Tabakiera, the Magic Box

Tabakiera, the Magic Box

Once there lived a young man who longed to see the world. In his home village he knew every path, every little bridge, and even which orchard’s pear trees blossomed first. But one morning he slung a bag over his shoulder, said goodbye to his home, and set out toward the unknown road beyond the hills.

He walked for one day, then another. On the third day he saw a little old-fashioned box beside the road. It was dark and smooth, with a small silver clasp.

“Someone has lost this,” said the young man, picking it up.

He opened the lid. A tiny voice came from inside.

“Que quieres? What do you wish for?”

The young man was so startled that he nearly dropped his find. He quickly shut the box and tucked it into his pocket.

“I must have imagined it,” he muttered.

But curiosity would not leave him alone. At last he stopped beneath an oak, took out the box, and opened it carefully.

“Que quieres? What do you wish for?” the voice repeated.

This time he was not afraid. He thought of the long road ahead and the crust of bread left in his bag.

“Let my hat be filled with gold coins,” he said, hardly believing his own words.

At once, the hat in his hand became heavy. Coins flashed in the sunlight.

The young man sat down in the grass.

“What a box!”

Now he need not fear going without food or a bed for the night. Yet gold was not what astonished him most. He wondered how much such a gift could do, and how easy it might be to want too much.

A few days later, the road brought him to a great royal castle. He stood for a long time at the gate, looking at its high towers, carved balconies, and sunlight in its windows.

The king, walking on the wall, noticed the stranger.

“What are you looking at so carefully?” he asked.

“Your castle,” the young man answered honestly. “I have never seen one so grand.”

“Would you like one of your own?”

The young man only smiled.

That evening he walked beyond the town, opened the box, and heard the familiar question.

“What do you wish for?”

He thought, then said, “Let a beautiful palace stand here. Not to dazzle everyone with riches, but to be bright and warm, with room for guests.”

At dawn, a new palace stood opposite the king’s castle. Its roof shimmered like morning dew, its windows shone with gold, and in its great hall stood long tables where a whole community could gather.

The king was amazed. He invited the young man to visit, introduced him to his family, and before long the young man often came to the castle. He spoke most with the king’s daughter. She loved hearing about roads, forests, and distant towns, while he admired her clear mind and quiet nature.

In time they fell in love and married. The young couple lived in the magic palace.

But the queen, mother of the princess, thought more and more often not of her daughter’s happiness but of the wonderful little box.

“If it can grant any wish,” she thought, “why should it belong to him and not to me?”

She questioned servants and watched where the young man kept the box. One evening she learned its secret.

At night, while everyone slept, the queen took the box quietly. She opened it and heard at once, “What do you wish for?”

“Carry me, the king, our servants, and this beautiful palace far beyond the Red Sea,” she whispered. “Leave the young couple here.”

In the morning, the young man and his wife woke in the old royal castle. Outside the window there was no shining palace, and the magic box was gone.

The young man searched the room, the cupboards, the garden, and the yard. Nothing.

“I will find it,” he told his wife at last. “Not for gold or for the palace. Such power must not be left with someone who takes what belongs to another.”

The princess gave him food for the road, a warm cloak, and a close embrace.

“Come back,” she said. “Even if you come back without the palace.”

The young man began his journey.

He searched cities and villages and asked travellers, merchants, and sailors. Days became weeks. His coins ran out. His horse grew tired. But he did not turn back.

One evening an old traveller said, “If you seek something that vanished far away, ask the Moon. It sees many roads while people sleep.”

So the young man went to the Moon’s house.

The road was long. At last he reached a silver valley where a small cottage stood. A grey-haired woman sat by the door.

“Where have you wandered?” she asked in surprise. “My son the Moon returns tired after his nightly journey and does not like unexpected guests.”

The young man told her about the stolen box and palace.

When the Moon rose, he listened and shook his head.

“I have travelled over many lands, but I have not seen such a palace. Go to the Sun. It sees what is hidden from me in daylight.”

The young man thanked him and went on.

He reached the Sun’s house exhausted and dusty. The Sun’s mother warned him, “My son returns hot and tired after a long day. Speak calmly and do not argue.”

But when the Sun heard his story, it did not send him away.

“I have seen many palaces,” said the Sun, “but I have not noticed yours. The South Wind, however, looks into places where my light cannot reach. Seek him.”

The young man went on again.

Near the South Wind’s house, trees bent so low that their leaves touched the ground. The Wind’s mother was filling great jars with water.

“Hide your hat and hold tight,” she advised. “My son always flies home as though doors are in his way.”

Soon such a whirlwind came that the windowpanes rang.

The South Wind listened to the young man, fell quiet, then whistled in surprise.

“I know! Today I flew above a palace with a shining roof. It stands far beyond the Red Sea.”

“How can I get there?”

“The way is long,” said the Wind. “But a person who has already reached the Moon, the Sun, and me is not likely to fear a little distance.”

And he showed the direction.

The young man walked many more days until at last he saw the familiar palace. His heart trembled. There were the windows, the towers, and the garden that had once appeared with a single wish.

But he did not rush inside.

The city happened to be looking for a new gardener for the palace. The young man took the work. He trimmed roses, watered trees, swept paths, and listened carefully to the servants’ talk.

One day a young maid said proudly, “Our mistress owns a strange little box. Open it, and it asks what you wish for.”

The young man pretended to hear of this for the first time.

“Truly? I would like to see such a wonder.”

The maid suspected nothing and showed him the chest where the queen kept the box.

That night the young man quietly entered the room, found his box, and pressed it between his palms.

“At last.”

He opened the lid.

“What do you wish for?” asked the familiar voice.

He could have asked for anything. When someone has been hurt, it is easy to wish for revenge. But he remembered his wife, who had told him to return even without the palace. He remembered the mothers of the Moon, Sun, and Wind, who had helped a stranger. And he understood that another person’s greed must not make him greedy too.

“Return the palace to the place where it first stood,” he said. “And carry those who used what was stolen to a safe shore with their belongings. Let them find their own way home, and let them never command you again.”

The box gave a quiet click.

For a moment, the world rocked like a boat on a wave.

The next moment, the young man stood by his familiar garden in his own land. His wife ran toward him.

“You have returned!”

“I have.”

“And did you find the box?”

He showed it to her.

The princess smiled, but did not ask for gold or jewels.

“Then let us keep it where it will never divide people again.”

From then on, the magic box was opened very rarely. Not for whims and not to be richer than the neighbours. People asked it to help when a storm broke a bridge, when a village had no water, or when a traveller had nowhere to sleep.

The palace remained beside the old castle. Its roof shone in the sun, but its greatest wonder was neither gold nor bright windows.

Its most remarkable thing was that its doors were almost always open to guests.

For the young man had learned that magic shows not how much you can receive, but who you become when you can ask for anything at all.

May this story leave a little light in your heart ✨