CHAPTER 1
LOST IN A SEA OF SAND
The young prince had wondered too far from his bodyguards and found himself lost in the desert. He wandered aimlessly for days before collapsing outside a small village. When he awakes he finds himself lying in a bed made of straw with a beautiful young woman sitting next to him working on a small dish of food. He turns to her and asks where he is. She explains that they found him, dehydrated just outside of the village, and they quickly brought him in to give him shelter from the approaching storm and something to drink.
"We know you are the Sultans son, and we hold no grudge against you for the poverty we live in. It is our family's duty. We even gave my sister to your father as a concubine because she was the most beautiful in the village." She seemed sad as she said the words, and the prince just looked sadly at her, wondering what it felt like to lose people. Over the next few days he regained his strength and the village sent him on his way with a camel; "You can keep it. Give it to your father as a gift and an apology for keeping you for so long" they had said.
On his journey back to the palace he stopped a few times for water, food, and even to see the sights he wasn't allowed to leave the palace to see. At one of the wells he stopped at to fill his canteen he dropped the bucket down to fill it, and when he pulled it back up he found a shiny little lamp, maybe it had been used as a scroll weight or something similar since it was too small for anything else. He dropped it in his pack and continued his journey.
Finally, he reached the city of his father and his father's father. It was the land of his family, and one day the land would be his. He traveled through the city, taking in the sights and sounds, even the strange smells. He felt as if his journey outside the city, however short, had helped him grow a little bit as a person, having seen the plight of those less privileged than he. Finally, he reached his father's place, his home. He climbed the steps to the palace doors and was confronted by the guards, wearing black turbans, the signs of mourning. Quickly he tried to rush through the door to tell his father he was alive, but the guards stopped him. The told him "You are not the first imposter these last few days, coming to claim the prince's throne, but the Sultan will not be fooled, and he will see no more imposters."
Thinking quickly he told them "I am not here to mislead the Sultan, but only to bring him this camel, the best from our village, as a tribute and offering for the son he's lost." The guards conversed amongst themselves for a minute or two before bowing aside and letting him in. He approached the Sultan's throne and quickly kneeled before his father. He lifted his head and said, "Most honored Sultan, King of this land, I've heard of your troubles, and bring you this gift, a camel, ripe from our herd, and the best we have, to honor your fallen son."
CHAPTER 2
HOME, AND A GENIES WISH?
The Sultan recognized the speech quickly; it was the same one he had heard his son say only a year before when the neighboring kingdom lost their prince. He leaped from his throne and threw his arms around his son. Together they cried, and the entire nation celebrated the return of the son. The prince handed his father the reins of the mighty camel, and the Sultan let them drop, happy just to have his son back.
It didn't take long before life at the palace returned to normal. But something kept nagging at the prince, something he'd forgotten to do. Several weeks later he found the old pack that he'd been given by the old farming family. Inside he found the small golden lamp, and for some reason, he had the urge to rub it. He spat on the smooth surface and quickly used his sleeve to shine the metal, what happened next was beyond his wildest dreams.
The lamp began to glow, and it heated up to the point that he dropped it. Out popped a horrifying ugly creature, whose very body seemed to glow with the same heat that came from the lamp. The young prince stood transfixed at the sight of the creature before him. It introduced itself "I am the Genie of the Lost Lamp. I can grant you 1 wish, but my wishes have no restrictions. I am the first genie, and I will be the last. My power is infinite and you have access to but a single drop of it. So tell me, Master, what is your wish?" He said the last part with an evil grin, but the young prince was too enthralled with the idea of a wish to notice.
He thought for a few minutes before speaking, "I only get 1 wish; I should make it something I'll never be able to experience in the escapes of my own life. I wish for the power to change the gender of anyone I want for 24 hours. I want to experience what it's like to be free of my responsibilities and to experience the passions of love from the other side of the relationship. But I want no repercussions, no diseases, no lasting marks, no memories for everyone else when they return to normal. And I certainly don't want to get stuck as a girl on her period for 24 hours." The Genie smiled that evil smile again, and with a laugh that caused the hairs on the back of your neck to stand straight and tall, said: "Your wish is granted, Master."