Thousand & One Nights: 99th Night

Ninety ninth night. 
Shahrazad began to tell the story 
It was a story originally told by Ja'far, the vizier, to his Caliph, Harun al Rashid.

Badr al-Din said to the Chamberlain and his men, "Because the pomegranate dish lacked pepper you have beaten me, smashed my dishes, and ruined my shop. You have tied me and locked me in this chamber day and night, fed me only one meal a day, and you are going to nail me on a cross. Suppose I had cooked it without pepper what should be my punishment?

"To be crucified." The vizier said.

"Alas," said Badr al-Din, "only because the dish lacked pepper you are going to crucify me. You have destroyed my shop, tortured me, starved me. All for the lack of pepper in pomegranate-seed dish. May God curse pomegranate-seed dish. I wish that I had died."

They brought the nails for crucifixion.
Night was falling and it was getting dark. The vizier took Badr al-Din, pushed him into the chest, and locked it. "Wait till tomorrow morning, we have no time left to nail you in the night," the vizier told Badr al-Din. Badr al-Din sat in the chest, crying and saying to himself, "There is no power, and no strength save in God the Almighty. Why do I have to be crucified and die? I have not killed anyone or committed any crime; nor have I cursed or blasphemed."

In the meantime, the vizier placed the chest on the camel and followed it. They entered the city. The markets were closed. The caravan came to the premises where the vizier Shams al-Din had pitched their tents. The camels knelt for unloading the baggage. Shams al-Din called out his daughter Sit al-Husn. She came out of the tent. "Daughter, praise the God who has reunited you with your cousin and husband. Let the servants prepare the house and arrange the furniture, as it was on your wedding night, twelve years ago."

Lanterns were brought and candles were lighted. Everything were arranged as they were, on the night when Badr al-Din went for privy. Shams al-Din told his daughter, Sit al-Husn, "Undress and go to your bed, as you did the night he came in to you. And when he comes in, this time, say to him, 'My lord, you have stayed too long in the privy.' Then draw him to you, and prevail upon him, so that he may enter you, and after that engage him in conversation till the morning. Then we will tell him the whole extraordinary story."

It was dawn and Shahrazad stopped the story.

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