Three Wishes: Cairo (15 page)

“You saved my life.” Aladdin watched from the safety of a palace that had instantly formed from what had been a mountain wall only moments earlier. “No one has ever thought enough of me to even try to help me gather food for one day. I meet you, and within minutes, you've already saved my life.”

“Part of my job is preserving your life long enough to grant you two more wishes,” the Genie uttered. “It seems I might have my work cut out for me if you continue on your current path.”

“I think that the agreement was for three wishes,” Aladdin toyed playfully. “I don't recall wishing for this palace.” He began slowly examining his surroundings critically. “I don't even know if I like this lighting.”

In reality, Aladdin had never seen anything like the spacious chamber he was currently strolling through. It had a resplendent appearance, yet somehow blended perfectly with the more rustic rock walls which still peeked through. It was a brilliant architectural achievement that occurred in a matter of seconds. Aladdin felt comfortable enough to continue tweaking the Genie.

“I guess it will do. I understand that you only had rock to work with.”

The Genie looked at him without a hint of humor and said dryly. “You are correct when you say that I granted you something you technically didn't even wish for. I do apologize. I would be happy to return things to the way they were, my master. You will have no palace and will be using your first wish on a new hand.” He began to snap his fingers.

“Hey!” Aladdin yelled when he realized what the Genie was about to do. For his part, the Genie just looked at the young man blankly. Aladdin continued. “Not so fast there. I am still pondering my choices. You’ll have to forgive my nature. I was only joking with you because I don't quite know what to say. You have saved my life and given me something that in my wildest dreams I could never have imagined. You have done more for me in the few moments we've shared, than anyone in my entire life. How do I adequately repay that debt? Quite frankly, I'm speechless.”

“You, Speechless? Then I've gotten a wish come true as well.” He smiled and continued, “My curse is what it is. You needn't repay me or worry about some debt. I give you three wishes freely. I guess your quick wit is just a bonus.”

‘Well, now that we are safe, I say we eat! Let us eat, drink and get to know one another.” Then Aladdin looked around this amazing room, but eventually his eyes found his beneficiary again. “We do have food and drink in my palace, do we not?” His eyebrows rose playfully to the Genie.

“Of course, master. You have all of the food and drink you will ever need. It's in the kitchen.” The Genie pointed to the door off of this main sitting area.

“I have a kitchen! Of course I have a kitchen! And I bet I have a thousand servants!” He shot another questioning look in the Genie’s direction to see how far this could go.

“Would you like to
wish
for a thousand servants?” Again the Genie smiled, almost in a fatherly way. This was his way of letting Aladdin know that the palace
was
the wish. The food and drink were allowed under that wish, but actual other beings in the palace would cost him another wish.

Aladdin was not quite ready for that decision. “No, I shall think on this over dinner with you, my friend. I guess you'll do quite nicely as my only servant,” another smile for the Genie. “I'm just seeing the limits of the incredible gift you've given me today.”

The Genie looked fondly upon his new friend. ‘I am quite sure that during our time together, you'll do your very best to test my limits.”

For now, it was time to explore and the two set off to see what amounted to Aladdin’s new home.

For the next few hours, they ate and then walked slowly through the nine rooms where only the solid rock of a mountain had existed previously. With each new room came increased amazement from both. The Genie had merely snapped his fingers; he simply couldn't believe what his thoughts had created. The remnants of the man who lived within him, clinging for so long to the only memories he had left, was just glad to have someone to talk to. He knew he had experienced similar opulence before; he was just having trouble remembering the details right now.

“Genie?” said Aladdin quietly.

“Yes, Master?”

“This is not a wish, more like a request,” said Aladdin without the trace of humor he had displayed since he'd met the Genie.

“A request sounds very much like a wish, Master. It is I who will be the judge as to which is which,” he smiled back at Aladdin.

“I want you to call me Aladdin. I think we're going to be friends and my friends refer to me by my name. Is that okay?”

The Genie smiled again. “Certainly, Aladdin, I would be happy to refer to you in that way. Your wish is my command.” A mischievous look appeared on the Genie’s face, “Just kidding.”

“Can I call you by your name, sir?” Aladdin said.

“Genie will be fine, Aladdin. It is the only name that fits this new form I've taken,” he smiled and two new friends continued their tour. Darius had already chosen his throne atop a mountain of pillows in the main sitting room and was fast asleep when they moved out into the rest of the palace.

“The lot of you will be punished for returning empty-handed and for drinking on the job,” Katar spat at the three sheepish guards who now stood before him. “I give you one simple task and you return with those stupid and helpless looks on your faces. Do you think I’m a fool? I suggest you leave immediately before I enact the same punishment on all three of you that I had assigned to the boy!”

As the guards slunk out of the room, to a man, they could still not quite understand what had happened to them. All three had witnessed the strange supernatural occurrence in the forest, yet none would have mentioned it to Katar or even spoken about it to each other ever again. It was best to take their tongue-lashing and forget it had ever happened.

They convinced themselves that the young thief had cleverly eluded them in the darkness of the forest. No amount of convincing could convince Guard One that his arms were still vibrating in their sockets with pain that reached all the way to his back. But eventually the pain would fade, and each man hoped to put this regrettable and unexplainable episode behind them.

Katar was fit to be tied. Anger seethed from every pore as his whole world was crumbling. Enna and her father had returned much earlier than anticipated and seemed to be patching up their complicated relationship. This essentially left Katar out in the cold. He had already planned a life of power and high status and wasn't yet ready to concede it. But it seemed as if the gods were against him. The young man was an unforeseen circumstance he had never anticipated. How could he? And the dog; that damned dog; he should have strangled it until he saw the life drain from its eyes, yet now it had returned to haunt him. For the first time in his life, he was feeling trapped and contemplating adding very permanent and very evil things to an already growing list of transgressions.

He sat staring at the walls of the palace greenhouse while he reviewed his recent choices. He never imagined such a life for himself when he entered this world as a simple gardener. He still enjoyed puttering around in the gardens and it still took his breath away when he saw the first buds appear, as if by magic, on the plants in the greenery. Somehow this humble servant had grown twisted and bent like so many weeds that invade a perfect garden and stake their claim. Had he taken the wrong road? Would his life have tumbled so far out of control if he’d remained a simple gardener? He was surprised to consider that this might be a real choice. If he went to Paden right now and requested a return to a simpler life and it was granted, could he be happy just tilling the soil and watching the first buds of summer appear? Then he grabbed the first plant he saw and yanked it out by the roots. He’d gone too far to stop now. It wasn’t just about power at this point; it was about winning!

In this place of life and rebirth, Katar could only think about the darkness and death necessary to maintain the tenuous hold on his current status. He was becoming desperate. Desperate men do stupid things. All it took was one simple wish and then a faint voice entered his head.

“… and that's why they were chasing me.”

The Genie listened intently while Aladdin told his tale. The two new acquaintances had spent several hours discussing Aladdin's life in the comfort of a new palace that Aladdin still couldn't believe was his property. The Genie was impressed that, even with the challenging circumstances of the life this young man had endured, he still had a very optimistic outlook on life. Even before the
wish
, Aladdin had set his course right and was steering in a positive direction. Within the space of one short month, he had built himself a real home with a garden, begun trapping rather than stealing food, adopted another creature that he was responsible for and now, even attracted the notice of a princess. That was certainly not a bad month in anyone's book. But the Genie could still feel Aladdin’s insecurity. Even after all that he had accomplished, his future was muddled at best. There were just far too many unknowns to feel entirely comfortable. This young man had seemingly righted his ship, yet it now careened toward the rocks because he’d fallen in love.

The Genie also recognized his former self in the young orphan that sat before him. Aladdin's stories rekindled the memories of Khayri and Ameerah that had almost been lost to the erosion of time. Real pain resurfaced as he remembered his life and love lost. The first real spark in many years had ignited a brushfire of memories both happy and sad.

They had now reached a comfortable silence. Aladdin spoke up, “What is your story, Genie?”

“My story is unimportant,” he said stoically.

“You've saved my life and you now live in my home. Your story is quite important to me.” Aladdin patted his new friend on the shoulder. “I can see that these memories are a burden you carry. It might help to share them with someone.”

The Genie hesitated at first. It had been so long since he’d tilled the soil of his past, but soon, he could feel the relief of including someone new in his story. For the next few hours the topic of conversation turned to everything the Genie could remember of his past life right up until his first appearance to Aladdin. Aladdin, for his part was completely transfixed by this story. He had never experienced magic or such treachery in all of his life, yet he didn't doubt this story at all. He had experienced the results, so to question or doubt any of it would be foolish. But when the Genie revealed his real name, Aladdin could only stare in dumbfounded shock. “You are Prince Khayri of Transjordan?” he said in amazement.

“I was,” replied the Genie with a downward gaze. “But that was many years ago.”

“But I know you, I mean, I know about you. My father told your story when I was very young.”

“What story do you speak of?” said the Genie. “I lost everything: My love, my crown, my friends and my kingdom. I put my trust in the wrong person and cost my friends dearly. ’

“There is more to your story than you are aware of, my friend. What I've been told is a tale of great love, great loyalty and perseverance. Your bride to be and your best friends landed nearby in Egypt with a tale that few could comprehend. Over time, they gained the trust and admiration of the people there and eventually organized a resistance, returned to Transjordan and overthrew the evil wizard that had banished you. They never stopped searching for you. Your tale is still told to the young children today. Ameerah was also a hero for young girls everywhere. She never gave up her search for you.”

“Ameerah,” said the Genie. It was so good to say her name aloud again. That name flowed so easily from his lips, like smooth warm chocolate. Just hearing about her, Atiene and Rorgue was the first positive feeling that he could remember since before he had become the genie. Of course, that also stirred those familiar feelings of sadness and regret. “Thank you so much for that story, Aladdin. I am to be your genie, yet you've given me something of far greater value than any wish I could ever bestow on you.”

Aladdin again spoke. “Tell me more about your life as a genie. I've experienced your incredible power; not to mention the thousands of rules associated with each appearance.” The Genie smiled as Aladdin continued, “Now that you're free of the lamp, why not just chart a course to pick up the pieces of your lost time and create a new life for yourself? Can you ever be set free?”

“I am a prisoner of the lamp, but the rules of my release are much simpler than you'd think. As you know, I grant three wishes to the keeper of the lamp. If the master of the lamp uses one of those wishes to grant my freedom from the bonds of the lamp, I will no longer be under its spell.”

“Well, that does seem like a pretty simple thing. Why wouldn't the first person… me… just use a wish and give you your freedom?” Aladdin was getting excited.

“The wizard who imprisoned me has no faith in human nature. He believes that mortal men are not capable of leadership and even less capable of self direction. His lack of faith led him to believe that the weakness of men and their selfishness would make this a life sentence. He felt that most people, when given the chance to help others or help themselves would help themselves,” the Genie said.

“Well sir, I am not most people. As you have probably already seen, no one has ever done anything for me. And that's okay. I don't expect people to line up and help an orphan who only last month, probably stole trinkets from their stand at the market. But for you Genie; I really want to offer my help. Once I’ve used my second wish, you have my word that you will be set free and continue the rest of your life as a mortal man.” Aladdin smiled at his new friend, but then his smile quickly turned to a look of concern. “Are you alright?” Aladdin noticed that the Genie was starting to fade. His skin was turning pale and he was shimmering in and out of existence.

“I must rest. I have been out of the lamp for too long. Before I sleep, let me just say that your sands run much deeper than you let on, my friend.” And with that, the Genie faded from view and was returned to the lamp.

Aladdin stared at the lamp and he saw it was again occupied.

This creature was immensely powerful and immortal, yet with all of that power, he was helpless to control his own destiny. For the first time in his life, Aladdin knew what it meant to be needed. Just the thought of freeing the Genie made him feel better about himself.

“I will help this person.”