Week 6 Story: Sindbad's Lies

One day, out of nowhere, a discombobulated man was washed up onto my island. I'm the king of the island, so I knew it had to be my decision if he went or stayed. Because he looked so frantic, I allowed him on my island. All he had was a piece of wood, what kind of guy would I be if I didn't give him shelter and food?

Here's what Sindbad described his shipwreck looked like. Photo from the original story.

It turned out the man's name was Sindbad. He claimed to have undergone a tragedy in which he lost his ship and crew. I didn't think much of it, because that happens all along. He was lucky to have even made it this far.

Sindbad told me all about his adventures. He underwent such trauma that I opened my island to him, offering him food and shelter. He quickly found a home on my island, and was a functioning member of society. One day, a cargo ship beached on my island to drop off a usual load of merchandise. However, this ship was not our usual visitor.

Sindbad freaked out when he saw this ship. He ran to it, looking extremely excited. I did not understand why. He clearly was delusional if he thought his ship survived, so I figured that couldn't be why he looks so excited. Maybe he dreamt about the ship? Maybe he was just losing it?

I followed Sindbad to this ship. He was in the midst of proclaiming an extraordinarily believable story about how that vessel was once his. The captain of the ship laughed at him in disbelief. Who did he think he was? Yeah, he lost his ship... But that doesn't mean he gets to take someone else's.

I tried to help Sindbad realize that he had gone crazy, but he didn't listen to me. Neither I, nor the captain of the ship believed his story. I talked with the captain and apologized for a member of my island's craziness, and promised to keep him away from the shore in the future. Sindbad wished for his old life, but he was never going to get it again. At that point, I felt bad for the captain. His crew members clearly hated him, because they were trying to claim that they knew Sindbad. Haha! No chance did any of his crew members survive what he went through. Oh well, you can't help everyone I guess.

Whether Sindbad was purposefully lying or just had lost it, I lost my trust in him. I allowed Sindbad to live on my island, but not too closely to the others. If he could lie to people he didn't even know, what makes his own neighbors safe? Poor Sindbad, wishing for his past life. I tried to make him feel like he was at home, but apparently I didn't do enough.

Author's Note

The original story has two parts: First Voyage and First Voyage (cont.). These stories are told from first person of Sindbad, a wealthy man that traded in his riches to be a sailor and see the world. Sindbad had a crew of sailors with him on his first voyage, and they tried to beach on an island at one point. They quickly found out the "island" was really just the back of a whale, who then submerged into the ocean. Sindbad got separated from his ship and crew, and he had to hold onto a piece of wood to survive for a whole night. When the sun rose, Sindbad was greeted by an actual island. He got to meet the king of the island and the residents of it, who generously took him in. One day, Sindbad's original crew beached onto this island. The new captain did not originally believe Sindbad when he tried to tell him that it was once his ship, but after much convincing and a few crew members' recognition, the captain realized Sindbad must be telling the truth. My version is told from the king of the island's point of view after the captain accuses Sindbad of lying. Neither the captain nor the king of the island ever ended up believing him, so Sindbad is seen as a liar and it's not a happily ever after this time.

Bibliography

"First Voyage (cont.)." The Arabian Nights' Entertainments. Andrew Lang and H. J. Ford, 1898.