“Have you been invited to his room? He lives like a sultan! I’ve never seen anything so… so uh.. opulent? Yes. . . Opulent, eh? And he treated me and Sophie like a King and Queen. What did I do you ask? I simply returned his purse when he dropped it.”
Aaron patiently awaits his next business transaction with cigarette in hand.
Aaron resides on the Third floor: Room B3.
The Vignettes
Aaron Hadeed wakes from his sleep in a cold sweat. Sitting up in his bed he sees a jewel crested lamp by his bedside table. The pale light of the moon brought the ornate lamp to life, causing Aaron to contemplate its origins.
Rubbing his palms over his tired eyes recollections began to stir in his memories. Stories from his grandfather of the Valley of False Wishes. It was broad and full, with oasis' of promises. In the beginning Maegon the Wise had tricked the Gins into entering the lamps and sealed them away, after this the first city in the world was founded on the once cursed land.
However, if one desires to tempt a Gin, one might be granted an ultimate pleasure. However, one had to choose their Gin wisely, each one was tied to a vice, if that vice was overcome surely the wish would be fulfilled.
Aaron remembered the days of his youth and how he felt as an excited boy, and much to his surprise how those feelings still remained nestled in his heart. He stared at the lamp believing in it to be all very real, and openly thought of all of the things he could gain. No matter which Gin that he emerged he knew he was clever enough to best any one of them.
However, before his mind sailed far off to places his heart had never before dwelled, he looked at his surrounding possessions illuminated by the waning moon light, then to his youthful and beautiful wife that slept quietly by his side.
Giving the lamp a look of contempt, he stuck his tongue out into a defiant sneer, the sound of raspberries emanated in the bedroom before he quickly fell back on his bed to sleep.
Aaron Hadeed drums his fingers over his counter while watching customers flow like schools of fish by his stand. His expression turns to perplexed as he takes in the items, he has in stock carefully. Are the precious metals not polished enough? He eyed them with suspicion as the oil lamps didn't seem to gleam as well as usual.
Peering over his counter at the floor he wondered if the lavish rugs imported from the land of Jordan were not woven well enough? Perhaps he was scammed on the deal?!
Quickly moving around to the front, he dropped to his knees, curious of the thread quality on the rug he skimmed over each end, then rose to his feet and quickly walked over to his wall inspecting the rugs that hung freely on display.
Turning with his hands on his hips he carefully stalked through his shop, looking at ever knickknack, every lamp, every jewel, every piece, grand and small.
Feeling confounded he stormed away from his shop and turned around to see what could possibly be wrong?
He felt faint for a moment seeing he had left the 'closed' sign at the front of his shop and scrambled to go tear it down.