? Or was it his mistake of poisoning princess?
What if he had never found that lamp? At least princess would have lived now.
The wealth in your hand which is not earned by you, feels awesome in the beginning, but later invite troubles which haunt you for the rest of your life.
Aladdin concludes that it was the curse of the wonderful lamp!
With a mundane life and a wonderful lamp, Aladdin sat on a river bank. He sets the genie free and throws a lamp in the middle of the river, to gently settle on a river bed. It all ends where it started. Impoverished Aladdin enters into a jungle with an axe to return to his wood-cutting business.
