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ALADDIN: NIGHT SONG
The burning star traveled across the moonlit night,over the whispering desert. In Agrabah,no one saw the star fall to the earth. The only one who felt the impact was a blind,psychic parrot,which belonged to a dying poet on the city's north edge. He saw the star bloom into fire. The nocturnal wind claimed the remaining dust,scattering it in the desert sands.
From the window,naked, Aladdin watched the still city. The periodic barking of dogs was the only sound,except for Jasmine,asleep in their bed,breathing softly,her hair unbound over the sheets. In the moonlight,she looked like a dream given skin.
He wondered if she was dreaming.She'd whispered,"Sweet dreams," on the verge of sleep,the taste of her flesh fresh on his tongue.
He wondered what time it was.
"I love you," he told Jasmine,in the midst of shifting postition.He whispered it again. Had he said that to her today? I think she did,by the fountain.
He turned back to the window. The night wind whistled through the city. Nothing moved. He turned back to Jasmine. Naked as he was,the moonlight cast erotic shadows over her. Quietly,Aladdin climbed back into bed. He explored the darkness with one gentle hand,and she made a soft sound. He fell asleep,the scent of her skin in his head,her flesh his world. ----------------------------------------------------------- (Yes)
Jasmine awoke in darkness.
(pulsing against his lips)
The night felt like a waking dream.
(thrusting into her from behind climbing onto the bed turning over and-)
She blinked,unmeshing the dream from the memory.There was night music in the wind. It had been fierce all day. It had lulled her to sleep after Aladdin's kisses. She felt his swollen member against her legs,and she felt like waking him up for more,as she occasionally did. First,she wanted to look out at the silent city. She didn't want to disentangle herself from him, but she did. He was a sound sleeper. She retrieved the stool from her mirrored table,. The night was warm,and she didn't bother with clothes. She sat in the dark, listening for the sounds of night. She heard none,other than the occasional barking of dogs.
After awhile,she began to wonder what time it was.
She remembered the look Aladdin had given her by the fountain yesterday. Was it past midnight yet? "I love you," she had told him,and his smile spoke for him.After that,the day had gone by quickly. Genie had shown her a time far in the future,at her request,dark rooms where people thrashed against each other accompanied by strange music.(Behind shades pulled down tight,things are growing without light.Strange words.) Then Rajah brought her a bird he'd nearly finished eating. She'd felt bad,but cats did that.Then there'd been the representative from the doomsayers' convention. Father and Rasoul had hidden their amusement well. At least no one was trying to kill them. No one had tried in a long time. It was as if they'd all realized that they could never win. Jasmine smiled to herself. She wondered if she was pregnant again.
She thought of their son,dreaming wonderful dreams in the next room. She found her way back to bed,arms serpentine around her husband. ----------------------------------------------------------
"Aladdin."
He was awake.
"You can't sleep,either?"
There was something in her eyes that made him hold her.
"What is it?"
"Do you know what time it is?"
"No,I don't."
"I've never woken up this many times in one night."
Aladdin nodded. Then he asked,"Is he all right?"
"Oh,no," she said,"I didn't check."
Together,they went to the other room,where their son was sound asleep. Nightmares didn't scare him. He had been writing his dreams down for a while now,and analyzing them with Genie.
Moments later,in their room,Aladdin said,"I feel fine.I just feel like there's something wrong." He sat down on the bed. She sat beside him."Can you feel it?"
"It's so quiet tonight," she said.
Somewhere in the city,a dog began to howl.
"The dogs..." Aladdin said.
"I heard them,too."
The animal was cut off in midhowl,and Aladdin thought: Something just ate that dog.
"I'm going out there," he said.
"If you're going,so am I."
The next few minutes were dedicated to throwing clothes at each other. ---------------------------------------------------------- The wind moaned a sad night song.
Aladdin opened the gate. "Nobody anywhere." he said.
Another dog began to howl. It,too,was cut off abruptly.
Aladdin stepped into the city. He felt Jasmine behind him.
They walked through the city from end to end,going through alleys and streets,looking for signs of humanity. They found none. The city was silent and still,a mosaic of vacant doorways and darkened, empty windows.
They found themselves by the town well,and decided to stop for awhile.
"Jasmine?"
"Yes?"
"Do you believe-" She was very wise,he knew that.
"In what?"
"Never mind."
"No,what is it?"
"Time," he said."In your opinion,is time just a concept? Or is it more than that?"
She was silent for a moment,if moments still existed. "If time isn't real," she asked, "why do we age?"
"Good point." he said. Neither of them spoke for a while.
Aladdin broke the silence."So...time is slowing down?"
"I think so.It's stopping altogether." Jasmine said."It's catching up with the animals first."
"Can we do anything about it?"
"I don't know," she said."Are you thirsty?"
She drew up the bucket and took a drink.
"How is it?"
"Delicious." She handed the bucket to him,and he took a long drink.
"What'll happen to us?" he asked.
"What if nothing happens to us?"
"We'd be in this moment forever."
"Could you live like that?"
"If you could."
"I don't know?" she said."Forever?"
"Forever seems to be right now."
She looked him dead in the eye.
"What if it's our decision?"
-----------------------------------------------------------
Back in the room,the Prince was waking up. He yawned,and
opened his eyes in time to see a dark cipherous shape in
the next room. He pretended to go back to sleep,but what
he was really doing was reaching under the bed. He found
what he was looking for,sat up,and hurled his shoe into the
darkness.
"Ow!"
Genie floated into the room,trying to remove the shoe from his face. "I'm sorry,Genie." said the prince.
"It's okay,kid." Genie said."Nice throw.You have good form."
The shoe popped out,and he handed it back.
"Could I have some water?" Genie picked a glass of water out of the darkness and handed it to him.
"Have you seen your folks?"
"They're not in bed?"
"Nope."
"Maybe they went for a walk."
"I'll keep looking. Go back to sleep."
"I'm too awake."
Genie,who'd seen DARK CITY not two days ago,waved his hand in front of the prince's face and whispered "Sleep." It worked,and he grinned. ----------------------------------------------------------- "I wish we were at the beach," she said.
He knew that she thought that that was where their son had been conceived,and remembered the giant rock that had sheltered them as they moved against each other.
"Aladdin?"
"Yeah?"
"Thank you. For everything."
"What do you mean?"
"For being my friend." she said,touching his hand.
"I always will be."
"Even if we...stop?"
"If it happens,my last thought will be of you.And it'll last forever."
"I don't want to fall asleep again. Not out here."
"I won't let you fall asleep."
She was very suprised to feel a tear in her eye.
He brushed it away.
"I don't think there's anything we can do," she said.
He pulled her close. "Then let me have one last kiss."
She kissed him,and pulled him on top of her,tugging at his clothes and casting off hers. He kissed every inch of her,inside her until they burst together. They held each other in the timeless darkness,in the shadow of the well.
"Goodnight my love," she whispered. She closed her eyes and laid her head on his chest.
Words were unneccessary. Aladdin closed his eyes and let his dreams become reality. ------------------------------------------------------------ The sun was rising by the time Genie found them. When he came upon Al and Jas,he was surprised. They were sleeping by the well,and they were both completely naked. He was still learning about human emotions,so he shrugged it off,happy that they were okay.
"Guys?" he asked.
Aladdin's eyes popped open. "Genie?"
"Morning,Al." Genie said,with an air of mystery.
"It's morning? Really? Jasmine!"
He shook her lightly,and she raised her head. "Wow," she said.
"Not that I want to spoil whatever this is,but there are bound to be people coming through here any second,and you guys are totally naked-"
They jumped into their clothes in record time.
"Want breakfast?" Genie asked.
"I think we'll watch the sun rise first." Aladdin said.
As the sun rose over the city, Aladdin and Jasmine were locked in a passionate kiss. No one passing by minded, glad that they were in love.They walked back to the palace,stopping only to buy and share some almonds in the sun-drenched morning light.
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