They say a dog is a man’s best friend. But for me, it’s my book.

I went through four different schools before I finished grade school due to my mother’s work, shuffling from school to school and changing addresses that I wasn’t able to build lasting friendships. The only constant were my books from my teachers who kept them in the shelves at the back of the classrooms or in a wooden box accessible to my little classmates and me in second grade. While they were making all the racket, I would happily dig for books and journals where Philippine legends and myths began holding my attention enough to block the noise around me. I remember when I was in fourth grade in my third school’s library, I saw rows and rows of fairy tales shelves much to my delight and the librarian’s amusement. I spent hours there after school where I met Aladdin and his magic lamp and his adventures that led him into the arms of Jasmine.

Then high school came with shelves and stacks of encyclopedia and books about Christian Andersen works, Greek mythology, Philippine and world literature to read and paper works. I was buried with them when I first glimpsed the book Arabian Nights translated by Sir Richard Francis Burton. After I skimmed the stories about Ali Baba and the Forty Thieves and Sinbad the Sailor, I thought back then that it was only a collection of stories from different countries in the Middle East. Sadly, when I went back after dealing with my term and research papers the only copy was out. Again, I came back but the timing wasn’t always right, it’s either out or I had another paper to write.

I was in my first year in college when Arabian Nights and I crossed paths again. But this time, I already knew that it was also known as The Book of One Thousand and One Nights. One of my classmates’ older brother was lucky enough to unearth a hardbound copy of Arabian Nights from a booksale causing a commotion among the group who were all trying to borrow it. Unfortunately, it slipped my grasp for the second time. My chance to read it from cover to cover eluded me again.

Because my college course required tons of books on chemistry, physics, microparasitology and math, the only relief I could find were with the minor subjects like English and Literature where I wandered to the works of Nick Joaquin, F.Sionil Jose and Butch Dalisay. But my fascination for Arabian Nights remained. So I started collecting books when I started working. My salary gave me the leverage to search for Arabian Nights amongst libraries, bookstores and booksales.

Finally, we did meet again, like long lost friends even if it’s only in paperback. While still searching for the hardbound copy to add to my collection, I satisfied myself with the rest of the book’s contents.

As I was reading and relishing every page, I realized what triggered my fascination was because of one my teachers in grade school had read Ali Baba and Aladdin to me before. One of the librarians had also lent me a copy of colorful illustrations of Aladdin and the Genie in the magic lamp designed for children. That’s also probably the reason why I didn’t immediately connect it with the Arabian Nights book in high school.

What attracted me to this book was that, sure it was all adventure that happened a long, long time ago, in different cities of those countries, although none of the studies done in this book could claim that it’s all true, this book has all the genres- adventure, action, drama, fantasy and horror. There are historical tales, love stories, tragedies, comedies, poems, travesties and Muslim religious legends - all the necessary ingredients and spices that could make a reader glued to his seat. Each story would weave another and another and yet able to come full circle by ending it with moral lessons. Quite near to real life situations, our relationships with the people around us, how they influence us, affects every decision and how consequences alter lives in one snap.

Queen Scheherazade may have used these stories to delay her death yet in the end she was able to win the heart of her paranoid of a husband. King Shahryar, king of an unnamed island between India and China (although there are studies that he was king of both countries) was betrayed by his wife and brother in an adultreous affair. Thus he decreed and asked his vizier (a servant to a prince or sultan) to find him another wife and after a night with them, each wife would be beheaded for fear that they would also be unfaithful to him.

The vizier was Queen Scheherazade’s father and despite his protests, she still volunteered to be the King Shahryar’s next wife and managed to go through the following days by entertaining the king with cliff hanging stories. All through the story telling sessions though, she managed to give him him three sons and in the end, the king had already forgotten about his decree. The story ended with Queen Scheherazade accompanying her husband in the war waged by his brother. King Shahryar arrived at a sound decision through his queen’s story that won him the battle.

Maybe Arabian Nights is so enchanting because basically it shows us about human failings, downfall, greed, betrayal, shame and triumphs. This book made me cry and laugh. It also made me held my breath while anticipating and guessing what was to come next, despite the annoying text messages and ringing phones.

Still it was worth it! I’ve been to a thousand adventures, travelled far and wide to the places I’ve dreamed of going to without leaving my room. Best of it all, it put me into reflective mood after a collective sighs. Of course, I needed to catch my breath after all those flying with the magic carpet, riding horses and shouting “Open sesame”! The travels were so cheap and yet when I went back, I’m far richer than before. Riches that cannot be taken from me; to learn from my own mistakes and its consequences and the wisdom to discern the right from wrong.