Back to the Arabian Nights

the Con

**

"Thank Allah! You're safe" 

"We thought you ran away from us" The old woman, whom I found often scowling at me throughout had concern plastered on her face. I wondered if that was a genuine concern or she was just good at feigning it.

"Where did you go? We were all worried", her daughter asked.

"Is this really Agrabah" I had asked again, gulping the lump forming in my throat. Perhaps I was hoping they would say that this was a big practical joke; that I was in some elaborate set up and then finally I could finally gain my sanity back.

"Didn't we repeat this over a thousand times, girl?" The old woman snapped, "This is Agrabah. Must we get the Emperor to confirm it for you?"

"Ammi!" The other woman elongated the tune and gave the old woman a stern look as a warning to stop.

"We should probably go inside. It's quite dark now" She grabbed my hands and walked me over to the red building.

The red building that seemed sparsely lit from the inside seemed to only have a big wooden door in the front. I would've sat down and debate over the architecture of the place, had I not felt like I had fallen from a roof.

"We need to go inside here" The woman walked me to the door and opened it.

"Is this your house?" I asked her as she looked at me with gleam in her eyes.

"Yes. This is where I live" She chirped, "Its my home".

We had walked inside the the door to an empty room. Cobwebs and dust that looked like it had never been bothered to walk out of the house. I found myself in a faint shock at the sight of the place. The room only had a window and another gold coloured door in it.

The old woman had not yet entered the wooden door. She looked like she was talking to some other people. 

'Ammi, how long are you going to take?" She yelled at the old woman in a grumble after three seconds of patience. 

"You two can go off. I'll join you later" She waved her hands off towards us.

"Well, it looks like she's going to take her time. We should go" She grabbed my hands and lead me inside the golden coloured door. The door inside lead to staircases of apartment room. There were curtains. Too many curtains to count. Curtains of every color and material that had almost covered the wood carpeted floors and walls of the place. 

"We need to get you changed darling" She said hastily, as we walked upstairs. 

"Changed? For what?" I asked, but she did not answer.

"We have a little surprise for you" She chirped excitedly. 

We walked up the staircases and were walking through the second floor. The storey was filled with vibrant curtains and many rooms. It looked like a hotel. 

"I don't react well to surprises, I hope you bear that in mind" I said, as I walked along her direction. 

"It'd be a good one. Trust me" She looked at my way and winked. She stopped abruptly in middle of the way in front of a door.

"It'll take only a moment alright?" She smiled before she knocked on the door. 

"Pasmini!" She knocked on the door, "Pasmini you filthy flea, open the door" She banged on it now, more intensely than before.

The door flung open and out came a woman wearing a flimsy cropped blouse and a cropped skirt. Her bust was very large and it looked a bit inappropriate as her blouse was seemingly too small to fit it.