Aladdin: The Thief of Aisha

Chapter 33

ALADDIN

I stood in the darkness of my cell. The floor was covered with straw, damp in some areas, and smelled of urine and mold. I wondered about the last time someone had changed the straw. Around me in other cells, someone snored, and another said a prayer out loud, begging for mercy and proclaiming his innocence. That makes two of us, I thought. How did I come to this?

Bad luck and a bad omen follow me around as fleas follow a dog, I thought. It was time I accepted myself as who I was; an orphan, a thief, a liar, and the damned. A nobody trying to climb a ladder I have no claim to. I am not a prince, and Aisha is destined to marry one. I have to come clean with her.

The least I could do now was tell her the truth. But to do that, I must get to her. I wished I still had the genie to help me. The cell was small and tight. The genie had been through a lot. How did he remain inside a small lamp for such a long time without going crazy?

I lowered myself to the floor. If only I could get out of here, I would try to make it right, I thought. Aisha vanished because of me. I must find her and restore her to her father and then surrender myself to him. But first, I had to get to Kassim and steal the lamp back.

If I had something to give, I would make the guard a gift to let me out. I thought of all the bags of gems I'd tossed at people on the street days before and I was nauseated. What a waste of resources. I wish I had those now. I clasped my hands together and felt something. It was the ring I'd taken...stolen from the cave. My heart leaped with joy. Maybe I could bribe the guard with it, and he would set me free. I jumped to my feet.