“So, move!” Genie said, sitting in midair. He was sitting with Carpet, who, even though he was many strings woven together, proved an excellent player at Connect Four. Carpet seemed thoughtful as he held his hand against his rug self. He seemed to examine the board and then placed a small red chip in it. As it fell, the chip made a diagonal connection with the others that were formally placed there. Carpet sat up straight, silently gloating. Genie couldn’t believe it! His jaw dropped open.
“I can’t believe it!” exclaimed the blue guardian, “You’ve beat me four times in a row, Carpet.” He paused momentarily and then held up one hand, with an excess of fingers, “How ‘bout best five out of six?”
Carpet shook in disagreement and stood up. He flew away from Genie, using body language to talk to him. Genie’s blue diffuse tail of smoke quickly changed into his legs as he walked toward Carpet, answering to it, “Oh, come on, Carpet! You’re just afraid I’ll beat you, huh?”
Aladdin’s eyes drifted away from the friendly rivals, and toward his princess’s lovely brown eyes. His mouth curved into a smile, “I don’t know how I would go on without these guys.”
Princess Jasmine looked back at him, with dreamy eyes. She took her hand and ran it across his cheek, “And I don’t know if I would go on without you, Prince Aladdin!”
Aladdin’s smile grew wider as he felt her soft hand against his face and placed his own hands on hers. He took them closer to his mouth where he gave her a light loving kiss. The Sultan, a happy man who always managed a cheery laugh, expressed his joy at seeing his princess finally married. Aladdin looked at him and smiled, “You don’t know how lucky I am to be with both your daughter, and all my friends.”
“And!” A loud screechy voice interrupted, “You guys don’t know how lucky I am to be under the possession of the most beautiful beaded necklace ever!” It was the voice of Iago, Jafar’s former sidekick. He had found a shining beaded necklace made of the most breathtaking jewels found in Agrabah. Jasmine snorted and took it from his wings.
“This is mine, Iago! A wedding present from Cassim.”
“Hey, don’t get mad at me!” Iago, who had a reputation for being a short-tempered loudmouth, squawked back, “You were the one that left it on the floor! I don’t see how Cassim would give YOU such a priceless . . .”
Iago was quieted by Genie. He had placed a magical lock around his beak to keep him from shouting. “Speaking of Cassim, Al,” Genie said, “Where is your father?”
Aladdin shrugged. Cassim was Aladdin’s father, and the King of a band of demon-like bandits, that, throughout the land, were known as the Forty Thieves. Aladdin found his father, years after his disappearance, only to find him obsessed with the legendary Hand of Midas and his goal to find it. With help of his son, Cassim came to realize that everything he ever need was his family and relieved himself as King of Thieves. He returned home with his son, and remained there ever since.
“He’s probably still in the marketplace.” Aladdin answered. Genie hesitated, thinking before talking.
“He’s not a thief!” added Aladdin, guessing to what Genie left unsaid, “That man has changed a lot since I met him.”
Genie nodded, “I don’t doubt you, Al.”
“I’m sure your father is fine, Aladdin.” Jasmine chimed in. “It’s just that he doesn’t really take this long to go shopping!”
Abu chattered and climbed on Aladdin, who began appearing depressed. Aladdin half smiled as he took Abu in his hands and petted the monkey. “I know, Jasmine.” He sighed, “That’s what worries me.”
As Aladdin spoke those words, somewhere in the vast dead desert, a great evil was about to be unleashed. The man behind this malevolent force was a warlock named Mosenwrath. Mosenwrath was no older than Aladdin, yet his heart was so full of vile wishes, it had rotted to an impure rock. He craved infinite phenomenal power, and nothing will stop him from getting everything he wanted. On his left hand, he wore a large gauntlet that stretched to his elbow. In the center of this gauntlet was a precious gem that contained herculean black magic. However, to possess a gem with such powers also had a price. The gem ate Mosenwrath’s soul and body little by little, weakening him as each day passed by. This made Mosenwrath more eager to accomplish his dream, before his time ran out.
The warlock dug his hands through the darkened sand of the desert. He moved the sand aside, furiously. Drops of sweat began to collect on the top of his brows, and his body temperature increased. He didn’t care, though, knowing that what laid in beneath the sand would be worth it. Finally, he saw it. Little by little, a small wooden door came into view. Mosenwrath was pleased and he grabbed the thick bronze ring that was in the middle of the door.
“Finally, after all these years of searching,” Mosenwrath hissed in between gasps, “I have found the Cave. The cave which leads to the Forbidden Garden! Why is it always forbidden?”
He pulled with all his strength at the door. Sweat dripped down his face and onto the sand as he used up all of his energy on the door. The gem in his gauntlet began glowing a bright red, and then his whole arm. With a quick jerk, the door was broken free from its place and a huge ray of light shot out from the entrance and into the sky. Mosenwrath wiped his forehead and kneeled before the entrance, blinded for a while by the light. His eyesight came back and he marveled at what laid withing the cave.
Lively fruit trees adorned the main chamber. The trees were laden with fruits of every hue possible, white, green, red, blue, purple, and orange! These were no ordinary fruits, but in fact were pearls, diamonds, rubies, emeralds, and other precious gems such as no king possessed. The jewels brightly glimmered against the trees’ jade leaves. A harmonic jingle was hummed by the many treasures as a cooling breeze passed through them. Their shine was glamorous. Under the magical trees were mountains of extravagant gold that rested on trappings of the finest cloth of gold. Elaborate Persian designs decorated the walls and ceiling. They were painted with hues so fine and rare, the images seemed as if they were alive. No man on Earth had ever seen such a remarkable sight. It was truly a sight to see!
“These are amazing.” Mosenwrath puffed, “They’re unreal.”
Not known to Mosenwrath’s knowledge, a horseman had witnessed everything in a safe distance. He rode a large Arabian steed, whose legs seemed to be made of stone. This horse was magnificent and strong, like its rider, Cassim. Cassim grew suspicious as he saw Mosenwrath in the desert. Even though he didn’t know the warlock, Cassim knew he was up to no good, since he was all by himself. In a sudden, Mosenwrath disappeared into the sand, surprising Cassim. He had do go see where Mosenwrath had gone to!
“Hee-yah!” Cassim called out, whipping the horse to gallop toward the place Mosenwrath was seen. He took up his robe to his face and covered everything except for his eyes. This was the traditional devilish look of the mysterious King of Thieves, concealing his true identity. The King of Thieves moved like a fox, lurking in the shadows without making a sound. His swift and nimble feet carried him down to the garden without making any noise. Cassim followed Mosenwrath like a bloodhound that had caught a scent. Mosenwrath continued to his business, completely oblivious to Cassim.
What is he up to? Cassim thought, keeping a close eye on the warlock. Mosenwrath made his way through tunnels in the garden as if he had visited many times before. Cassim didn’t like the looks of this man, and knew that he was up to something, and it wasn’t good. After a long time of walking, Mosenwrath came to a dark room. He pointed his gauntlet at a torch nearby and a puff of fire shot out at it. The torch caught on fire and its flames lit up the room. A door was at the end of the room. It was made of solid gold. Mosenwrath approached it and smiled broadly.
“This is it!” Mosenwrath laughed. Cassim chuckled very quietly.
How could that shrimp ever open up such a heavy door? He thought, watching Mosenwrath. Mosenwrath walked closer to the door and held out his hand. He pressed his left arm on a handr print carved in the door. There was a colossal rumbling, greater than the strongest earthquake, and the door subsided, revealing a room. This room was covered in gold. Everything! Precious stones adorned the room’s walls with elegant designs of natural scenery. Rubies appeared to burst into flames due to their red luster. Emeralds were the smooth, swaying grass under the sapphire skies. Diamond clouds stood out from the glimmering sky, and shone brightly into the room. Silver swans swam in the jeweled lagoon, and golden butterflies fluttered about the azure sky. A large raised table sat in the middle of the room. It was made out of the purest gold and it was lined with a bright bronze. Its glow lured Mosenwrath in a bewitching spell. His eyes were caught by a small, less attractive case made out of plain redwood. It had ancient writing carved into it, and tiny bits of diamond decorated the top. Lining the small case was a strip of silver with a name engraved on it. The evil warlock picked it up and gazed at it dreamily. He exhaled gently and blew off the stardust that covered it. Cautiously, Mosenwrath twirled it about in his hand, admiring the small box. Cassim didn’t understand why he would want that!
“Here you are, my darling.” Mosenwrath whispered at it. He opened it up and smiled at the ring inside it. The ring was golden with small bits of gems on it. At the very top was a large gem whose brilliance outshone any other in that garden. Ancient writing decorated the small strip of silver that connected the red gem and the ring. Mosenwrath took it out and put it on his finger. He looked at it closely and began to read the writing. Cassim took out a piece of paper and a small piece of charcoal to write down what was being read. However, before finishing what the ring said, Mosenwrath slipped into a wicked laugh.
“This is my first step into finally destroying that street rat, Aladdin!”
Cassim gasped as he heard the name of his son, giving out his position. Mosenwrath looked around and spotted the source of the gasp. His heart filled with rage as he engaged eyes with the intruder.
“Aladdin!” Mosenwrath screamed, mistaking Cassim for the prince, “You always manage a way to destroy my plans, but not now! Now, is my chance to rule above all!”
In a sudden cheetah-like move, Mosenwrath directed his gauntlet at Cassim. Powerful surges of black magic shot out at from the gauntlet powered by the stone and toward Cassim. Cassim leaped, more graceful than a zebra, dodging everything that would have certainly bring doom to a normal man. Mosenwrath chased after Cassim, continuing to shoot violent blasts of magic from his gauntlet. Swift as a demon, Cassim evaded all the enemy’s fire. However, Cassim was not the young man he used to be, so he unknowingly ran himself into a dead end. He looked around desperately for a way to get out, yet Mosenwrath had already got him cornered. A light treacherous chuckle escaped from Mosenwrath’s throat, knowing he was victorious.
“Looks like this is the end of the line for you, street rat!” He hissed.
“Do you not know another insult?” Cassim answered.
“Maybe not, but I do know this!”
Another sudden arm move was made by Mosenwrath. His arm moved as if it were a striking cobra, and shot out an even more powerful charge of magic. The magic fired into a large column that came crashing down on Cassim. BAM! The column crushed everything under its massive structure as it landed with an ear-splitting thud. A large grin spread across Mosenwrath’s face, thinking that Aladdin’s life had come to an end. Slowly, he approached the column just to find Cassim’s robe that gotten stuck. He looked up to the tip of the fallen column and gasped in disbelief.
“You’re not Aladdin!” He said, “But, The King of Thieves!”
Cassim laughed, he was standing on top of the column, “And swift as a demon I am. Aladdin is my son, and you will not come close to hurting him!”
Mosenwrath stood there, mouth opened, “It can’t be . . .”
Cassim smiled mischievously at Mosenwrath and hopped to the opening that was made by the crashing of the column, “ And I’d like to thank you for making me an exit! You truly are a gentleman!”
He chuckled and disappeared into the shadows. Mosenwrath had just let a possible obstacle to his plan get away. He took in a big breath, and clenched his teeth. In a huge rage of anger, Mosenwrath threw his hat to the ground and yelled, “NO!”
The sound of horse hooves pounding against the ground awoke Aladdin and Jasmine. It was early in the morning, and of course, it was awkward to receive a visitor at this time. Aladdin quickly recognized the horse’s pattern of pounding and jumped up, “It’s my dad!”
Faster than lightning, the nimble prince grabbed his shoes and vest and raced out of the Master Bedroom. His feet carried him furiously down to the throne room, as his heart paced rapidly at the thought of his father. Aladdin opened up the huge double doors and made his way to the front palace garden. Ignoring the wonderful scenery, he continued blindly to the palace’s marble gates and demanded for the gate to be opened. Rasoul and the other guard acknowledged his order and turned the wheel. The gates lowered as if they were molasses. Aladdin couldn’t stand this and commanded that it should be lowered faster. However, this was impossible due to the gate’s great weight. At that moment, a large Arabian steed jumped through the small opening and landed a few feet away from Aladdin. The horse turned sharply as the rider pulled on its reins. Cassim, the rider, then leaped off the still moving horse. Catching to time to breathe, the King of Thieves flew to his son. His face was pale, as if he had just seen a ghost, and his body trembled. His strong hands grasped Aladdin’s shoulders. A look of despair was captured in his brown eyes.
“Son,” He panted, “Are you alright?”
Aladdin tilted his head, not understanding what his father was talking about. “Yes. . .” He lengthen the vowel.
Cassim inhaled and looked up into the sky, “Thank, Allah! I thought something happened to you.” He took his son into his arms and hugged him tightly. Aladdin was even more befuddled by what his father had just said! He broke off of his father’s grasp.
“What are you talking about?” Aladdin asked.
Cassim checked his surroundings and then noticed the two guards at the entrance. He lowered his head and put his arm around Aladdin’s shoulders. His voice became more mysterious as he began.
“This is not a safe place to talk, Aladdin. The walls have ears, and the trees are demons.”
Aladdin really wanted to know what was going on now. He walked his father into the main throne room where he ordered all the guards to leave. Cassim nodded, and then sat down on the floor, pulling Aladdin down with him.
“Yesterday, I witnessed one of the most remarkable gardens of Agrabah’s desert.” Cassim whispered, “I rode out of the city limits in hopes of returning for a brief moment to my hideout, when I spotted a young man, around your age, kneeling over something. He then disappeared into the sand. I, wanting to know what had happened, rode over to where I last saw the man and was surprised to discover an opening to a cave.”
Aladdin listened carefully at the story his father told him. Forgetting about his father’s travel back to the hideout, Aladdin was absorbed into the story of the marvelous treasures inside the cave. Surely they were more precious than the ones in the Cave of Wonders! Cassim went on about how Mosenwrath looked, and this stopped Aladdin’s heart. Aladdin already had a good history of fighting Mosenwrath, and thwarting his evil plans before, so he knew that he was up to no good. Cassim paused momentarily and raised his arms into the air. He moved his arms as if to describe a wonderful and large place.
“Then, my boy, after entering this room, he grabbed a small case. When he opened it, there was a ring like no other inside. I did not know why he was so glad to possess it. I’d, myself, would’ve stuffed my bags with all the sparkling stones. However, he showed no interest in that. He said that with the ring he would finally come closer to destroying you.”
“That’s why you were so worried about me?”
“That’s it, Aladdin. That’s why I came. Before he discovered me in the cave, he began to read the writing that was engraved on the ring. I managed to write it down, but not all of it.”
Cassim took out a piece of paper and showed it to Aladdin. Aladdin opened it up and examined the writing closely. The writing took form of a poem, and by the looks of it, as Cassim had said, it was not all of it!
“The moon rises
The sun falls
As the Earth
will make its call
A soul trapped within. . .”
Aladdin finished reading, for that was all that Cassim managed to write down. Right after finishing, another voice was heard outside the main throne room’s doors. It began low, and then raised into a louder mournful tone. The voice began reciting the exact same poem, and continued to where Aladdin left off.
“Will be released.
The sun will rise
A new life begins
For the enslaved betrayer”
“Genie?”
The blue jinn floated in through the wall, his eyes opened wide, like a scared sheep. He flew over to Aladdin and took a seat between him and Cassim. Genie then relaxed a bit, his head hung down and avoided eye contact with the others. He seemed quite, as if he was revisiting something from the past.
“Yes, Al.” Genie said after a while. “I know that poem.”
Aladdin looked at Cassim over Genie and then back to his friend. He placed his hand on Genie’s back as if to comfort him. Knowing Genie for some years now, Aladdin couldn’t help to be worried. There was hardly anything that could get Genie down like that. At least not that sudden.
“How is that?” Aladdin asked.
Genie sighed and looked back at Aladdin. “You see, Al. Thousands of years before you released me. . .”
He broke down half way. Aladdin bit his lip. His heart crushed as he saw Genie woeful. However, Genie had to say why he knew the ring’s poem. It could be something that could save Agrabah from Mosenwrath.
“C’mon, Genie.” Cassim said, “You have to tell us!”
“I’m sorry. It’s just too hard!” Genie replied. He put himself back together and then let out another long sigh, “Every genie at one point was not a genie. They used to be a free person who had somehow unlocked the secrets of magic. Like, like, a sorcerer! Like, Seņor Psychopath!”
He was referring to Jafar, the wicked sorcerer that almost overtook Agrabah. Genie always managed to sneak in a joke, no matter how serious everything was. This meant he was okay.
“That’s who I used to be! I was a normal man, with a normal family. Remember Eden?”
Aladdin nodded. Eden was the genie of the bottle who he met through Genie a few months later after becoming sultan.
Genie continued, “Well, before we were made into genies, or jinns. Eden and I were husband and wife. Yes, exactly. During our period in life as humans, we had a child. A girl named Zaria.”
Aladdin blinked. He looked at Cassim who had the same confusion as he did at the moment. This was the very first time Genie had spoken of his life before a jinn, and of Zaria, too!
“I worked for this man. This evil man. He had given me orders that were so horrendous I refused to do them. Angered by my disobedience, he trapped me into the lamp and made me a slave. I was doomed to follow everyone’s command for eternity. He did the same to my family. Eden, trapped inside the bottle, and Zaria, young Zaria, trapped inside a ring.”
Genie took the paper Aladdin still held in his hands and reread it, “This is the spell that keeps her locked within . . .”
“That is why you knew about it.” Aladdin added.
Genie turned around to face Aladdin and grabbed him by his sleeves, shaking him twice. The jinn’s mournful eyes locked with Aladdin’s. His face went from depression to serious. This time, Genie wasn’t joking around.
“Aladdin! This is the first time I’m ever gonna ask you for anything. Help me get Zaria back! By all means necessary. Allah knows what Mosenwrath will do with her in his possession. Zaria is in trouble. You are in trouble. We are in trouble! Agrabah is in grave danger!”
His Infinite Wishes by Zaria