Disclaimer: Disney's Gargoyles and Aladdin are not mine. Additional characters belong to Scott Mercure and Ryan Stout. Thanks for letting me use your characters.
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The summer nights were pleasant, but not like it would be in Agrabah. It was warmer back home. Nevertheless, I enjoyed the slightly cooler summers here in Manhattan. I wondered if Aladdin liked it here. Gazing across the city from the battlements, I looked at Athens Headquarters. Sometimes, I still felt hurt that Aladdin chose to live at Athens instead at Castle Wyvern with me. But, he made his choice. He told me that he was attached to Gemini, though I think he’s in love with her. Just as I’m in love with Brooklyn.
I continued to gaze at Athens, content to do just that for the rest of the night, but soon I was looking down at the humans walking below. Gliding down to watch them better, I recognized a few of them from the NYPD force. Like Morgan, for example. He didn’t see me nor did any of the other humans. Alighting on a building, I watched the bustling activity. This was something I never saw in Agrabah: All this bustling, all this noise! It was rather exciting. Regular surging energy as well as interestingly dressed people. People in business suits, women in stunning evening dresses, other humans dressed in jeans and different types of tops and there was a man wearing a blue cloak with a fitted hood…
Wait a minute. Since when do people in Manhattan wear cloaks like that, if any at all? Launching myself off the rooftop, I followed the man, who looked familiar. Except I never saw him before. Had I caught a glimpse of him on TV? I kept following the human, in hopes of his face.
The human stepped into the light of a lamppost outside Athens and brought out a piece of paper. He looked at it for a moment, then looked up. In the light of the post, I could see his face clearly and I recognized it from the new Disney movie Aladdin and the King of Thieves: It was Cassim!
‘What is he doing here?’ I wondered. ‘Is he…looking for Aladdin!?!’ I watched as Aladdin’s father put the paper back in the folds of his cloak and walk toward Athens’ double front doors. I began to panic. He was looking for his son. I had to warn Aladdin.
I glided through the open window of the gargoyles’ floor. Gemini, Cassandra, Eric, Lazarus, and Orpheus were there, but I hardly noticed them. Looking around the room frantically, I spotted the gargoyle I was seeking. Rushing over to him, I said, “Aladdin, I saw your father walk into Athens!”
“You mean Cassim?” Obviously, he had seen the movie, too.
“Yes!”
Aladdin switched on the monitor and pushed some buttons until the lobby appeared on the screen. Cassim was in front of the receptionist, his hood pushed back, clearly showing his face.
“You’re right. It is him.”
Aladdin pushed another button and sound was added, giving us an idea of what was being said.
“I’m telling you, I’m here to see my son,” Cassim was saying.
“I’m sorry sir. You don’t have an appointment. You have to talk to Mr. and Mrs. Ares or one of their friends and they’ll make the appointment. Good evening.”
“Let him in,” Aladdin said suddenly, speaking into an intercom. “He’s an old friend of the family. I had no idea he’d be coming.”
“Understood,” the reception lady said. Aladdin shut the monitor and speakers off. I looked at him.
“Are you crazy?” I nearly shouted.
“He’s my father. I want to see him.”
“Do you want him to see you like this?” I gestured at his light blue skinned form.
“Uh…whoops.”
I sighed, then dragged him into the shadows of the room with the other gargoyles. And not a moment too soon. The chime of the elevator echoed in the room, since we were all quiet. The doors opened, admitting its passenger into the room. He looked about the darkened room.
“Aladdin, are you here?” he asked.
“Yes, Dad. I’m here,” he replied. I couldn’t resist stepping on his clawed foot and giving him a “Be quiet” look. He shrugged helplessly at me. I prefer keeping my gargoyle form a secret.
“Why don’t you come here and give your old man a hug?”
My first love hesitated beside me. “I’m not sure that’s a good idea.”
“Why not? Are you hurt?”
“No. Nothing, like that. It’s just that, I don’t look a thing like myself.”
“What are you talking about?”
“Go ahead. Show him,” I whispered in his ear.
“Jasmine, I can’t,” he whispered back.
“Go on,” Gemini encouraged.
Together, Gemini and I pushed Aladdin into the light cast into the room from the moon shining in the sky.
Cassim gasped when he saw Aladdin. His eyes widened, then narrowed. I silently held my breath. Was Cassim going to come off as prejudiced? Did he believe that this gargoyle was his son?
“Where’s Aladdin?” he asked at last. He didn’t believe it.
“Dad, it’s me. It’s Aladdin,” his son answered.
“How can I be sure?”
“You are the King of Thieves, you wanted your family to have money so you began to search for The Hand of Midas, you believed your family was gone when you returned to Agrabah years later, you…”
“Alright, alright. You’ve convinced me. But, why are you in Manhattan?”
“An enemy of mine used magic on me and it changed me into a gargoyle. Manhattan is home to other gargoyles so it made sense to come here.”
“Are there other gargoyles in the room?”
“Yes.” Aladdin gestured for us to step forward. We came into the light and stood near Aladdin. “Dad, this is my clan. Cassy, Eric, Lazarus, Orpheus, and Gemini.”
“What about her?” Cassim gestured to me.
“I belong to a different clan. I’m Jasmine.”
“Jasmine?”
“Yes. I was also changed by magic, but by a different enemy. I was already in Manhattan so the clan that I knew accepted me.”
Cassim nodded. “Now, I’ll tell you about how I ended up here. I had returned to Argrabah a week ago and listened secretly on the marketplace gossip. I heard about how Aladdin, their hero, had gone to Manhattan in New York and hadn’t returned. I decided to come here and look for you. Before I could set out, I met up with your friend, Genie. He gave me information on where you were precisely. I then left, hearing Genie calling for me to come back.
“He was probably going to tell you that I’m a gargoyle now.”
“How long do you plan to stay, Cassim?” Gemini questioned.
“Until, Aladdin and I have caught up on the years we were apart. Which might take a few weeks.”
As much as I wanted to listen to their stories, I knew that I needed to head back to the castle. Walking over to the window, I said, “I need to go. The clan will probably be wondering about me.”
“Go on. We’ll see you another time. Okay?” Cassy said.
“Sure.”
“And you can tell me about your adventures in Manhattan,” Cassim suggested.
“I look forward to it.” With a wave, I leapt out the window and glided up into the clear summer night sky.
