by Aisha Saeed
“I was thinking,” Ali said just then as they walked past a meadow. “Remember those stone steps we saw earlier by the cliffs? They’re right here. Want to check out what’s down there before we leave? Just one last stop…”
“One last stop,” she echoed. What would be the harm? “I’d love that.
“Those steps are safe?” she asked once they reached them. Up close they were steep and sculpted right into the cliffside.
“They look pretty sturdy,” he said. He got onto the first one and jumped down a step. “See? I know it’s dark, though. If you don’t feel safe, we won’t go down.”
“It’s bright enough with the moon. What’s down there exactly?”
“Well, it’s a—”
“Surprise,” she finished. “You and the surprises.”
“This one will be a surprise for both of us,” Ali said. “But I think it should be pretty nice, and my surprises have been worth it so far, haven’t they?”
“They have,” she agreed.
The steps were indeed large and sturdy, and despite how steep the cliff was, Jasmine was surprised how securely they made their way down.
She gasped when they took the last step onto the sandy ground of the shore. Just beneath the cliff was a glittering grotto and an aquamarine pond. Leaning down to touch the water, she found it was cool. One could look straight down to the smooth, sandy bottom below. Jasmine glanced about at the dark horizon.
“What do you think?” he asked her.
“The way it’s tucked under the cliff, it’s almost as if we are the only two people left on earth.”
They sat next to one another on one of the polished granite stones spread across the shore beneath the cliff. The clouds above them cleared to reveal a bright star-filled sky. Here, tucked away from all the world, with Ali by her side, they seemed to glitter particularly vividly.
“It’s the strangest thing to be here with you. I’d just about written you off when I saw you dancing at the Harvest Festival.” She turned to him. “I didn’t think you’d have room in your life for anyone but yourself.”
“I will never live that down, will I?” he laughed.
“Nope.” Jasmine shook her head and rested her head against his shoulder. “You’re going to have to deal with that one forever.”
Ali smiled.
Forever. Jasmine blinked. Had she just said that so easily? And yet, in this moment, she wished so much for that to be true. With the stars twinkling above and the waves gently hitting the shore, this was exactly what she wanted. To know this man who sat beside her forever. He was so easy to talk to, but sitting in silence next to him was just as comfortable.
This was the perfect way to end the most perfect night, but glancing at Ali now, she saw he looked preoccupied.
“What’s the matter?” she asked.
“Oh, it’s nothing, really. Sometimes my mind can wander. Can’t shut it off no matter how hard I try.”
“What are you thinking about right now?”
“I guess it’s just being in Ababwa. I mean back. It makes me realize I’m not the person I want to be.”
“Oh, Ali.” She looked up at him. “You have to forgive yourself for what happened with that man at the restaurant.”
“It’s not that. I mean, it’s more than just him.” He looked at Jasmine and hesitated. “I want to be a certain kind of person. Sometimes I’m afraid no matter how hard I try, I’ll never be the person I could be.”
“I feel that way sometimes, too,” she said. “Since I can’t be the leader I want to be.”
“No.” He shook his head. “You’re different. You are a leader.”
“Oh, yes,” she laughed bitterly. “Telling Dalia when it’s time to draw my bath? Figuring out what my evening meal might be? I’m quite the leader all right.”
“Even if you’re not ruling Agrabah like you deserve to, you’re still a leader through and through. Jasmine”—he turned to look at her, his eyes squarely on hers—“you are the smartest person I have ever met. You’re kind and warm and generous. Even if you aren’t an actual leader of Agrabah yet, you are a leader at heart.”
“Ali…” Jasmine felt her eyes growing wet. “Thank you. I can’t begin to tell you how much this time in your kingdom has meant to me. The way you let me sit with you on your advisory meeting, and helping Zaria and Maha…It felt good to be needed.”
“No matter where you are, you will always be needed.”
“Thank you,” Jasmine said. And then, she realized something. “And I think the country I am needed in most is Agrabah,” she said slowly. “I love it here in Ababwa. I truly do. It’s the most charming kingdom I’ve ever been in. I know you were only joking back there at the menagerie about staying here forever and never going back, but there was a part of me that thought, ‘Why not just stay here?’ My opinion actually matters here. I can make a difference. In just one short day, I have made a difference. Your subjects, most of them, are so kind and helpful. As far as a kingdom goes this one is as good as it gets, but…”
“You want to go back.”
“Being here I realize even more how much I am truly needed at home. Maybe I will never be as great and beloved by my people as you are here, but it’s a goal worth trying for. And even if my father and Jafar don’t think I can or should rule, I need to fight for the chance for my people. I need a seat at the table so I can help decide matters that affect the kingdom. Ruling for the sake of power only helps the powerful. Agrabah needs people in charge who care for both the kingdom and the people who live there. They deserve it.”
“Not only does Agrabah need a good leader,” Ali said, “Agrabah needs you. After spending this day with you, I know this much at least. Even if nothing else is real in this world, you are.”
Waves crashed in the distance as they gazed at one another. There it was again. The way he looked at her could still every worry within her. It could make her forget everything. And right now, the way the moonlight reflected against his face, something about his eyes was so warm and so familiar…. There was no way to explain it: she knew him. It was as though she always had. He leaned closer to her. He’s going to kiss me, she realized with a flutter in her chest. She closed her eyes and leaned closer. And then…
“Prince Ali!”
In an instant Ali and Jasmine pulled apart. Omar hurried down the stairs toward them.
“Omar!” Ali jumped up from the boulder and rushed toward him. The butler’s forehead was coated with sweat.
“I’m so glad I found you. I was looking everywhere. I didn’t know what to do. I’m afraid we have a problem,” he managed to say. “I don’t know how it happened. It’s never happened before. No one would ever dare…”
“What’s wrong?” Ali asked.
“Are you all right?” asked Jasmine.
“The magic carpet.” Omar breathed in ragged gasps. “It’s missing.”
ALADDIN AND JASMINE rushed up the stony cliff steps, through the meadow, and down the walkway toward the palace. They didn’t stop until they were at last back in the living room with the gray sofas and the portraits of his parents.
“It was here.” Aladdin panted and pointed to the ground. “I told it to rest right there before we left.” And yet Omar was right. The space where the magic carpet had lain down earlier was now empty; marble tiles gleamed where it should have been.
“Carpet?” Aladdin called out. “If you’re joking, now is a good time to come on out!”
He glanced around the palace, but nothing happened. The magic carpet did not appear. And while it was true that the carpet had a mischievous streak a mile wide, it had never played hide-and-seek in this way before.
Aladdin searched behind the sofas; he peeked behind the bookshelves. Jasmine hurried to check under the dining table and walked through the kitchen calling out for it.
“I didn’t see it,” Jasmine said once she returned to Aladdin.
“Me either.” Aladdin felt dizzy. “I don’t understand.”
“Perhaps it went exploring in the bedrooms? It’s easy to get lost in a place as large as this.”
“There’s also the palace grounds.” Aladdin nodded.
“And the carpet loves animals, right? It’s possible it just went over to the menagerie for some company.”
“Maybe,” Aladdin said hopefully.
“I’ll ask the stable hand to explore the menagerie at once.” Omar hurried out of the living room.
“It makes no sense,” Aladdin said. “I know the carpet loves exploring, but it’s never disobeyed me like this before.” Just then, he noticed the tailor standing off to the side. She seemed to be a serious sort of woman to begin with, but right now her face looked positively ashen.
Their eyes met.
“I’m so sorry, Prince Ali,” she said, her lower lip trembling. “I’m afraid that the carpet is not off in the menagerie or upstairs in any of the rooms.”
“You saw what happened?” Aladdin rushed toward her. “Who was it? Did someone come and take it?”
“I didn’t see anyone take it, per se, but a little while ago someone arrived at the palace. You remember him, Your Majesty? The one who came to the advisory meeting who you had asked me to measure and stitch new clothing for?”
Aladdin’s stomach sank.
“He came earlier than I’d expected, so the servants escorted him here to wait for me. I had told him I would be right back after I retrieved the clothing for him to try on. Just to see if they fit all right. When I brought back the outfit, the man was gone. I didn’t think much of it at the time, but when we discovered that the magic carpet had gone missing…”
“It must have been him,” Jasmine said. “I remember how he stared at the carpet when he came to speak to us. He couldn’t take his eyes off it.”
“I didn’t see him take it,” the tailor said carefully. “It’s possible the carpet did indeed slip out or get up to something, but I must admit that man made me uncomfortable. I am so sorry, Prince Ali. I shouldn’t have left him alone. It’s just that theft in the palace has never been an issue before.”
“This isn’t your fault,” Aladdin assured her. His thoughts drifted back to the council meeting. That man had appeared a bit strange. The way he’d fixated on the gold-framed paintings and examined everything with an exacting stare. Aladdin had waved it all away at the time because the man’s life didn’t seem like it had been an easy one. And people who grew up struggling could understandably be a bit rough around the edges. But it was more than that, Aladdin now realized. Unlike the others who had come to the open forum and requested the prince’s assistance with things, this man hadn’t even asked for the new clothes the tailor fitted him for. That had been all Aladdin’s idea. The man wasn’t there to ask for help or advice. He was there to case the place. And when he’d seen the magic carpet flutter awake for that brief moment, the man must have realized exactly what he wanted.
Aladdin kicked himself. How could he have let down his guard? He had grown careless, and now the carpet was gone. He wondered what that man was doing to the magic carpet right now. Where could he have taken it? What could an imaginary man possibly want with a magic carpet?
Wondering did no good, though. Right now, finding the carpet was critical.
Suddenly, Aladdin realized what he needed to do.
“I’ll be right back,” he told Jasmine. “I have to do something upstairs—look through a few things that might help us figure out where the carpet could have gone.”
“While you do that, I’ll talk to the servants to see if we can’t piece together exactly what happened. And there’s still the chance it slipped out through an open door. It’s best not to rule anything out.”
“Thank you, Jasmine. I don’t know what I’d do without you.”
“Don’t worry,” she reassured him. “Wherever it went off to, we’ll find it.”
Aladdin raced up one of the golden staircases to the second story. He rushed past golden vases lit by special lights to showcase their fine artistic details and floor-to-ceiling paintings of flowers and trees. Ordinarily he would have paused to take this all in. But there was no time to linger tonight.
Aladdin yanked open the first door he came across and locked it firmly behind him. Looking around, he realized it was the palace library with walls covered in shelves that held more books than he’d seen in a lifetime. Stuffed ottomans lined the back windows. Jasmine would have loved it.
Aladdin paced the plush oversized rug in the center of the room and pulled the lamp out of his satchel in case it would help Genie hear him better from all the way in this imaginary kingdom. Guilt coursed through him. If only he’d been as concerned about keeping the carpet safe as he had been about the lamp. He cleared his throat.
“Genie,” Aladdin said in a low voice. “I’m in a bit of trouble. I hope you can hear me, because I really need you right now.”
“At your service.” Just like that, Genie was there.
“Wow. That was fast!” Aladdin said.
“When the boss beckons, I appear. You know all you gotta do is ask!”
Aladdin breathed a sigh of relief. Just the sight of his blue friend made him feel better. Genie had created this kingdom, so Genie would have to address the technical difficulties that cropped up. Fixing glitches had to be part of the deal.
“You really do have a knack for the worst timing, though.” Genie frowned at Aladdin. “I mean, I know the whole point of me distracting Princess Jasmine’s handmaiden was to be your wingman, but boy, is she charming and funny and beautiful. Do you have any idea the linguistic gymnastics I had to play to get away gracefully? Do you know what I told her?” He smacked his head with his hand. “I said I thought the camel float was having some issues. The camel float. I’m a magical genie, but clearly even my powers have their limits on smooth talking! Anyhow, how’s it going here?” He glanced around the empty library quarters. “Can’t be going too great if you’ve locked yourself up in this library—which is very nicely decorated, if I don’t say so myself.”
“Not going good at all. I ran into a bit of trouble—” Aladdin began, but Genie interrupted.
“I must admit I’m a little disappointed.” He shook his head. “You had a whole ‘Genie day’ to wow her. I’m afraid it may be a little late for any advice, sorry to say.”
“That’s not why I called you,” Aladdin said impatiently. “Jasmine and I were getting along great. Perfectly, in fact. It was a dream come true. I think…no, I know…I love her, Genie. I really do.”
“That’s fantastic, kid!” Genie smiled. “So, what’s the problem?”
“The magic carpet. It’s missing.”
“What do you mean it’s missing?”
“It’s disappeared.”
“You didn’t tell it to stay put?”
“I told it to rest while we went out into town. But if it didn’t run away, it’s—”
“No way did it run away,” Genie interrupted. “It’s not possible for a magic carpet to just up and flee. They’re not built that way. It can be full of shenanigans, to be sure, but following directions it does very well.”
“I think it was stolen. By someone here in the kingdom. The kingdom you invented.”
“You’re saying one of my inventions stole the carpet?” Genie’s eyes widened. “That’s impossible. Goes against the whole architecture of the town.”
“Well, there must have been some sort of glitch. It’s not your fault. Mistakes happen,” Aladdin reassured him. “I was hoping to call you out here to see what went wrong and fix it.”
“Well, that’s a first.” Genie frowned. “Which one do you think took it?”
“It was a man. He had a wiry build. Silvery hair. Gray eyes. He smelled like salt water, and his clothes were tattered, but they were green.”
“Wiry build. Salt water. Silver hair.” Genie’s frown deepened. “Don’t remember anyone like that. I based my people on those one of us knows personally. And the tattered clothes don’t fit
my design aesthetic. You saw the little boy I modeled after you, didn’t you? I put some patches on his elbows and knees to make it believable, but even he was pretty well-dressed given his circumstances. This guy can’t be one of my creations. Doesn’t fit the bill for it.”
“Are you saying he’s real, then?” Aladdin stared at Genie.
“That’s the only explanation.”
“But how? You said this place was deserted.”
“I said virtually deserted,” Genie corrected him. “This place has been famously deserted ever since a big earthquake about a decade or so ago. It is possible I missed one person. There’s a lot of caves and craggy spots here. It happens.”
“Well, what does he want with the rug when there was a palace of gold and riches for the taking?” Aladdin asked, perplexed.
“Beats me, kid.” Genie shook his head. “Maybe he just wanted to take a joyride? Put it in his place for some home décor? Hard to know what was going through his head. I can tell you the motivations of anyone I made, but not him.”
“We can’t leave Ababwa without the magic carpet, though.”
“No, you can’t.” Genie nodded. “It’s the only way in and it’s the only way out.”
“You can take care of this, can’t you? I mean, we were already pushing it with how long we’ve been here. You can help us get the magic carpet, can’t you?”
“Of course. But don’t worry—even though you’ve had an entire day here, back in Agrabah they’re still cleaning up from the harvest festival.”
“That’s great,” Aladdin sighed, relieved. “So you can get back the magic carpet for us and then we can head on back and no one will be the wiser?”