The tale of the Genie who lost her lamp has been told as a bedtime story for kids for a long time.
The story narrates, that the Genie was beautiful. Her last master fell in deeply love with her, asking her to become his wife. The genie didn't feel...
Ali's eyes started to flutter open. His back sore. He groaned, starting to stretch, before he realized he was holding onto someone. His tired eyes were still blurry. He blinked the sleep away, the lines becoming clear again. He glanced down, seeing Idris sleeping in his arms. Her head was laid on his shoulder, her lips parted, her face relaxed. Ali smiled.
Ali leaned against the wall, not moving away from Idris, fearing it would wake her. Her eyes were still swollen. Ali couldn't stop staring at them, wanting nothing more than to keep a smile on her face. He forced himself to think of something else.
Ali noticed that her hands were around his neck and her body was pressed against his. Her long legs were entangled with his as well. Ali's hands were around her waist, and he slowly pulled her closer when he saw she was shivering. The open window let in the chilly morning air, and neither of them had thought to take a cover. They had slept in each other's arms for the night.
Ali's face flushed scarlet at the thought, but he didn't budge. He couldn't deny her warmth was addicting and her scent was soothing. Idris started squirming, and Ali loosened his arms around her, but she frowned, gripping him closer in response. Ali's eyes widened when he felt her chest pressed against his, but he slowly grasped her closer, and her face relaxed. Ali tried to focus on her scent and nothing else, simply inhaling. Idris eyes slowly fluttered open, and found herself facing Ali. Idris yawned, sleepily burrowing her face in Ali's neck. "Morning," she croaked.
Ali froze, murmuring a small, "good morning," as well. He didn't know if she was expecting him to back off and leave her her space, or stay still. She didn't move, and Ali stood painstakingly still. Idris didn't want to let go, and hadn't noticed Ali dilemma. It felt that if she dropped her arms from his neck, the closeness they had acquired last night would vanish like a puff of smoke. Ali felt the same, his hands still holding her. He slowly started to relax, not moving away from her either. The two stayed still feeling the cool, morning air blowing over them.
The bubble of calm was shattered suddenly when someone knocked on the door vigorously. The two of them jumped away from each other, realization crashing over them in burning waves. They had dropped all their filters and forgotten what was considered proper. The two stared at each other, cheeks ablaze and their eyes wide, coming back to reality. "I've come to clean your room!" A hoarse voice barked from the other side of the room.
Ali turned around. "Ah...Ah yes!" He said, stumbling over his feet as he rushed to the door, yanking it open and almost banging it against the wall.
The maid glanced at the two of them. The both of them were flustered, blushing and their clothes were rumpled. The bed was a mess due to Ali rolling off it during the night when the mysterious man barged in. But the maid didn't know, and arched her brow. "I could come back later...if it's more convenient..."she said slowly.
Ali cocked his head to the side. "What, sorry?" He asked, before realization hit him. He paled, and saw Idris had realized the same thing. "N-no! No!" He croaked, shaking his head. The maid said nothing. "Then, I'll come in and clean your room," she said, clearly not believing him.
Ali nodded vigorously, rushing out of the room to get some fresh air. Idris walked behind him, her own cheeks ablaze. The two stepped outside in the golden light of the morning. Ali sighed, leaning against the wall, closing his eyes to calm down. He wanted nothing more than to pester Idris with questions about that man, but he knew she wasn't ready to talk about it. Ideas of what that man could have done to Idris churned in his head, becoming darker. His hand tightened into a fist.
Ali was suddenly brought back to reality when he heard a small child whimper in fear. "Mommy! Mommy! That man's hand...." The child started to cry. Ali opened his eyes, seeing a small boy pointing at his cursed hand. The mother eyed Ali with disgust and briskly walked away with her child tagging along, still crying. Ali looked down at his hand, seeing it for the first time in the sunlight. It looked even darker during the day, and was even more visible in the daylight.
"I wonder if it's going to be like this from now on," Ali sighed, cocking his head to the side. "I guess this will be the first thing they notice about me." He laughed dryly.
Idris didn't know what to say, words pressing against her lips, wanting to say anything to make that that defeated look vanish from his face. She just leaned closer against him. "It will be fine. If you want, we could get a glove?" Idris asked, tentatively, not sure if that proposition would hurt him.
Ali smiled, already liking the idea. "Thank you...it would make me feel better." He said, nodding, the light returning in his eyes.
Idris smiled, standing up from the wall. "I know a great glove merchant. She's right down that corner." Idris said, starting to head in the chaos of the market. Ali stood up as well, following her.
Neither of them noticed, that Ali's hand had stained a small part of the wall black. The darkness hissed, and slowly began to spread.
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