The Lost Pearl of Khaliswan (Scrooge)

[Saleen]

T

[/b][/font]ime has chipped what once was truth into legend and the years that passed spun the tale anew, different versions being passed down from grandparents to children across the desert lands. What truth remains is unknown but sailors too old to set forth and now bound to land have sworn to have seen the gleam of treasure rising up from the heart of the sea, and men today still perish in search of it- the Lost Pearl of Khaliswan.

The story tells of Salied, the Captain of the vessel The Khaliswan. Sent forth in search of treasure to fill the dwindling Treasury of his sultan, some who say was a careless man while others claim he was a victim of invasion and theft, Salied found the greatest treasure of them all; a giant pearl. The legend goes on to say that Salied and his men had been fleeing from a great sea demon and took shelter inside the mouth of a mammoth clam, ship and all. Inside they found a pearl so large, it would not only be enough to restore the wealth of their kingdom but sustain it for hundreds of years. Now Salied knew it was wrong to rob their host and protector but greed has a funny hold on man and his crew worked to secure the giant gem to their vessel before being released once the monster had left.

It would have been better if they had left the pearl alone and gone off to seek another treasure, for all too soon they found that their ship could not carry such a heavy load. Weighed down by the rare jewel The Khaliswan sank before the stone could be cast overboard and with it its crew. To this day there are still those who hunt the precious gem and while stories of sightings ripple across the sands, the jewel itself has never resurfaced. Does this treasure really exist or have sailors merely been chasing dreams over the centuries? [/i][/center]

[Aladdin]

The scorching sun beat down upon the residents of Agrabah; the market place was bustling with activity, vendors everywhere attempting to bargain their wares away with the crowd of citizens filling the narrow streets. A few palace guards patrolled from roof tops and kept vigil on street corners lest chaos should erupt but thus far the day had been a rather peaceful one. Moving with the market crowd was Aladdin who had made the mistake of making eye contact with a vendor selling jewelry and he had been stuck in a revolving conversation for the past fifteen minutes.

“Really,” he assured him for the millionth time, “I don’t need a bracelet for my girlfriend! Thank you anyway but she has-“ the former thief spied an opening in the crowd and took a step back, “She has a lot already!” His other foot met with first and Aladdin found himself keeping pace with the others moving in his direction. Glancing back over his shoulder, a small smirk slid up his face when he noticed the vendor had already latched on to someone else; Aladdin shook his head.

“Come on Abu, let’s try over here.”

His simian pal chattered in agreement and abandoned Aladdin’s shoulder, hopping on to the awning of another vendor’s stall where they were selling different kinds of maps.

“Excuse me, sir! But I was wondering if you had any information on The Lost Pearl of Khaliswan.”

”The Lost Pearl of Khaliswan?” the vendor repeated, sounding amused. ”If a map existed with the location of that, boy, it would be known as The Found Pearl of Khaliswan!” This was immediately followed up by a roar of laughter from him and everyone around them who had overheard.

Embarrassed, Aladdin turned away, but a thick hand clamped down on his arm and he was pulled back to the stall by the seller. The man made sure no one was paying attention before speaking to Aladdin in secretive tones.

”The Lost Pearl has been spotted in many locations over the years, buffeted by the sea. I have heard that your best chance of finding it is following the white path of the moon on a calm night. The pearl’s gleam is unlike any other and you cannot mistake it from anything else. But beware! It pulled the Khaliswan into the belly of the sea and they say it is guarded by something terrible, something that lurks in the dark. There are rumors that it was the monster chasing Salied that brought the ship down, enraged that he escaped it the first time. And now it keeps the pearl for itself, destroying all that tries to take possession of it! People have wasted years and challenged storms in quest of a fable. is your life worth the unobtainable?” The man held Aladdin’s transfixed gaze for a moment before he relaxed his grip, straightened up and bellowed out to the crowd, ”Maps! Maps to all locations! Maps to Getizstan! Maps to the Rainforest! Maps to Odiferous! Maps! Maps!”

Rubbing his arm where the man had grabbed it, Aladdin pressed forward, reflecting on all he had just heard. “Well that was weird.”

In actual fact, Aladdin was not after the pearl for himself but rather the Sultan who swore to have come across the pearl’s gleam when he was a young man. The Sultan was to play host for another king journeying to Agrabah, a man who was known to bestow rare and precious gifts upon those he wished to forge alliances with. Hoping to impress the king in an effort to create a political alliance between the two kingdoms, the Sultan asked Aladdin to bring the pearl back so that the Sultan may present it to him as a gesture of friendship.

[Scrooge McDuck]

Also in the market place that day was another special patron, passionately arguing with a vendor. This patron was not human, but a bipedal duck. Although his adversary stood head and shoulders over him, this did not affect Scrooge McDuck's confidence or attitude in the least. It was a little hard not to noticed the old-timer in the khaki safari-style outfit and pith helmet. Scrooge was here to purchase some extra supplies for his ship before embarking on his journey to find the Lost Pearl of Khaliswan.

"What? Seven denari for a week's worth of bread?" Scrooge shouted, outraged. He might have literally been rolling in money, but he always been a miser. If Scrooge could narrow down a price to more something suitably... cheaper, then he gladly would. Briefly he considered asking the vendor for a "World's Richest Duck" discount, but instead stated, "I'll pay ye six, but no more then that!" He emphasized his point by striking the butt of his cane on the sandy ground.

"Seven." The man repeated firmly, arms folded over his chest.

"Why you!..." Furious, he clutched his cane tighter. One wouldn't think ducks could growl, but Scrooge started making a noise that was pretty similar to one.