In the ancient, golden-hued lands of Aswan, where the Nile whispers secrets to the granite rocks, lived a young man named Maymoun. He was a simple porter, a man whose muscles were forged by the heavy crates he carried and whose heart was tempered by the struggles of poverty. Maymoun lived in a modest hut with his devoted wife and their bright-eyed little daughter, Durra. Despite the thinness of their blankets and the simplicity of their meals, Maymoun found immense gratitude in his small family. He was a man of profound faith, believing that contentment was a treasure that no gold could buy.
However, the tranquility of his home was shattered when his mother-in-law moved in. She was a woman of sharp tongue and even sharper ambitions, who looked at Maymoun not as a son but as a disappointment. To her, a porter was a smudge on the social fabric she wished her daughter to weave. She constantly belittled him, whispering poison into her daughter’s ear, hoping to spark a divorce so she could wed her child to a man of status and silver. Maymoun, possessing a quiet wisdom, saw through her schemes. He met her vitriol with patience and her insults with a gentle smile, knowing that reacting with anger would only fulfill her dark desires.
But his mother-in-law was not his only burden. Maymoun had two half-brothers, Sadoun and Hamdoun, born of the same father but of entirely different spirits. They were men consumed by the green-eyed monster of envy. They despised Maymoun’s purity and hated the fact that their uncle, Assem—a merchant of legendary wealth—held Maymoun in the highest regard. While Sadoun and Hamdoun visited their uncle with rehearsed flatteries and eyes fixed on his bulging coffers, Maymoun visited out of genuine love and the duty of kinship.
As years passed, Uncle Assem, who had no children of his own, fell gravely ill. The sickness was cruel, robbing him of his memories and his ability to recognize faces. Seeing that the old man could no longer distinguish between his nephews or acknowledge their presence, Sadoun and Hamdoun ceased their visits. To them, a dying man with a clouded mind was a useless investment. But Maymoun remained. He sat by his uncle’s bedside, wiping his brow, whispering prayers, and ensuring the old man’s dignity remained intact in his final hours.
When Uncle Assem finally passed, the city gathered for the reading of the will. Sadoun and Hamdoun stood tall, their faces masked with fake grief but their hearts racing with greed. The lawyer began to read. To the shock of the assembly, the vast mansions, the sprawling gardens, and the chests of gold were divided equally between Sadoun and Hamdoun. Maymoun’s name was mentioned at the very end. The lawyer read: "To my beloved nephew Maymoun, I leave my small, abandoned shop in the corner of the old market, along with all its contents. I pray he uses it with the best of intentions."
A roar of laughter erupted from the two brothers. They mocked Maymoun, calling him the "Prince of Dust" and the "Merchant of Nothing." Even Maymoun’s wife felt a sting of injustice, knowing her husband had been the only one to truly care for the deceased. But Maymoun simply smiled. "Wealth belongs to the Giver," he whispered to her. "Perhaps in this humble shop, there is a blessing that gold cannot provide."
Upon returning home, the mother-in-law’s tirade reached a fever pitch. She called him a fool, a failure, and a man cursed by his own lack of ambition. Maymoun ignored her and set out the next morning to claim his inheritance. The shop was a dismal sight—cobwebs hung like tattered curtains, and a thick layer of grey dust muffled every step. Everything he touched seemed to crumble into splinters. However, in the darkest corner, he saw something covered by a pristine white cloth. He pulled it back to reveal a saffron-colored turban. It looked brand new, as if the sun itself had been woven into the fabric.
Feeling a strange pull, Maymoun cleaned the shop and decided to start a small business selling vegetables and fruits—a trade that required little capital but much honesty. WWW.JANATNA.COM was where he found his inner peace, as he transformed the derelict space into a hub of fresh produce. His reputation grew; people traveled from across the market to buy from "The Honest Maymoun." His earnings soon surpassed what he had ever made as a porter.
One day, Sadoun visited. His arrogance was palpable. He sat in the shop, feigning interest, and paid for fruit from a heavy purse of gold. He began visiting daily, a habit that unsettled Maymoun. His instincts were proven right when a police officer arrived with an eviction notice. Sadoun had stolen the title deeds from Maymoun’s cabinet and sold the shop to himself using forged documents and bribes. With no proof of ownership, Maymoun was forced to lock his doors.
Retreating to his room in despair, Maymoun looked at the saffron turban hanging on the wall. "Oh Uncle," he sighed, "if only you were here to see what your 'wealthy' heirs have done." He placed the turban on his head and immediately fell into a trance-like sleep. In his dream, Uncle Assem appeared, glowing with a soft light. "I have left you the protection of God and this turban," the uncle said. "Use it well."
Maymoun woke up and looked in the mirror, but he saw nothing. The vase behind him was visible, but he was gone. He took the turban off—his reflection returned. He put it on—he vanished. He realized then that the shop was merely a shell; the true inheritance was the Turban of Invisibility.
Using this gift, he entered the courthouse. He saw the judge—who had been bribed by Sadoun—holding the forged deed. Maymoun, invisible, grabbed the judge’s throat and whispered in a terrifying, ethereal voice: "I am the Jinni of the Shop. If the rightful owner does not receive his property by noon tomorrow, I shall take your soul to the abyss." Terrified, the judge immediately summoned both brothers and Maymoun, "finding" the original deed and restoring Maymoun’s rights. Sadoun, furious and confused, tried to attack the judge but was hauled off to a dungeon.
But the darkness wasn't finished. The mother-in-law, desperate to rid herself of Maymoun, visited a dark sorcerer. She brought little Durra to him under the guise of a walk. The sorcerer, intending to use the child for a ritual, cast a spell that knocked the grandmother unconscious and spirited the girl away. When the grandmother woke up in a trash heap, she realized the horror of her actions. She told Maymoun a half-truth, describing the sorcerer's face but claiming they were both kidnapped.
Maymoun donned his turban and fell into a prophetic sleep. He saw Durra tied up in a cellar in the heart of the city. He rushed to the location, entered the house invisibly, and found his daughter. But there, he overheard a conversation that broke his heart. His other brother, Hamdoun, was there, paying the sorcerer for the kidnapping! Hamdoun wanted to destroy Maymoun’s spirit once and for all.
Maymoun, still invisible, caused a chaotic fight between the sorcerer and Hamdoun. He rescued Durra and called the guards. As the guards arrived, the sorcerer attempted to possess Hamdoun with a demonic spirit. Hamdoun emerged from the house, eyes glowing red, swinging a sword at the guards. Despite being shot with arrows, he kept moving—he was no longer human. Maymoun, showing a mercy that surpassed understanding, stepped between the guards and his possessed brother. "It is I, Maymoun!" he cried. The love in his voice caused a conflict within Hamdoun’s soul, and the demonic smoke finally billowed out of his mouth as he collapsed.
In the chaos outside, the grandmother, fearful that the captured sorcerer would reveal her complicity, rushed forward and stabbed the sorcerer. With his dying breath, the sorcerer cursed her. The same black smoke entered her eyes, and she began to run on all fours like a beast, eventually leaping from a high bridge to her death.
Days later, Maymoun visited his brothers in prison. They were broken men. Seeing Maymoun’s unwavering kindness, Sadoun and Hamdoun wept with genuine remorse. They signed over half of their uncle’s vast estate to him as a gesture of repentance.
Maymoun returned home, looking at his wife, his daughter, and the saffron turban. He had wealth now, but more importantly, he had peace. He tucked the turban away into a hidden chest, covering it with a simple cloth. "I have everything I need," he whispered. "I hope I never have to be invisible again, for the greatest life is the one lived in the light."
Keywords: Aswan, Ancient Tale, Invisibility, Turban, Inheritance, Magic, Sorcery, Justice, Family Betrayal, Redemption, Porter, Merchant, Mystery, Supernatural, Wisdom.
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