A bunch of kids are playing duckball. Most of them are barefoot.
“Hey!” Aladdin shouts. “Who wants fruit? Who wants to earn some jewels?”
The duckball game stops and everyone runs over. We’re surrounded by kids! And then we have to make our circle even bigger because more kids come to see what’s going on. Then more.
“Can you count them?” I ask Jonah. “Make sure there are eighty!”
As Aladdin explains to the kids what we need them to do, Jonah walks around, counting.
“Seventy-six, seventy-seven —” He stops counting. “There are only seventy-seven!”
“Jonah and I will march, too,” I say. “That’s seventy-nine.”
A boy with brown hair and dark eyes steps forward. His shirt is so worn it’s practically see-through. “My twin brother is over there on the wall, reading,” he says. “If you give me two jewels, he’ll come, too.”
“Make that eighty!” Jonah says.
“Okay, everyone!” I call. “Meet us at Aladdin’s house at eleven tomorrow morning!”
“Wait — Abby,” Jonah says. “What about the clothes? The sultan said they have to be beautifully dressed.”
Oh, yeah. “Who doesn’t have a nice outfit?” I call out.
They all raise their hands. Gulp.
“This is the nicest thing I own,” says a little girl wearing a ripped gray dress. “Do you like it?”
“It’s …” I stall. It’s not fancy enough for the sultan.
The market is closed. And there’s no way Aladdin’s mother, a seamstress, can make close to eighty beautiful outfits overnight. “Give me one minute,” I say, and head over behind a tree.
I’ll have to use my last wish of the day. But what choice do I have? The kids need beautiful clothes or our plan won’t work.
I slide my ring off and rub its side. Karimah appears. Her yellow eyes are bright and she’s smiling.
“Karimah? The eighty kids who will bring the jewels to the sultan are going to need new outfits. Can you make them all new outfits?”
“Can do!” she says. “You have one wish left today.” She stands up tall.
“Remember, Karimah,” Jonah calls over. “Be specific! No rhymes!”
“Got it!” she calls back. “The eighty kids in the palace parade should all get beautiful brand-new clothes and shoes!”
The air shimmers. I peer out from behind the tree. All the kids are suddenly in sparkling new outfits.
“You’re getting really good at this!” I tell Karimah.
She beams. “That was easy. I just transformed their old clothes into new ones. It wasn’t something from nothing.”
“Well, it worked!” I say.
All around us, the kids are oohing and aahing over their new clothes.
Jonah comes over with Prince. “Their clothes aren’t going to turn back to rags at midnight, are they?” he asks.
“Huh?” Karimah asks nervously as she bites her nails. “Why would they do that?”
“Never mind,” Jonah says. “Fairy tale joke.”
I laugh, smile at Karimah, then slide the ring back onto my finger.
That night, I briefly worry that the kids will take their loot and not show up.
But at eleven the next day, the kids arrive. Every one of them! Aladdin’s tiny house and yard are filled with kids. Nada hands out fruit smoothies, which everyone devours.
Nada also made fancy new suits for Aladdin and Jonah and a beautiful pair of billowy green pants and a matching jacket for me. You can barely tell that the materials are leftovers. I love them. Comfortable yet elegant! My favorite take-home outfit from a fairy tale yet. Not that I can go home yet. First I have to make sure that Aladdin and Princess Badr-al-Badur end up together. Then we have to find the portal home. Or at least get Karimah to zap one up.
And, of course, Maryrose is still cursed … But first things first. Make sure the sultan gives his blessing for Aladdin and the princess to get married.
“Let’s get the party started!” I say. “Ready, everyone? Line up!”
Outside, the kids pair with a buddy to form a long line. Each team carries a bucket of jewels. Jonah and I are partners, of course.
“Let’s go!” Aladdin says, leading the parade. He starts marching down the road. Even Prince looks like he’s marching.
Some of the kids start singing and everyone joins in. People come out of their houses and clap and cheer. A huge crowd lines the road toward the palace.
Karimah can’t miss the parade — it’s all thanks to her! I slide the ring off and rub it and she appears.
“Wow!” Karimah says, grinning. “Everyone looks great!” She smiles at the little girl who was wearing the ripped gray dress and is now in a beautiful purple one. “You look so nice!”
“I’ve never had a new outfit before,” the girl says, beaming. “Thank you!”
Tears come to Karimah’s eyes and she gives the girl a hug.
Grr-ruff! Grr-ruff-ruff!
Why is Prince growling?
Grr-ruff! He barks again, looking into the crowd watching the parade. Grr-ruff!
“I can’t hear the song if you keep barking!” I tell him.
“Any chance I can wear the ring now?” Jonah asks, marching beside me.
I guess I have been hoarding it. “Okay,” I tell him, and slide it off. “But be careful with it.”
“Yay!” Jonah says, sticking out his pointer finger.
I slip it onto his thumb instead, but the ring is still a little too big. “Careful,” I say.
Finally, we arrive at the palace. The sultan, the vizier, and a bunch of guards are all waiting outside the doors. What’s that on the sultan’s shoulder? I squint to see. It’s the little squirrel! Goldie!
“There’s Princess Badr-al-Badur!” Aladdin says, pointing at the balcony above the doors. He waves and she smiles and waves back.
The sultan looks pleased as he watches the marchers come to a stop. Good sign! He leans over and whispers something to the vizier, who is NOT smiling.
I see the vizier counting kids and buckets. “Thirty-eight, thirty-nine, forty buckets — of jewels,” the vizier says.
Does he sound disappointed? He does!
“Seventy-eight, seventy-nine, eighty marchers,” the vizier adds with a scowl. He is definitely not happy that we met the sultan’s demands.
“Very good!” the sultan says, giving Goldie a nuzzle with his cheek. “Aladdin, step forward.”
Aladdin gives us a big smile and steps forward. I look at the balcony and see the princess matching his smile.
The sultan holds up one of the jewel-apples. “I am very impressed by all the gems you brought. For that reason —”
The squirrel makes a muk-muk sound.
The sultan looks at Goldie. “What’s wrong?”
Goldie sniffs the jewel. Then he sniffs it again. Then he takes a small bite out of it. His cheeks puff up as if they’re filled with air.
Uh-oh.
The sultan looks more closely at the gem. “It seems this jewel has turned into an actual apple.”
Huh?
Uh-oh.
“Why did you give me fruit?” the sultan asks.
How did THAT happen?
Jonah elbows me. “Abby! We have a problem!”
“No kidding!”
“We have another problem!” Jonah bites his lip and holds up his hands. “I lost the ring!”
Nooooo!
Sir Sultan!” I call out. “Can you give us just five minutes? We lost something important. We’ll sort this fruit thing out. Be right back. Promise!”
We start walking back the way we came, our eyes on the ground. I see sand. I see twigs. I see a gum wrapper. But no ring!
“I’m so sorry, Abby,” Jonah sighs. “I really messed up.”
“Don’t worry, we’ll find it,” I say. Jonah was so nice about all my mess-ups. I can’t be mean about his.
Grr-ruff! Ruff-ruff! Prince is barking like crazy again. What is
with him?
Oh, no.
Standing not far from the palace is Dracul. The evil magician! No wonder Prince was growling before. He must have spotted Dracul in the crowd. Prince WAS being good — by trying to warn us.
“Mwa-ha-ha!” Dracul laughs, his hand in the air. He’s wearing the silver ring. It glistens in the sun.
CRUMBS!
“Mwa-ha-ha!” he laughs again, staring right at us. “You fools thought you could trick ME? I don’t think so.” He rubs the ring.
Nothing happens.
He narrows his eyes and stomps his foot. “Come out again, you dumb genie!” he yells, pulling the ring off and examining it. He rubs it again.
Out pops Karimah in the purple haze.
“Ha! Well, hello again, genie girl,” he says. “How many wishes do I have left today?
“Two,” she says. Her yellow eyes are sad as she looks at me and Jonah. “He wished for me to turn all the jewels into fruit! I had no choice! I’m sorry!”
Dracul steps toward the crowd, which parts for him. Karimah is dragged along by the strings attached to the ring. She’s wobbling all over the place.
The sultan glares at Dracul. “How dare you interrupt the parade!” he shouts.
But Dracul just smirks at the king. “Lovely palace,” he says, staring at it. He looks up and sees the princess on the balcony. “And lovely princess.”
“Arrest that man!” the vizier shouts, pointing at Dracul.
But just as the guards race toward the evil magician, Dracul quickly says, “I wish to move this palace and myself to my hometown in the kingdom of Baeid!”
“Wait!” I scream.
But the castle vanishes. The castle and the princess, too.
“I’m so sorry, everyone,” Karimah says sadly. “But I must listen to my new master.”
“Quiet, genie girl,” Dracul orders. “You were supposed to take me to Baeid!”
“But where is the princess?” Aladdin asks, his voice frantic.
“She’s in the palace — but … um … I don’t think I got her all the way to Baeid,” Karimah explains. “I think I only got her to Taeid.”
Dracul stomps his foot and glares at Karimah. “You fool! I said BAEID! Baeid is on the other side of the world! Taeid is just a boring town a day’s journey from here!”
“Sorry, Sir Dracul,” Karimah says, frowning. “I’m new at —”
“I don’t have time for your excuses!” Dracul shouts. “You’re supposed to take me to the palace!”
They vanish.
For once, I’m really happy Karimah is a newbie genie. At least Princess Badr-al-Badur and the palace aren’t on the other side of the world.
Except we still have a major problem.
We have to rescue the princess WITHOUT a genie.
Find my daughter!” the sultan shouts. “Immediately!”
The vizier bows. “If I may speak, Sultan. As the magician said, the town of Taeid is a full day’s journey by horse.”
“I want my daughter back NOW!” the king shouts. His dark eyes turn sad. “How did this happen?” he says, shaking his head. The golden squirrel on his shoulder gives him a comforting nuzzle.
“Sir Sultan?” I say. “If I could just explain.”
The king and the vizier glare at me. Even Goldie looks angry. I tell them about the magic ring slipping off Jonah’s finger and the evil magician finding it. And how he now has control of Karimah — our genie.
“Silence!” the sultan yells. “Guards, arrest that boy and put him in prison,” he says, pointing at Aladdin. “He gave us fruit instead of jewels and now he is somehow involved in the kidnapping of my daughter!”
“No, that’s not fair!” I cry.
“Silence!” the sultan yells again. “You and your brother have until nine P.M. to return the palace and the princess, or you,” he says, jabbing at finger toward me, “and you,” he adds, pointing at Jonah, “and YOU,” he shouts, shaking his fist at Aladdin, “will all be KILLED.” The squirrel licks his cheek. “Okay, fine,” he says, pointing at Prince. “But not you. You’re adorable.”
Guards drag Aladdin off to the village prison since the palace and its dungeon are now a day’s journey by horseback.
The vizier sneers at me and Jonah and Prince, then escorts the sultan into a carriage without wheels, which is lifted up and carried along the road by six men.
Jonah and I look at each other in a panic. We have to go to Taeid NOW.
* * *
“We don’t even know how to get to Taeid,” Jonah says as we hop onto the flying carpet.
“But at least we can fly there,” I say. “Now that the magic carpet goes higher and faster, we can get to Taeid a lot quicker than a horse can.”
I’m about to ask someone in the street for directions when Prince jumps into Jonah’s lap.
Woof! Prince barks, sticking his nose on the tassel on the left side of the carpet.
“Bad dog!” Jonah scolds. “Prince, you’ve caused enough trouble. Go sit!” Jonah points at the back of the carpet.
Prince sticks his nose in the air and sniffs, then nudges the tassel on the left. Ruff-ruff! He sniffs again and grabs the tassel with his teeth.
“Hey!” I say. “I think he’s tracking Dracul’s scent!”
Ruff! Ruff-ruff! Prince yanks the tassel to the left.
“I think you’re right!” Jonah says. “Not bad dog! Good dog! Show us the way, Prince!”
Prince barks again and holds on to the tassel with his teeth. We fly through the desert for over an hour and then Prince noses the tassel on the right. Jonah turns and we soar through another village.
A few hours later, Prince barks and moves to the left side of the carpet. Woof! Woof-woof!
“We’re here!” Jonah says. “I see the palace up ahead in that clearing!” Jonah gives Prince a big scratch behind his ears. “Good boy! You did it!”
Ruff! Prince barks, puffing out his furry brown chest.
I squint in the hot sunshine. It’s definitely the sultan’s palace on a hill. A river surrounds it.
“Get closer so we can see what’s happening,” I say. “Do not, I repeat, do not, tip us over into the river. Who knows what’s in there?”
“Got it!” Jonah says. “Do not fall into the river. OR ELSE!”
“Exactly.”
We fly right up to the castle. “There’s Princess Badr-al-Badur,” I say, pointing at a window in the domed tower. The carpet is able to hover just up to the window.
“Princess!” I call out.
She rushes over and opens the window. “Dracul has proposed marriage,” she cries. “He expects me to say yes! He thinks if we marry, he can take over the whole world! But I love Aladdin.”
“We know!” Jonah says. “You can’t marry that horrible Dracul!”
I think for a second. No, she definitely can’t marry that truly evil magician. “Wait a minute!” I cry. “Tell him you will marry him!”
“What?” Princess Badr-al-Badur asks, her dark eyes nervous.
“Yeah, WHAT?” Jonah repeats. “Why would she accept that awful magician’s proposal?”
“Because maybe she can get Dracul to give her the magic ring as an engagement ring!” I explain. “It’s the only way to get the ring back from him.”
“But I cannot tell a lie,” the princess says. “To Dracul or anyone. It wouldn’t be right.”
Her eyes suddenly widen and she turns away. “I hear the doorknob turning. He’s coming!”
Jonah inches the flying carpet back from view of the window. We listen hard.
“Princess,” we hear Dracul say, “I must have your answer now. Will you marry me?”
“Um, well, I …” she begins. “Aren’t you going to offer me an engagement ring upon proposing marriage?”
Jonah inches the carpet toward the edge of the window. We peer in.
Dracul is staring at the magic ring on his finger. “But how can I give you this ring, Princess? You will command the genie girl to take
you home.”
The princess shakes her head. “I promise not to do that,” she says. “And a princess never breaks a promise.”
“Well, if you promise.” Dracul nods and slides the ring off his finger.
I wait, holding my breath.
He hands her the ring. He gets down on one knee to propose again.
“Abby, catch!” the princess calls out. She throws the ring out the window.
I stick my hand out. “Got it!” I cry. “Catchers keepers!”
Yes!
“Liar!” Dracul yells. “Promise breaker! You said —”
“I said I wouldn’t wish myself home!” the princess interrupts. “That doesn’t mean someone else can’t!”
“Noooooo!” Dracul shouts, stomping his foot.
I rub the ring, and Karimah appears. “Bring the palace, the princess, me, Jonah, and Prince back to the sultan’s kingdom,” I tell her. “And Dracul, too — in handcuffs!”
“As you wish,” Karimah says with a wink.
* * *
Poof! Just like that, the palace and the princess are back where they belong. Well, the palace is a bit to the left of where it used to be, but close enough. The sultan, the vizier, and the guards are all waiting. I glance at the clock on the wall. It’s 8:59 P.M. We did it with one minute to spare! PHEW.
The crowd of villagers cheers. The sultan looks happy. The vizier doesn’t look happy, but he never does. The princess rushes over to her father and they hug.
I rub the ring, and Karimah pops out.
“You did it!” I tell her. “And that was a two-parter! You got the handcuffs, too. You rock as a genie!”
“Yay!” she says. And then she adds, “Some of the time.”
“And you rock as a dog!” Jonah says, bending down to give Prince a hug.
“Arrest that evil magician!” the sultan yells. The guards grab the handcuffed Dracul and drag him into the palace to the dungeon.
“The dungeon better not be small,” Dracul cries as he’s carted off. “I’m very claustrophobic! And I get really hungry! I’m going to need granola bars!”
Jonah and I smirk at each other.
Genie in a Bottle Page 8