Aladdin: The Thief of Aisha

Chapter 25

AISHA

I felt like someone had pulled a rug out from underneath me. I looked at Aladdin; he was crouched low, comfortable, and smiling. We were so high up, I saw the top of Father's palace. In the back, a stable boy led a horse to pasture.

"We are in the air!" I looked down again, and I thought that was the market. People looked like ants. The carpet stopped rising then swooped down like a bird. My heart jumped into my throat.

"Wee!" screamed Aladdin. He looked at me, smiled, and took my hand in his.

Air rushed through my ears. Aladdin was talking, but I couldn't make out what he said. I turned my ear to face him.

"We will visit the seven wonders of the world and more," said Aladdin. "First stop: the pyramids."

I held on for dear life. In no time, we were flying across the desert. I couldn't believe how wide it was. All that sand. After flying for some time, several massive structures loomed in the distance. They looked like triangles sitting on the sand.

Aladdin pointed. "Egypt, The Great Pyramid of Giza."

I looked on in awe. We passed the pyramids, and a few minutes later we approached a vast expanse of water that stretched as far as the eye could see.

Aladdin pointed again. "The Lighthouse of Alexandria. At night, a fire is lit, and with the help of mirrors, ships in the sea can see and navigate to safety without bashing into rocks."

We continued the adventure. Aladdin pointed out the Hanging Gardens of Babylon, the Statue of Zeus at Olympia, Greece. The Temple of Artemis at Ephesus, the Mausoleum at Halicarnassus and the Colossus of Rhodes.

"I have a favorite place I want to show you," said Aladdin.

The carpet swept over an area below, thick with trees. The trees gave way to grassland. Then I saw them. "They were just as Aladdin had described them. "Wildebeest!" They looked like black dots from our vantage point and stretched out as far as the eyes could see. "They are beautiful!"

Aladdin gave the rug a command, and we descended. We landed beside a pond next to a flock of pink birds with long legs and a curved beak. Some birds stood on one leg.

"Flamingos," Aladdin said and stood on one leg to imitate them. He wobbled and fell to the ground.

I laughed and held my stomach.

"You think it's easy," said Aladdin. "Let's see you do it."

I stopped laughing, put my hands together in a yoga pose, and raised my right foot off the ground and bent at the knee. For a full thirty seconds, I maintained the posture. "I did it!" I yelled with delight. Just then, I heard a loud roar behind.

"Come on," Aladdin said and waved me towards the carpet.

Once I stepped on it, the rug took to the air just as a large animal emerged from the bush. "Was that a lion?"

Aladdin nodded. "One more stop and we head for home. This is my favorite. It's a race and you must bet money to take part. If the animal you're backing wins, you win more than you put in."

"Can you ride?" asked Aladdin.

"No, that was the whole reason I got Marengo," I said. "And...it led me to you." I smiled.

"That's fine, I'll race. All you have to do is cheer me on."

As we came down, I noticed it was an oasis and filled with people. The carpet landed away from the people, and we hid behind shrubs and small trees. Aladdin rolled up the rug and hid it under a thicket. We walked to where people gathered. I still had seen no horses.

"What's your lucky number?" asked Aladdin.

"Seven."

"Ok, that would be my number. Go sit over there, I'll register."

I sat down where other spectators were. Crude sticks separated the spectators from the race track. People kept on shouting and exchanging money. It was time for the race to begin. Someone gave the signal to start, and there was a long blast from an animal horn. Someone threw the wooden gate holding the animals open.

"Yeah!" the crowd cheered.

I couldn't believe my eyes. Grown men wearing safety goggles sat on the backs of ostriches, and the race was on. I never knew people raced ostriches. Some birds took off running towards the finish line.

I found Aladdin wearing a tag with the number seven. "Go number seven!" To my dismay, it spun around and then took off at full speed in the opposite direction. "Turn around!" I shouted.

"They fixed the game," said Aladdin as we flew back to Zamaja. "Somebody had placed a bag of bird seeds in the opposite direction."

"And it was only your bird that smelled it, eh?" I teased.

Aladdin laughed it off. "Dinner at my place."

I nodded. The carpet landed in Aladdin's home where a table was set for two. It was a simple meal for two: yogurts, spiced shredded chicken, chickpeas, toasted pine nuts and pita bread.

After the dinner, we flew back to Father's palace for Aladdin to get his horse.

"Thank you for the best day of my life," I said.

"That makes two of us," said Aladdin. There was a glow in his eyes as if he wanted to say something more.

We looked into each other's eyes. Aladdin drew closer and closer, and I leaned forward. We came nearer and nearer, and our lips met. We kissed, my first, and a tingling sensation shot through my body.