This story is about a young man whose father was a very rich merchant. When his father passed away, the young man got all the money! He loved parties and new clothes and having fun. He bought fancy toys and threw big feasts for all his friends. Soon, all his shiny gold coins were gone!

All he had left was an old dressing gown, a pair of comfy slippers, and a rather dusty old trunk. He didn't have any friends left either, now that his money was gone. "Well," he thought, "I might as well pack what I have." He put the dressing gown and slippers into the trunk. But then, he didn't have anywhere else to put his things, so he squeezed himself inside too!

He closed the lid, and just for a joke, he wished the trunk could fly. Suddenly, with a little *whoosh* and a *wobble*, the trunk lifted off the ground! It flew right out the window, up over the rooftops, and into the clouds. The young man was a bit surprised, but also very excited.

He flew over forests and mountains until he saw a city with tall, pointy towers and shiny domes. "This looks like Turkey!" he thought. He landed gently on a balcony. Peeking out, he saw a beautiful Princess was sitting there, looking a little sad.

When she saw him climb out of a trunk, she was very surprised!
"Who are you?" she asked.
The young man thought quickly. "I am the great God of Stories from Turkey!" he announced grandly.
The Princess clapped her hands. "Oh! My parents, the King and Queen, had been told I would marry a special god. Is it you?"

The young man, who loved to make things up, said, "Yes, indeed!"
He told her wonderful tales about dancing teapots and brave tin soldiers, and about all sorts of magical things. The Princess loved his stories. She called her parents, the King and Queen. The young man told them stories too, and they were very impressed. They had never heard such amazing stories.

"You must marry our daughter!" said the King.
A big wedding was planned for the next week. The young man was very happy. He wanted to celebrate in a big way. "I must give everyone a treat!" he thought. So, he went out and bought lots and lots of fireworks.

To set them off properly, he decided he needed to be high up. So, he climbed back into his flying trunk. He zoomed up into the night sky. The fireworks were amazing! *Whizz! Bang! Pop!* They lit up the whole city with bright colors. Everyone cheered.

But oh dear! A little spark from a firework landed right on the old wooden trunk. *Fwoosh!* The trunk caught fire and burned up into tiny ashes. The young man tumbled down, luckily landing in a soft field outside the city, unharmed but very sooty.

Now he had no way to fly back down to the Princess's balcony. He couldn't get back to the palace. He couldn't marry the Princess.
So, the merchant's son wandered from town to town. He still told his wonderful stories to anyone who would listen, and people enjoyed them. But he never saw the Princess again, and he never got another flying trunk.

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