"If I had it my way, you wouldn't have your hand right now," a royal guard held Aladdin, a well-known street thief, by his collar.
"But, luckily for you, the Sultan recently changed that law to imprisonment," the guard tossed Aladdin into his cell.
"Can't I at least keep the bread? It's not like you're going to resell it now that it's half eaten," Aladdin inquired through the cell bars.
"Tell me, street rat, if it were a priceless jewel that you stole, do you think I'd let you keep it?" the guard argued.
"But it isn't a priceless jewel, it's a half eaten piece of bread," Aladdin squabbled back.
The guard slammed the door behind him.
"Come on! It's just a little snack!" Aladdin's voice echoed through the empty cells; each one covered in dust like they haven't been visited for years.
Now, there was a very powerful man by the name of Jafar who was the royal Vizier to the Sultan.
He lived in the palace alongside the Sultan and his daughter Jasmine.
Jafar was a cruel and sinister man who wanted all the power and treasures to himself.
He had his own lair hidden in the palace.
There was a place called The Cave of Wonders, only accessible if you had the only two existing halves of a golden beetle.
Jafar spent many of his years tracking down those to valuable pieces but he soon ran into a problem when he found out that the cave can only be entered by an individual whose "worth lies far within."
The royal Vizier took it to his evil contraption to find that one person for he knew if he attempted to enter himself, he would not make it out alive.
His crystal ball began to clear up and the image showed a young man in prison.
"Hmhmhm, perfect," Jafar grinned as he tapped the prints of his fingers together.
"Who wouldn't fall for this easier than a street rat."
"I sure hope Abu's okay," Aladdin spoke to himself.
"That lucky monkey got to eat his half of the bread and probably forgot about me."
"Ooo Ooo Ooo Ooo," Abu's voice echoed from above.
"Abu!" Aladdin grinned.
The monkey climbed his way down into the cell.
"You brought food!"
The monkey nodded.
"Do you think you could..." Aladdin opened his mouth. "My hands are kinda tied up."
Abu put small pieces of apple into Aladdin's mouth.
"Mind sharing a bite?" a voice echoed through the darkness and out of the corner limped an old man.
"Who are you?" Aladdin inquired.
"A lonely prisoner, like yourself," the white-bearded man answered. "But together, perhaps we can be more," the man grinned.
"I'm listening," Aladdin agreed.
"There's a cave boy, a cave of wonders, filled with treasures beyond your wildest dreams."
Aladdin gave the old man a suspicious look.
He thought that he had been locked in the jail for so long that he went crazy.
"It'll be worth more than a thousand feasts at the palace. You look like you could pack on a few more pounds," the man tapped his cane on Aladdin's stomach.
"Why are you willing to share it with me?" Aladdin questioned.
"I need a young pair of legs and a strong back to go in after it."
"One problem, it's out there, we're in here," Aladdin spoke sarcastically.
The man walked closer to Aladdin and tapped his cane on his chains.
"They unlocked...how did you?" Aladdin looked at his free wrists.
"Things aren't always what they seem," the man opened a door with his cane.
"So, do we have a deal?" he stretched out his wrinkled hands.
"Worth more than a thousand feats right?" Aladdin shook the man's hand.
The door led straight to the cave.
"Listen boy, take whatever you want, but bring me the lamp," the old man spoke.
"Ooooooooo," Abu's eyes widened at the sight of all of the shiny treasures inside the cave.
"You know Abu, I don't think this is such a good idea," Aladdin told the monkey.
"When everyone sees us with all of these treasures they are going to think that we stole them from the palace, then we'll be in bigger trouble than we were in the beginning."
The monkey grew sad.
"Let's just bring the man his lamp."
Aladdin came to the top of the stairs.
"Give me the lamp boy," the old man stretched out his hand.
"Here," Aladdin handed it to him.
"Oh yes, and one more thing..." the old man turned back to Aladdin and pushed him down the stairs.
The mouth of the cave closed over him.
"This is not good," Aladdin sighed.
"Eee Eee Eee?" Abu told Aladdin.
"You magnificent monkey you! How did you get this from him?" Aladdin held the golden lamp in his hands.
"Ooo Eee?" Abu teased.
"That's true, you are a great pickpocketer. I bet that old man is reaaaaally mad," Aladdin chuckled.
"I finally have the lamp!" the old man ripped off his beard revealing himself to be Jafar.
"It is finally mi...NO! NO!" Jafar's pocket was empty.
"Why did he want this thing so badly? It looks worthless," Aladdin looked closely at the lamp.
The monkey shrugged.
"Hey, there's something written here, but it's hard to make out," Aladdin rubbed the lamp.
Suddenly, the lamp began to shake.
Sparks began to fly.
A large, blue figure began to rise from the nozzle.
"Thank you, thank you, thank you!" the blue figure aggressively shook Aladdin's hand.
"You don't know how long I've been stuck in there!"
"What...? Who...? Who are you?" Aladdin questioned whether or not he was hallucinating.
"I am your Genie, you know, your three wishes are my command. And what's your name master?"
"Wait...you're my genie? And...I am your master?" Aladdin questioned again.
"You rubbed the lamp didn't you?"
"You know, for someone who takes demands for a living, you're pretty sarcastic," Aladdin crossed his arms.
"Master, that's why I'm sarcastic," the Genie crossed his arms. "And you still haven't introduced yourself or your hairy friend."
"I'm Aladdin, you shall refer to me as Master. And this is Abu; you shall refer to him as...Abu," Aladdin stood tall.
"Okay, if that's your first wish..." Genie prepared his hands to display some magic.
"No! That's not my wish!" Aladdin waved his hands to stop the blue figure.
"There are some rules but we'll get to that later. For now, let me show you what I am capable of..."
The Genie displayed a wonderful musical routine around his master to show him what he could do.
During the performance, the blue Genie turned into a pink, fire-breathing dragon.
He puffed his hot air out and three figures appeared from it.
Three gorgeous figures; each clothed in a slimming pink skirt and top.
Each of them with a large golden bracelet holding their hair in a ponytail.
They danced around the street thief.
Aladdin's cheeks spread a soft pink.
Soon, the Genie took them away and continued his song.
"Wait!" Aladdin called out. "I know my first wish!"
"But I haven't even finished my..."
"Who is who's master?" Aladdin crossed his arms and gave a long sideways look to the Genie.
"What will it be Master?" the Genie huffed.
"Those girls. I want them," Aladdin told the blue figure.
"The triplets? They were just a part of my theatrical performance. They weren't..."
"I want them," Aladdin gave a stern look to the Genie.
"I haven't gone over the rules yet. There's is one specifically I think you need to hear..."
"I wish for those girls to be made real Genie. If you can't do your job, then you can go back into the lamp," Aladdin pointed to the tiny space where the Genie had been living, unable to escape.
"Says the kid who's probably never had a job," Genie whispered under his breath.
"Listen kid, those girls were just a figment of my imagination. I was only showing off. If you wish them to be real, sure, they'll have flesh and blood but..."
Aladdin began tapping his foot impatiently.
"As you wish," the Genie lowered his head. "Abracadabra. Bippity Bopitty Boo. Alicazam. Other pretend magic words," Genie waved his arms.
The three beautiful triplets appeared before Aladdin through smoke.
Aladdin grinned like he was melting, "Hey Genie, go back in your lamp. And take the monkey."
Abu crossed his arms and narrowed his eyes at Aladdin.
Genie did as the boy demanded.
"Wow," Aladdin admired the women. "Triplets."
The three danced around him, shaking their hips.
The charms dangling from their skirts chimed.
Their golden hair pieces were so shiny that Aladdin could see his reflection.
They were simply the most beautiful creatures Aladdin had ever seen.
He danced with them.
The color of his cheeks resembled roses.
"You girls sure do dance a lot," Aladdin commented as he sat down to rest.
The trio drew closer to Aladdin to continue dancing around him.
"What, did Genie give you all never-ending energy?"
One of the sisters winked at Aladdin.
"I never introduced myself; I am Aladdin," the street boy told the three.
They smiled and continued dancing.
"And you are...?" Aladdin looked at the sisters waiting for a response but all they did was continue to shake their hips and twirl their wrists.
"Right."
Aladdin took the lamp between his hands and rubbed one side of it.
"What'll it be Master?" the Genie inquired of the boy.
"Did you forget something while granting my first wish?"
"Let me see..." the Genie thought back. "You wished for the triplets to become real and..." he looked at the three women and counted them. "Nope, I didn't forget anything."
"But they don't do anything but dance. They don't even speak," Aladdin glanced over at the sisters.
One waved flirtatiously.
"I tried to warn you; they were only a figment of my imagination. I could give the idea of the girls flesh and blood but that doesn't make them real people. That is not something I can do with my magic. The only way I could make a person is to start with a baby and the only way I could do that is to..."
"I know how babies are made Genie!" Aladdin cut in.
"They came just as I imagined them; three beautiful dancers," Genie explained.
"Okay, what other rules do you have?" Aladdin crossed his arms for he had wasted a wish.
"For one, I cannot kill any living creature. Two, I cannot make anyone fall in love. Three is pretty obvious; you cannot wish for more wishes. And four, I will not bring anyone back from the dead. That rule was added after a disturbing experience..." Genie looked off to the distance and shuttered. "So, what'll it be kid."
"Let me think," Aladdin sat down and carefully thought about the rules Genie laid down.
The triplets drew closer to Aladdin.
"Is there anyway to get rid of them?" Aladdin gestured to the women he once thought he would marry.
"Not unless you wish for that," Genie pointed out.
Abu clenched his stomach as it aggressively growled, echoing in the dark, closed-in cave.
"I could eat," Aladdin smiled at Abu.
"I need you to say the magic words," Genie prepared his hands.
"I wish for a never-ending banquet."
Poof. A large table fit for a sultan appeared before Aladdin.
Upon the table sat several roasted turkeys, bowls of cooked potatoes, plates piled with different vegetables, and multiple different desserts stacked on a silver tray.
Aladdin plopped himself down in a chair.
"It almost looks too good to eat," Aladdin said as he brought a turkey leg up to his mouth.
Abu sat next to Aladdin with crossed arms; he mumbled to himself.
"Come on Abu, dig in," Aladdin spoke with his mouth full of meat.
The monkey put his hands on his hips.
"Yes I am sure I want you around. Where's this coming from?" Aladdin stuffed his face.
"If I may Master," Genie budded in. "I believe the monkey is referring to your last wish which included him being left behind and asked to join me in my lamp."
"Oh, come on Abu! You would have done the same thing if it were you," Aladdin told his friend.
"Besides," Aladdin continued. "This wish was for you," he handed a napkin to his little friend.
Abu skeptically looked at the man but accepted the napkin.
"Uh oh," Aladdin quickly moved away from the table, the sisters following not too far behind.
Blah. Aladdin's food spewed out of his mouth.
"That'll usually happen if you aren't use to eating that much in one sitting."
Aladdin wiped his mouth, "Why didn't you tell me before?!"
"Because your wish is my command and you don't seem to like listening to what I have to say," Genie replied.
"Can someone get rid of that food? I can't look at it anymore," Aladdin requested.
Abu finished what was already in his mouth and threw the rest down a hole in the cave.
"Thank you Abu. If I ever see a cooked turkey again..."
The food reappeared on the table as it was before.
"Genie! That isn't funny," Aladdin held his fist over his mouth.
"You wished for a never-ending banquet. No matter what you do with the food on the table, it's going to keep coming back," Genie told the boy. "For your third wish, may I suggest something along the lines of...getting out of this cave?"
Aladdin looked around the cave at the dancing triplets and the never-ending banquet.
He looked at the imprisoned Genie who wanted nothing more than to see the world outside the lamp; the same Genie he sent back into the lamp for selfish reasons.
He looked at Abu, his best friend, the only friend who had ever stuck by him; the same friend who he sent into Genie's lamp when a few girls came along.
"You know, I think I know what my third wish will be," Aladdin thought aloud. "And this time I'll be sure to be more specific."
"What'll it be? You wish for a tunnel to appear? No, a magic carpet to fly you out of here?" Genie threw out ideas.
"Although a magic carpet would be incredible, I wish to go back to the beginning of this day..."
"I see...you think if you start the day over, you'll get more wishes. I'm sorry but that won't work," Genie interupted.
"No, I want to go back to this morning at the market place. And I don't want to remember anything that happened today. I want things to go back to the way they were."
"I don't understand," Genie stroked his chin. "You have a magical Genie who can grant you any wish. You have a never-ending supply of food. Why do you want to go back to the street where you were hungry and treated poorly. You were in prison this morning Aladdin! I just don't get it."
"I lost myself today. Once I had my hands on something I knew could change my life, I lost who I was. I was rude and didn't listen to the one who could grant my wishes," Aladdin gestured to the Genie.
"And I betrayed my best friend," Aladdin looked sorrily at Abu.
"I don't want any part of the person I became today. I don't want to remember him either."
A tear ran down Genie's cheek.
He quickly wiped it away with his finger.
"And Genie," Aladdin pulled the big blue figure into a hug. "I hope the next person who finds you will wish to set you free. No one deserves to live in a bottle."
"Ready Abu?"
The monkey approved.
"Your wish is my command."
Poof.
Aladdin and Abu were back at the market place.
Aladdin had a sudden feeling to go left instead of right like he always did at this time.
At the corner of the street Aladdin spotted a beautiful woman.
"Awe, you must be hungry," the woman spoke softly to a little boy eyeing the apples on the man's cart.
"Here you go," she handed the boy an apple and started on her way.
"You had better to able to pay for that..." the man walked out from behind the cart.
"Pay?" Jasmine turned to the man.
"No one steals from my cart!" he grabbed the woman's arm.
"I'm sorry sir, I don't have any money," she spoke up.
"Thief!" the man swung the young lady around.
"No! Please! If you let me go to the palace, I can get some money from the sultan!" the girl cried.
"Do you know what the penalty for stealing is?!" the man drew his sword.
Aladdin jumped into the scene, lowering the sword in the man's hand.
"The question is do you know what the penalty for stealing is?" Aladdin spoke harshly to the man.
"Don't you remember the sultan changed it to imprisonment! If you cut this young lady's hand off, you too shall be imprisoned for disobeying the law!"
"You're right!" the man withdrew his sword. "I need to alert the guards!"
"I'll take care of this. Come with me girl," Aladdin took the woman's arm. "We are going to get the guard!" Aladdin walked away with the young lady.
"Let go of me; I'm not going to let you put me in prison!" the young lady threw herself around trying to release herself from Aladdin's grip.
They turned a corner.
"Don't worry," Aladdin let go of the woman's arm. "I was never going to tell the guards."
"Oh. Well thank you."
Aladdin smiled at the girl.