A Stranger in the Marketplace
Adapted from Disney's Aladdin
by Sedeara
 

         My mouth watered as sticky melon juices ran down my fingers.
Today's breakfast had been pleasantly easy to acquire, and I looked forward
to the sweet fruit.
         I glanced up to see the bustling crowds.  I had a good view from my
perch atop the fruit-seller's awning.
         The people were going about their ordinary business, buying and
selling and entertaining themselves.  I recognized most of them.  All but one . . .
         I didn't see her face until she jumped away from a fire-breather,
obviously startled.  "I'm really very sorry," she apologized.
         Something about her made me feel strange . . . in a good way.  I guess
it was because I'd never seen anyone like her.  Her voice . . . as if she'd
always know just what to say.  Her smile . . . the kind that could make
someone do crazy things just to see it.  Her eyes . . . brown, sparkling,
hypnotizing . . .
         I found myself leaning forward, wanting to better hear her voice . . . to
more closely see her face . . . Why was I so thoroughly enchanted by this
woman?
         She stopped next to the stand I was sitting on.  She casually picked up
an apple and handed it to a small poor boy who'd been staring longingly at the
fruit.  "You must be hungry," she said, smiling.
         She's kind-hearted too . . .
         The little boy grinned and scampered off, clutching the apple to his
chest.
         "You'd better be able to pay for that!" growled the fruit-seller.
         "Pay?" she repeated.  She sounded as if she didn't know the meaning of
the word.  Maybe because she was like me . . . As if to confirm the thought,
she nervously explained:   "I'm sorry sir.    I-I don't have any money . . ."
         "Thief!" he bellowed.
         The girl's face flooded with a mixture of panic and fear, letting me
know she was new to the marketplace and its dangers.  She shouldn't have
been there alone . . .
         "Please . . . If you let me go to the palace, I can get some from the
Sultan!" she said frantically.
         "Do you know what the penalty is for stealing?" he yelled, ignoring her
previous remark.  He drew out a sword, raised it in the air.
         "No!  No, please!" she cried.
         The girl was inexperienced and terrified.  She didn't deserved to be
punished for that one apple.  Without thinking, I jumped off the awning,
landing between the girl and the merchant.
         Planning quickly, I shook the man's hand.  "Thank you, kind sir.  I'm so
glad you found her!"
         I whirled to face the girl.  "I've been looking all over for you!" I
scolded, shaking my finger at her.
         "What are you doing?" she whispered.
         "Just play along," I answered quickly.  I put my hands on her arms and
gently pushed her away from the merchant.
         The fruit-seller stared at me.  "You know this girl?"
         "Sadly, yes," I replied.  "She is my sister."  I glanced back at her, then
leaned toward the merchant.  "She's a little crazy," I whispered.
         He grabbed me by my vest and swung me around.  "She said she knew
the Sultan!" he roared.
         I laughed, prying his large fingers off my vest.  "She thinks the monkey
is the Sultan!"
         She caught on quickly.  As soon as I'd said it, she was on her knees
before Abu.  "Oh, wise Sultan, how may I serve you?"
         Abu stood up proudly and pretended to give her orders while bubbles
of laughter rippled across the surrounding crowd.
         I shrugged.  "But, no harm done!"  I tossed the vendor an apple from
his own cart.  Turning back to the girl, I leaned close to her, helping her up
from her kneeling position.  "Come along, Sis, time to go see the doctor!"
         Looking dazed, she stopped before a camel.  "Oh, hello, Doctor.  How
are you?"
         I wanted to laugh, but I didn't let myself.  "No, no, not that one!"  I told
her.  Looking over my shoulder, I called to Abu,  "Come on, Sultan!"
         He bowed deeply to the crowd, and piles of hidden jewels tumbled
from his vest.  Screeching in alarm, he gathered up what he could.  I had
already taken the girl's hand and was pulling her through the crowds.  Abu
hurriedly caught up with us.
         "Come back here, you little thieves!" cried the merchant.  I heard the
girl laugh.  She glanced over at me, and we smiled at each other.  I knew she
wasn't used to this, and it thrilled her.  I was used to it, and somehow it
managed to thrill me as well.
         When we were a safe distance away, we slowed down to catch our
breath.  Then I began leading her to my home.  The fastest and easiest way to
get there was by roof-hopping.  I reached the top of the first building and
turned around to assist her in getting over the high ledge.
         "Almost there . . ." I said, grabbing her hand and pulling her up.  Soon
she was standing on the ledge.  I let go of her hand.
         I did it too quickly; she lost her balance and swayed.  Instinctively, I
extended my arms to catch her, although I wasn't really expecting her to fall.
         She did.  Before I had time to realize it, she was in my arms, her face
pressed against my chest.  I looked down at her, and placed my hands on her
arms to pull her up to a standing position.
         As she was straightening up, her eyes locked with mine.  I froze.  My
hands didn't move off her arms, even though she was steady.  I didn't want to
let her go . . . I liked the feeling of her being so close to me . . .
         I shook my head.  This was crazy . . . It wasn't like I'd never seen a
pretty girl before . . .
         Yet . . .
         My hands slipped off her arms.  I turned away from her and walked
across the roof.
         "I-I'd like to thank you for stopping that man," she said, breaking the
silence.
         "Uh . . . forget it."  I grabbed a pole and flung myself across the space
between two buildings.  After landing safely on the other roof, I said, "So,
this is your first time in the marketplace, huh?"  I picked up a long board,
meaning to use it as a bridge between the buildings.
         She put her hands on her hips and smiled.  "Is it that obvious?"
 I leaned against the upright board.  "Well, you do kind-of stand out . . ."
         My face heated.  I couldn't believe I had said that!  Feeling stupid, I tried
to recover.  "I mean, you don't seem to know how dangerous Agrabah can
be!"
         I let the long board fall across the space, and I straightened it so she
could walk across.
         Before I knew it, a blur of tan flew past me.  I turned my head just in
time to see the girl land safely on the roof beside me.  She'd used a pole just
as I had!
         "I'm a fast learner," she explained with a laugh as she tossed me the
long, thin pole.
         I stared at her in amazement.  Her first time in the market-place?  It had
seemed to take me forever to learn to spring across correctly.
 I turned to Abu and smiled.  His mouth was hanging open in disbelief.
         Trying not to show my amazement, I stepped forward and took her
hand in mine.  "Come on, this way."  She followed me to my small, run-down
home and began to slowly climb the steps, ducking as I warned her of the
broken rafters and hanging shreds of curtains.
         On the last step, I turned towards her and pulled her into the house.
 She looked around the small space.  "Is this where you live?"
         "Yep.  Just me and Abu . . . we come and go as we please."
 "That sounds fabulous!"
         I shrugged.  "It's not much," I admitted.  "But it has a great view!"  I
jumped forward and pulled aside a dingy curtain, revealing a large window
and the scene it displayed of the magnificent palace, its golden domes
flashing in the rising sun.
         "Wow, the palace looks pretty amazing, huh?"  I asked, putting my
thoughts into words.
         "Oh, it's wonderful."
         I leaned against the window-ledge.  "I wonder what it would be like to
live there,"  I said dreamily.  "And have servants and valets . . ."
         "Sure, people who tell you where to go and how to dress."
         Even though she rolled her eyes and seemed disgusted with the idea, I
didn't think it sounded bad at all.  Snatching an apple from Abu's stolen pile I
said, "That's better than here, always scraping for food and ducking the
guards."
         "You're not free to make your own choices!"
         "Sometimes you feel so . . ."
         "You're just . . ."
         "Trapped!"  I turned to the girl, who had just finished her sentence with
the same word.  I smiled at her understanding, and once again my eyes met
hers.  She returned the smile.
         "So, where are you from?"  I tossed her an apple and grinned.
         "What does it matter?"  she asked.  "I ran away, and I am not going
back!"
         I stopped eating, wondering what could have made her want to leave
where she came from.  "Really?  How come?"
         When she looked up at me, an statement of mixed frustration and
sadness replaced the smile that had been so recently on her face.  "My father
is forcing me to get married."
         "Gee, that's . . ."  It didn't make sense to me, but all I could wonder
was if her husband had been chosen already, if she belonged to another man
. . . I don't know why it bothered me.  But it did.  A lot.  "That's awful," I
finished.
         Suddenly my eye caught Abu's small figure scampering behind the girl,
and very carefully and slowly, he stretched out his tiny fingers for the apple
she hadn't begun to eat.
         "Abu!"  I scolded, and he ran back to my side, chattering angrily to
himself.
         "What?"  The girl asked, leaning forward to get a look at Abu's
scowling face.
         "Abu says . . . that's not fair,"  I said, remembering our conversation.
         "Oh did he?"  She smiled to herself.  "And does Abu have anything else
to say?"
         "Well . . ."  I used the opportunity to move closer until our arms were
touching.  "He wishes there was something we could do to help."
         "Hmmm . . ."  She glanced at me out of the corner of her eye.  "Tell
him that's very . . ."  Her face turned toward mine.  "Sweet . . ."
         Our faces were very close now, and our eyes were locked, but this time
neither one of us lowered our gaze or spoke to break the silence.  I didn't
want to . . . she wasn't going to . . .
         This new feeling was making me dizzy, and as if magnetized, my face
continued to move toward hers, until we were near enough to kiss.  My eyes
began to close.
         I didn't realize it at the time--in fact, at that moment I didn't notice
much of anything except her--but my life would be forever changed because I
had met that stranger in the marketplace.

The End

You can e-mail Sedeara at: the_real_sedeara@yahoo.com .  I'd love to hear
from you! : )