The Porter and the Three Ladies of Baghdad

A wealthy lady hires a porter to carry items she purchases from the market to her home. Along with two of her sisters, she invites him to stay the night with them on the condition that whoever speaks of what concerns him not, hears what pleases him not. They have a festive night with wine and various delicacies. There is a knock on the door and three one-eyed Kalandars request to be given refuge for the night. They join in the celebration on the condition that, they will speak not of what concerns them not, lest they hear what pleases them not. Later, there is another knock on the door and this time it is the Caliph, Harun al-Rashid, and his Wazir, disguised as drunk merchants. They are allowed in on the same condition that do not question anything they might see. As dawn approaches, One of the ladies beats two female dogs and then cries with them. The other lady sings, faints, and displays her scars. The men curious as to what is going on cannot remain silent and question the odd performances of the ladies. Offended that the men did not maintain the condition given to them, the ladies call in their slaves to kill them. However, one of the ladies says that if the one-eyed Kalandars tell the story of how they got there, all will be freed. The first Kalandar begins his story.