Cassim came back into the main room of the layer of the Forty Thieves.
Carina, Aladdin's mother, went over to him. She stopped when she was only a few feet away.
"Cassim, what's wrong? Your face is pale."
"A curse."
"What about a cruse?"
"I've been cursed."
"What?!"
Cassim went to her and put his arms around her.
"I'm sure it's nothing. It was just some crazy old man. Perfectly harmless."
Carina pulled back after a moment. She saw the color had returned to his face.
"Are you sure?"
"My dear, you don't actually believe in curses do you?"
"You never know."
"Carina, it's nothing. He was just a crazy old man. There's no need for worry, though he did scare the living daylights out of me."
"How did he do that?"
"He was behind me, and I didn't know it. All of the sudden he started talking. It scared me half to death, not literally."
"I know."
The next morning they awoke at the same time and kissed good morning.
They got up to get dressed, and Cassim quickly sat down on the edge of the bed.
"Are you alright?"
"Yeah. I just stood up too fast I guess."
"That's never happened before."
"There's a first time for everything."
That afternoon Cassim was outside running around with the horses and playing with the foals.
Carina and Iago were watching him.
Suddenly Cassim stopped and started to cough. Within moments he was doubled over coughing!
Carina went over to him.
"Cassim, mabey you should go back inside."
Cassim stopped coughing and straightned.
"No. I'm fine."
"You haven't coughed like that in years."
"I did also get dust kicked up in my face and breathed some in."
"That's happened allot recently, and you never coughed like that. Please at least go back inside."
"Okay."
Just as he reached the steps Cassim started to cough again.
Carina and Iago looked over to see him on his hands and knees coughing!
They hurried over to him.
It was a few moments before he stopped coughing.
"Iago, go get Genie."
"Carina, I'm fine."
"You've *never* coughed like *that* before."
"There's a first time for everything."
"Cassim, you don't just all of the sudden cough so hard you go down to your hands and knees. I think it may have something to do with that curse."
"Oh. Not this again. Carina, we've already been this. It was just a crazy old man."
"You don't know that for sure."
Cassim got to his feet and went inside.
Carina and Iago looked at each other and sighed.
Cassim got into the main room when he suddenly felt dizzy! His vision became weird, so he saw almost two of everything he looked at, his legs felt like lead weights, his head started to throb, his vision then became blurry, then his legs felt like jello, the ground rushed upon him, and all went black!
That's how Carina and Iago found him!
True Love's Test by Cassim fan