“Ed is hungry,” Ed announced for the tenth time in the morning. The bounty hunters at Bebop weren’t doing very well. They hadn’t caught one single person for days, which meant there wasn’t any bounty for them. And no bounty usually meant no food.
“Ed is…” Ed started again, but Faye stopped her. “We know you are hungry Ed, we are all hungry. But there’s no food, so zip it,” she snapped. The lack of food was making her touchy. Ein was whining from time to time. “Shut up, Ein!” Faye shouted at the dog.
Spike was sitting in the lounge area of their spaceship and smoking, just to get his mind off from the thought of food. He decided to go see Jet at the cockpit.
“How are the girls?” Jet asked as he took a cigarette from Spike. “Hungry,” Spike replied in a tired voice. “Where are we going?” he asked. “Earth,” Jet replied. “What?!” Spike exclaimed, “Why there?” “Because that’s the closest planet from our present location. It’s not like we have a choice Spike,” Jet replied. He accelerated the ship. It zoomed across the space towards Earth.
The spaceship landed on a desert. Everyone came down from the ship. “We are in the middle of the desert Jet, where can we find food!” Faye shouted. Suddenly Ein started to bark. Ed looked around and saw a figure walking. ”Look!” she told her companions. They all turned around and saw the figure. “Maybe we can get some food from him,” Faye said, “let’s follow him.” “Surprisingly, I agree with you.” Spike said. They both started to follow him before Jet could stop them. Groaning, Jet started to follow them, followed by Ed and Ein.
The little group walked through the desert. Some moments later, they saw the figure was going towards a big city surrounded by a high wall. Over the walls, they could see a castle with three gold domes standing on three white pillars. Spike whistled. “Wow!” Faye said softly. “Looks like a grand city,” Jet commented. “Does it have food? Ed is hungry.” Ed said. “Let’s go and see for ourselves,” said Jet.
They entered the city through the large gates and soon found themselves in the middle of a busy marketplace. “Ok, everyone,” Jet said, “Let’s look around for some food.” They all decided to go to different parts of the market.
Ed walked through the market, occasionally bumping into someone. Ein followed her closely. “Foody Foody Food, do you have food? Yes you do, no you do,” Ed sang as she walked. She saw some apples and grabbed one. “Hey!” the shopkeeper grabbed Ed’s hand,” you need to pay for that.” “But Ed doesn’t have any money,” Ed replied innocently. The shopkeeper became very angry. He shouted,”Guards! I’ve caught a thief!” Ed became scared when she saw the guards clad in black coming towards her, because each of them had a sword. The shopkeeper loosened his grip. Just at that moment, some one yanked Ed from the shop and started to run away from the place. Ein followed as fast as his little legs could carry him.
Soon they lost the guards. They stopped to catch breathe, and Ed looked at the person who saved her. It was a young man with black hair. “You must be really hungry,” he said in a kind voice, “here, eat this.” He gave Ed a piece of bread. She grabbed it and broke it into two pieces. Then, giving one to Ein, she started to eat the other. “My name is Aladdin. And this is Abu,” he said, pointing to a small monkey who was sitting on his shoulder. “What’s your name?” he asked. “My name is Edward Wong Hau Pepelu Tivrusky The 4th, and this is Ein,” Ed replied. “O-kay,” Aladdin said, apparently thinking she was half mad. “Where are your parents?” he asked. “No parents. Ed lives with Spike person, Jet person and Faye-Faye!” Ed replied cheerfully. “What?!” said Alladin, bewildered, “who are they?” “They are ‘they’!” Ed pointed excitedly. Aladdin turned around and saw three people standing. They were Spike, Faye and Jet, all looking for Ed and Ein. Ed ran towards them. “Ed, where were you?” Jet asked, “We’ve been looking all over for you.” “Kind man with monkey gave Ed and Ein food,” Ed said happily. “Kind man?” all three of them asked together. Then Ed introduced Aladdin and Abu to them. “Thanks for finding her,” Jet said. “That’s a girl!” Aladdin exclaimed. Ed laughed. “Um…could you give us some food as well? Faye asked timidly, “we haven’t had anything to eat lately.” Aladdin laughed. “Come with me,” he said. He took them to his home. Through a big hole in the wall, the castle could be seen. “What is this place?” Jet asked. “It’s my home,” replied Aladdin. “No, I meant, what is the name of this city?” Jet asked. “Oh, this city is called Agrabah,” Aladdin answered.
Aladdin gave them the little food he had. While eating, Faye noticed Aladdin was looking sad. “I hope we haven’t disturbed you in any way,” she said. “Oh no, it’s nothing,” said Aladdin with a quick smile. “C’mon man, you saved our lives by giving us food,” said Spike, “at least we could hear your problems.” Aladdin looked at them. They seem rough on the outside, but he could sense the sincerity in them. So he told them that the princess Jasmine, daughter of the Sultan who ruled Agrabah, had been missing for three days. The Sultan has offered a handsome reward to anyone who can find her. “Reward?!” Spike, Jet and Faye shouted together. “Meaow?” Ed said from behind. “Yes,” replied Aladdin, “can you find her?” he asked hopefully. “Well, we’ll try,” Jet replied.
The bounty hunters jumped into action. They split up and went different directions to cover more space and get more information soon. They asked everyone at the bazaar about the lost princess. But they couldn’t find any helpful information. When they were all together again Aladdin asked them hopefully if they have found her. But he was disappointed when they said they hadn’t.
While they were talking, Spike noticed a peddler whom he hadn’t seen before. “Hey, have you seen this guy in the bazaar?” he asked the others. The others hadn’t seen him as well. Spike went up to him. “Hey you,” he said, “I need to know something.” The peddler’s face lit up. “Well, a customer! How can I help you?” he asked. “We are looking for Princess Jasmine, have you seen her anywhere around?” Spike asked. “I might have,” the peddler said with an oily grin, “then again, I might have not.” “Which is it?” Faye asked impatiently. “You want information,” the peddler replied, “you pay for it!”
Suddenly, Jet had an idea. He told the peddler, “You know, Jasmine’s a princess. If you help us find her, I’m sure she’ll reward you.” Hearing about the reward, the peddler got greedy. “Okay, I’ll tell you what I know,” He said. Then he began his story. He told them that on his way to Agrabah, he saw what he thought to be two people on horses riding through the desert. After asking him which went they went, Jet said they should check it out. “I’m coming with you,” Aladdin said. “It could be dangerous,” Spike said. “I don’t care,” he replied, “Besides, I know the desert better than you.”
“Um, there’s a tiny thing all of you are overlooking,” Faye said, “how are we suppose to go there?” “Oh! Don’t worry about that,”Aladdin said, “my Magic Carpet will gat us there in any time “Magic what!” All of them cried in unison. Aladdin laughed. He called out to his friend. Then they saw it. A purple carpet with golden borders came zooming towards them. He did a loop in the air before settling down beside Aladdin. Abu was already sitting on him. “Well, what are we waiting for,” Aladdin said, “let’s go!”
Before they started for their journey, the bounty hunters stopped at Bebop. They took out the necessary items needed to catch the kidnapper. Aladdin was amazed after seeing their ship. He couldn’t believe something so big could actually fly like Carpet.
Then they took off on Carpet. It was a wonderful experience. Flying wasn’t new to them. But they had to stay inside their ship and control it. Flying on a carpet with no walls around them and feeling the wind through their hair was totally new to them. Ed was whooping in joy. She was so happy!
Spike was looking around as far as his eyes can see. Suddenly he saw something dark against the horizon. “What’s that?” he said, pointing at the object. “Oh no!” Aladdin exclaimed, “Please, not there, anywhere but there!” “Why?” Jet asked, “what is that place?” “It’s called the Cave of Wonders,” said Aladdin, “that cave is full of riches. But if someone touches anything, the cave will collapse.” Faye was heartbroken to hear this news. “How do you know so much about that cave?” Spike asked. “I’ve been there before,” Aladdin replied. Carpet zoomed down towards the entrance. They all got down. No one was nearby. They entered the cave cautiously. Aladdin led the way.
The cave was full to the brim with gold, jewels and all kinds of riches. Faye’s hands were itching to take some. “Remember Faye,” Spike told her with a sly grin, “no touching.” “I know,” Faye snapped back. So close to all these riches, and still not able to take it! Aladdin smiled at this, then he remembered Abu. He whispered to his pet monkey, “You remember the last time you touched something in this cave, don’t you?” Apparently, Abu didn’t need to be reminded. He was holding Aladdin strongly.
Suddenly Ein growled. They could see a light up ahead through an opening. “Shh!” Ed told him. They peered through the opening. Inside they could see a man. He was holding a rope. On the other end of the rope, bound by the hands was Jasmine! The man let go of his end of the rope and tied Jasmine lags with. Then he moved towards an alter. On that alter was a black lamp. “How did that get here?” Aladdin exclaimed in a low voice. “It’s just a lamp,” Jet said, “it can’t be dangerous. Right?” “You don’t know how dangerous,” Aladdin replied, “I’ll explain later. But we’ve to stop him from getting the lamp.” They hurried inside. “Stop!” Aladdin shouted towards the man. “You’re too late!” he sneered. Then he took the lamp and rubbed it. “No!” Aladdin and Jasmine both shouted together. The ground began to shake. Red smoke began to erupt from the lamp and engulf the whole chamber. Then it whirled out of the cave.
The bounty hunters were awestruck. They didn’t know how to react to these unknown circumstances. The man, taking this chance, brandished a sword and dashed towards Spike. But Spike moved out of his way at the last second, and then hit him on his back. The man fell down on the floor. Spike was about to hit him again when the ground shook, more violently than before. The man, seeing his chance, fled the scene.
They freed Jasmine and then all of them came out of the cave. Outside, they saw a huge red cloud gathering over Agrabah. A red creature could be seen in the midst of it. Abu and Ein were shaking in fear. Seeing them, Carpet flew out from behind the stone where it was hiding. Faye rounded up Aladdin. “We need answers, and fast,” she said sharply, “what’s going on?”
Aladdin slumped down his shoulders. Jasmine comforted him. “Don’t be so harsh on him,” she said gently, “it’s not his fault.” Then she told whole story. She told them about her father’s vizier, Jafar, wanted to rule this city very badly. He told Aladdin to get a certain magic lamp from this cave and bring it to him. When Aladdin refused to give him the lamp, he trapped him in the cave. It was in this cave that Aladdin found Carpet. When he rubbed the lamp, a Genie came out, who granted him three wishes. He is very powerful. Aladdin promised him his freedom instead of his third wish. But Jafar stole the lamp from Aladdin. He wished to be turned into a genie, so he’ll be the most powerful. But being a genie also meant that he had to stay inside a lamp. “So, that lamp held Jafar the Genie?” Faye asked. “Yes,” replied Jasmine. “I’m so sorry. I never meant any of you to get into such big trouble,” Aladdin said sadly. “Um…where is the other genie?” Spike asked. “I freed him,” Aladdin said. “So, there’s no way he can help us now,” Jet said.
“Who says I can’t help you?” a jolly voice said from somewhere above their heads. They all looked up. There were screams, of joy, surprise and shock. Above their heads, was a huge blue being, with a happy face, a small beard and wearing gold earrings. Aladdin, Jasmine, Abu and Carpet gathered around him. “I’m so happy you’re here, Genie!” Aladdin said. “Got into trouble again, huh? You always seem to be getting into trouble without me. So, what’s the plan, Al? What do you wanna do?” Genie talked very fast. On the other side, the bounty hunters could only stare.
Then Genie noticed them. “Eh, who are they Al?” Aladdin introduced them to Genie. Suddenly Ein started to bark madly. They looked up to see a big block of stone heading towards them. They moved away from it just in time. The stone crashed at the place where they were standing. Spike asked Aladdin how they can stop Jafar. Genie told them that the only way to stop him was to get him back inside his lamp. The ground shook as another building collapsed in the city. “The lamp is inside the cave,” Faye said. “I can get it ” Ed volunteered. “I’ll go with him,” Jasmine said. “Ok,” Jet said, “the rest of us will keep him busy.” “Oh, Jasmine,” Faye said, “Ed’s a girl.” Then she left with the others. “What?!” Jasmine couldn’t hide her surprise. She looked at Ed, who was smiling. “Come on,” she said cheerfully, “let’s get that lamp and save the world from bad Jafar!” She ran inside the cave, with Jasmine and Ein following behind.
The rest of them got on Carpet. While they were flying towards the city, Jet looked down and saw his ship. He had almost forgotten about it. “We need to stop there,” he told Aladdin, pointing to his ship. Carpet flew down. “What’s that?” Genie asked. Aladdin explained. “You mean to tell me that heavy thing can actually fly?!” He exclaimed. “Is it really so hard to believe?” Jet asked, clearly irritated. “Don’t say anything bad about his ship, he gets unhappy,” Faye whispered to Genie.
Spike and Faye got inside. “I think you should go and get the girls and the lamp from the cave,” Jet told Aladdin. “You think you can handle him?” Aladdin asked. “Sure,” Jet replied. “I’ll let Genie stay with you, just in case,” said Aladdin. Then, leaving Genie with the bounty hunters, he left for the cave on Carpet.
Spike and Faye got into their respective ships. Jet got inside and opened the hatch for them. Then Spike’s Swordfish and Faye’s Red tail took off. “Wow!” said Genie. Then he also flew after them. Jet started the engines of Bebop. Pretty soon, it was up on air.
Spike and Faye flew their ships towards Jafar. Genie flew straight at him from the other side. Seeing them, Jafar started to throw huge rocks and broken buildings at them. Spike and Faye maneuvered their ships smartly through them. Using his powers, Genie turned them into dust. Spike fired lasers from his ships, while Faye fired rockets. Genie created a sandstorm and hurled it towards Jafar. Jafar cried in anguish and pain. All his wounds were only making him angrier. With a swipe of his hand, he created a bigger sandstorm. It engulfed the three of them. Jet’s voice broke out through the radio. “Spike, Faye,” he said, “get out of that sandstorm! It’s moving you closer to Jafar.” “We’re trying,” Spike said. “It’s no use,” Faye shouted over the radio, “I can’t hold much longer!”
“Hey Jafar!” Jasmine shouted. Distracted, Jafar turned around. Due to his distraction, the sandstorm stopped. Seizing their chance, Spike, Faye and Genie flew away to safety. “It’s time you got back into your lamp. You’ve caused enough trouble for today,” Aladdin said. Ed held out the lamp. “No!” Jafar shouted. Slowly he turned into smoke and got back inside his lamp. Ed gave the lamp back to Aladdin.
Spike and Faye landed their planes on Bebop. Then they got out of their ships. “Now what?” Spike asked. “Well,” Jasmine said, taking the lamp from Aladdin, “I’ll have it locked up at the castle.” Then she turned to the bounty hunters. “Thank you for saving me and this city,” she said. Aladdin also thanked them for helping him. Then Jasmine took them to her castle. Her father, the Sultan, was very happy to see her daughter back home safely. He rewarded the bounty hunters handsomely.
Then came the time to leave Agrabah. Spike, Faye and Jet said goodbye to Aladdin, Jasmine and Genie. Ed hugged all of them. Ein and Abu exchanged farewells in their own language. Carpet just flew around them, as if saying farewell. Then they boarded their ship. “Goodbye kind man with monkey!” Ed yelled as the door closed. Aladdin laughed. Then the engines roared to life and the ship flew away with a blast, as Aladdin and his friends looked on.
Arabian Tales Rewritten
End