Victoria Stitch in Dubai

The plane arrives in Dubai at ten o clock in the morning.  Victoria Stitch feels very hot.  She feels even hotter when she steps outside so she puts on her striped hat and sunglasses.

'Let's go somewhere cooler than outside,' she says to Pink Rabbit after checking into her posh hotel and dropping her suitcase off.  'I know just the place!'

Victoria Stitch takes Pink Rabbit to the mall.  'You can buy anything in Dubai,' she tells him.

They pass shops full of jewels...

and patterned rugs...

clothes...

and arabic lamps...

They see smoothie bars...

shops where you can pick a bottle and fill it with whatever perfume you like...

postcards...

ice cream shops (they had a chocolate, raspberry and apricot banana split)...

and countless eastern treasures.

Victoria Stitch says, 'I fancy buying a nice patterned Arabic rug with golden tassels. 

Pink Rabbit follows her into a cluttered looking shop full of wooden camel ornaments, lanterns with coloured glass in them, decorative coffee pots and pashminas.

At the back of the shop there is a nice Arabic patterned rug just the right size for Victoria Stitch.

Victoria Stitch is extremely chuffed with her find.  'This is marvellous,' she tells Pink Rabbit.  'It will look very regal next to my bed at home.'

On her way out she stops to look at an Arabic oil lamp.  When the shop keeper isn't looking she lifts off the lid and peers into it nosily.

 'Who's that!' snaps a cross voice from inside.

Victoria Stitch is not alarmed.  She naughtily steps right into the lamp pulling Pink Rabbit and the patterned rug with her.

The inside of the lamp is deceivingly spacious and not at all gloomy.  Sitting on a chair surrounded by burning incense is a little fat genie.

 'Ah how typical,' says Victoria Stitch a bit rudely.  Then she smiles greedily.  'You owe me three wishes now mr genie man,' she says.

The genie sighs as if he is bored with the whole procedure of dealing out wishes to demanding customers.'

'One wish.'  he corrects her.  'The rules have changed since the days of Aladdin.

'The rules also state that you are obliged to take tea with me before any wish granting begins,' he continues.  'It gets rather lonely in here sometimes.

Victoria Stitch is never adverse to having to take tea.  So she sits down and helps herself to some sickly smelling rosewater tea from an intricate silver teapot.

Pink Rabbit picks at a sticky Arabic sweet.  He is a fussy eater and doesn't like foreign food much.

The three of them sit in companionable silence and Victoria Stitch is thinking about her wish all the time.

At last the genie puts down his cup and rubs his belly in a satisfied manner.  He licks his fingers one by one.  'Now then,' he says.  'Your wish.'

'I've thought of a good one,' says Victoria Stitch.  'I want you to turn my Arabic patterned rug into a flying carpet!'

The genie sighs.  'Not very original,' he mutters.  'But as you wish...'

There is a puff of smoke and the rug begins to unroll itself and wiggle on the ground.

The genie sits back and closes his eyes.  'Now if you don't mind,' he says, 'I think I may take a nap.'

Victoria Stitch picks up the rug and climbs out of the lamp. 

She spreads it on the ground and puts pink rabbit onto it.  'You can test it out,' she says.

Pink Rabbit looks terrified. The rug twitches.

'Why isn't it working?' she snaps impatiently.  She gives the rug a cross kick and suddenly it glides into life.  In one quick movement it scoops her up upon its patterned surface and flies smoothly out of the shop, out of the mall and into the burning heat of the Dubai sun...

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