A Whole New World

Prologue

(Play Song)

"Oh, I come from a land, from a faraway place, where the caravan camels roam, where it's flat and immense and the heat is intense. It's barbaric, but hey, it's home. When the wind's from the east, When the wind's from the east and the sun's from the west and the sand in the glass is right, come on down, stop on by hop on a carpet and fly. To another Arabian night, Arabian nights! Like Arabian days, more often than not are hotter than hot, in a lot of good ways. Arabian nights! Neath Arabian moons, a fool off his guard and could fall and fall hard out there on the dunes." A man sang as his camel fell from exhaust and he slid off of him to see a reader reading their new story. The man was skinny with bones as if it was his skin and had yellow hair. "Ah, salaam and good evening to you, worthy friend. Please, please, come closer."

The reader got closer squishing against the man's face.

"Too close. A little too close." The man said as he backed away. "There. Welcome to Agrabah, city of mystery of enchantment, and the finest merchandise this side of the River Jordan, on sale today! Come on down."

The reader came closer to the man, who set up a stand as if it was magic.

"Look at this. Yes. Combination hookah and coffee maker. Also makes julienne fries. Will not break. Won't- it broke. Oh! Look at this. I have never seen one of these intact before. This is the famous Dead Sea Tupperware. Listen. Ah, still good." The man chuckled but the reader turned away from him and started to walk away. "Wait. Don't go. I can see that you're only interested in the exceptionally rare. I think, then, you would be most rewarded to consider this."

The man pulled out a lamp, not like a thing you turn on for light but a gold lamp, the shining reflection made the reader turn in awe.

"Do not be fooled by its commonplace appearance. Like so many things, it is not what is outside, but what is inside that counts. This is no ordinary lamp! It once changed the course of a young man's life. A young man who, like this lamp, was more than what he seemed. A diamond in the rough." The man said as he looked around for anyone around them, but saw no one. "Perhaps you would like to hear the tale? It begins on a dark night..."

~

"Where a dark man waits, with a dark purpose."

A man on his horse waited when another man appeared next to him. The man that just arrived hopped off his horse, the small man was shaggy and had worn down clothes on, he looked up at the man who had royal clothing on with a parrot on his shoulder.

"You are late." The man sneered as his red eyes shone bright from the moon light of the night.

"A thousand apologies, O patient one."

"You have it, then?"

"I had to slit a few throats, but I got it." The man said nonchalantly and held out a golden beetle shaped object. The man on the horse went to grab it with his tan hands, but the other moved it away from him. "Ah-ah-ahh. The treasure."

As the man was distracted the object was swiped by the bird that was on the royal man's shoulder.

"Ow!" The man cried out as the parrot dropped the object in the man's awaiting hand.

"Trust me, my pungent friend. You'll get what's coming to you."

"What's coming to you. Awk!" The parrot repeated, the man took out the other half of the golden beetle and he put the two together making the object glow and sproat wings from it's back. The beetle flew out of his hands and away from them.

"Quickly! Follow the trail." The man shouted and kicked his horse's side making it fly forward, the man behind him stumbled onto his old pony and followed after him. "Faster!"

Suddenly the beetle split in half and curled around a small dune in the sand and stopped as if it had eyes in the dune. The ground below the two shook as the small dune turned into a sand tiger with glowing gold eyes. The wind howled as the two men were knocked down from their horses. The tiger head finished its formation and opened its mouth, the throat of it glowed yellow.

"At last, after all my years of searching, The Cave of Wonders." The man gasped as smoothed out his black hair with red streaks in it.

"Awk! Cave of Wonders."

"By Allah." The small man gasped, making the other grab his collar of his throat.

"Now, remember. Bring me the lamp. The rest of the treasure is yours, but the lamp is mine." The man sneered as he let go of him, who chuckled evilingly and rubbed his hands together.

"Awk, the lamp. Awk, the lamp." The parrot cawed, but whispered in the man's ear. "Jeez, Shiro, where'd you dig this bozo up?"

"Shh."

The small man reached towards the large fangs of the tiger and looked down its throat to see the tongue of it turn into a staircase, he went to step in before being blown back by the tiger's breath.

"Who disturbed my slumber?" The Cave of Wonders spoke.

"It is I, Gazeem, a humble thief." The small man said as he bowed down to it.

"Know this. Only one may enter here, one whose worth lies far within. The diamond in the rough." The Cave of Wonders warned, making the small man look back at Shiro.

"What are you waiting for? Go on."

The small man sighed and made his way inside the mouth and took a step on the one step, noticing nothing happened he did a celebratory dance, but suddenly the jaws snapped shut.

"No!" Shiro yelled as the cave sunk back into the ground.

"Seek thee out the diamond in the rough."

The parrot coughed as they rised from the sand that covered them.

"I can't believe it. I can't believe it." They yelled as they unclogged their ears of sand. "We're never gonna get a hold of that stupid lamp. Just forget it. Look at this. I'm so ticked off that I'm molting."

"Patience, Itsuki. Patience." Shiro calmed them down as they put the two beetle halves back in his hands. "Gazeem was obviously less than worthy."

"Oh, that's a big surprise! I think I'm gonna have a heart attack and die from that surprise. What are we gonna do? We got a big problem here, a big-" Itsuki rambled but Shiro wrapped his hand around their beak before they finished.

"Yes. Only one may enter. I must find this one, this... Diamond in the rough."