Week 5 Story: Aladdin's museum

   "Find your partners! Buddy up everyone! We just arrived at the museum!" Ms. Loretta exclaimed across the crowded school bus.
   It was field trip day at Lincoln Memorial Elementary School, and all the kids had been excitingly waiting to get to the museum. The kids followed Ms. Loretta off the bus and she halted before entering the museum.
   "Now, need I remind all of you we are entering a museum. We must follow closely with our gracious tour guide and remain polite and courteous as to not to disturb other museum-goers.  I am looking at you, Alex," Ms. Loretta brows furrowed and her crows-feet covered eyes fell to the seemingly angelic child by her side. Alex appeared to be a sweet and innocent child, but he was truly a chaotic ball of energy. So much in fact that no other child was allowed to be his field trip buddy. Ms. Loretta assumed the role so she could keep her eye on him.
   The class entered the museum and immediately the kids fell into a state of amazement. Light cascaded through the large skylight above them and fell upon the enormous Tyrannosaurus rex skeleton sitting the main lobby. Standing directly below the T-rex was a man in a navy-blue blazer and a stiff bow-tie covered in little mummies. He stood with an enthusiastic grin plastered across his face. His voice pierced Ms. Loretta's ears and echoed throughout the corridor.
   "Welcome Lincoln Memorial Elementary School to the American Museum of Natural History! You are visiting us on a special day. Not only will you be getting to participate in our usual thrilling exhibits, but you will also get to enjoy our NEW Arabian Nights exhibit, which is only here for a limited time," he recited as if he was reading it off a hidden teleprompter, "now, before moving into our first exhibit let me remind you of a few museum rules, which if followed carefully will give everyone a more enjoyable museum visit-"
   Before even getting to the first rule, Alex had already climbed on the T-rex and was attempting to pull the large leg off. Luckily Ms. Loretta pulled him off quickly enough before any real damage was done but suffered a large run in her panty-hose. She hand remained gripped around Alex's arm as Michael proceeded to run down the list of extensive museum rules.
  "Now, let's jump back in time and rediscover our pasts!" Michael did a small animated jump he had rehearsed a number of times before.
   With every exhibit they entered Michael would lower his voice, and glide slowly through every row of artifacts neatly laid out. And with every exhibit, Alex would attempt to disrupt Michael and provoke Ms. Loretta. In the paleontology exhibit, he climbed into the caveman exhibit and swung from the stage vines. In the oceanography exhibit, he managed to jump into a display pool of fake fish. By the astronomy exhibit, he was on lockdown. He was forced to sit between Ms. Loretta and Michael, and if he moved one step out of line he would be sent straight to the bus.
"We are now entering our final exhibit of the day. Our Arabian Nights exhibit. Discovered by archaeologists over the past several years, we have collected A TON of ancient artifacts and are excited to share these stories with you," Michael began on a long-winded monologue of every small piece they walked by. As Michael excitedly yammered on about every small piece, whether it had a significant backstory or not, Alex slowly drifted away from the group. He wandered across the exhibit where he stumbled upon a small bronze lamp. 
   "OH. It looks like someone has gotten away from the group," Michael said coming up behind Alex," Even though he was told specifically to not wander off," he said under his breath.
   "What is this?" Alex questioned.
"That is a genie lamp once belonging to the mythological Prince Aladdin. It is said he was a scrappy young boy who caused nothing but trouble, sound familiar?" Michael joked, but Alex was not amused. "Um anyway, according to the legend a genie is said to live in the lamp, and one day a man tricked Aladdin into hunting down the lamp and risking his life to get it. He refused to give it to the man, so he left Aladdin for dead in a cave. However, when Aladdin rubbed the lamp this great genie flew out it and granted Aladdin any wish he desired. He wished to go home where he fell madly in love with a princess. He then wished to be a wealthy prince so he could marry her. But the princess was promised to another the Sultan's right-hand man's son. It angered the Sultan's right-hand man when his daughter ran off with Aladdin, and the vizir didn't trust Aladdin had come from all this wealth. Then the man who tricked him into getting the lamp appeared, so he could take the lamp back," Michael was antsy to get through the tour and rushed this words. "So he stole back the lamp and wished Aladdin's palace and princess away, but through a lot of fighting and trickery Aladdin won her and his palace back and they lived happily ever after. The end," Michael turned ready to wrap up the tour.
  However, Alex excitedly went to rub the lamp for he needed to know if the genie would appear, but Michael was quick and halted him before he could reach it.
"Woah, woah now. Although this is a thrilling legend it is just that a legend. It's not real. The lamp is however very old and should not be touched."
   Then as Michael stood up he knocked the podium and the lamp came crashing to the ground. Alex lept at it, but instead of vigorously rubbing it he handed it back to Michael. Michael took it and carefully placed the lamp back on the podium.
"Whew, that could've ended very dif-"
Before Michael could finish his sentence the ground began to rumble and the museum shook. Smoke poured from the lamp and out came out a large and frightening genie.

"What wouldst thou with me? I am the Slave of the Lamp, and will obey thee in all things."

To be continued...

Caption: Aladdin with the Genie obtained from mythfolklore.blogspot.com

Bibliography: The Arabian Nights' Entertainments by Andrew Lang and illustrated by H. J. Ford (1898)

Author's note: I pulled inspiration from the Aladdin story mixed with kind of a Night at the Museum storyline. I wanted to add some humor to the story, and also kind of recreate another troublesome character like Aladdin was when he was young.