Jerusalem, 1195 AD. In a tavern, an English traveller in his early 30s was waiting for a man to arrive with a delivery. Something for which he"d searched for over a decade. Something which, if his contact had been successful, was going to change his life forever."Another ale, my friend," he said, flicking a coin in the direction of the bartender.
"You"re not from around here, are you?" The bartender asked him.
"No I"m not, but don"t worry, if all has gone to plan, I"ll be out of here before long."
A few minutes later, man arrived in a cloak, carrying an ornate box.
"Do you have it?" The Englishman asked, excited.
"Yes, it is in this box," the other man replied.
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"Good...let"s go into the back room. We need some privacy."
They went into the back, where a table and two chairs had already been set up. They sat down at the table, and the box was laid on it.
"You"ve not touched it, have you?" The Englishman asked.
"Of course not, we had your instructions. We would not want to trigger the curse." The Englishman reached to open the box, but the other man stopped him. "Where"s the reward I was promised?"
"I promise you shall have your reward, but for now, look at me. I am unarmed. I could not possibly steal this from under you, now could I? I merely wish to admire my prize."
"Very well, but do not try anything. I do not trust you foreigners. I do not see why Saladin allowed you to come here."
The Englishman opened the box, and his eyes widened when he saw the contents. Inside was a golden oil lamp.
"Oh h.e.l.lo, my pretty," he said. "I"ve been waiting a long time for you." He then reached in to pull it out.
"Hey, what happened to not touching it with your bare hands!?"
"I do not fear the curse. Tell me, where did you find this again?"
"A group of nomads found it amongst the Crusaders" belongings a few years ago. We managed to "recover" it from them. But can I ask...why are you interested in this particular lamp?"
"Oh, because it is so much more than a mere lamp. This lamp, and its brothers and sisters, appear in stories from the dawn of man. Lamps of this nature appear in paintings and drawings from before they were invented. Well, before we developed the ability to duplicate their appearance. Great men have devoted their entire lives to searching for them. And now I have one."
"What are you talking about?"
"Allow me to demonstrate."
The Englishman then did the thing he"d long dreamt of. He rubbed the lamp. He felt its coldness grow warm in his hands, and he watched as streams of light-blue smoke poured out of it.
"What is this sorcery!?" The other man cried out. He got up, and tried to leave the room, but the door wouldn"t budge. "It"s locked."
"Yes, I had an a.s.sociate of mine lock it when we came in," The Englishman said. "Poor sod, he thinks he"s going to get rewarded for his efforts."
"What are you!?"
"Watch and learn."