Chapter Seven
Genie sighed, long and deep, unsure of what to say next. He looked at
Jasmine straight in the eyes, trying to find hope in them, but there was
next to none. He looked over toward Aladdin and smiled weakly, being just
the slightest bit glad that his buddy was asleep. Genie wanted so badly to
be able to help them. After all, seeing them in this state of being for
the last few days was enough to bring anybody down.
"Jas," he whispered, barely audible, "my powers aren't what they used
to be..."
"Genie, I know...but we have to do something. We can't just stay here
and wait...forever."
Genie just nodded and tried to think of something that would help find
Iago. He hadn't really known the parrot very well, but he knew that
Aladdin had befriended him before any of the others. Because of that,
Genie knew that finding Iago was important, not just for Aladdin, but for
the rest of them as well. How one little bird could have had this effect
on them was almost unbelievable. It almost seemed like a dream that they
would wake up from and realize that none of this was really happening, but
it was more real than anything at that very moment. Genie had to do
something...and quick.
"You were the last person to talk to him," Genie began slowly. "Jas, is
there anything you can tell me? Anything he could have said that maybe
would give us a clue as to where he might have gone?"
Jasmine tried to remember the night she had found Iago sleeping in the
palace. She recalled bits and pieces of the words they had exchanged, but
her memory failed to remind her of anything significant.
"He never said anything about leaving," Jasmine muttered, feeling
hopeless. "He was so mad at himself, believing that he could never really
change to being truly good. I tried so hard to convince him overwise, but
he was so stubborn. He refused to believe me...Genie, he told me that he
wasn't worth it. He sounded so hopeless...so confused...so...lost."
"Lost?" Genie asked.
"Yes, lost...like he didn't know which direction to go in his life. He
didn't want to show emotions, but yet, he wound up spilling tears out like
you wouldn't believe. Yes...lost..."
"Lost," Genie repeated the word again very slowly. He rubbed his chin
as the word ran over his lips and through his mind. "No, couldn't be..."
he muttered aimlessly to himself.
"What couldn't be?" Jasmine stammered in a pressing tone.
"Have you ever heard of the Land of the Lost Souls?"
"No," Jasmine replied. "What's that? Where's that?"
"It's a place where those whose souls have died but bodies still live
wind up going. They aren't truly living their lives out in the lands of
the living, so they are taken to this barren place by others who already
inhabit the desolate place. If someone is there long enough, he can never
return, for he will reject any outside influence of the living world. As
for where...I'm not sure."
"Do you seriously think Iago would be there?" Jasmine asked hastily. "I
just don't understand...He couldn't have possibly gotten to that stage of
hopelessness, could he?"
"Only he knows the answer to that question, Jas. C'mon, we'd better
wake Al and the guys up. If Iago is there, we shouldn't be wasting any
more time here."
Elsewhere, Iago was still on Saree's shoulder, finding the smallest bit
of comfort in her presence. Even though this place couldn't be more
pitiful, Iago knew one thing: It was better to share the pain with someone
else who understood what that pain felt like than to be stuck all alone,
forever enduring that horrible pain gnawing at the heart and soul. No one
else took notice of the two lonesome figures in the corner of the room;
that is, until Reena stepped inside that place. She looked menacingly over
at Iago and Saree and charged quickly toward them.
"And just what do you think you're doing?" she barked. "Saree, you
little brat, leave him be!"
Saree cried and ran away, cowering in the corner. Iago looked at Reena
with a startled expression on his face and asked, "What did you do that
for?"
"That little brat is always looking for trouble," Reena explained,
still angry. "You should never, ever do what you just did. That is
forbidden here."
"Um, excuse me? Forbidden? Listen, Reena, you're the one who dragged me
here. Why didn't you tell me this place would be so blasted depressing? I
mean, come on...What is everyone's problem around here?"
"Like you don't know. Please, Iago," she spat sarcastically. "Everyone
here is the same...lonely and lost from that cursed living world. They
don't care about people like us in that world, Iago. Everyone there is too
caught up in their own lives and own affairs to be concerned for ones like
us. We must never, ever take comfort in each other, though. We don't
deserve to know what comfort is. Besides, how can anyone who is so
hopeless offer comfort? It doesn't exist."
"You don't make any sense," Iago mumbled. "Just leave me alone."
Reena smiled almost evilly. "Now you're got it. Alone...very good. I'll
gladly leave you alone. Things are best that way; just remember that. No
one else can hurt you when you're alone."
"Too late," Iago said quietly to himself as Reena walked away. "Too
late."
No one else can hurt you when you're alone. Iago wanted to crush
those words under the very anger that dwelled in his mind, for he knew
that was a lie. He had been too hurt to believe that being alone was
really any different than being around others. It might not make sense to
most people, especially to those who are content in their lives and know
the feeling of having loved ones around, but his entire life had been
lived alone. Truly alone. Jafar was hardly a man would one could ever
consider a friend, so Iago had been alone that whole time of his life,
which composed most of what he could remember from his lifespan. He had
felt hurt and alone, yet he didn't know if he was causing himself that
pain or if it had been caused by Jafar and others who had mistreated
him...or perhaps that pain was the result of Iago letting them hurt him.
That was the only conclusion his desperate mind could reach. He was
forever searching for an answer to his suffering, a reason that would make
all the pain go away, but no answer ever brought that change or that
satisfaction.
His only "friend" he had make since arriving in these hopeless lands
had been driven away by the one who had brought him here. Had he allowed
Reena to take him away from his only home he had ever known? Or had Reena
forced him to come here? He just didn't know anymore. What Iago failed to
know as well was that at that very moment in time, he had friends who were
worried about him, ones who wanted so badly to find him and bring him
home.
Back in Aladdin's hovel, a small oil lamp was burning. The dim light
illuminated the room just enough for everyone to see each other. Abu sat
on Aladdin's shoulder, yawning and looking a bit annoyed at having been
woken up in the middle of the night. Aladdin was staring down at his
hands, wishing that where they would have to go wouldn't be the truth.
Genie knew he had to find out where this place was, so he was fumbling
through his lamp for a map or a book or something to help lead the way.
Aladdin sighed, shaking his head at Genie's attempts to help out.
"We don't have time for this," he stated to Jasmine, with a bit of edge
in his tone.
"Well, Aladdin, do you have a better idea?" Jasmine retorted, feeling
offended by his attitude.
She turned away from him and looked out the window. Agrabah appeared
beneath them as being so placid and at rest. Their uneasiness was a bleak
contrast to the atmosphere all around them. Aladdin then realized that his
words had seemed a bit harsh, so he came behind Jasmine, placed his arms
around her body lovingly, and said, "I'm sorry. I didn't mean it like
that. I'm just worried..."
"So am I, Aladdin, but we have to keep focused here."
"I know, I just feel like I'm doing no good just sitting here like
this, waiting for something...for an answer that may never come."
Jasmine looked longingly into his deep brown eyes. She saw her own
reflection there and realized that she was a part of Aladdin now, and what
hurt one of them would indeed hurt the other. "It's not your fault,
Aladdin. Don't blame yourself. I know you're upset...just like the rest of
us, and that's completely understandable. Look, we'll find a way yet."
Aladdin couldn't help but to smile at his princess. She always knew
what to say in rough situations. Aladdin recalled their first date on
Carpet, and thinking of Carpet, he looked over toward the rug lying on the
floor. "Carpet!" he exclaimed.
The carpet became animated and full of life, jumping up into midair at
the sound of Aladdin's voice. "What?" asked Jasmine. "Carpet?"
Genie popped back out of the lamp and looked with confusion toward
Aladdin. "Al, what about Carpet?"
"That's it," Aladdin said excitedly. "Don't ya see? Carpet would know
where the Land of the Lost Souls is. He knew where all those destinations
were when we went on our first date, Jasmine, so he must know where this
place is, too."
Carpet "nodded" and whirled around them with excitement. They didn't
waste another minute, so they hopped on Carpet and took off for the Land
of the Lost Souls. Genie mused, "Who would have thought that a throw rug
could know what I looked so hard to find?"
"You tried your hardest, Genie, and thank you," Aladdin said sincerely.
"We're on our way now. With any luck, we'll find Iago there."
"He will be there," Jasmine added reassuringly. "He just has to be."
Yes, Iago was there, but he was beginning to feel like he didn't belong
among these lost souls. A part of him was still lonely and confused, but
he wanted to fly away from these people as well. They didn't understand
either. No one in the world would ever understand him. What he didn't
realize, though, was that this feeling of desperation was felt by
all who inhabited these lands. They all wanted to run away and be
completely alone, but they were now forced into living perpetually in the
Land of the Lost Souls. Amidst all his confusion, however, he remembered
Saree and felt sorry for her. He flew around until he found her, nestled
in another corner. Landing on her shoulder, he said, "Hi, Saree. I'm
back."
She looked up from her previous downcast mode and peered into his eyes
with her own empty eyes. "Reena is right, Iago," she muttered. "It's
better for you to just leave me alone. I deserve to be alone."
"No, that's not true, Saree, and you know it," he pressed. If only he
could believe those words...not just for Saree, but for himself. "I
thought we were friends."
"Friends?" Saree weakly asked. "I never had any friends my whole life.
Why should I have any now?"
"Because...everyone needs friends." Iago couldn't believe what he had
just said. Here he was, trying to convince this child that she needed
others, but yet, he refused to believe he needed the exact same thing.
Those words cut him deeply. Everyone needs friends. Was that really
true, even for Iago? He just didn't know. He felt ashamed all of a sudden,
especially for trying to offer words of comfort to someone else when he
didn't follow his own advice. "You know what?" he continued, realizing his
own demise. "You're right, who needs friends? Certainly not me. We don't
deserve them."
With that, he flew away, leaving Saree alone once again and forcing
himself to be alone once again. Why does it have to be like this?
he thought. It's all my fault; I let Reena bring me here, and now that
I'm here, I just can't force myself to believe in anything worthwhile
anymore. What's the point? This is my fate, so I might as well live it
out.
Little did Iago know what his fate was to be. At that moment in time,
he couldn't have been more wrong about his fate. His friends were on their
way, and with every approaching mile they flew, they came closer and
closer to saving him from the clutches of being lost forever.