And they laughed.

They laughed at him and his clothes, they laughed at him and his poverty, and they laughed at him and his being. They laughed at his place in society, they laughed at his attempts to change things, they laughed at his triumphs. They laughed to subdue the pain they lived through, to stop the visions of their reality from taking over their own hopes. They laughed to ease their own suffering, and in the end, added to his. They laughed at him.

But most importantly, they laughed at his dreams.

Aladdin always remembered that. He always remembered, in the far back of his mind, that they had once laughed at him. They had laughed at him and everything he stood for.

Even when he had saved them all, again and again and again, they had laughed. He saved them all from unspeakable terror, from unspeakable torture. And yet they continued to laugh. They never stopped laughing at him.

When he saved them from Jafar, twice, they laughed. When he was announced to be the next sultan, they laughed. When he was married to the princess Jasmine, they laughed.

He helped them everyday. He aided them, he gave whatever they needed, he fixed unjust laws. He feed them, cared for them, and saved their children’s lives.

And they laughed.

Aladdin never got to acknowledge their gratitude. He never got to hear their thanks, never got to see their appreciation, never got to feel their admiration. Because he left the world too soon, before he could ever get those things.

And they cried.

___________________________

e-mail me.

Disclaimer: All publicly recognizable characters and settings are the property of their respective owners. The original characters and plot are the property of the author. No money is being made from this work. No copyright infringement is intended.

This story archived at http://www.aladdincentral.org/library/viewstory.php?sid=193