Aladdin- Far From Agrabah

by Aisha Saeed

  “Two heads are better than one.” Jasmine squeezed Aladdin’s hand. “Let’s go and see what is going on. We’re getting the carpet back. No matter what.”

  “Okay.” Aladdin nodded. Together they slipped through the large sandy boulders and onto the cliffside. Aladdin blinked as he got his bearings. Waves crashed loudly against the shore below. The flame that beckoned them had vanished.

  “What is this place?” Jasmine said slowly.

  Jasmine had been right, Aladdin realized. This had been a trap. And they’d fallen right into it. He brushed his hands against his clothing—he’d been in such a rush to rescue his beloved magic carpet, he hadn’t brought so much as a kitchen knife to defend himself.

  Before they could do anything, however, they heard a voice.

  Low and gravelly.

  Familiar.

  A light flickered back on.

  “Well, look who it is,” someone said. “I must say, it took you both long enough.”

  THERE HE WAS. The man she had seen when they’d first arrived in the kingdom of Ababwa. The same man who’d surveyed the palace at the council meeting as though he’d wished to devour everything whole. And while she’d known it would be him, seeing him in person and up close—his eyes gleaming, the sinister smile spreading across his face as he watched them from the edge of the cliff—made her insides go cold. His silvery hair flapped across his forehead.

  The fire within the glass lantern which had faded seconds earlier now roared back to life, glowing orange and angry in his hand. A knife under his arm glinted against the moonlight. And under his other arm, there it was. Jasmine’s heart sank. Squeezed tightly and rolled up: the magic carpet. It wiggled and squirmed against the man’s impossibly tight grip. She wanted to rush right up to it and yank it away from this horrible man’s arms. But she dared not move a muscle, afraid of the harm he could do before she could so much as take a step.

  “Carpet,” Ali shouted out. “We’re going to get you out of this! I promise.”

  At the sound of Ali’s voice, the magic carpet squeezed and struggled harder, batting its entire body against the man’s rib cage.

  “That is enough of that now,” the man snarled. He jabbed a knee directly into the carpet’s middle. It crumpled on impact.

  “Stop hurting it!” Jasmine shouted. She took a step toward the man, but he raised his lantern in warning.

  “Come closer and see what else I can do. I’ve been playing nicely so far, but you don’t want to know what I will do when I get angry,” the man said. “Stay right where you are or you will regret it, you have my word.”

  “Unhand it, immediately,” said Ali, who seemed to boil over with rage. He clenched his fists. “You let it go this instant and I can be lenient with your sentence.”

  “My sentence?” The man barked out a laugh. “I must say, I didn’t take you for a comedian when I first saw you. You’re not in any position to demand or threaten me with anything. Besides, who are you fooling?” The man glowered. “You are no prince.”

  Before Ali could respond, the man turned toward Jasmine. “You.” He nodded at her. “I know you. Recognized you as soon as I saw you on that carriage ride, in fact. You look so much like your mother it took me a minute to be certain I was not hallucinating. Now you are true royalty. You are Princess Jasmine of the kingdom of Agrabah, aren’t you?”

  Jasmine stared at him. He knew who she was. And yet…who was he?

  “A fine distance from your home, aren’t you, Princess?” he asked. “Heard your daddy didn’t like you going so far away alone. Did the locks break to your cage, or did you find the key? Or…”—he narrowed his eyes at Ali—“did this young man here kidnap you? In which case, perhaps this is a doubly rewarding day. Find a magic carpet, rescue a princess, and return her to her kingdom. For a handsome reward, no doubt.”

  “I don’t need rescuing or returning,” Jasmine snapped at him.

  “Enough with the taunts.” Ali placed his arm protectively around Jasmine. “Who are you and what is it that you want?”

  Jasmine felt worry seeping out from Ali’s body like an invisible cloud.

  “Thought you’d never ask,” the man said. “Name’s Abbas. And I only want what anyone on this godforsaken land would want. To get the hell out of here.”

  He glanced at both Jasmine and Ali and shook his head.

  “Look at the two of you. I see the way you look at me. The disgust. The condescension. I was once a great man, I’ll have you know. Wealthy and full of privilege, the world in the palm of my hand.”

  “Were you a prince?” Jasmine asked cautiously. She looked at the carpet, still struggling against this man.

  “I wasn’t a prince.” His expression darkened. “But what I should have been was a sultan. I could have been. I almost was. I was certainly smarter than Waleed.”

  “Sultan Waleed?” Jasmine’s eyes widened. She knew of Sultan Waleed. Everyone did. He was one of the most generous sultans in the world, famous for his kindness and his mercy. And then, her eyes lit up. Of course! There was a story about him in her book of legendary leaders. She strained her memory to remember the story’s specifics.

  “Sultan Waleed,” he scoffed. “What makes a man a king anyway? Just who his parents were and where he was born? That man was stupid and weak. I should know better than most; he called me his best friend, after all, and let down his guard around me. Literally and figuratively, which in and of itself underscores just how foolish he was. I’m one of the few people who knew him for what he really was. Ridiculous and utterly unworthy of the crown.”

  “So, you’re the one…” She trailed off. She remembered the story now. How he had betrayed his best friend and the sultan of his country for the sake of greed. But this made no sense! What was that man from her book doing here?

  “Ah,” the man said as he saw the look of recognition spread across Jasmine’s face. “So you have heard of me, haven’t you?”

  “You’re a legend.”

  “The wrong sort, I’m sure.” The man frowned. “Alas. There is still time to undo the narrative and get my revenge. Your kingdom of Agrabah was one of the many I reached out to for support all those years ago, you know.” His eyes narrowed. “And one of the many who did not reply to my calls for aid.”

  “We had no chance to reply before you burned the palace down,” Jasmine improvised.

  “Burned it down?” Abbas repeated. “They always make the man who didn’t win the bad guy in the storybooks, don’t they? To the victor go the prizes and the chance to share their side of the story as the only true tale. That man had a whole powerful kingdom at his beck and call; cascading waterfalls and wealth unimaginable from all the minerals that lay buried within its soil. And that fool didn’t know a thing to do with any of it. I was trying to do a favor for everyone by taking it over and ruling it like it needed to be ruled. Imagine how many people could have benefited if I had mined the gold and silver. And he’s the good one? Hoarding it all and leaving it untouched just because he’s too wealthy to need it? I was only thinking of the common man and what they needed. You all think he’s wise and noble, but I know the real man.” Abbas made a face as he mimicked him. “‘Oh, Abbas, how could you? Think of the trees and the animals. Abbas, I thought we were like brothers.’ How could I what? Try to do what was best for the kingdom? He’ll never admit to it, that sniveling toddler of a man, but he lunged for me first that night. It was only me and him in that room. Only my word against his, but I don’t care what the history books say. I know the truth.”

  “That palace was beautiful,” Jasmine murmured. She remembered reading about the architecture years ago. She’d seen the illustrations of its graceful arches and curves. The rose gardens of Sulamandra were world renowned.

  “Yes, it was beautiful.” Abbas sighed. And for the first time, she saw a look of genuine nostalgia and sadness spread across his face at the memory. “Now you tell me, why would I want to burn down the palace that was meant to be mine? The one
I had practically grown up in alongside the sultan, and was on the brink of claiming for myself? I would have never done such a thing. But we do know who would’ve made such a foolish mistake, don’t we? That’s why he banished me here, you know. By putting me in no-man’s-land, he hoped no one would learn the truth. But an earthquake saved the day and turned the prison into dust a short while ago. Now I must get out of here before the guards return and notice I’m not exactly imprisoned anymore. I will not be here when they come back. I won’t stand for it!” Abbas’s eyes glinted dangerously. He lowered his voice. “But I must give credit where credit is due. They did get one thing right in dumping me on this land. These waters are too treacherous to escape. Made some rafts once I broke free but can’t get any farther than the rock outcroppings out over on the horizon before I’m pummeled back to this godforsaken place. But now”—he smiled down at the carpet, who still tried as hard it could to break free—“now I can finally leave.”

  “The carpet isn’t going to take you anywhere.” Ali glowered.

  “That’s true, it’s a finicky little thing, isn’t it?” Abbas glanced down at it. “I almost got it off the ground once, but the blasted thing flipped me right over almost immediately. And these boulders are harder than they look, especially when you fall from a bit of a height. Luckily, the hook and wire I stole from the supply shop in town kept it from running away. Scrappy fellow.” He looked almost admiringly at it. “Got to give it that much. Even if it’s going to end up doing exactly what I say sooner or later.”

  Jasmine saw the wire dangling on the ground; it snaked up against the carpet, and the metal shaped like a fishing hook sank deep within its body.

  “You put a hook inside it?!” Ali cried. “How is it going to fly for you or anyone when you’ve maimed it?”

  “Ah, so you suggest I take the hook out, do you? Nice try.” Abbas smiled. “I take the hook out and this thing will head for the hills, so to speak.”

  “Keep the hook in and it will never fly for anyone again,” Jasmine said. “It’s a magical being, and it simply can’t work that way.”

  “She’s right,” Ali said. “It won’t fly for you. Or me. Or anyone else, for that matter.”

  “How about a compromise, then? People say those can be fun. I will unhook it once you tell me how to fly it. It’s been in there for a good while now; a little longer won’t hurt it any more than it already has been. I’d say that’s rather fair.”

  “It only answers to Prince Ali,” said Jasmine. “Whatever you say to it won’t work.”

  “Can we dispense with the protests and indignation and just accept the situation we’re in?” Abbas rolled his eyes. “How about you go on and tell me what to do? Is there a magic word or something to get it up? A way I’m supposed to hold the carpet?”

  Ali crossed his arms and glared at the man.

  “Okay, then.” The man shrugged. “We tried it the nice way. Now let’s do it my way.”

  Abbas raised his lamp and dangled it over the carpet. The fire flickered over the glass enclosing, dangerously close.

  “What are you doing?” Jasmine cried out. She watched as the rug struggled once again to break free of the man’s tight grip. The lantern was so hot that its proximity alone was making the magic carpet begin to smolder.

  “If it won’t work for me as you say,” Abbas said loudly, “then it won’t work for anyone, including the two of you. But I suggest that if you don’t want to watch your little friend transform into a heap of smoke and ash, you come up with a way to help it change its mind. Otherwise, we’re all going to have a sad little ending tonight, won’t we?”

  Jasmine’s eyes widened as she saw the smoke increase.

  This man was not bluffing. He was going to destroy the carpet.

  They had to do something. Before it was too late.

  “GET THAT LANTERN away from the carpet!” Aladdin shouted at Abbas. He took a step toward the rug, but the man only smiled and lowered his lamp closer. Dark plumes now flowed from the carpet’s center and Aladdin’s eyes widened when he saw what looked to be an orange flicker catch upon the fabric.

  “Careful there,” Abbas warned. His hands were full. The carpet was tucked under one arm, the lantern hanging from the other and pressing against the rug. “It’s best not to provoke a man like me who has nothing at all to lose. Take another step forward and I’ll just take the glass clear off this lantern; won’t be any question of what happens next to this pile of thread and cloth. The sea is too far below for you to even have any hope of putting it out.”

  “It won’t listen to you,” Aladdin said through clenched teeth. “I am its master. That’s just how it’s built.”

  “Then tell it to listen to me!” Abbas shouted. “It’s a stupid rug; just order it to listen.”

  “It’s not stupid,” Jasmine interceded angrily. “And it will know anything he tells it to do will be because you’re making him.”

  “I’m sure your friend here could be persuasive if he really wanted to be,” Abbas said. “Seems he doesn’t want to.”

  Aladdin took a step toward the man.

  “Not another move,” Abbas warned. “I may not know how this thing works, but I do know how fire operates.” The carpet bucked and squirmed harder and harder. Its tassels shook wildly.

  “Please!” Jasmine cried out. More smoke floated from the carpet’s body, and then Abbas leaned down and blew out the flame.

  “That was just a preview,” the man told them. “Let me know when you’re ready to stop torturing this innocent thing because you’d rather keep it to yourself than save its life.”

  Aladdin glanced over at Jasmine. She looked as shaken as he felt. Abbas was right. The carpet was innocent. It hadn’t done a thing to anyone, and now Abbas had burned it with his lamp.

  Suddenly Aladdin’s eyes widened. He knew what he had to do.

  “Fine.” Aladdin held up his hands up in a show of surrender. “You win. I’ll help you get the carpet to follow your orders.” He felt Jasmine’s eyes settling on him, the question lingering on her lips.

  “That’s a sudden shift.” The man raised an eyebrow. He lowered the lamp away from the carpet. “Go on, then. What do I need to do?”

  “Flying a magic carpet is trickier than you think. Especially when it doesn’t want to go with you in the first place. And now that you’ve burned it, it’s going to make the task even more complicated. But the first step is to stop hurting it. You have to unhook it.”

  “Nice try.” The man laughed. “You want me to unhook it, and then it’ll just fly away.”

  “Do you want his help or not?” Jasmine interrupted. “As long as it is tethered, it can’t get airborne. It’s simple as that.”

  “And you’re telling me this thing won’t buck and run away?”

  “Not if I tell it not to,” said Aladdin. He took a tentative step forward toward Abbas, trying not to let his fury show at the burn straight down carpet’s center. “Hey, buddy,” he called out to the carpet. It was steps away from him now. “Listen, I know you’re scared, but don’t worry. Everything will be just fine, I promise. He’s going to take that metal thing out of you, but once he does you have to not make a break for it. Do you trust me?”

  At Aladdin’s words, the magic carpet stopped fighting and went limp. Aladdin’s heart broke a bit. Even in the Cave of Wonders where they had met one another not so long ago, when he’d seen it trapped, as it had been for so many hundreds of years—even then, Aladdin had not seen it look this defeated.

  The man yanked the hook out of the carpet’s body.

  “Much better.” Abbas nodded as he looked at the carpet’s defeated form. “Thought my arm was going to fall off with all that kicking and bucking. It’s stronger than it looks.”

  Aladdin looked at Jasmine’s stricken expression and glanced back down at the carpet’s gaping wound; it probably couldn’t have flown now even if it had wanted to.

  “Let’s get on with it.” The man tapped his foot. “Wh
at’s next?”

  “Now you say the magic words.”

  “Aha.” The man smirked. “I knew there had to be some magic words.”

  “You got me,” Aladdin said. “But you must say them in the right order. It’s the only way. It’s sort of like hypnotizing it. Once you have it under your spell, it’s yours.”

  “Well, go on, then. What do I need to say?” Abbas glanced down at the rug and then back at Aladdin.

  “It’s a long sequence,” Aladdin told him. “That’s why I keep it written down.” He turned to Jasmine and pointed to the map rolled up in her hands.

  “That is quite the scroll.” The man frowned. “Just how many words are there?”

  “It’s a magic carpet you’re trying to operate. It’s not going to be as simple as saying ‘abracadabra.’ If it were that easy, anyone could enchant and take it.” He turned to Jasmine. “Go ahead and give him the scroll.”

  “Ali! No!” Jasmine played along and clutched the rolled-up map close to herself.

  “Please, Jasmine. Come on.” Aladdin reached his hand out. “We don’t want this man to hurt the magic carpet any more. We’ll figure out another way home.”

  Reluctantly, Jasmine handed Aladdin the rolled-up map.

  “Well, say the words slowly and no funny business, understand?” the man said.

  Aladdin held out the scroll to the man.

  “I said you’re a comedian, didn’t I? What are you handing me that thing for? You know I can’t hold that while I’ve got this carpet and lantern in my arms,” the man snarled. “Read the words to me and I’ll repeat after you.”

  “You have to read the words yourself. If I say them, the magic carpet will hear me first, and then it will listen to me.”

  “That’s ridiculous.” The man eyed the scroll suspiciously.

  “I didn’t make the rules.” Aladdin shrugged. “Do you want control of the magic carpet, or don’t you?” He held the paper out toward the man.

  The man stared at it in the darkness, then looked down at the carpet under one arm and the lantern in the other. Grudgingly, he lowered the lantern safely to the ground beside him.