Sun Glory For Mankind
Chapter Two
"Me? Sultan?"
"Yes. The youngest person to ever attain that position in the history of Agrabah. But it cannot be helped."
"But, I don't have the power to carry on the duties of a sultan!"
"You better learn by the day of the funeral, when you shall officially undergo the rites. He chose you to take his daughter's hand in marriage, and it is natural that you will succeed him," said the guard. "If you are desirous of a teacher, I'm sure Monsieur Guittain would do. He worked wonders with the Princess Jasmine's father."
"No, no. I think I can do without the tutor."
"Suit yourself." Then the guard left.
Genie returned in a flash. "There's one of your companions, and of course Jasmine is too grieved to even think of going anywhere. Best leave her here, anyhow."
"Will you tutor me, Genie?"
"For what, Al? I thought you learned everything from our previous adventures."
"For the position of sultan of Agrabah."
"Al, chances are that you'll never be given such a capacity."
"But the guard said as soon as Jasmine's father is six feet under—"
"You'll be well on your journey by that time, and Semalil will be seeking his revenge."
"Revenge on what?
"Your treatment of his brother. Jafar and Semalil were mighty close. And the only way you'll survive is if you beat the Green Warden at his own game."
"You keep mentioning a game. What is it? Chess? Poker? Cribbage?"
"No, those games actually have rules."
"What nonsense do you speak of now?"
"Semalil's game only has one rule: overwhelm the adversary till he expires."
"You mean that he will not rest until he kills me?"
"Either that or you kill him."
"Then wouldn't it be better to wait for him here with a sword?"
"Hah!" Genie laughed. "A sword kill Semalil? That's like saying throwing bricks at a vampire would put him to rest. I'm sorry, Al, ain't going to happen."
"So what am I supposed to do?"
"Go to see Veronika, alone."
"And she'll give me the power to vanquish Semalil?"
"No. Remember the Trinity? You've got a lot on your hands, Al. There's nary a man who would envy you."
"Are you certain you can't go with me?"
"No one can go with you. And I suggest you start out for the Bone Tower at midnight tonight. If you wait a moment longer, it may be too late. Now, if you'll excuse me, I have a mistress to woo." Genie then vanished a second time.
Aladdin couldn't believe that Abu was dead. The guard had kindly left his corpse on a purple pillow sitting on a table in the center of the room. Abu had been such a great companion, and now he would never again frolic about on Aladdin's shoulders and express his distrust.
Then a second terrible thought entered his mind. Abu's funeral would take place the same day as the Sultan's, and if he followed Genie's advice, he'd miss it. That he could not bear. And yet he knew that Genie was right about Semalil; indeed, when had the blue guy ever been wrong?
So he decided to take Abu's body in a knapsack. This would give him comfort, although the guards might suspect something when the only corpse they had to bury was the Sultan's. For a second, Aladdin forgot that a red flag might go up in his own absence. Of course they would miss the sultan-to-be, and perhaps send a search party after him. But a missing and living Aladdin had to be better than a hunted and dead one. So they would have to find someone else to take his place.
He dressed in his streetrat garb, where it was unlikely anybody would be able to recognize him, especially since his purple, breastless shirt had become orange.
Another worry on his mind was how to tell Jasmine. She would not be pleased with his leaving, especially after her father had so recently kicked the bucket. Comfort is what she needed, not separation. He decided to leave a note: "Went to hide from Semalil. Will be back soon; try not to fret so much. Love, Aladdin."
Carpet jumped happily when he entered its chambers, and walked on its hind tresses like it did in the old days. It wasn't' so long ago, but it seemed a century had passed since then. They went outside, and Aladdin stepped on Carpet. "Fly me to Bone Tower," he said, confidently.
But Carpet did not move. "What's wrong?" Aladdin asked it. "You don't know where Bone Tower is?"
It tried to lift itself up, but it was impossible. Aladdin got off. "Am I too heavy for you now? Try to fly again."
However, the same thing occurred. Carpet had lost its ability!
Aladdin became so furious that he rolled up Carpet and insisted on carrying it to the marketplace. When he got there, he saw a man who had a barrel of maggots he was going to dispose of. "Wait, would you like a magic carpet instead?" Aladdin asked.
The man's look became greedy, and he agreed to give his maggots up for Carpet, after which exchange Aladdin took to his heels in the dark night.
When he removed the lid from the barrel, instead of seeing maggots, there was a map. Curiosity aroused, he oiled a lamp he had brought with him, and examined this document. Bone Tower was seventy miles south of Agrabah. He wanted to scream, for he had no idea how to get there, and if Semalil was hunting him...
But Jafar's brother could not commence the hunt until he had visited the palace, which event could happen at any moment now. Would Semalil come after Aladdin himself, or send some minions to capture him? How much time did he have?
He felt something slimy brush against his legs. Glancing downward, he saw a cobra. It bit him on his left leg, and he howled in agony. He was afraid someone would come running to discover the source of the noise, but no one seemed to hear it. Then he saw a dromedary tethered to a pine tree. Walking over, he unfastened it and climbed on its back.
"Go to Bone Tower," he whispered in its ear, although he didn't expect it to understand. However, it seemed to comprehend his words, for it strode forward at a steady pace. He could not make it go any faster, no matter what he tried.
In the morning, the camel was still going. Aladdin could not make it stop. And when the sun rose, he was astonished to discover that his steed was rainbow-colored. Its face was yellow, and its neck divided between red and blue. The hump was orange, the body purple, and the legs jade-green. It was one of the most magnificent phenomena Aladdin had ever seen.
It took them a full three days to arrive at their destination. Bone Tower was literally made up of the marrow in osseous tissue. Just looking at it made Aladdin want to barf, but he dismounted his dromedary and entered.
On the ground floor, dust particles nearly blinded Aladdin. He approached the stairway, coughing and choking, and climbed. It seemed like hours, months, years passed away while he was walking up stairs. Would this interminable flight of steps ever end? And, what a relief it was when he set his foot on the uppermost floor.
There was a cowbell hanging by a hook in midair, which he removed, and then rang, wondering what would happen. Instantly he heard a rooster crow and the gnashing of teeth.
"Oh, whomever could that be visiting me at eleven o' clock in the morning? Elroy, go let the stranger in."
Presently a chimpanzee approached and pulled Aladdin forward. He saw an elderly woman with a coronet on her head, sitting on a bronze throne. "You frightened Pishu into eating Valmont. This better be important," she said, as sweetly as possible, though she was gritting her teeth.
"Who's Pishu?"
The woman pointed to a plush lion.
"But, that's just a toy!"
"What brings you here, stranger?"
"Are you Veronika?" He just noticed her shark tooth's necklace.
"Indeed I am."
"Genie sent me here."
"Who's Genie?"
"A blue guy I found in a lamp, who granted me three wishes, the last of which that he would be set free."
"I know no one like that. But what did he send you for?"
"Well, Agrabah is under attack by a man named Semalil who kidnapped the sultan's animal figurines. And now he's after me."
"I don't think I can help anyone in your kind of predicament."
"It's some kind of game."
"A game with toys, you say? And you mistrust Pishu's ability to eat?" she said, and then she suddenly became alarmed. "Wait, what did you say his name was?"
"Semalil."
"No, no not him! I should've been dead before this day arrived! Curse everything!" Her eyes were wild with fear. Elroy gave Aladdin a murderous look.
"What's wrong?"
"You, boy, you must do everything you can to defeat him. It won't be enough, but let's hope that twenty generations in the future things will be right. If Semalil is not stopped—and I fear it is too late—the whole world will fall under his despotic control, and a communistic society will make slaves of us all!"
She yanked the cowbell that Aladdin had put around his neck as she said this.
"Do you value your freedom, boy?"
"Yes, I do."
"Well, then, I'll help you." She released the cowbell. "Elroy, lift the lid."
There was a sewerlike hole in the middle of the room. The chimp removed its lid, and went to fetch some rope, which he tied about Aladdin's waist.
"However, there is a price," she said nastily, once his waist was secure. "Elroy, search the bag."
Aladdin's knapsack was removed, and the chimp ignored his, "Noooooooooooooo!"
Abu's body was discovered and set before the lion plush. "Now take the cowbell, and ring it," the woman ordered. But this time her demands were aimed at Aladdin not Elroy.
"I won't do it!" he shouted defiantly.
"If you don't do it, I won't help you fight Semalil."
"Fine, then, I'll ring," almost breathless. As soon as he had done so, Pishu came to life and devoured Abu's corpse before Aladdin's very eyes.
Elroy took him over to the hole and lowered him down with the rope, ignoring his protests. It was pitch-dark. After he had gone fifteen feet, the chimp cut it, and Veronika cackled, "It's a long way down!"
For fourteen minutes, Aladdin felt as though he were floating on air. Then he hit the ground hard, falling into an unconscious state.