Rosalinda’s is a bar in Moab. Most nights Larry Driscoll can be found there, with both a bottle of bourbon and one cheek resting on the table. No one minds Larry, he always tells exciting tales.
Maeve, a beautiful red head, shakes him awake, “Larry, I’m back.” Once she thought of killing Larry, until he told her a strange story.
A warrior queen can show mercy.
Larry slowly lifts his head, flashing toothy grin, “Maeve, always nice seeing you.” sliding his chair in.
“The man from Baghdad.”
Larry pours whiskey into a shot glass, “Two thousand years ago.”
Sinbad and Morigana had one child, Ammar, who became deathly sick at age ten. They heard of a doctor in Cairo who performed miracles. So, giving away their great wealth, they set out from Baghdad to find him.
As they reached Persia, a terrible storm began. The locals told them about an abandoned house to take shelter in, cautioning it was haunted by a Jinn. No one ever left alive.
They took shelter there anyway.
Thunder, lightning and rain kept Sinbad and Morigana from sleeping.
A voice boomed, “You have three wishes!”
Most ran away fearfully, tripping down the stairs, breaking their necks.
Morigana shouted, “We want our son to be well!”
“Granted!”
Sinbad shouted, “We want our son to be wealthier than anyone else!”
“Granted!”
“We want our son to be immortal and powerful!”
The Jinn questioned, “Are you sure of this?”
The two shouted together, “Yes!”
“Granted! However, one of you must happily give up your life for the request.”
Ammar needed his father’s wisdom, his mother’s love. Sinbad and Morigana argued for twenty minutes.
“Enough!” the Jinn shouted, “You must return to Baghdad tonight! You will never see your son again. You will die very old, poor and sick.” He was not a very good Jinn, giving away the secret price.
A caravan made its way towards Cairo. Inside a golden carriage was a Sultan and his wife. They caught sight of a child walking alone. The kind Sultana begged her husband to stop.
When safely in the carriage, the child told them his name was Ammar and he was from Baghdad.
Larry’s head falls back to the table, “Prophecy said this child would rule the world. The King of the Jinns banished the unlucky Jinn to earth, sans powers, for his mistake, which could not be undone.”
Maeve is intrigued, “What became of the Jinn?”
Larry chuckles, waving his hand.
“How powerful is Ammar?”
“Well, that’s another tale.” Larry squints his eyes, “He just bought a house in Florida.”
Maeve sees a group of men enter the bar, “Sadly, I have to go now.” Standing abruptly, “My ex-husband and I are battling over Avalon. I decided he can’t have it.”
Larry lifts the full shot glass, “May you be victorious, my warrior queen.”
Maeve places her hands on the table, “I’ll see soon.” Desperately wanting to meet Ammar, wondering if he would help her.
Catherine Cahill was born in East Hartford Connecticut. She worked for the State of Connecticut for 31 years, retiring in 2017. Since then she has devoted her time to training in Mixed Martial Arts and writing stories.