Chapter Four

Home For The Holidays

As they winged gracefully toward the city, Malcho constantly checked on his passenger. By peppering him with questions, he made sure that Achmed was still conscious and coherent.

He gained much useful information during his questioning, as well. He discovered that Aladdin was not the ruler of Agrabah, but a young hero favored by the court. Malcho learned that the true Sultan was a much older man, who had the respect and the love of his citizens.

Malcho also found out that there was a beloved Princess, his daughter, Jasmine. She was revered for her wisdom and beauty. He smiled as he thought of long-term plans. 'Perhaps either the Sultan or the Princess will be easier to deal with than that meddling hero, Aladdin. After all, I have no desire to threaten a whole city again just to get a single bird. Maybe I can persuade them to simply hand over the parrot.'

As the chilled wind whistled past them, Achmed told Malcho stories of great conflicts between Aladdin and the various villains who constantly plagued Agrabah. Malcho listened intently, making mental notes on enemies to avoid and whom he might possibly conspire with if the need ever arose.

After a little while, the city loomed below them in the darkness. Malcho turned his head back and gave his passenger fair warning. "Now I am going to have to sneak you into the city, Achmed. I am not exactly a welcome guest of the ruling class of Agrabah. Hold on and remain quiet." Before Achmed could respond, Malcho dipped sharply and dove straight down to the darkest part of the city.

Achmed clung tightly to the scaly wings of Malcho as he leveled off and flew at rooftop level over the city. After a few moments, Achmed tapped Malcho on the neck and pointed down to a small hut. Malcho spotted it, nodded, and swept his wings out, to slow his descent. Spying torches on the street, he flapped his wings strongly to extinguish them, giving him the darkness that he needed to make a covert landing.

Once he hit the ground, he quickly assisted Achmed off his back and bit through the ropes that held the treasures. Grabbing a sack in either wing, and the third in his jaws, he followed Achmed to the door of his hut.

He slithered ahead and placed all three sacks softly on the steps before his door. Turning quickly, he placed a wing over his lips, to signal Achmed to be silent. Achmed nodded, understanding perfectly.

"I cannot stay, Achmed. If you are asked how you came to arrive here tonight, tell them..." Malcho paused slightly, then smiled as he continued. "Tell them that you were saved and assisted by Malcho the Great. And if you happen to see a very loud and obnoxious parrot with red plumage and blue wingtips, swat him off his perch and tell him that Malcho says, 'Hola.' Okay?"

Achmed grinned and offered his hand. "I shall, Malcho. Thank you for everything."

Surprisingly, Malcho returned that smile with a genuine smile of his own. Putting his right wing forth, they shook hands. "You are very welcome, Achmed. Now, get your leg and that bump on the head looked at, then spend this holiday with your family. Feliz Navidad, amigo."

Malcho heard the sound of palace guards making their rounds through the slums. He drew back, gave a quick wave, and swooped skyward, to disappear over the roof of a larger building across the street.

Achmed gathered up the bags and opened the door to his hut. Almost immediately, he was greeted with young squeals of delight. "Daddy! Daddy!" came the elated cries of his children. He pushed the bags in and was almost knocked back out into the street by his daughter who gave him a big hug, quickly followed by his son, and then joined moments later by his wife, who saw his injuries and became concerned.

As he greeted his loving family and waved off the immediate offer for help, he slowly closed the door behind him. "Have I got a story to tell you, about a noble creature named Malcho the Great." Then the door was shut.

In the darkness that surrounded the tops of the buildings, Malcho watched that entire exchange with a wide smile and a heart that kept him warm in the cool night air of the desert. Upon seeing the gathering at the door, he was immediately reminded of the similarities between that and the reactions of animal families in his Rainforest. Strangely enough, that thought did not make him hungry, like he thought that it would. Perhaps he was still stuffed. After all, he had just eaten eleven bandits and half a dozen buzzards. He sighed heavily. 'Si,' he thought, 'an after dinner siesta is definitely called for.'

As he took to wing, he looked over his shoulder at the rapidly shrinking city that lay behind and below him. Taking a deep breath of the crisp winter air, he spoke his peace.

"Feliz Navidad, Agrabah. Enjoy the holiday season, the wishes that are fulfilled, and the peace that it brings. For the magic of this season never lasts as long as we want it to."

Malcho banked sharply and flew toward an oasis that he had spotted on an earlier journey. To sleep off his feast, to plot the demise of Iago, and possibly Aladdin, and to enjoy the winter holiday in his own way.