Blaine slowly walked down the steps, watching out for anything that could go wrong. The stairway went on and on and he knew he was traveling deep under the ground. The whole cave seemed to be illuminated by a glowing golden light which at least allowed Blaine see where he was going.

He got to the bottom and gasped, his jaw hanging opened. Cave of wonders indeed. As far as his eyes could see there was treasure. Literally piles and hills of gold, cases of jewelry and pearls and ruby encrusted chalices. He walked forward his eyes round.

Just a handful of this would feed him and his friends for years, but he couldnt touch anything but the lamp. How in the world was he even going to find one little lamp in all of this? He pasted a chest full of crowns, golden and shining, jewels sparkling in the golden glow of the cave. Where did this all come from? Who did it belong to? Those crowns must have belonged to someone at some point.

The thought made Blaine feel a little queasy. And temptation to take some of the treasure was gone; you could just feel that it was cursed. In fact, after the immediate awe of the place Blaine was left with a dark feeling in the pit of his stomach. He just wanted to find that lamp and get out of here.

He turned where he was standing, head lifted looking at the piles of treasure and wondering where to start and how he was even going to look for this lamp when he wasnt allowed to touch anything. Then his heart practically stopped in his chest. He saw movement behind one of the piles of gold. He inched forward a little wondering if it was just a trick of the light. He saw it again, something was definitely back there.

He didnt really want to find out what it was, but he didnt want to just keep going and have something spring out at him either so he moved forward and around the pile. There was nothing there. Just more treasure and a richly colored rug curled up on the ground.

His mind must be messing with him. He started to move away when suddenly the carpet started to uncurl. Blaine yelped and fell backwards as the carpet moved on its own, stretching itself out before spinning up into the air where it quickly circled Blaine, making him feel dizzy.

Then it stopped in front of him, hovering in the air, almost like it was looking at him.

"A magic carpet." Blaine said, stunned. He had heard tales of these, but never thought they could be real. "What is this place?" The carpet tilted a little like it was tilting its head at what Blaine said.

"You cant… you cant understand me can you?"

The carpet bobbed up and down.

Blaine pushed his curly hair back from his forehead, not believing what he was seeing. "Well Im crazy. Ive lost it." He said to himself. The rug twisted in the air again and then landed by Blaines feet nudging forward like it wanted Blaine to hop on.

"I dont think so." Blaine said backing up. "I cant touch anything but the lamp."

The carpet perked up like it was excited and flew forward; it stopped and turned, again seeming to look at Blaine. Then it waved one of its tasseled corners forward.

"You want me to follow you?" Blaine said in disbelief. The carpet bobbed again.

"Well, what do I have to lose?" Blaine asked and started after the carpet. It led him away from the great chamber full of treasure and down a darker, smaller passageway. The further they went Blaine noticed the light started to change, it still glowed and lit Blaines way but now it was more red than gold and everything just seemed eerie and sinister.

Blaine followed the carpet into another large room with a large dark pool in the middle and stepping stones making their way to a pillar of rocks in the center of the pool. The on top, surrounded by more gold was a lamp, a bright beam of light shining on it.

Blaine looked at the flying carpet and it made a move that looked like a shrug.

"Here goes nothing." Blaine said as he started hopping from one stone to another making his way to the pillar. He climbed the narrow slick steps to the top and carefully made his way around the gold pieces strewn across the surface.

He got to the lamp and held his breath as he reached for it. He lifted it up and let out a nervous breath. Nothing happened.

"This is it? This is what I came all the way down here to-" Blaine shifted his weight as he spoke and moved his foot, slipping on the slick surface of the rock in the process. He fell backwards. He didnt want to lose the lamp so he kept a tight hold on it, his other handed hit the ground to keep him from tumbling down the stairs. He looked behind himself at the steep staircase he almost fell back down.

"That was clo-" But then the ground started to rumble and a terrifying roar filled the cave. Blaine looked down, lifting his hand from the ground to find a piece of gold underneath it. He had touched he treasure.

"No!" Blaine said and scrambled to his feet.

"Infidel!" The cave growled. "You have touched the forbidden treasure. Now you will never again see the light of day!"

The stone walls around Blaine started to melt like molten rock, Blaine hurried down the steps clutching the lamp to his chest. He had to get out of here fast. He started across the pool, but the water had turned to lava and the stepping stones were quickly sinking. He was half-way across when the stones in front of him disappeared beneath the bubbling surface.

He was going to die here, there was no way out. Just then the carpet swooped up behind him, knocking him off of his feet and then he was in the air, riding the carpet and flying past falling rocks as the cave continued to shake and crumble.

They raced through the cave trying to get back to the entrance.

"This is no time to panic. This is no time to panic." Blaine chanted to himself, hanging on to the flying carpet for dear life and helping navigate it by tugging it one way and another. Then they quickly started to fly straight at a wall.

"Time to panic!" Blaine yelled. The carpet dove down though, missing the wall and finally getting them back to the first big room, all the gold and treasure was melting all around him.

They flew up and up and up, the stairway that had led Blaine in was long gone, but he could still see the entryway to the cave. They were almost there when a big rock fell above them, knocking Blaine off of the carpet which was pulled down towards the bottom of the cave.

Blaine was fast, he flung his hand forward and caught the ledge of the entrance, he was dangling there, the cave still trembling. The old man peered down at him.

"Help me up!" Blaine shouted, fear and adrenaline coursing through him.

"First give me the lamp!"

"Please, help me." Blaine cried and he felt himself slipping.

"The Lamp!"

Blaine held the lamp forward and the old man went to grab it, but it was too late, Blaine lost his hold and he fell backwards into the darkness as the cave closed above him.

He hit the side of the cave hard, and kept falling, thinking that at least it would be a fast death. He felt something swoop under him and catch him before slowly and carefully letting him down to the ground where the world went dark and Blaine slumped into unconscious.

William tossed his cane to the side and stood up straight, his features morphing back to look like him, his spell wearing off. He watched in horror as the cave sucked up the street rat and along with him, the lamp.

"NO!" William shouted falling to his knees, his face turned to the sky. It was over then; he had lost it for good.