The same night, she called Ali into her room.  There she kissed him and said: “You brought me here and you survived the fire.  I admire you.  Here is my father’s ring; when you rub it, any wish you pronounce will come true.”  Ali rubbed the ring and said: “I want to be sultan.”

So Ali married the demon princess and became the sultan.  He and his bride ruled the country fairly, and every night they watched and listened to the dancing and singing of the bird girls.

Jan Knappert is a folklorist and writer specializing in African and Asian languages and oral literature.