Disney's Aladdin:
Hot Spell
(This comes after The Bride of Mozenrath)
Story by Jill D. Weber
Heroes copyrighted by Walt Disney Corp.
Villains copyrighted by Jill Weber
Being a rug isn't easy. People walk all over you, it's your
lot in life. It helps if you can fly, but there are times when
even the most ardent aviator prefers solid ground. Like when it's
a hundred degrees Fahrenheit in the shade and the only breeze
comes from the displaced air of somebody keeling over with heat
prostration.
It was a perfect day to find some shade, preferably on the
nice cool lawn, and have a midday nap. Unfortunately, the gardener
was in a cranky mood and chased Carpet away. "Begone!" shouted the
normally sweet tempered Kardal. "I'm having a hard enough time
keeping my garden alive without some rug lying around and killing
the grass!"
It was unfair, of course, Carpet was in the shade and was
hardly likely to stay long enough to kill the grass. However,
there was no arguing with the gardener, even if Carpet had
possessed a voice. So he moved on to the palace. Surely there
would be someplace cool inside!
It turned out that there were plenty of cool places inside.
Most of which were occupied by people who were too busy to notice
that one of the carpets underfoot would rather not be walked on.
The few places that weren't occupied by busy people were peopled
by occupants busy seeking privacy.
If a rug could sigh, this one would have. He finally located
a very out of the way gazebo. The gazebo could have used a
thorough cleaning, but it was quiet, relatively cool, and nobody
would notice one more carpet on the pile of rugs and cushions that
littered the floor.
Certainly, the conspirators didn't notice the Magic Carpet
among the land bound Persian rugs. Carpet was hard pressed to
remain limp as the conspirators, who turned out to have had as
difficult a time finding privacy as Carpet had, discussed their
plans to assassinate the Sultan.
"The fat fool will finish the destruction that snake, Jafar,
began, Ara," grumbled the man, whom Carpet recognized as one of
the Sultan's courtiers.
"We will be better off under Saddam Kadafi's rule, Sarsour,"
Ara agreed. "I am ready, no one will recognize me in my holy woman
outfit. You merely have to get me close enough to the Sultan.
Remember to approach him when he is alone."
"I'm not stupid," he snarled. "Just be sure you are always
ready. The Sultan isn't alone very often."
Carpet waited until they were long gone before shooting out
of the gazebo like his hem was on fire. He had to warn the Sultan,
but how?
Carpet found the Sultan in the rooms that Aladdin used when
he was staying as a guest. Carpet swooped in the window to find
that Aladdin wasn't a guest today. He was a patient. Carpet stood
upright, his tassels going to his upper hem in surprise.
It was miserable weather to have a fever, and Aladdin looked
miserable. He was flushed and his usually poofy hair was plastered
down with sweat. Princess Jasmine was seated by Aladdin's bed
fanning him with her peacock fan. Abu was on the other side of his
bed, also fanning him, but with a less expensive fan. The Sultan
and the Royal Physician were standing at the foot of his bed.
Genie was hovering nearby, trying to look unworried.
"Sand fever is nothing to be unduly alarmed about, Princess,
Genie," Dr. Latif al Bishir said reassuringly. "If we can keep the
patients cool and quiet, they recover swiftly." He gestured to the
window. "Although in this heat wave, keeping the patients cool is
a challenge." He glared at Aladdin. "Keeping *you* quiet is an
even bigger challenge."
Aladdin smiled dryly. "I'm not going anywhere, Doc," he
assured the doctor.
Carpet forced himself to remember his mission. He went to the
Sultan and plucked at his sleeve. "Eh, no, Carpet, there isn't
anything to worry about. I don't think you could do anything,
anyway."
"But there is a lot *I* can do!" proclaimed Genie grandly.
There was a puff of ice crystals that sparkled in the afternoon
sun. Genie transformed himself into a caped and masked 'superhero'
with an snowflake on his chest. "Have no fear! The iceman cometh!"
A wave of his hand and the room was filled with buckets of ice.
Carpet dodged the ice and puffed out like a sail, doing his best
to imitate the Sultan.
"You're right, Carpet, we need a nice, cool wind," the Sultan
said. "Aladdin isn't the only victim of this sand fever."
"I bet I could talk Thundra into sending a cool breeze,"
volunteered Iago. It was rare that Iago volunteered for anything.
However, a chance to see his sweetheart, the mystical rainbird who
could control the weather, brought out the best in him. Besides,
he figured it *had* to be cooler in Thundra's valley, even if it
was a rain forest.
"Good thought, Iago," Genie said approvingly. A snap of his
fingers produced a large crossbow.
"NO!" Iago yelled, too late.
Genie grabbed the parrot and suddenly Iago was tied to a
large crossbow bolt. "Give my regards to the trees!" Genie said
cheerfully. He aimed and shot Iago out of the window. The bolt
disappeared in the direction of Thundra's rain forest to the sound
of Iago's heated curses.
Meanwhile, Carpet was frantically trying to get *somebody's*
attention. Aladdin, the only one not focused on his illness, was
the first to notice. "Carpet's trying to tell us something," he
said.
"What is it, Carpy?" Genie asked with concern. "Did little
Timmy fall down the well again?"
Carpet pointed at the Sultan. Then held up his tassel split
in two. Then he folded himself into something roughly like an
arrow and aimed it at the Sultan.
The Sultan sighed. "I'm afraid I'm not good at charades," he
said. "Two? To? Too? Too what?"
"Too hot," was Genie's opinion.
"It is much too hot," agreed Dr. Latif. "I have a lot of
other patients suffering from the heat. I'd best go attend to
them," He picked up two buckets of ice. "And these will help. If
you will excuse me."
Carpet pointed at the Sultan again, then made throat cutting
motions against his upper hem.
"Sounds like 'cut'?" Genie said. "Cutting what?" Carpet made
negative motions. "Cutting a rug? This is no time for a party!"
Carpet made more negative motions, then the throat cutting motion
again and pointed at the Sultan.
Aladdin tried to prop himself up on his elbow to see what
Carpet was doing, but a wave of dizziness forced him to lie down
again.
The Sultan's eyes narrowed, then he started guessing aloud.
"Cut-and-dried? Cut back? Cut down to size?" Carpet danced in
frustration. He tapped the Sultan on the chest, then made as if to
choke him. Then he made cutting motions again.
Genie spoke up. "Cutting one's losses, cutting corners,
cutting loose, cutting the mustard, tailoring the Sultan's suit..."
Carpet threw his tassels up, then held them out to Aladdin
and Jasmine. However, Aladdin's eyes were closed and Princess
Jasmine's attention was focused making cold compresses from
Genie's ice.
"Cutting the ice!" the Sultan said triumphantly.
"Rug Man, you are a GENIUS!" Genie said, throwing his arms
around the frenzied Carpet. "I'll fly up to the frozen north and
bring us back an iceberg! *That* ought to help with this heat!!"
He was halfway out the window by the time he finished his sentence
and was gone by the time Carpet reached the window.
"Come along, Carpet," the Sultan said. "Aladdin needs to
rest." He towed the despairing Carpet out the door. "Not to worry,
I know exactly what to do," the Sultan said. "But this is no time
to distress Aladdin and Jasmine."
*** Later ***
The Sultan made sure that the ice that Genie brought back
from the frozen north was distributed across the city. This kept
the royal guards busy... and out of the palace. The Sultan found
himself alone much of the time.
He was not surprised that Jasmine spent a lot of her time
nursing Aladdin. Nor was he surprised when one of his courtiers
approached him in his comfortably appointed library.
"Ah, Sarsour," the Sultan greeted him from behind his desk.
"It's good to see you." He looked curiously at the heavily veiled
woman with courtier. "And this is?"
"This is Fatima, a holy woman with healing powers," Sarsour
said. "She says she knows a cure for Aladdin's fever."
"Indeed?" The Sultan inclined his head. "I will be most
grateful if you do know. Aladdin isn't the only one who is
suffering from this annoying disease."
"I have knowledge of many secrets," the wise woman rasped. "I
can tell you of the future. I can tell you the time and cause of
your death."
The Sultan could barely hear her, so he moved his even
bulkier than normal form around the desk to hear her better. "Ehh...
I'm not interested in the secrets of the future or news of my
death," he said, leaning toward her.
"But you should be, for your death is... HERE!" 'Fatima' threw
back her veils, revealing a long dagger. She thrust it towards the
Sultan's heart.
The dagger skidded off the Sultan's armor. The Sultan grabbed
her arm. "I've been expecting you, assassin," he said cooly before
knocking her unconscious.
He could have added that he'd been expecting them since he
figured out what Carpet had been trying to say in Aladdin's
sickroom. However, there didn't seem to be much point.
Sarsour made a break for the door, only to again overlook one
carpet among many. Carpet was in no mood to be polite. When the
assassin stepped on him, he slammed him against the ceiling with
enough force to knock him cold.
"Whew, I'm glad that's over," the Sultan said. "You are sure
that there were only two 'cutthroats'?" he summoned his guards and
sat down. Wearing armor in this heat was very uncomfortable.
Carpet shrugged, then held up the tassel split in to, then
made a motion as if cupping a hand to his ear.
"Two were all you heard?" Carpet 'nodded'. "Well, then, I
think that it will be safe enough to discard the armor, for now,"
the Sultan scowled as the guards took the unconscious assassins
away. "But I hope Aladdin is on his feet soon. I have a feeling
that things are going to heat up very fast."
Hot Spell by Jill Weber