“Got to get me one of those.” He grinned.
They sat together in companionable silence for a moment, their feet dipped in the warm salt water, the palm trees swaying and rustling around them.
After a moment, Jasmine spoke. “I’ve loved everything we’ve seen tonight, but I have to admit that this is the best part of the trip so far.”
“Mine too. Good call to take a detour to this island.”
“I’ve been known to make some good calls now and then.”
“I agree. Your decision to take that carpet ride with me was a fine example of your excellent judgment.”
“Yes.” She met his gaze. “It most certainly was.”
Strands of stray hair swept across Jasmine’s forehead. With the moonlight shining down upon her, she looked so lovely and—there it was again. Aladdin felt that familiar pang of guilt as he saw that her eyes were filled with trust. In him. And he couldn’t tell her who he was. Not yet, anyway.
Suddenly, Jasmine’s eyes brightened.
“I just realized something!” she said. “I’m a little turned around on my geography right now, but I think we shouldn’t be too far away from Ababwa based on its coordinates on the maps I looked at.”
“Oh…” Aladdin’s eyes widened. “No, I think we’re pretty far away.”
“But even then, with the carpet it won’t take any time at all to get there, right?”
“Well…”
“I mean, if it could take us past a tropical waterfall and then over to a snowy mountain peak in a matter of seconds, it should be able to take us to Ababwa for a quick little visit.”
The carpet perked up its tassel at this and followed the conversation earnestly. In this moment Aladdin was grateful the magic rug didn’t have a face. He was pretty sure its amused expression would have given everything away.
“I didn’t mean to be pushy,” Jasmine said apologetically. “I guess I thought it would be nice. You’ve seen where I’m from. It might be great to see where you came from. What makes you tick.”
“Yeah, that makes sense,” Aladdin said slowly. If there had been a kingdom to take her to, he’d have done so in an instant. But where could he take her? And how could he say no to her without ending their time together on a note of disappointment? He knew she would find him out eventually; he just hadn’t realized it would be on this very trip.
A low-throated moan rendered them both still.
“Now that wasn’t a coconut,” Jasmine whispered.
Aladdin grabbed Jasmine’s hand, and in an instant, they leapt atop the carpet, leaving their shoes behind. Flying above the tree line, they searched for the source of the noise.
“A whale!” Jasmine gasped and pointed toward the ocean.
There it was, plain as the moonlight above. An enormous gray whale floated in the dark waters ahead, not far from the shore—and beside it, a family of dolphins splashed and somersaulted in the water.
“I’d read about them, but I had no idea they sounded like that. And look! Next to them! Pink dolphins.” She pointed. “There are only a handful of them left in the world.”
The carpet lowered Jasmine and Aladdin to the island’s sandy shore, where they all stared at the beautiful creatures. Then the carpet dusted sand off its tassels and darted toward the water.
“Careful! Not so fast,” Jasmine called out. “We don’t want to scare them away!”
“Oh, the carpet is a favorite with animals. All sorts,” Aladdin reassured her.
“Want to walk over and maybe wade into the water a bit to get a closer look?” she asked him.
“Sure. Um, let me just get our shoes from the pond so we have them.”
“Well, hurry before they head off,” Jasmine said. “I’ll go keep an eye on the carpet.”
Aladdin watched her walk toward the shoreline before he slipped through the palm trees. Once the dolphins went on their way and Jasmine returned, so too would her question. There was no denying that if the magic carpet could zip through jungles and take them atop snowy Alps in a matter of moments, it could certainly have taken them for a visit to Ababwa. He tried out different excuses—the kingdom was closed for renovations? Fumigation? There was an important confidential meeting underway they couldn’t interrupt? He raced to think of something—anything—he could say that would sound believable, but nothing worked.
“Would be great if you were here, Genie.” He sighed. “I could really use your help.”
The tap on his shoulder just then nearly made him jump out of his skin.
“Genie!” Aladdin exclaimed. He glanced back at Jasmine, but she had waded up to her knees to pet a dolphin that had swum close to the shore. “What are you doing here?”
“You called me. I came. That’s how it works, you know. Genie at your service.” The blue genie curtsied and grinned. “Been wondering where you were.” He looked around. “This is quite the romantic spot. Nicely done, my friend. Color me impressed!”
“Uh, thanks.”
“So, what can I do you for?” Genie asked. “Mind you, I can’t be gone too long. Got a serious job with distracting the people who would pick up on the fact that you two are missing. It’s a tough job, but someone’s got to do it.” He winked.
“Get over here.” Aladdin hurried toward a thick patch of palm trees and ducked behind them. He glanced back at the shoreline, but neither Jasmine nor the carpet had noticed a thing.
For now.
“So, tell me everything,” Genie said. “Things going well? Has she warmed up to you? Need some romantic tips? Can’t make someone fall in love with you, but can definitely give you advice. I got a drawer full of tips. The biggest thing is not to appear too pathetic. It’s an adorable look on a puppy, not so much if you’re trying to win the heart of a princess. Trust me on that, kid.”
“No, it’s not that. Jasmine and I have been getting along well. Great, actually. But then she started talking about how we’d seen so many fantastic sights but hadn’t seen the one place she really wanted to see, and if we could just…”
