For three years King Shahriahmarried a new wife every day and every morning the executioner cut offthe head of the King's new wife. . More than a thousand girls died.

The Wazir was very unhappyabout this .He often shut himself in his room and cried. One day, someone heard the Wazir crying. That person was the Wazir 's daughter. Shewas beautiful, clever and good, and her name was Sheherezade. `Why areyou so sad, Father?' she asked.

The Wazir told her allthe story about a thousand lovely young girls.

Sheherezade was sad ,too, when she heard about the poor young girls . She thought carefullyfor a few minutes . Then she said : `Listen , father. I think I know howwe can stop the king from killing any more young girls. Let me marry him.'

"You ? Oh , my dear daughter, do not throw your life away ! Do not leave your poor old father alonein the world !

" Father, please do asI ask you. I have a plan.

King Shahriah was veryhappy when he saw Sheherezade. That night Sheherezade lay beside the kingin his great bed. She began to tell him a story. Shahriah had never hearda story like it before.

The sun was up in a pinksky, and the birds were singing their morning song.

" It is day " said theking. "I have work to do .Tonight , Sheherezade , you must come to me again.you can finish the story then ? " .

The executioner was standingoutside the door. " Not this morning " . the king told him . " Come againtomorrow " .

So Sheherezade lived oneday longer than all the other young girls .

The next night she finishedher story, then she started a new one.

Once again the king sentthe executioner away. He asked Sheherezade to come back the next nightto finish her second story.

So it went on, night afternight, week after week , month after month. Sheherezade knew so many toolong to finish before day came.

For a thousand and onenights, Sheherezade told the king her stories . She told one wonderfulstory after another . Every morning she stopped in the middle of a newstory . Every morning the king sent his executioner away . He had to hearthe rest of the story , and then the next one, and then the one after that.

One day he forgot to tellthe executioner to come bake again . No more lovely young girls died becauseof king Shahriah after that.
 
 
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