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September 16 - October 2, 2024
Evidently she was one of those people who like to cling to a theory once they have made it.
Here Abdullah was somewhat amazed to discover that he, really and truly, did love Flower-in-the-Night just as ardently as he had been telling himself he did—or more, because he now saw he respected her. He
A djinn had stolen Flower-in-the-Night and the carpet had refused to follow.
But it is wonderful what you can do if a party of grim-faced soldiers is quite set on making you do it.
“Women do not count,” said the Sultan. “Therefore, it is impossible to be unfair to them.”
“O most noble of artifacts, you are a sultan among carpets, and I am your miserable slave!” he said shamelessly. The carpet liked this so much that it went even faster.
“And that cloud there,” the soldier said, pointing. “Doesn’t that one look just like a castle?”
“Help me!” he yelled in chorus. “It’s trying to eat me or something!” The cat ignored the genie entirely. It just went on behaving as if there were a most enticing smell in the bottle.
“Pray use both cats as sponges if it pleases you, infatuated infantryman,”
“You bet, do you?” said the soldier. “I never resist a bet. Bet you a gold piece the carpet will be more use than trouble.” “Done,” said Abdullah.
wish for my magic carpet back again.” “Done,” said the genie. “And let that teach you to make silly bets!”
“I think I win the bet,” Abdullah murmured.
His first act, when he came of age, was to steal my life and hide it, thereby making me his slave.”
But when I instructed Dalzel how to hide his own life, I lovingly and rashly told him where my life was hidden. And he instantly took my life into his power, forcing me to do his bidding or die.”
he first ordered me to steal a certain moving castle belonging to a wizard in this land of Ingary
You were, you might say, an outside bet of mine. The prophecy at your birth was highly ambiguous, after all. I confess to selling you that magic carpet almost purely out of amusement—”
Abdullah suspected that most of the soldier’s ill humor had to do with the fact that Princess Valeria was only four years old. The soldier had been thinking of himself as engaged to Princess Valeria. Now, not unnaturally, he was feeling a fool.
“Do you have to flatter it so disgustingly?” “This carpet,” said Abdullah, “unlike you, is of an ensorcellment so pure and excellent that it will listen only to the finest of language. It is at heart a poet among carpets.”
A certain smugness spread through the pile of the carpet. It held its tattered edges proudly straight and sailed sweetly forward into the golden sunlight above the mist.
“By the way,” said the soldier, “I owe you a gold piece.” “You do?” said Abdullah. “Then this is the most surprising news I have had since Flower-in-the-Night told me I was a woman!”
“I’m the wizard’s wife, Lettie Suliman,” this young woman said. “What did you come about?”
“Midnight!” Abdullah said crossly, staggering forward. “Sophie!” screamed Lettie, staggering backward with the cat in her arms. “Oh, Sophie, I’ve been worried sick! Manfred, get Ben at once. I don’t care what he’s doing. This is urgent!”
“It feels so odd without a tail!”
“The poor blessed soldier, you mean,” said Sophie. “Morgan’s furious. He’s never been anything but a kitten, and kittens can do so much more than babies can. He’s angry because he can’t walk. Ben, do you think you can—”
It was time for a strong-minded woman to take charge. Abdullah was quite glad that Sophie was one.
it was quite hard to make out anything below. “I see now that the soldier agreed I had won that bet in order to convince me of his honesty,” Abdullah said ruefully. “I think he always meant to steal the genie and probably the carpet, too.”
“He’s the best wizard in Ingary or anywhere else. If he’d only had time, he would have defeated that djinn. And he’s sly and selfish and vain as a peacock and cowardly, and you can’t pin him down to anything.”
“Don’t you dare try to stop us!” Sophie said to it. “We’re only coming to get my baby.” The huge eyes blinked. Evidently the angel was not used to being spoken to so sharply.
“This is not the way a garden should be, even if we disregard the confusing changes,” he said angrily. “A garden should be natural-seeming, with wild sections, including a large area of bluebells.” “Quite right,” said Sophie. “Look at that fountain now! What a way to treat a bathroom!”
Howl seemed more used to holding babies than Sophie was. He rocked Morgan soothingly and stared at him. Morgan stared, rather balefully, back. “My word, he’s ugly!” Howl said. “Chip off the old block.”
