Welcome to the 4th story in my Arabian Nights story. It was close to Easter when I wanted to do something with an egg and submit it to DA. Alas, I miss the deadline. But I'll still share.Chapter 1 The Flying CarpetI love travel and telling stories, and my profession affords me both. As I travel through many lands purchasing and trading exotic spices I hear amazing stories. You can woo a girl with a fantastic story. And, I will tell the grandest tale some day to get the girl of my dreams. Until then, I practice. And the best place for that is the Flying Carpet. Tether your flying carpet outside and enter. Some day I hope to see a real flying carpet.The place was packed tonight. And why not. People talk, word got around of my return. The bar keep had a hot meal and a pint of grog ready for me. Not bad, but it was free. So called friends came by expressing how anxious they were to hear my story. After the meal, the night began with opening rounds by amateur story tellers. Nice tales by nice boys having nice dreams of grandeur. Cant blame them. I inspire them that way.The crowd began shouting my name. I wasnt ready but couldnt wait to get started. The tale I was about to tell I took from a northern horseman. He spoke of a giant, mystical bird living in an abandoned stone fortress. Embellished a lot I made it my own. Hey, thats how stories are made. Hate the game, not the player.As I stood to an applause, I began my tale. I started to describe this beast that looked like a giant crane and how it could eat a horse in one swallow when a scraggly man out of the dark corner came towards me asking in a loud voice if I really saw it. I could only stare at him with a confounded look thinking how could you in the middle of my act. Why do you ask? Of course I seen it. Thats when everyone started laughing. Sometimes I could kill every last one of them. He was stealing my show.The old geezer began to tell his tale of the same beast that raided his farmland of livestock. He tried to protect his goats and sheep as best he could with the limited arsenal he had. Probably only had a pitch fork. He hired a brigand to kill the beast. When the brigand showed himself, he was eaten and scraps carried off. He could not hire anyone else after that. He took ill one day leaving his daughter no choice to tend the flocks and could not stop her. From witnesses he was told his daughter fought valiantly but the creature cast a mystical egg trapping her and carried her off.Wow! That part I never heard before. A creature with spell power? I was totally jealous this old geezer was telling a better story than me and didnt make it up.This happened only nine moons ago. The old geezer believes, in his heart, she is sill alive. I was glad he was done talking because now I could continue my story. Just when I was about ready to start up the old geezer yells out that hell give his daughters hand in marriage and his lands to the man who can rescue her. Okay, that got my attention, and everyone else for that matter. Forget the daughter, the drawn picture of her was probably when she was several years younger. Its the land I could use. The land could be a place to sell more of my spices and a home with a bed of my own. The bar keep has been here a long time and cannot remember when the beds were last changed or washed. I sleep here because Im too drunk to walk.With that, the night ended as everyone gathered into small groups planning a rescue mission. Luckily for me, my team was set and decided to leave after a few hours of sleep to get a head start from everyone. I later learned everyone else left while we were sleeping. Sometimes I could kill every last one of them.Chapter 6 In and OutGetting here was hard enough. Grabbing the egg with the sweet prize, difficult and dangerous. To actual get out and escape, SUICIDE!! You have got to be really stupid to even think about pulling this madness of. Look at that! Wow! Look at her, shes absolutely beautiful. I wish I knew how I was going toVery honored to have this artwork featured:by You can check out the others in this series below: