Disney's Aladdin:
Hot Spell
(This comes after The Bride of Mozenrath)
Story by Jill D. Weber
Heroes copyrighted by Walt Disney Corp.
Villains copyrighted by Jill Weber 

     Being a rug isn't easy. People walk all over you, it's your 
lot in life. It helps if you can fly, but there are times when 
even the most ardent aviator prefers solid ground. Like when it's 
a hundred degrees Fahrenheit in the shade and the only breeze 
comes from the displaced air of somebody keeling over with heat 
prostration. 

     It was a perfect day to find some shade, preferably on the 
nice cool lawn, and have a midday nap. Unfortunately, the gardener 
was in a cranky mood and chased Carpet away. "Begone!" shouted the 
normally sweet tempered Kardal. "I'm having a hard enough time 
keeping my garden alive without some rug lying around and killing 
the grass!"

     It was unfair, of course, Carpet was in the shade and was 
hardly likely to stay long enough to kill the grass. However, 
there was no arguing with the gardener, even if Carpet had 
possessed a voice. So he moved on to the palace. Surely there 
would be someplace cool inside! 

     It turned out that there were plenty of cool places inside. 
Most of which were occupied by people who were too busy to notice 
that one of the carpets underfoot would rather not be walked on. 
The few places that weren't occupied by busy people were peopled 
by occupants busy seeking privacy.

     If a rug could sigh, this one would have. He finally located 
a very out of the way gazebo. The gazebo could have used a 
thorough cleaning, but it was quiet, relatively cool, and nobody 
would notice one more carpet on the pile of rugs and cushions that 
littered the floor. 

     Certainly, the conspirators didn't notice the Magic Carpet 
among the land bound Persian rugs. Carpet was hard pressed to 
remain limp as the conspirators, who turned out to have had as 
difficult a time finding privacy as Carpet had, discussed their 
plans to assassinate the Sultan.
 
     "The fat fool will finish the destruction that snake, Jafar, 
began, Ara," grumbled the man, whom Carpet recognized as one of 
the Sultan's courtiers. 

     "We will be better off under Saddam Kadafi's rule, Sarsour," 
Ara agreed. "I am ready, no one will recognize me in my holy woman 
outfit. You merely have to get me close enough to the Sultan. 
Remember to approach him when he is alone."

     "I'm not stupid," he snarled. "Just be sure you are always 
ready. The Sultan isn't alone very often."

     Carpet waited until they were long gone before shooting out 
of the gazebo like his hem was on fire. He had to warn the Sultan, 
but how?

     Carpet found the Sultan in the rooms that Aladdin used when 
he was staying as a guest. Carpet swooped in the window to find 
that Aladdin wasn't a guest today. He was a patient. Carpet stood 
upright, his tassels going to his upper hem in surprise. 

     It was miserable weather to have a fever, and Aladdin looked 
miserable. He was flushed and his usually poofy hair was plastered 
down with sweat. Princess Jasmine was seated by Aladdin's bed 
fanning him with her peacock fan. Abu was on the other side of his 
bed, also fanning him, but with a less expensive fan. The Sultan 
and the Royal Physician were standing at the foot of his bed. 
Genie was hovering nearby, trying to look unworried.

     "Sand fever is nothing to be unduly alarmed about, Princess, 
Genie," Dr. Latif al Bishir said reassuringly. "If we can keep the 
patients cool and quiet, they recover swiftly." He gestured to the 
window. "Although in this heat wave, keeping the patients cool is 
a challenge." He glared at Aladdin. "Keeping *you* quiet is an 
even bigger challenge."

     Aladdin smiled dryly. "I'm not going anywhere, Doc," he 
assured the doctor.

     Carpet forced himself to remember his mission. He went to the 
Sultan and plucked at his sleeve. "Eh, no, Carpet, there isn't 
anything to worry about. I don't think you could do anything, 
anyway."

     "But there is a lot *I* can do!" proclaimed Genie grandly. 
There was a puff of ice crystals that sparkled in the afternoon 
sun. Genie transformed himself into a caped and masked 'superhero' 
with an snowflake on his chest. "Have no fear! The iceman cometh!" 
A wave of his hand and the room was filled with buckets of ice. 
Carpet dodged the ice and puffed out like a sail, doing his best 
to imitate the Sultan. 

     "You're right, Carpet, we need a nice, cool wind," the Sultan 
said. "Aladdin isn't the only victim of this sand fever."

     "I bet I could talk Thundra into sending a cool breeze," 
volunteered Iago. It was rare that Iago volunteered for anything. 
However, a chance to see his sweetheart, the mystical rainbird who 
could control the weather, brought out the best in him. Besides, 
he figured it *had* to be cooler in Thundra's valley, even if it 
was a rain forest.

     "Good thought, Iago," Genie said approvingly. A snap of his 
fingers produced a large crossbow.

     "NO!" Iago yelled, too late. 

     Genie grabbed the parrot and suddenly Iago was tied to a 
large crossbow bolt. "Give my regards to the trees!" Genie said 
cheerfully. He aimed and shot Iago out of the window. The bolt 
disappeared in the direction of Thundra's rain forest to the sound 
of Iago's heated curses.

     Meanwhile, Carpet was frantically trying to get *somebody's* 
attention. Aladdin, the only one not focused on his illness, was 
the first to notice. "Carpet's trying to tell us something," he 
said.

     "What is it, Carpy?" Genie asked with concern. "Did little 
Timmy fall down the well again?"

     Carpet pointed at the Sultan. Then held up his tassel split 
in two. Then he folded himself into something roughly like an 
arrow and aimed it at the Sultan.

     The Sultan sighed. "I'm afraid I'm not good at charades," he 
said. "Two? To? Too? Too what?"

     "Too hot," was Genie's opinion.
 
     "It is much too hot," agreed Dr. Latif. "I have a lot of 
other patients suffering from the heat. I'd best go attend to 
them," He picked up two buckets of ice. "And these will help. If 
you will excuse me." 

     Carpet pointed at the Sultan again, then made throat cutting 
motions against his upper hem.

     "Sounds like 'cut'?" Genie said. "Cutting what?" Carpet made 
negative motions. "Cutting a rug? This is no time for a party!" 
Carpet made more negative motions, then the throat cutting motion 
again and pointed at the Sultan.

     Aladdin tried to prop himself up on his elbow to see what 
Carpet was doing, but a wave of dizziness forced him to lie down 
again.

     The Sultan's eyes narrowed, then he started guessing aloud. 
"Cut-and-dried? Cut back? Cut down to size?" Carpet danced in 
frustration. He tapped the Sultan on the chest, then made as if to 
choke him. Then he made cutting motions again.

     Genie spoke up. "Cutting one's losses, cutting corners, 
cutting loose, cutting the mustard, tailoring the Sultan's suit..."

     Carpet threw his tassels up, then held them out to Aladdin 
and Jasmine. However, Aladdin's eyes were closed and Princess 
Jasmine's attention was focused making cold compresses from 
Genie's ice.

     "Cutting the ice!" the Sultan said triumphantly.

     "Rug Man, you are a GENIUS!" Genie said, throwing his arms 
around the frenzied Carpet. "I'll fly up to the frozen north and 
bring us back an iceberg! *That* ought to help with this heat!!" 
He was halfway out the window by the time he finished his sentence 
and was gone by the time Carpet reached the window.

     "Come along, Carpet," the Sultan said. "Aladdin needs to 
rest." He towed the despairing Carpet out the door. "Not to worry, 
I know exactly what to do," the Sultan said. "But this is no time 
to distress Aladdin and Jasmine."

*** Later ***

     The Sultan made sure that the ice that Genie brought back 
from the frozen north was distributed across the city. This kept 
the royal guards busy... and out of the palace. The Sultan found 
himself alone much of the time. 

     He was not surprised that Jasmine spent a lot of her time 
nursing Aladdin. Nor was he surprised when one of his courtiers 
approached him in his comfortably appointed library.

     "Ah, Sarsour," the Sultan greeted him from behind his desk. 
"It's good to see you." He looked curiously at the heavily veiled 
woman with courtier. "And this is?"

     "This is Fatima, a holy woman with healing powers," Sarsour 
said. "She says she knows a cure for Aladdin's fever."

     "Indeed?" The Sultan inclined his head. "I will be most 
grateful if you do know. Aladdin isn't the only one who is 
suffering from this annoying disease."

     "I have knowledge of many secrets," the wise woman rasped. "I 
can tell you of the future. I can tell you the time and cause of 
your death."

     The Sultan could barely hear her, so he moved his even 
bulkier than normal form around the desk to hear her better. "Ehh...
I'm not interested in the secrets of the future or news of my 
death," he said, leaning toward her.

     "But you should be, for your death is...  HERE!" 'Fatima' threw 
back her veils, revealing a long dagger. She thrust it towards the 
Sultan's heart.

     The dagger skidded off the Sultan's armor. The Sultan grabbed 
her arm. "I've been expecting you, assassin," he said cooly before 
knocking her unconscious. 

     He could have added that he'd been expecting them since he 
figured out what Carpet had been trying to say in Aladdin's 
sickroom. However, there didn't seem to be much point.

     Sarsour made a break for the door, only to again overlook one 
carpet among many. Carpet was in no mood to be polite. When the 
assassin stepped on him, he slammed him against the ceiling with 
enough force to knock him cold. 

     "Whew, I'm glad that's over," the Sultan said. "You are sure 
that there were only two 'cutthroats'?" he summoned his guards and 
sat down. Wearing armor in this heat was very uncomfortable.

     Carpet shrugged, then held up the tassel split in to, then 
made a motion as if cupping a hand to his ear.

     "Two were all you heard?" Carpet 'nodded'. "Well, then, I 
think that it will be safe enough to discard the armor, for now," 
the Sultan scowled as the guards took the unconscious assassins 
away. "But I hope Aladdin is on his feet soon. I have a feeling 
that things are going to heat up very fast."