R.L. Stine: Return of the Mummy (Goosebumps #23)
"Gabe, we will be landing
soon," the stewardess told me, leaning over the seat. "Will someone
be meeting you at the airport?" "Yes. Probably an ancient Egyptian
pharaoh," I told her. "Or maybe a disgusting, decaying mummy."
She narrowed her eyes at me. "No. Really," she insisted. "Who
will be meeting you in Cairo?" "My Uncle Ben," I replied.
"But he likes to play practical jokes. Sometimes he dresses in weird
costumes and tries to scare me." "You told me that your uncle was a
famous scientist," the stewardess said. "He is," I replied.
"But he's also weird." She laughed. I liked her a lot. She had pretty
blond hair. And I liked the way she always tilted her head to one side when she
talked. Her name was Nancy, and she had been very nice to me during the long
flight to Egypt. She knew it was my first time flying all by myself. She kept
checking on me and asking me how I was doing. But she treated me like a
grown-up. She didn't bring me one of those dumb connect-the-dots books or a
plastic wings pin that they always give to kids on planes. And she kept
slipping me extra bags of peanuts, even though she wasn't supposed to.
"Why are you visiting your uncle?" Nancy asked. "Just for
fun?" I nodded. "I did it last summer, too," I told her.
"It was really awesome! But this year, Uncle Ben has been digging in an
unexplored pyramid. He's discovered an ancient, sacred tomb. And he invited me
to be with him when he opens it up." She laughed and tilted her head a
little more. "You have a good imagination, Gabe," she said. Then she
turned away to answer a man's question. I do have a good imagination. But I
wasn't making that up. My Uncle Ben Hassad is a famous archaeologist. He has
been digging around in pyramids for lots of years. I've seen newspaper articles
about him. And once he was in National Geographic. Last summer, my entire
family visited Cairo. My cousin Sari and I — she's Uncle Ben's daughter — had
some amazing adventures down in the chambers of the Great Pyramid. Sari will be
there this summer, too, I remembered, staring out the plane window at the solid
blue sky. I wondered if maybe she would give me a break this time. I like Sari,
but she's so competitive! She always has to be the first, the strongest, the
smartest, the best. She's the only thirteen-year-old girl I know who can turn
eating breakfast into a contest! "Flight attendants, prepare for
landing," the pilot announced over the loudspeaker. I sat up to get a
better view out the window. As the plane lowered, I could see the city of Cairo
beneath us. A slender blue ribbon curled along the city. That, I knew, was the
Nile River. The city stretched out from the river. Peering straight down, I
could see tall, glass skyscrapers and low, domed temples. Where the city ended,
the desert began. Yellow sand stretched to the horizon. My stomach began to
feel a little fluttery. The pyramids were somewhere out in that desert. And in
a day or two, I would be climbing down into one of them, following my uncle
into a tomb that hadn't been opened for thousands of years. What would we find?
I pulled the little mummy hand from my shirt pocket and gazed down at it. It
was so tiny — no bigger than a child's hand. I had bought it from a kid at a
garage sale for two dollars. He said it was called a "Summoner." He
said it could summon ancient evil spirits. It looked like a mummy hand. The
fingers were wrapped in stained gauze bandages, with a little black tar showing
through. I thought it was a fake, made of rubber or plastic. I mean, I never
thought it was a real mummy hand. But last summer, the hand had saved all of
our lives. The kid who sold it to me was right. It really did bring a bunch of
mummies to life! It was amazing! Of course my parents and my friends back home
didn't believe my incredible story. And they didn't believe that the Summoner
really worked. They said it was just a joke mummy hand made in some souvenir
factory. Probably made in Taiwan. But I carry it with me wherever I go. It is
my good luck charm. I'm not very superstitious. I mean, I walk under ladders
all the time. And my lucky number is thirteen. But I really do believe that the
little mummy hand will protect me. The strange thing about the mummy hand is
that it is always warm. It doesn't feel like plastic. It feels warm, like a
real human hand. Back home in Michigan, I had a major panic attack when Mom and
Dad were packing my suitcase for the flight. I couldn't find the mummy hand.
And, of course, there was no way I would go to Egypt without it! I was so
relieved when I finally found it. It was tucked into the back pocket of a
crumpled-up pair of jeans. Now, as the plane nosed down for a landing, I
reached for the hand in the pocket of my T-shirt. I pulled it out — and gasped.
The hand was cold. Cold as ice! 2 Why had the mummy hand suddenly turned cold?
Was it some kind of a message? A warning? Was I heading into danger? I didn't
have time to think about it. The plane rolled into the gate, and the passengers
were scrambling to pull down their carry-on bags and push their way out of the
plane. I tucked the mummy hand into my jeans pocket, hoisted up my backpack,
and headed to the front. I said good-bye to Nancy and thanked her for all the
peanuts. Then I followed the others down the long, covered ramp and into the airport.
So many people! And they all seemed to be in a hurry. They were practically
stepping over each other. Men in dark business suits. Women in loose-flowing
robes, their faces covered by veils. Teenage girls in jeans and T-shirts. A
group of dark, serious-looking men in silky white suits that looked like
pajamas. A family with three little kids, all crying. I had a sudden sinking
feeling. How would I ever find Uncle Ben in this crowd? My backpack began to
feel very heavy. My eyes frantically searched back and forth. Strange voices
surrounded me, all talking so loudly. No one was speaking English.
"Ow!" I cried out as I felt a sharp pain in my side. I turned and
realized that a woman had bumped me with her luggage cart. Stay calm, Gabe, I
instructed myself. Just stay calm. Uncle Ben is here, looking for you. He'll
find you. You just have to stay calm. But what if my uncle forgot? I asked
myself. What if he got mixed up about what day I was arriving? Or what if he
got busy down in the pyramid and lost track of the time? I can be a real
worrier if I put my mind to it. And right now I was worrying enough for three
people! If Uncle Ben isn't here, I'll go to a phone and call him, I decided.
For sure. I could just hear myself saying, "Operator, can I speak to my uncle
at the pyramids, please?" I don't think that would work too well. I didn't
have a phone number for Uncle Ben. I wasn't sure he even had a phone out where
he was staying. All I knew was that he had been living in a tent somewhere near
the pyramid where he was digging. Gazing frantically around the crowded arrival
area, I was just about to give in to total panic — when a large man came
walking up to me. I couldn't see his face. He wore a long, white, hooded robe.
It's called a burnoose. And his face was buried inside the hood.
"Taxi?" he asked in a high, shrill voice. "Taxi? American
taxi?" I burst out laughing. "Uncle Ben!" I cried happily.
"Taxi? American taxi? Taxi ride?" he insisted. "Uncle Ben! I'm
so glad to see you!" I exclaimed. I threw my arms around his waist and
gave him a big hug. Then, laughing at his stupid disguise, I reached up and
pulled back his hood. The man under the hood had a bald, shaved head and a
heavy black mustache. He glared at me furiously. I had never seen him before in
my life. 3 "Gabe! Gabe! Over here!" I heard a voice calling my name.
Glancing past the angry man, I saw Uncle Ben and Sari. They were waving to me
from in front of the reservations counter. The man's face turned bright red,
and he shouted something at me in Arabic. I was glad I couldn't understand him.
He kept muttering as he pulled up the hood of his burnoose. "Sorry about
that!" I cried. Then I dodged past him and hurried to greet Uncle Ben and
my cousin. Uncle Ben shook my hand and said, "Welcome to Cairo, Gabe."
He was wearing a loose-fitting, white, short-sleeved sportshirt and baggy
chinos. Sari wore faded denim cutoffs and a bright green tank top. She was
already laughing at me. A bad start. "Was that a friend of yours?"
she teased. "I — I made a mistake," I confessed. I glanced back. The
man was still scowling at me. "Did you really think that was Daddy?"
Sari demanded. I mumbled a reply. Sari and I were the same age. But I saw that
she was still an inch taller than me. She had let her black hair grow. It fell
down her back in a single braid. Her big, dark eyes sparkled excitedly. She
loved making fun of me. I told them about my flight as we walked to the baggage
area to get my suitcase. I told them how Nancy, the stewardess, kept slipping
me bags of peanuts. "I flew here last week," Sari told me. "The
stewardess let me sit in First Class. Did you know you can have an ice-cream
sundae in First Class?" No, I didn't know that. I could see that Sari
hadn't changed a bit. She goes to a boarding school in Chicago since Uncle Ben
has been spending all of his time in Egypt. Of course she gets straight A's.
And she's a champion skier and tennis player. Sometimes I feel a little sorry
for her. Her mom died when Sari was five. And Sari only gets to see her dad on
holidays and during the summer. But as we waited for my suitcase to come out on
the conveyor belt, I wasn't feeling sorry for her at all. She was busy bragging
about how this pyramid was twice as big as the one I'd been in last summer. And
how she'd already been down in it several times, and how she'd take me on a
tour — if I wasn't too afraid. Finally, my bulging, blue suitcase appeared. I
lugged it off the conveyor and dropped it at my feet. It weighed a ton! I tried
to lift it, but I could barely budge it. Sari pushed me out of the way.
"Let me get that," she insisted. She grabbed the handle, raised the
suitcase off the floor, and started off with it. "Hey — !" I called
after her. What a show-off! Uncle Ben grinned at me. "I think Sari has
been working out," he said. He put a hand on my shoulder and led me toward
the glass doors. "Let's get to the jeep." We loaded the suitcase into
the back of the jeep, then headed toward the city. "It's been sweltering
hot during the day," Uncle Ben told me, mopping his broad forehead with a
handkerchief. "And then cool at night." Traffic crawled on the narrow
street. Horns honked constantly. Drivers kept their horns going whether they
moved or stopped. The noise was deafening. "We're not stopping in Cairo,"
Uncle Ben explained. "We're going straight to the pyramid at Al-Jizah.
We're all living in tents out there so we can be close to our work."
"I hope you brought bug spray," Sari complained. "The mosquitoes
are as big as frogs!" "Don't exaggerate," Uncle Ben scolded.
"Gabe isn't afraid of a few mosquitoes — are you?" "No
way," I replied quietly. "How about scorpions?" Sari demanded.
The traffic grew lighter as we left the city behind and headed into the desert.
The yellow sand gleamed under the hot afternoon sun. Waves of heat rose up in
front of us as the jeep bumped over the narrow, two-lane road. Before long, a
pyramid came into view. Behind the waves of heat off the desert floor, it
looked like a wavering mirage. It didn't seem real. As I stared out at it, my
throat tightened with excitement. I had seen the pyramids last summer. But it
was still a thrilling sight. "I can't believe the pyramids are over four
thousand years old!" I exclaimed. "Yeah. That's even older than
me!" Uncle Ben joked. His expression turned serious. "It fills me
with pride every time I see them, Gabe," he admitted. "To think that
our ancient ancestors were smart enough and skilled enough to build these
marvels." Uncle Ben was right. I guess the pyramids have special meaning
for me since my family is Egyptian. Both sets of my grandparents came from
Egypt. They moved to the United States around 1930. My mom and dad were born in
Michigan. I think of myself as a typical American kid. But there's still
something exciting about visiting the country where your ancestors came from.
As we drove nearer, the pyramid appeared to rise up in front of us. Its shadow
formed a long, blue triangle over the yellow sand. Cars and tour buses jammed a
small parking lot. I could see a row of saddled camels tethered on one side of
the lot. A crowd of tourists stretched across the sand, gazing up at the
pyramid, snapping photographs, chatting noisily and pointing. Uncle Ben turned
the jeep onto a narrow side road, and we headed away from the crowd, toward the
back of the pyramid. As we drove into the shade, the air suddenly felt cooler.
"I'd kill for an ice-cream cone!" Sari wailed. "I've never been
so hot in my life." "Let's not talk about the heat," Uncle Ben
replied, sweat dripping down his forehead into his bushy eyebrows. "Let's
talk about how happy you are to see your father after so many months."
Sari groaned. "I'd be happier to see you if you were carrying an ice-cream
cone." Uncle Ben laughed. A khaki-uniformed guard stepped in front of the
jeep. Uncle Ben held up a blue ID card. The guard waved us past. As we followed
the road behind the pyramid, a row of low, white canvas tents came into view.
"Welcome to the Pyramid Hilton!" Uncle Ben joked. "That's our
luxury suite over there." He pointed to the nearest tent. "It's
pretty comfortable," he said, parking the jeep beside the tent. "But
the room service is lousy." "And you have to watch out for
scorpions," Sari warned. She'd say anything to try to scare me. We
unloaded my suitcase. Then Uncle Ben led us up to the base of the pyramid. A
camera crew was packing up its equipment. A young man, covered in dust, climbed
out of a low entrance dug into one of the limestone squares. He waved to my
uncle, then hurried toward the tents. "One of my people," Uncle Ben
muttered. He motioned toward the pyramid. "Well, here you are, Gabe. A
long way from Michigan, huh?" I nodded. "It's amazing," I told
him, shielding my eyes to gaze up to the top. "I forgot how much bigger
the pyramids look in person." "Tomorrow I'll take you both down to
the tomb," Uncle Ben promised. "You've come at just the right time.
We've been digging for months and months. And at long last, we are about to
break the seal and enter the tomb itself." "Wow!" I exclaimed. I
wanted to be cool in front of Sari. But I couldn't help it. I was really
excited. "Guess you'll be really famous after you open the tomb, huh,
Dad?" Sari asked. She swatted a fly on her arm. "Ow!" "I'll
be so famous, the flies will be afraid to bite you," Uncle Ben replied. "By
the way, do you know what they called flies in ancient Egypt?" Sari and I
shook our heads no. "I don't either!" Uncle Ben said, grinning. One
of his dumb jokes. He had an endless supply of them. His expression suddenly
changed. "Oh. That reminds me. I have a present for you, Gabe."
"A present?" "Now, where did I put it?" He dug both hands
into the pockets of his baggy chinos. As he searched, I saw something move
behind him. A shadow over my uncle's shoulder, back at the low opening to the
pyramid. I squinted at it. The shadow moved. A figure stepped out slowly. At
first I thought the sun was playing tricks on my eyes. But as I squinted
harder, I realized that I was seeing correctly. The figure stepped out from the
pyramid — its face was covered in worn, yellowed gauze. So were its arms. And
its legs. I opened my mouth to cry out — but my voice choked in my throat. And
as I struggled to alert my uncle, the mummy stiffly stretched out its arms and
came staggering up behind him. 4 I saw Sari's eyes grow wide with fright. She
let out a low gasp. "Uncle Ben — !" I finally managed to scream.
"Turn around! It — it — !" My uncle narrowed his eyes at me,
confused. The mummy staggered closer, its hands reaching out menacingly, about
to grab the back of Uncle Ben's neck. "A mummy!" I shrieked. Uncle
Ben spun around. He let out a startled cry. "It walks!" he shouted,
pointing at the mummy with a trembling finger. He backed away as the mummy
advanced. "It walks!" "Ohhh." A strange moan escaped Sari's
lips. I turned and started to run. But then the mummy burst out laughing. It
lowered its yellowed arms. "Boo!" it cried, and laughed again. I
turned and saw that Uncle Ben was laughing, too. His dark eyes sparkled
gleefully. "It walks! It walks!" he repeated, shaking his head. He
put his arm around the mummy's shoulder. I gaped at the two of them, my heart
still pounding. "This is John," Uncle Ben said, enjoying the joke
he'd pulled on us. "He's been doing a TV commercial here. For some new
kind of stickier bandage." "Sticky Bird Bandages," John told us.
"They're just what your mummy ordered!" He and Uncle Ben enjoyed
another good laugh at that. Then my uncle pointed to the camera crew, packing
their equipment into a small van. "They finished for the day. But John
agreed to hang around and help me scare you." Sari rolled her eyes.
"Nice try," she said dryly. "You'll have to do better than that,
Daddy, to frighten me." And then she added, "Poor Gabe. Did you see
his face? He was so freaked out! I thought he was going to spontaneously combust
or something!" Uncle Ben and John laughed. "Hey — no way!" I
insisted, feeling my face turn red. How could Sari say that? When the mummy
staggered out, I saw her gasp and back away. She was just as scared as I was!
"I heard you scream, too!" I told her. I didn't mean to sound so
whiny. "I just did that to help them scare you," Sari insisted. She
tossed her long braid over her shoulder. "I've got to run," John
said, glancing at his wristwatch. "As soon as we get back to the hotel,
I'm going to hit the pool. I may stay underwater for a week!" He gave us a
wave of his bandaged hand and went jogging to the van. Why hadn't I noticed
that he was wearing a wristwatch? I felt like a total dork. "That's
it!" I cried angrily to my uncle. "I'm never falling for one of your
dumb jokes again! Never!" He grinned at me and winked. "Want to
bet?" "What about Gabe's present?" Sari asked. "What is
it?" Uncle Ben pulled something out of his pocket and held it up. A
pendant on a string. Made of clear orange glass. It gleamed in the bright
sunlight. He handed it to me. I moved it in my hand, feeling its smoothness as
I examined it. "What is it?" I asked him. "What kind of glass is
this?" "It isn't glass," he replied. "It's a clear stone
called amber." He stepped closer to examine it along with me. "Hold
it up and look inside the pendant." I followed his instructions. I saw a
large brown bug inside. "It looks like some kind of beetle," I said.
"It is a beetle," Uncle Ben said, squinting one eye to see it better.
"It's an ancient beetle called a scarab. It was trapped in the amber four
thousand years ago. As you can see, it's perfectly preserved."
"That's really gross," Sari commented, making a face. She slapped
Uncle Ben on the back. "Great gift, Dad. A dead bug. Remind me not to let
you do our Christmas shopping!" Uncle Ben laughed. Then he turned back to
me. "The scarab was very important to the ancient Egyptians," he
said, rolling the amber pendant in his fingers, then dropping it back in my
palm. "They believed that scarabs were a symbol of immortality." I
stared at the bug's dark shell, its six prickly legs, perfectly preserved.
"To keep a scarab meant immortality," my uncle continued. "But
the bite of a scarab meant instant death." "Weird," Sari
muttered. "It's great-looking," I told him. "Is it really four
thousand years old?" He nodded. "Wear it around your neck, Gabe.
Maybe it still has some of its ancient powers." I slipped the pendant over
my head and adjusted it under my T-shirt. The amber stone felt cool against my
skin. "Thanks, Uncle Ben," I said. "It's a great present."
He mopped his sweaty forehead with a wadded-up handkerchief. "Let's go
back to the tent and get something cold to drink," he said. We took a few
steps — and then stopped when we saw Sari's face. Her entire body trembled. Her
mouth dropped open as she pointed to my chest. "Sari — what is it?"
Uncle Ben cried. "The s-scarab — " she stammered. "It . . .
escaped! I saw it!" She pointed down. "It's there!"
"Huh?" I spun away from her and bent down to find the scarab.
"Ow!" I cried out when I felt a sharp stab of pain on the back of my
leg. And realized the scarab had bitten me. 5 As I gasped in alarm, Uncle Ben's
words about the scarab rushed through my mind. "To keep a scarab meant
immortality. But the bite of a scarab meant instant death." Instant death?
"Noooo!" I let out a howl and spun around. And saw Sari hunched down
on her knees. Grinning. Her hand outstretched. And realized she had pinched my
leg. My heart still pounding, I grabbed the pendant and stared into the orange
glassy stone. The scarab was still frozen inside, just as it had been for four
thousand years. "Aaaaaaaggh!" I let out a howl of rage. I was mostly
furious at myself. Was I going to fall for every dumb joke Uncle Ben and Sari
played on me this trip? If so, it was going to be a very long summer. I had
always liked my cousin. Except for the times when she was being so competitive
and so superior, we always got along really well. But now I wanted to punch
her. I wanted to say really nasty things to her. But I couldn't think of
anything nasty enough. "That was really mean, Sari," I said glumly,
tucking the pendant under my T-shirt. "Yes, it was — wasn't it!" she
replied, very pleased with herself. That night, I lay on my back on my narrow
cot, staring up at the low tent roof, listening. Listening to the brush of the
wind against the tent door, the soft creak of the tent poles, the flap of the
canvas. I don't think I'd ever felt so alert. Turning my head, I could see the
pale glow of moonlight through a crack in the tent door. I could see blades of
dried desert grass on the sand outside. I could see water stains on the tent
wall over my bed. I'll never get to sleep, I thought unhappily. I pushed and
punched the flat pillow for the twentieth time, trying to fluff it up. The
harsh wool blanket felt scratchy against my chin. I'd slept away from home
before. But I'd always slept in a room of some kind. Not in the middle of a
vast, sandy desert in a tiny, flapping, creaking, canvas tent. I wasn't scared.
My uncle lay snoring away in his cot a few feet across the tent. I was just
alert. Very, very alert. So alert I could hear the swish of palm trees outside.
And I could hear the low hum of car tires miles away on the narrow road. And I
heard the thudding of my heart when something wriggled on my chest. I was so
alert. I felt it instantly. Just a tickle. A quick, light move. It could only
be one thing. The scarab moving inside the amber pendant. No joke this time. No
joke. It moved. I fumbled for the pendant in the dark, tossing down the
blanket. I held it up to the moonlight. I could see the fat beetle in there,
black in its orange prison. "Did you move?" I whispered to it.
"Did you wriggle your legs?" I suddenly felt really stupid. Why was I
whispering to a four-thousand-year-old insect? Why was I imagining that it was
alive? Annoyed with myself, I tucked the pendant back under my nightshirt. I
had no way of knowing how important that pendant would soon become to me. I had
no way of knowing that the pendant held a secret that would either save my
life. Or kill me. 6 The tent was already hot when I awoke the next morning.
Bright yellow sunlight poured in through the open tent flap. Squinting against
the light, I rubbed my eyes and stretched. Uncle Ben had already gone out. My back
ached. The little cot was so hard! But I was too excited to worry about my
back. I was going down into the pyramid this morning, to the entrance of an
ancient tomb. I pulled on a clean T-shirt and the jeans I'd worn the day
before. I adjusted the scarab pendant under the T-shirt. Then I carefully
tucked the little mummy hand into the back pocket of my jeans. With the pendant
and the mummy hand, I'm well protected, I told myself. Nothing bad can happen
this trip. I pulled a hairbrush through my thick, black hair a few times,
tugged my black-and-yellow Michigan Wolverines cap on. Then I hurried to the
mess tent to get some breakfast. The sun was floating above the palm trees in
the distance. The yellow desert sand gleamed brightly. I took a deep breath of fresh
air. Yuck. There must be some camels nearby, I decided. The air wasn't exactly
fresh. I found Sari and Uncle Ben having their breakfast, seated at the end of
the long table in the mess tent. Uncle Ben wore his usual baggy chinos and a
short-sleeved, white sportshirt with coffee stains down the front. Sari had her
long, black hair pulled straight back in a ponytail. She wore a bright red tank
top over white tennis shorts. They greeted me as I entered the tent. I poured
myself a glass of orange juice and, since I didn't see any Frosted Flakes,
filled a bowl with raisin bran. Three of Uncle Ben's workers were eating at the
other end of the table. They were talking excitedly about their work. "We
could go in today," I heard one of them say. "It might take days to
break the seal on the tomb door," a young woman replied. I sat down next
to Sari. "Tell me all about the tomb," I said to Uncle Ben.
"Whose tomb is it? What's in there?" He chuckled. "Let me say
good morning before I launch into a lecture." Sari leaned over my cereal
bowl. "Hey, look — " she said, pointing. "I got a lot more
raisins than you did!" I told you she could turn breakfast into a contest.
"Well, I got more pulp in my orange juice," I replied. It was just a
joke, but she checked her juice glass to make sure. Uncle Ben wiped his mouth
with a paper napkin. He took a long sip of black coffee. "If I'm not
mistaken," he began, "the tomb we have discovered here belonged to a
prince. Actually, a cousin of King Tutankhamen." "That's King
Tut," Sari told me, interrupting. "I know that!" I replied
sharply. "King Tut's tomb was discovered in 1922," Uncle Ben
continued. "The vast burial chamber was filled with most of Tut's
treasures. It was the most amazing archaeological discovery of the
century." A smile crossed his face. "Until now." "Do you
think you've found something even more amazing?" I asked. I hadn't touched
my cereal. I was too interested in my uncle's story. He shrugged. "There's
no way of knowing what's behind the tomb door until we open it, Gabe. But I
have my fingers crossed. I believe we've found the burial chamber of Prince
Khor-Ru. He was the king's cousin. And he was said to be as wealthy as the
king." "And do you think all of Prince Khor-Ru's crowns, and jewels,
and belongings are buried with him?" Sari asked. Uncle Ben took the last
sip of coffee and slid the white mug across the table. "Who knows?"
he replied. "There could be amazing treasures in there. Or it could be
empty. Just an empty room." "How could it be empty?" I demanded.
"Why would there be an empty tomb in the pyramids?" "Grave
robbers," Uncle Ben replied, frowning. "Remember, Prince Khor-Ru was
buried sometime around 1300 B.C. Over the centuries, thieves broke into the
pyramids and robbed the treasures from many burial chambers." He stood up
and sighed. "We may have been digging for all these months only to find an
empty room." "No way!" I cried excitedly. "I'll bet we find
the Prince's mummy in there. And millions of dollars' worth of jewels!"
Uncle Ben smiled at me. "Enough talk," he said. "Finish your
breakfast so we can go find out." Sari and I followed Uncle Ben out of the
tent. He waved to two young men who came out of the supply tent carrying
digging equipment. Then he hurried over to talk to them. Sari and I lingered back.
She turned to me, a serious expression on her face. "Hey, Gabe," she
said softly, "sorry I've been such a pain." "You? A pain?"
I replied sarcastically. She didn't laugh. "I'm kind of worried," she
confessed. "About Daddy." I glanced at Uncle Ben. He was slapping one
of the young men on the back as he talked. His usual jolly self. "Why are
you worried?" I asked Sari. "Your dad is in a great mood."
"That's why I'm worried," Sari whispered. "He's so happy and
excited. He really thinks this is going to be the discovery that makes him
famous." "So?" I demanded. "So what if it turns out to be
an empty room?" Sari replied, her dark eyes watching her father.
"What if grave robbers did strip the place? Or what if it isn't that prince's
tomb after all? What if Daddy breaks the seal, opens the door — and finds
nothing but a dusty, old room filled with snakes?" She sighed. "Daddy
will be heartbroken. Just heartbroken. He's counting on this so much, Gabe. I
don't know if he'll be able to take the disappointment." "Why look on
the gloomy side?" I replied. "What if — " I stopped because
Uncle Ben was hurrying back to us. "Let's go down to the chamber," he
said excitedly. "The workers think we are very close to uncovering the
tomb entrance." He put an arm on each of our shoulders and guided us to
the pyramid. As we stepped into the shade of the pyramid, the air grew cooler.
The low entrance dug at the bottom of the back wall came into view. It was just
big enough for us to enter one at a time. Peering into the narrow hole, I saw
that the tunnel dropped steeply. I hope I don't fall, I thought, a heavy knot
of fear tightening my stomach. I pictured myself falling and falling down an
endless, dark hole. Mainly, I didn't want to fall in front of Sari. I knew
she'd never let me forget it. Uncle Ben handed Sari and me bright yellow hard
hats. They had lights built into them, like miners' hats. "Stick close
together," he instructed. "I remember last summer. You two wandered
off and got us into a lot of trouble." "W-we won't," I stammered.
I was trying not to sound nervous, but I couldn't help it. I glanced at Sari.
She was adjusting the yellow hard hat over her hair. She seemed as calm and
confident as ever. "I'll lead the way," Uncle Ben said, pulling the
chin strap under his chin. He turned and started to lower himself into the
hole. But a shrill cry from behind us made us all stop and turn around.
"Stop! Please — stop! Don't go in!" 7 A young woman came running
across the sand. Her long, black hair flew behind her head as she ran. She
carried a brown briefcase in one hand. A camera, strapped around her neck,
bobbed in front of her. She stopped in front of us and smiled at Uncle Ben.
"Dr. Hassad?" she asked breathlessly. My uncle nodded.
"Yes?" He waited for her to catch her breath. Wow. She's really
pretty, I thought. She had long, black hair, sleek and shiny. She had bangs cut
straight across her forehead. Beneath the bangs were the most beautiful green
eyes I'd ever seen. She was dressed all in white. A white suit jacket and a white
blouse over white slacks. She was short — only an inch or two taller than Sari.
She must be a movie star or something, I told myself. She's so great-looking!
She set her briefcase down on the sand and brushed back her long, black hair.
"I'm sorry I shouted like that, Dr. Hassad," she told my uncle.
"It's just that I needed to talk to you. I didn't want you to disappear
into the pyramid." Uncle Ben narrowed his eyes at her, studying her.
"How did you get past the security guard?" he asked, pulling off the
hard hat. "I showed them my press card," she replied. "I'm a
reporter for the Cairo Sun. My name is Nila Rahmad. I was hoping — "
"Nila?" Uncle Ben interrupted. "What a pretty name." She
smiled. "Yes. My mother named me after the River of Life, the Nile."
"Well, it's a very pretty name," Uncle Ben replied. His eyes
twinkled. "But I'm not ready to have any reporters write about our work
here." Nila frowned and bit her lower lip. "I spoke to Dr. Fielding a
few days ago," she said. My uncle's eyes widened in surprise. "You
did?" "Dr. Fielding gave me permission to write about your
discovery," Nila insisted, her green eyes locked on my uncle. "Well,
we haven't discovered anything yet!" Uncle Ben said sharply. "There
may not be anything to discover." "That's not what Dr. Fielding told
me," Nila replied. "He seemed confident that you were about to make a
discovery that would shock the world." Uncle Ben laughed. "Sometimes
my partner gets excited and talks too much," he told Nila. Nila's eyes
pleaded with my uncle. "May I come into the pyramid with you?" She
glanced at Sari and me. "I see you have other visitors." "My
daughter, Sari, and my nephew, Gabe," Uncle Ben replied. "Well, could
I come down with them?" Nila pleaded. "I promise I won't write a word
for my paper until you give me permission." Uncle Ben rubbed his chin
thoughtfully. He swung the hard hat back onto his head. "No photographs,
either," he muttered. "Does that mean I can come?" Nila asked
excitedly. Uncle Ben nodded. "As an observer." He was trying to act
real tough. But I could see he liked her. Nila flashed him a warm smile.
"Thank you, Dr. Hassad." He reached into the storage cart and handed
her a yellow hard hat. "We won't be making any amazing discoveries
today," he warned her. "But we're getting very close — to
something." As she slipped on the heavy helmet, Nila turned to Sari and
me. "Is this your first time in the pyramid?" she asked. "No
way. I've already been down three times," Sari boasted. "It's really
awesome." "I just arrived yesterday," I said. "So it's my
first time down in — " I stopped when I saw Nila's expression change. Why
was she staring at me like that? I glanced down and realized that she was
staring at the amber pendant. Her mouth was open in shock. "No! I don't
believe this! I really don't! This is so weird!" she exclaimed. 8
"Wh-what's wrong?" I stammered. "We're twins!" Nila
declared. She reached under her suit jacket and pulled out a pendant she wore
around her neck. An amber pendant, shaped exactly like mine. "How unusual!"
Uncle Ben exclaimed. Nila grasped my pendant between her fingers and lowered
her face to examine it. "You have a scarab inside yours," she told
me, turning the pendant around in her fingers. She dropped mine and held hers
up for me to see. "Look, Gabe. Mine is empty." I gazed into her
pendant. It looked like clear orange glass. Nothing inside. "I think yours
is prettier," Sari told Nila. "I wouldn't want to wear a dead bug
around my neck." "But it's supposed to be good luck or
something," Nila replied. She tucked the pendant back under her white
jacket. "I hope it isn't bad luck to have an empty one!" "I hope
so, too," Uncle Ben commented dryly. He turned and led us into the pyramid
opening. I'm not really sure how I got lost. Sari and I were walking together
behind Uncle Ben and Nila. We were close behind them. I could hear my uncle
explaining about how the tunnel walls were granite and limestone. Our helmet
lights were on. The narrow beams of yellow light darted and crisscrossed over
the dusty tunnel floor and walls as we made our way deeper and deeper into the
pyramid. The ceiling hung low, and we all had to stoop as we walked. The tunnel
kept curving, and there were several smaller tunnels that branched off.
"False starts and dead ends," Uncle Ben called them. It was hard to
see in the flickering light from our helmets. I stumbled once and scraped my
elbow against the rough tunnel wall. It was surprisingly cool down here, and I
wished I had worn a sweatshirt or something. Up ahead, Uncle Ben was telling
Nila about King Tut and Prince Khor-Ru. It sounded to me as if Uncle Ben was
trying to impress her. I wondered if he had a crush on her or something.
"This is so thrilling!" I heard Nila exclaim. "It was so nice of
Dr. Fielding and you to let me see it." "Who is Dr. Fielding?" I
whispered to Sari. "My father's partner," Sari whispered back.
"But Daddy doesn't like him. You'll probably meet him. He's always around.
I don't like him much, either." I stopped to examine a strange-looking
marking on the tunnel wall. It was shaped like some kind of animal head.
"Sari — look!" I whispered. "An ancient drawing." Sari
rolled her eyes. "It's Bart Simpson," she muttered. "One of
Daddy's workers must have drawn it there." "I knew that!" I
lied. "I was just testing you." When was I going to stop making a
fool of myself in front of my cousin? I turned back from the stupid drawing on
the wall — and Sari had vanished. I could see the narrow beam of light from her
hard hat up ahead. "Hey — wait up!" I called. But the light disappeared
as the tunnel curved away. And then I stumbled again. My helmet hit the tunnel
wall. And the light went out. "Hey — Sari? Uncle Ben?" I called to
them. I leaned heavily against the wall, afraid to move in the total darkness.
"Hey — ! Can anybody hear me?" My voice echoed down the narrow
tunnel. But no one replied. I pulled off the hard hat and fiddled with the
light. I turned it, trying to tighten it. Then I shook the whole hat. But the
light wouldn't come back on. Sighing, I strapped the hat back onto my head. Now
what? I thought, starting to feel a little afraid. My stomach began fluttering.
My throat suddenly felt dry. "Hey — can anybody hear me?" I shouted.
"I'm in the dark back here. I can't walk!" No reply. Where were they?
Didn't they notice that I had disappeared? "Well, I'll just wait right
here for them," I murmured to myself. I leaned my shoulder against the
tunnel wall — — and fell right through the wall. No way to catch my balance.
Nothing to grab on to. I was falling, falling down through total darkness. 9 My
hands flailed wildly as I fell. I reached out frantically for something to grab
on to. It all happened too fast to cry out. I landed hard on my back. Pain shot
out through my arms and legs. The darkness swirled around me. My breath was
knocked right out of me. I saw bright flashes of red, then everything went
black again. I struggled to breathe, but couldn't suck in any air. I had that
horrible heavy feeling in my chest, like when a basketball hits you in the
stomach. Finally, I sat up, struggling to see in the total darkness. I heard a
soft, shuffling sound. Something scraping over the hard dirt floor. "Hey —
can anyone hear me?" My voice came out a hoarse whisper. Now my back
ached, but I was starting to breathe normally. "Hey — I'm down here!"
I called, a little louder. No reply. Didn't they miss me? Weren't they looking
for me? I was leaning back on my hands, starting to feel better. My right hand
started to itch. I reached to scratch it and brushed something away. And realized
my legs were itching, too. And felt something crawling on my left wrist. I
shook my hand hard. "What's going on here?" I whispered to myself. My
entire body tingled. I felt soft pinpricks up my arms and legs. Shaking both
arms, I jumped to my feet. And banged my helmet against a low ledge. The light
flickered on. I gasped when I saw the crawling creatures in the narrow beam of
light. Spiders. Hundreds of bulby, white spiders, thick on the chamber floor.
They scuttled across the floor, climbing over each other. As I jerked my head
up and the light swept up with it, I saw that the stone walls were covered with
them, too. The white spiders made the wall appear to move, as if it were alive.
Spiders hung on invisible threads from the chamber ceiling. They seemed to bob
and float in midair. I shook one off the back of my hand. And with a gasp,
realized why my legs itched. Spiders were crawling all over them. Up over my
arms. Down my back. "Help — somebody! Please!" I managed to cry out.
I felt a spider drop on to the top of my head. I brushed it away with a frantic
slap. "Somebody — help me!" I screamed. "Can anyone hear
me?" And then I saw something scarier. Much scarier. A snake slid down
from above me, lowering itself rapidly toward my face. 10 I ducked and tried to
cover my head as the snake silently dropped toward me. "Grab it!" I
heard someone call. "Grab on to it!" With a startled cry, I raised my
eyes. The light beam followed. And I saw that it was not a snake that stretched
from above — but a rope. "Grab on to it, Gabe! Hurry!" Sari shouted
urgently from high above. Brushing away spiders, kicking frantically to shake
the spiders off my sneakers, I grasped the rope with both hands. And felt
myself being tugged up, pulled up through the darkness to the tunnel floor
above. A few seconds later, Uncle Ben reached down and grabbed me under the
shoulders. As he hoisted me up, I could see Sari and Nila pulling with all
their might on the rope. I cheered happily as my feet touched solid ground. But
I didn't have long to celebrate. My entire body felt as if it were on fire! I
went wild, kicking my legs, brushing spiders off my arms, scratching spiders
off my back, stamping on the spiders as they scuttled off me. Glancing up, I
saw that Sari was laughing at me. "Gabe, what do you call that
dance?" she asked. Uncle Ben and Nila laughed, too. "How did you fall
down there, Gabe?" my uncle demanded, peering down into the spider
chamber. "The wall — it gave way," I told him, frantically scratching
my legs. "I thought you were still with me," Sari explained.
"When I turned around . . ." Her voice trailed off. The light on
Uncle Ben's helmet beamed down to the lower chamber. "That's a long
fall," Uncle Ben said, turning back to me. "Are you sure you're
okay?" I nodded. "Yeah. I guess. It knocked the wind out of me. And
then the spiders — " "There must be hundreds of chambers like
that," my uncle commented, glancing at Nila. "The pyramid builders
made a maze of tunnels and chambers — to fool tomb robbers and keep them from
finding the real tomb." "Yuck! Such fat spiders!" Sari groaned,
stepping back. "There are millions of them down there," I told her.
"On the walls, hanging from the ceiling — everywhere." "This is
going to give me bad dreams," Nila said softly, moving closer to Uncle
Ben. "You sure you're okay?" my uncle demanded again. I started to
reply. Then I suddenly remembered something. The mummy hand. It was tucked in
my back pocket. Had it been crushed when I landed on it? My heart skipped a
beat. I didn't want anything bad to happen to that little hand. It was my good
luck charm. I reached into my jeans pocket and pulled it out. Holding it under
the light from my hard hat, I examined it carefully. I breathed a sigh of
relief when I saw that it was okay. It still felt cold. But it hadn't been
crushed. "What's that?" Nila asked, leaning closer to see it better.
She brushed her long hair away from her face. "Is that The Summoner?"
"How did you know that?" I demanded, holding the hand up so she could
see it better. Nila stared at it intently. "I know a lot about ancient
Egypt," she replied. "I've studied it my whole life." "It
might be an ancient relic," Uncle Ben broke in. "Or it might just be
a tacky souvenir," Sari added. "It has real powers," I insisted,
brushing it off carefully. "I landed on it down there — " I pointed
to the spider chamber — "and it didn't get crushed." "I guess it
is a good luck charm," Nila said, turning back to Uncle Ben. "Then
why didn't it keep Gabe from falling through that wall?" Sari cracked.
Before I could answer, I saw the mummy hand move. The tiny fingers slowly
curled. Out and then in. I cried out and nearly dropped it. "Gabe — now
what?" Uncle Ben demanded sharply. "Uh . . . nothing," I
replied. They wouldn't believe me anyway. "I think we've done enough
exploring for now," Uncle Ben said. As we made our way to the entrance, I
held the mummy hand in front of me. I wasn't seeing things. I knew that for
sure. The fingers really had moved. But why? Was the hand trying to signal me?
Was it trying to warn me about something? 11 Two days later, Uncle Ben's
workers reached the doorway to the burial chamber. Sari and I had spent the two
days hanging around in the tent or exploring the area outside the pyramid.
Since it was mostly sand, there wasn't much to explore. We spent one long
afternoon playing game after game of Scrabble. Playing Scrabble with Sari
wasn't much fun at all. She was a very defensive player and spent hours
figuring out ways to clog the board and block me from getting any good words.
Whenever I put down a really good word, Sari claimed it wasn't a real word and
couldn't be allowed. And since we didn't have a dictionary in the tent, she won
most of the arguments. Uncle Ben, meanwhile, seemed really stressed out. I
thought maybe he was nervous about finally opening the tomb. He barely spoke to
Sari and me. Instead, he spent a lot of time meeting with people I didn't
recognize. He seemed very serious and businesslike. None of his usual
backslapping and joking. Uncle Ben also spent a lot of time talking with Nila.
At first, she'd said she wanted to write about his discovery in the pyramid.
But now she'd decided to write an article about him. She wrote down nearly
every word he said in a little pad she carried with her. Then, at breakfast, he
finally smiled for the first time in two days. "Today's the day," he
announced. Sari and I couldn't hide our excitement. "Are you taking us
with you?" I asked. Uncle Ben nodded. "I want you to be there,"
he replied. "Perhaps we will make history today. Perhaps it will be a day
you will want to remember for the rest of your lives." He shrugged and
added thoughtfully: "Perhaps." A few minutes later, the three of us
followed several workers across the sand toward the pyramid. It was a gray day.
Heavy clouds hovered low in the sky, threatening rain. The pyramid rose up
darkly to meet the clouds. As we approached the small opening in the back wall,
Nila came running up, her camera bobbing in front of her. She wore a
long-sleeved, blue denim work shirt over loose-fitting, faded jeans. Uncle Ben
greeted her warmly. "But still no photographs," he told her firmly.
"Promise?" Nila smiled back at him. Her green eyes lit up excitedly.
She raised a hand to her heart. "Promise." We all took yellow hard
hats from the equipment dump. Uncle Ben was carrying a large stone mallet. He
lowered himself into the entrance, and we followed. My heart was racing as I
hurried to keep up with Sari. The lights from our helmets darted over the
narrow tunnel. Far up ahead, I could hear the voices of workers and the steady
scrape of their digging tools. "This is really awesome!" I exclaimed
breathlessly to Sari. "Maybe the tomb is filled with jewels," Sari
whispered as we made our way around a curve. "Sapphires and rubies and
emeralds. Maybe I'll get to try on a jeweled crown worn by an Egyptian
princess." "Do you think there's a mummy in the tomb?" I asked.
I wasn't too interested in jewels. "Do you think the mummified body of
Prince Khor-Ru is lying there, waiting to be discovered?" Sari made a disgusted
face. "Is that all you can think about — mummies?" "Well, we are
in an ancient Egyptian pyramid!" I shot back. "There could be
millions of dollars' worth of jewels and relics in that tomb," Sari
scolded. "And all you can think about is some moldy old body wrapped up in
tar and gauze." She shook her head. "You know, most kids get over
their fascination with mummies by the time they're eight or nine."
"Uncle Ben didn't!" I replied. That shut her up. We followed Nila and
Uncle Ben in silence. After a while, the narrow tunnel curved up sharply. The
air grew warmer as we followed it up. I could see lights ahead. Two
battery-powered spotlights were trained on the far wall. As we drew closer, I
realized it wasn't a wall. It was a door. Four workers — two men and two women
— were on their knees, working with small shovels and picks. They were scraping
the last chunks of dirt away from the door. "It looks beautiful!"
Uncle Ben cried, running up to the workers. They turned to greet him.
"It's awesome in the true sense of the word!" he declared. Nila,
Sari, and I stepped up behind him. Uncle Ben was right. The ancient door really
was awesome! It wasn't very tall. I could see that Uncle Ben would have to
stoop to step into it. But it looked like a door fit for a prince. The dark
mahogany wood — now petrified — must have been brought from far away. I knew
that kind of wood didn't come from any trees that grew in Egypt. Strange
hieroglyphics covered the door from top to bottom. I recognized birds, and
cats, and other animals etched deeply into the dark wood. The most startling
sight of all was the seal that locked the door — a snarling lion's head,
sculpted in gold. The light from the spotlights made the lion glow like the
sun. "The gold is soft," I heard one of the workers tell my uncle.
"The seal will break away easily." Uncle Ben lowered his heavy mallet
to the ground. He stared for a long moment at the glowing lion's head, then
turned back to us. "They thought this lion would scare any intruders away
from the tomb," he explained. "I guess it worked. Till now."
"Dr. Hassad, I have to photograph the actual breaking of the seal,"
Nila said, stepping up beside him. "You really must let me. We can't let
the moment go unrecorded." He gazed at her thoughtfully. "Well . . .
okay," he agreed. A pleased smile crossed her face as she raised her
camera. "Thanks, Ben." The workers stepped back. One of them handed
Uncle Ben a hammer and a delicate tool that looked like a doctor's scalpel.
"It's all yours, Dr. Hassad," she said. Uncle Ben raised the tools
and stepped up to the seal. "Once I break this seal, we will open the door
and step into a room that hasn't been seen in four thousand years," he
announced. Nila steadied her camera over her eye, carefully adjusting the lens.
Sari and I moved up beside the workers. The gold lion appeared to glow brighter
as Uncle Ben raised the tool. A hush fell over the tunnel. I could feel the
excitement, feel the tension in the air. Such suspense! I realized I had been
holding my breath. I let it out in a long, silent whoosh and took another. I
glanced at Sari. She was nervously chewing her lower lip. Her hands were
pressed tightly at her sides. "Anyone hungry? Maybe we should forget about
this and send out for a pizza!" Uncle Ben joked. We all laughed loudly.
That was Uncle Ben for you — cracking a dumb joke at what might be the most
exciting moment of his life. The tense silence returned. Uncle Ben's expression
turned serious. He turned back to the ancient seal. He raised the small chisel
to the back of the seal. Then he started to lift the hammer. And a booming
voice rang out, "PLEASE — LET ME REST IN PEACE!" 12 I let out a
startled cry. "LET ME REST IN PEACE!" the booming voice repeated. I
saw Uncle Ben lower his chisel. He spun around, his eyes wide with surprise. I
realized the voice came from behind us. I turned to see a man I had never seen
before, half hidden in the shadowy tunnel. He made his way toward us, taking
long, steady strides. He was a tall, lanky man, so tall he really had to hunch
his shoulders in the low tunnel. Bald except for a fringe of dark hair at the
ears, he had a slender face, an unfriendly scowl on his thin lips. He wore a
perfectly ironed safari jacket over a shirt and necktie. His black eyes, like
little raisins, glared at my uncle. I wondered if the man ever ate. He was as
skinny as a mummy himself! "Omar — !" Uncle Ben started. "I
wasn't expecting you back from Cairo." "Let me rest in peace,"
Dr. Fielding repeated, softer this time. "Those are the words of Prince
Khor-Ru. Written on the ancient stone we found last month. That was the
prince's wish." "Omar, we've been over this before," my uncle
replied, sighing. He lowered the hammer and chisel to his sides. Dr. Fielding
pushed past Sari and me as if we weren't there. He stopped in front of my uncle
and swept a hand back over his bald head. "Well, then, how can you dare to
break the seal?" Dr. Fielding demanded. "I am a scientist," my
uncle replied slowly, speaking each word clearly and distinctly. "I cannot
allow superstition to stand in the way of discovery, Omar." "I am
also a scientist," Dr. Fielding replied, using both hands to tighten his
necktie. "But I am not willing to defile this ancient tomb. I am not
willing to go against the wishes of Prince Khor-Ru. And I am not willing to
call the words of the hieroglyph mere superstition." "This is where
we disagree," Uncle Ben said softly. He motioned to the four workers.
"We have spent too many months, too many years, to stop just outside the
door. We have come this far, Omar. We must go the rest of the way." Dr.
Fielding chewed his lower lip. He pointed to the top of the door. "Look,
Ben. There are the same hieroglyphs as on the stone. The same warning. Let me
rest in peace." "I know, I know," my uncle said, frowning.
"The warning is very clear," Dr. Fielding continued heatedly, his
tiny raisin eyes narrowed at my uncle. "If anyone should disturb the
prince, if anyone should repeat the ancient words written on the tomb five
times — the mummified prince shall come to life. And he shall seek his
vengeance on those who disturbed him." Listening to those words made me
shudder. I stared hard at Uncle Ben. Why hadn't he ever told Sari and me about
the prince's threat? Why hadn't he ever mentioned the words of warning they had
found on an ancient stone? Was he afraid he might frighten us? Was he
frightened himself? No. No way. He didn't seem at all frightened now as he
argued with Dr. Fielding. I could tell they had had this argument before. And I
could see there was no way that Dr. Fielding was going to stop my uncle from
breaking the seal and entering the tomb. "This is my final warning, Ben —
" Dr. Fielding said. "For the sake of everyone here . . ." He
motioned with one hand to the four workers. "Superstition," Uncle Ben
replied. "I cannot be stopped by superstition. I am a scientist." He
raised the chisel and hammer. "The seal will be broken." Dr. Fielding
tossed up both hands in disgust. "I will not be a party to this," he
declared. He spun around, nearly hitting his head on the tunnel ceiling. Then,
muttering to himself, he hurried away, disappearing quickly into the darkness
of the tunnel. Uncle Ben took a couple of steps after him. "Omar — ?
Omar?" But we could hear Dr. Fielding's footsteps growing fainter as he
made his way out of the pyramid. Uncle Ben sighed and leaned close to me.
"I don't trust that man," he muttered. "He doesn't really care
about the old superstitions. He wants to steal this discovery for himself.
That's why he tried to make me stop outside the door." I didn't know how
to reply. My uncle's words startled me. I thought scientists had rules about
who took credit for what discoveries. Uncle Ben whispered something to Nila.
Then he made his way back to the four workers. "If any of you agree with
Dr. Fielding," he told them, "you are free to leave now." The
workers exchanged glances with one another. "You have all heard the words
of warning on the tomb door. I do not want to force anyone to enter the
tomb," Uncle Ben told them. "But we have worked so hard," one of
the men said. "We cannot stop here. We have no choice. We have to open
that door." A smile crossed my uncle's face. "I agree," he said,
turning back to the lion seal. I glanced at Sari and realized that she was
already staring at me. "Gabe, if you're scared, Daddy will let you
leave," she whispered. "You don't have to be embarrassed." She
never quits! "I'm staying," I whispered back. "But if you want
me to walk you back to the tent, I will." A loud clink made us both turn
back to the door. Uncle Ben was working to pry off the gold lion seal. Nila had
her camera poised. The workers stood tensely, watching Uncle Ben's every move.
Uncle Ben worked slowly, carefully. He slid the chisel behind the ancient seal
and gently pried and scraped. A few minutes later, the seal fell into my
uncle's hands. Nila busily snapped photograph after photograph. Uncle Ben
carefully passed it to one of the workers. "That's not a Christmas
gift," he joked. "I'm keeping that for my mantelpiece!" Everyone
laughed. Uncle Ben gripped the edge of the door with both hands. "I'm
going in first," he announced. "If I'm not back in twenty minutes, go
tell Dr. Fielding he was right!" More laughter. Two of the workers moved
to help Uncle Ben slide open the door. They pressed their shoulders against it,
straining hard. The door didn't budge. "It might need a little
oiling," Uncle Ben joked. "After all, it's been closed for four
thousand years." They worked for several minutes with picks and chisels,
carefully freeing the door. Then they tried once again, pressing their
shoulders against the heavy mahogany door. "Yes!" Uncle Ben cried out
as the door slid an inch. Then another inch. Another inch. Everyone pressed
forward, eager to get a view of the ancient tomb. Two of the workers moved the
large spotlights, aiming them into the doorway. As Uncle Ben and his two
helpers pushed against the door, Sari and I stepped up beside Nila. "Isn't
this amazing!" Nila cried excitedly. "I can't believe I'm the only
reporter here! I'm so lucky!" I'm lucky, too, I realized. How many kids
would give anything to be standing right where I am? How many kids would love
to be one of the first people in the world to step into a
four-thousand-year-old tomb in an Egyptian pyramid? The faces of some of my
friends back home suddenly popped into my mind. I realized I couldn't wait to
tell them about my adventure here! The door scraped noisily against the dirt
floor. Another inch. Another inch. The opening was almost big enough for a
person to squeeze through. "Move the light a little," Uncle Ben
instructed. "Another few inches, and we can go in and shake hands with the
prince." The door scraped open another inch. With a great heave, Uncle Ben
and his helpers forced it open another few inches. "Yes!" he cried
happily. Nila snapped a photograph. We all pressed forward eagerly. Uncle Ben
slid through the opening first. Sari bumped me out of the way and cut in front
of me. My heart was pounding hard. My hands were suddenly ice cold. I didn't
care who went in first. I just wanted to go in! One by one, we slipped into the
ancient chamber. Finally, my turn came. I took a deep breath, slipped through
the opening, and saw — — nothing. Except for a lot of cobwebs, the chamber was
bare. Totally bare. 13 I let out a long sigh. Poor Uncle Ben. All that work for
nothing. I felt so disappointed. I glanced around the bare chamber. The
spotlights made the thick cobwebs glow like silver. Our shadows stretched
across the dirt floor like ghosts. I turned to Uncle Ben, expecting him to be
disappointed, too. But to my surprise, he had a smile on his face. "Move
the lights," he told one of the workers. "And bring the tools. We
have another seal to remove." He pointed across the empty room to the back
wall. In the gray light, I could make out the outline of a door. Another
sculpted lion sealed it shut. "I knew this wasn't the real burial
chamber!" Sari cried, grinning at me. "As I said, the Egyptians often
did this," Uncle Ben explained. "They built several false chambers to
hide the real chamber from grave robbers." He pulled off his hard hat and
scratched his hair. "In fact," he continued, "we may find
several empty chambers before we find Prince Khor-Ru's resting place."
Nila snapped a photo of Uncle Ben examining the newly discovered door. She
smiled at me. "You should have seen the expression on your face,
Gabe," she said. "You looked so disappointed." "I thought —
" I started. But the scrape of Uncle Ben's chisel against the seal made me
stop. We all turned to watch him work at the seal. Staring across the
cobweb-filled chamber, I tried to imagine what waited for us on the other side
of the door. Another empty chamber? Or a four-thousand-year-old Egyptian
prince, surrounded by all of his treasures and belongings? Work on the door
went slowly. We all broke for lunch and then returned. That afternoon Uncle Ben
and his helpers worked for another couple of hours, carefully trying to remove
the seal without damaging it. As they worked, Sari and I sat on the floor and
watched. The air was hot and kind of sour. I guess it was ancient air. Sari and
I talked about last summer and the adventures we'd had in the Great Pyramid.
Nila snapped our picture. "Almost got it," Uncle Ben announced. We
all started to get excited again. Sari and I climbed to our feet and crossed
the room to get a better view. The lion seal slid free from the door. Two of
the workers placed it gently into a padded crate. Then Uncle Ben and the other
two workers set to work pushing open the door. This door proved even more
difficult than the last. "It's . . . really . . . stuck," Uncle Ben
groaned. He and the workers pulled out more tools and began prying and chipping
away the hard crust that had formed on the doorway over the centuries. An hour
later, they got the door to slide an inch. Then another inch. Another. When it
had slid halfway open, Uncle Ben removed the light from his helmet and beamed
it through the opening. He peered into the next chamber for the longest time
without saying a word. Sari and I moved closer. My heart began racing again.
What did he see? I wondered. What was he staring at so silently? Finally, Uncle
Ben lowered the light and turned back to us. "We've made a big
mistake," he said quietly. 14 A shocked silence fell over the room. I
swallowed hard, stunned by my uncle's words. But then a broad smile crossed his
face. "We made a mistake by underestimating our discovery!" he
exclaimed. "This will be more important than the discovery of King Tut!
This tomb is even grander!" A gleeful cheer echoed against the stone
walls. The workers rushed forward to shake Uncle Ben's hand and offer their
congratulations. "Congratulations to us all!" Uncle Ben declared
happily. We were all laughing and talking excitedly as we slipped through the
narrow opening, into the next chamber. As the lights beamed over the vast room,
I knew I was seeing something I would never forget. Even the thick layer of
dust and cobwebs could not cover the amazing treasures that filled the chamber.
My eyes darted quickly around. I struggled to focus on it all. But there was
too much to see! I actually felt dizzy. The walls were covered from floor to
ceiling with hieroglyphics, etched into the stone. The floor was cluttered with
furniture and other objects. It looked more like someone's attic or a storeroom
than a tomb! A tall, straight-backed throne caught my eye. It had a golden,
radiating sun etched into the seat-back. Behind it, I saw chairs and benches,
and a long couch. Against the wall were stacked dozens of stone and clay jars.
Some were cracked and broken. But many were in perfect condition. A gold monkey
head lay on its side in the middle of the floor. Behind it, I saw several large
chests. Uncle Ben and one of the workers carefully pulled back the lid of one
of the chests. Their eyes grew wide as they gaped inside. "Jewelry!"
Uncle Ben declared. "It's filled with gold jewelry!" Sari came up
beside me, an excited grin on her face. "This is awesome!" I
whispered. She nodded agreement. "Awesome!" We whispered in the heavy
silence. No one else talked. Everyone was too overwhelmed by the amazing sight.
The loudest sound was the clicking of Nila's camera. Uncle Ben stepped between
Sari and me and placed a hand on our shoulders. "Isn't this
unbelievable?" he cried. "It's all in perfect condition. Untouched
for four thousand years." When I glanced up at him, I saw that he had
tears in his eyes. This is the greatest moment of Uncle Ben's life, I realized.
"We must be very careful — " Uncle Ben started. But he stopped in
midsentence, and I saw his expression change. As he guided Sari and me across
the room, I saw what he was staring at. A large stone mummy case, hidden in
shadow, stood against the far wall. "Oh, wow!" I murmured as we
stepped up to it. Made of smooth, gray stone, the heavy lid had a long crack
down the center. "Is the prince buried inside it?" Sari asked
eagerly. It took Uncle Ben a moment to reply. He stood between us, his eyes
locked on the ancient mummy case. "We'll soon see," he finally
replied. As he and the four workers struggled to move the lid, Nila lowered her
camera and stepped forward to watch. Her green eyes stared intensely as the lid
slowly slid away. Inside was a coffin in the shape of the mummy. It wasn't very
long. And it was narrower than I thought it would be. The workers slowly pried
open the coffin's lid. I gasped and grabbed Uncle Ben's hand as the mummy was
revealed. It looked so tiny and frail! "Prince Khor-Ru," Uncle Ben
muttered, staring down into the stone case. The prince lay on his back, his
slender arms crossed over his chest. Black tar had seeped through the bandages.
The gauze had worn away from the head, revealing the tar-covered skull. As I
leaned over the case, my heart in my throat, the tar-blackened eyes seemed to
stare helplessly up at me. There's a real person inside there, I thought,
feeling a chill run down my spine. He's about my size. And he died. And they
covered him with hot tar and cloth. And he's been lying in this case for four
thousand years. A real person. A royal prince. I stared at the stained, cracked
tar that covered his face. At the gauzelike cloth, all frayed and yellowed. At
the stiff body, so frail and small. He was alive once, I thought. Did he ever
dream that four thousand years later, people would open hiscoffin and stare at
him? Stare at his mummified body? I took a step back to catch my breath. It was
too exciting. I saw that Nila also had tears in her eyes. She rested both hands
on the edge of the case and leaned over the prince's body, her eyes locked on
the blackened face. "These may be the best-preserved remains ever
found," Uncle Ben said quietly. "Of course we will have to do many
tests to determine the young man's identity. But, judging from everything else
in this chamber, I think it's safe to say . . ." His voice trailed off as
we all heard sounds from the outer chamber. Footsteps. Voices. I spun around
toward the doorway as four black-uniformed police officers burst into the room.
"Okay. Everybody take one step back," one of them ordered, lowering
his hand to the gun holster at his side. 15 Startled cries filled the room.
Uncle Ben spun around, his eyes wide with surprise. "What is
happening?" he cried. The four Cairo police officers, their features set
in hard frowns, moved quickly into the center of the room. "Be careful!"
Uncle Ben warned, standing in front of the mummy case as if protecting it.
"Do not move anything. It is all terribly fragile." He pulled off the
hard hat. His eyes went from officer to officer. "What are you doing
here?" "I asked them to come," a voice boomed from the doorway.
Dr. Fielding entered, a pleased expression on his face. His tiny eyes danced
excitedly. "Omar — I don't understand," Uncle Ben said, taking a few
steps toward the other scientist. "I thought it best to protect the
contents of the room," Dr. Fielding replied. He gazed quickly around the
room, taking in the treasures. "Wonderful! This is wonderful!" he
cried. He stepped forward and shook my uncle's hand enthusiastically.
"Congratulations, everyone!" he boomed. "This is almost too much
to believe." Uncle Ben's expression softened. "I still do not
understand the need for them," he said, motioning to the grim-faced
officers. "No one in this room is about to steal anything."
"Certainly not," Dr. Fielding replied, still squeezing Uncle Ben's
hand. "Certainly not. But word will soon get out, Ben. And I thought we
should be prepared to guard what we have found." Uncle Ben eyed the four
officers suspiciously. But then he shrugged his broad shoulders. "Perhaps
you are right," he told Dr. Fielding. "Perhaps you are being
smart." "Just ignore them," Dr. Fielding replied. He slapped my
uncle on the back. "I owe you an apology, Ben. I was wrong to try to stop
you before. As a scientist, I should have known better. We owed it to the world
to open this tomb. I hope you'll forgive me. We have much to celebrate — don't
we!" "I don't trust him," Uncle Ben confided that evening as we
walked from the tent to dinner. "I don't trust my partner at all." It
was a clear night, surprisingly cool. The purple sky was dotted with a million
twinkling white stars. A steady breeze made the palm trees sway on the horizon.
The big campfire up ahead dipped and shifted with the wind. "Is Dr.
Fielding coming with us to dinner?" Sari asked. She wore a pale green
sweater, pulled down over black leggings. Uncle Ben shook his head. "No,
he hurried to phone Cairo. I think he's eager to tell our backers the good
news." "He seemed really excited when he saw the mummy and
everything," I said, glancing at the pyramid rising darkly to the evening
sky. "Yes, he did," my uncle admitted. "He certainly changed his
mind in a hurry! But I'm keeping my eye on him. Omar would like nothing better
than to take over the project. I'm going to keep an eye on those police
officers of his, too." "Daddy, this should be a happy night,"
Sari scolded. "Let's not talk about Dr. Fielding. Let's just talk about
Prince Khor-Ru and how you're going to be rich and famous!" Uncle Ben
laughed. "It's a deal," he told her. Nila waited for us by the
campfire. Uncle Ben had invited her to join us for a barbecue. She wore a white
sweatshirt over loose-fitting jeans. Her amber pendant caught the light from
the half-moon, just rising over the tents. She looked really pretty. She
flashed Uncle Ben a warm smile as we came near. I could tell by his face that
he liked her. "Sari, you're taller than Gabe, aren't you!" Nila
commented. Sari grinned. She loved being taller than me, even though I'm a
little older. "Less than an inch," I said quickly. "People are
definitely getting taller," Nila said to my uncle. "Prince Khor-Ru
was so short. He'd be a midget today!" "It makes you wonder why such
short people built such tall pyramids," Uncle Ben said, grinning. Nila
smiled and took his arm. Sari and I exchanged glances. I could see what Sari
was thinking. Her expression said: What's up with those two? We had a great
dinner. Uncle Ben burned the hamburger rolls a little. But no one really
minded. Sari downed two hamburgers. I could only eat one. That gave her
something else to boast about. I was really getting fed up with my bragging
cousin. I found myself trying to think of a way to get back at her. Nila and
Uncle Ben kidded around a lot. "That burial chamber looked like a movie
set," Nila teased my uncle. "It was all too perfect. All that gold.
And that perfect little mummy. It's all a fake. That's what I'm going to write
in my article." Uncle Ben laughed. He turned to me. "Did you check
out the mummy, Gabe? Was this one wearing a wristwatch?" I shook my head.
"No wristwatch." "See?" Uncle Ben told Nila. "No
wristwatch. So it's got to be real!" "I guess that proves it,"
Nila said, smiling warmly at my uncle. "Daddy, do you know the words to
bring the mummy to life?" Sari broke in. "You know. The words on the
tomb that Dr. Fielding was talking about?" Uncle Ben swallowed the last
bite of his hamburger. He wiped the grease off his chin with a napkin. "I
can't believe that a serious scientist would believe such superstition,"
he murmured. "But what are the six words to bring the mummy to life?"
Nila demanded. "Come on, Ben. Tell us." Uncle Ben's smile faded. He
shook his finger at Nila. "Oh, no!" he declared. "I don't trust
you. If I tell you the words, you'll bring the mummy back to life just to get a
good photograph for your newspaper!" We all laughed. We were sitting
around the campfire, its orange light flickering over our faces. Uncle Ben set
his plate down on the ground and spread his hands over the fire. "Teki
Kahru Teki Kahra Teki Khari!" he chanted in a deep voice, waving his hands
over the flames. The fire crackled. A twig made a loud popping sound that made
my heart skip a beat. "Are those the secret words?" Sari demanded.
Uncle Ben nodded solemnly. "Those are the words of the hieroglyphs over
the entrance to the tomb." "So maybe the mummy just sat up and
stretched?" Sari asked. "I'd be very surprised," Uncle Ben
replied, climbing to his feet. "You're forgetting, Sari — you have to
chant the words five times." "Oh." Sari stared thoughtfully into
the fire. I repeated the words in my mind. "Teki Kahru Teki Kahra Teki
Khari!" I needed to memorize the words. I had a plan to scare Sari.
"Where are you going?" Nila asked my uncle. "To the
communications tent," he replied. "I have to make a phone call."
He turned and made his way quickly over the sand toward the row of canvas
tents. Nila let out a surprised laugh. "He didn't even say
goodnight." "Daddy's always like that," Sari explained,
"when he has something on his mind." "Guess I'd better go,
too," Nila said, climbing to her feet and brushing sand off her jeans.
"I'm going to start writing my story for the paper." She said good
night and walked quickly away, her sandals making a slapping sound against the
sand. Sari and I sat staring into the crackling fire. The half-moon had floated
high in the sky. Its pale light reflected off the top of the pyramid in the
distance. "Nila is right," I told Sari. "It really did look like
a movie set in there." Sari didn't reply. She stared into the fire without
blinking, thinking hard. Something in the fire popped again. The sound seemed
to snap her out of her thoughts. "Do you think Nila likes Daddy?" she
asked me, her dark eyes locking on mine. "Yeah, I guess," I replied.
"She's always giving him this smile." I imitated Nila's smile.
"And she's always kind of teasing him." Sari thought about my reply.
"And do you think Daddy likes her?" I grinned. "For sure."
I stood up. I was eager to get back to the tent. I wanted to scare Sari. We
walked toward the tents in silence. I guessed that Sari was still thinking
about her dad and Nila. The night air was cool, but it was warm inside the
tent. Moonlight filtered through the canvas. Sari pulled her trunk out from
under her cot and got down on her knees to search through her clothes.
"Sari," I whispered. "Dare me to recite the ancient words five
times?" "Huh?" She gazed up from the trunk. "I'm going to
chant the words five times," I told her. "You know. See if anything
happens." I expected her to beg me not to. I expected her to get scared
and plead: "Please, Gabe — don't do it! Don't! It's too dangerous!"
But, instead, Sari turned back to her clothes trunk. "Hey. Give it a
try," she told me. "You sure?" I asked her. "Yeah. Why
not?" she replied, pulling out a pair of denim cutoffs. I stared across
the tent at her. Was that fear I saw in her eyes? Was she just pretending to be
so casual about it? Yes. I think Sari was a little scared. And trying hard not
to show it. I took a few steps closer and chanted the ancient words, in the
same low voice Uncle Ben had used: "Teki Kahru Teki Kahra Teki
Khari!" Sari dropped the jeans and turned to watch me. I repeated the
chant a second time: "Teki Kahru Teki Kahra Teki Khari!" A third
time. A fourth time. I hesitated. I felt a cold breeze tingle the back of my
neck. Should I chant the words again? Should I go for number five? 16 I stared
down at Sari. She had closed the trunk lid and was leaning on it tensely,
staring back at me. I could see that she was frightened. She chewed her bottom
lip. Should I chant the words for a fifth time? I felt another chill at the
back of my neck. It's just superstition, I told myself. Four-thousand-year-old
superstition. There's no way that moldy, old mummified prince is going to come
back to life just because I recite six words I don't even know the meaning of!
No way. I suddenly thought of all the old movies I had rented about mummies in
ancient Egypt. In the movies, the scientists always ignored ancient curses
warning them not to disturb the mummies' tombs. Then the mummies always came to
life to get their revenge. They staggered around, grabbed the scientists by the
throat, and strangled them. Dumb movies. But I loved them. Now, staring down at
Sari, I saw that she was really scared. I took a deep breath. I suddenly
realized that I felt scared, too. But it was too late. I had gone too far. I
couldn't chicken out now. "Teki Kahru Teki Kahra Teki Khari!" I
shouted. The fifth time. I froze — and waited. I don't know what I expected. A
flash of lightning, maybe. Sari climbed to her feet. She tugged at a strand of dark
hair. "Admit it. You're totally freaked," I said, unable to keep a
grin from spreading across my face. "No way!" she insisted. "Go
ahead, Gabe. Chant the words again. Chant them a hundred times! You're not
going to scare me! No way!" But we both gasped when we suddenly saw a dark
shadow roll over the tent wall. And my heart completely stopped when a hoarse
voice whispered into the tent: "Are you in there?" 17 My legs
trembled as I stumbled back, closer to Sari. I could see her eyes go wide with
surprise — and fear. The shadow moved quickly toward the tent opening. We had
no time to scream. No time to call for help. Gaping into the darkness, I saw
the flap pull open — and a smooth head poked into the tent. "Ohhh." I
let out a terrified moan as the dark figure slumped toward us. The mummy is
alive! The horrifying thought swept through my mind as I backed away. The mummy
is alive! "Dr. Fielding!" Sari cried. "Huh?" I squinted to
see better. Yes. It was Dr. Fielding. I struggled to say hello. But my heart
was pounding so hard, I couldn't speak. I took a long, deep breath and held it.
"I'm looking for your father," Dr. Fielding told Sari. "I must
see him at once. It's extremely urgent." "He — he's making a phone
call," Sari replied in a shaky voice. Dr. Fielding spun around and ducked
out of the tent. The flap snapped shut behind him. I turned to Sari, my heart
still pounding. "He scared me to death!" I confessed. "I thought
he was in Cairo. When he poked that skinny, bald head into the tent . . ."
Sari laughed. "He really looks like a mummy — doesn't he?" Her smile
faded. "I wonder why he's in such a hurry to see Daddy." "Let's
follow him!" I urged. The idea just popped into my head. "Yes! Let's
go!" I hadn't expected Sari to agree so quickly. But she was already
pushing open the tent flap. I followed her out of the tent. The night had grown
cooler. A steady wind made all of the tents appear to shiver. "Which way
did he go?" I whispered. Sari pointed. "I think that's the
communications tent at the end." She started jogging across the sand. As
we ran, the wind blew sand against our legs. I heard music and voices from one
of the tents. The workers were celebrating the day's discovery. The moon cast a
strip of light like a carpet along our path. Up ahead, I could see Dr. Fielding's
lanky body, leaning forward, lurching awkwardly toward the last tent. He
disappeared around the side of it. Sari and I stopped a few tents away. We
ducked out of the moonlight, into deep shadows where we wouldn't be seen. I
could hear Dr. Fielding's booming voice from the communications tent. He was
talking rapidly, excitedly. "What is he saying?" Sari whispered. I
couldn't make out the words. A few seconds later, two figures emerged from the
tent. Carrying bright flashlights, they crossed the strip of yellow moonlight,
then moved quickly into shadow. Dr. Fielding appeared to be pulling Uncle Ben,
pulling him toward the pyramid. "What's going on?" Sari whispered,
grabbing my sleeve. "Is he forcing Daddy to go with him?" The wind swirled
the sand around us. I shivered. The two men were talking at the same time,
shouting and gesturing with their flashlights. They're arguing about something,
I realized. Dr. Fielding had a hand on Uncle Ben's shoulder. Was he shoving
Uncle Ben toward the pyramid? Or was Uncle Ben actually leading the way? It was
impossible to tell. "Let's go," I whispered to Sari. We stepped away
from the tent and started to follow them. We walked slowly, keeping them in
view, but being careful not to get too close. "If they turn back, they'll
see us," Sari whispered, huddling close to me as we crept over the sand.
She was right. There were no trees or bushes to hide behind here in the open
desert. "Maybe they won't turn back," I replied hopefully. We crept
closer. The pyramid rose up darkly in front of us. We saw Dr. Fielding and
Uncle Ben stop at the opening in the side. I could hear their excited voices,
but the wind carried away their words. They still seemed to be arguing. Uncle
Ben disappeared into the pyramid first. Dr. Fielding went in right behind him.
"Did he shove Daddy in?" Sari demanded in a shrill, frightened voice.
"It looked like he pushed him inside!" "I — I don't know,"
I stammered. We made our way closer to the entrance. Then we both stopped and
stared into the darkness. I knew we were both thinking the same thing. I knew
we both had the same question on our lips: Should we follow them in? 18 Sari
and I exchanged glances. The pyramid seemed so much bigger at night, so much
darker. The gusting wind howled around its walls, as if warning us to stay
back. We crept behind a pile of stones left by the workers. "Let's wait
out here for Daddy to come out," Sari suggested. I didn't argue with her.
We had no flashlights, no light of any kind. I didn't think we'd get very far wandering
the dark tunnels by ourselves. I pressed up against the smooth stones and
stared at the pyramid opening. Sari gazed up at the half-moon. Thin wisps of
cloud floated over it. The ground darkened in front of us. "You don't
think Daddy is in any kind of trouble, do you?" Sari asked. "I mean,
he told us he didn't trust Dr. Fielding. And then — " "I'm sure Uncle
Ben is okay," I told her. "I mean, Dr. Fielding is a scientist. He's
not a criminal or anything." "But why did he force Daddy into the
pyramid in the middle of the night?" Sari asked shrilly. "And what
were they arguing about?" I shrugged in reply. I didn't remember ever
seeing Sari so frightened. Normally, I would have enjoyed it. She always
bragged about how brave and fearless she was — especially compared to me. But
there was no way I could enjoy this. Mainly because I was just as scared as she
was! It did look as if the two scientists were fighting. And it did look as if
Dr. Fielding pushed Uncle Ben down into the pyramid. Sari crossed her arms over
her sweater again and narrowed her eyes at the opening. The wind fluttered her
hair, blowing strands across her forehead. But she made no attempt to brush
them away. "What could be so important?" she demanded. "Why did
they have to go into the pyramid now? Do you think something was stolen? Aren't
those police officers from Cairo down there guarding the place?" "I
saw the four policemen leave," I told her. "They piled into their
little car and drove away, just before dinner. I don't know why. Maybe they
were called back to the city." "I — I'm just so confused," Sari
admitted. "And worried. I didn't like the look on Dr. Fielding's face. I
didn't like the way he was so rude, just bursting into the tent like that.
Scaring us to death. Not even saying hi." "Calm down, Sari," I
said softly. "Let's just wait. Everything will be okay." She let out
a sigh, but didn't say anything in reply. We waited in silence. I don't know
how much time went by. It seemed like hours and hours. The slivers of cloud
drifted away from the moon. The wind continued to howl eerily around the side
of the pyramid. "Where are they? What are they doing in there?" Sari
demanded. I started to reply — but stopped when I saw a flicker of light at the
pyramid opening. I grabbed Sari's arm. "Look — !" I whispered. The
light grew brighter. A figure emerged, pulling himself out quickly. Dr.
Fielding. As he stepped into the moonlight, I caught the strange expression on
his face. His tiny black eyes were wide and seemed to be rolling around crazily
in his head. His eyebrows twitched. His mouth was twisted open. He seemed to be
breathing hard. Dr. Fielding brushed himself off with his hands and began
walking away from the pyramid. He was half-walking, half-staggering, taking
long, quick strides with his lanky legs. "But — where's Daddy?" Sari
whispered. Leaning out from the rocks, I could see the pyramid opening clearly.
No light flickered. No sign of Uncle Ben. "He — he isn't coming out!"
Sari stammered. And before I could react, Sari leaped out from our hiding place
behind the stones — and stepped into Dr. Fielding's path. "Dr.
Fielding," she cried loudly, "where is my dad?" I pushed myself
away from the stones and hurried after Sari. I could see Dr. Fielding's eyes
spinning wildly. He didn't answer her question. "Where is my dad?"
Sari repeated shrilly. Dr. Fielding acted as if he didn't see Sari. He stepped
past her, walking stiffly, awkwardly, his arms straight down. "Dr.
Fielding — ?" Sari called after him. He hurried through the darkness
toward the row of tents. Sari turned back to me, her features tight with fear.
"He's done something to Daddy!" she cried. "I know he has!"
19 I turned back to the pyramid opening. Still dark and silent. The only sound
now was the howling of the wind around the stone pyramid wall. "Dr.
Fielding totally ignored me!" Sari cried, her face revealing her anger.
"He stormed past me as if I weren't here!" "I — I know," I
stammered weakly. "And did you see the look on his face?" she
demanded. "So evil. So totally evil!" "Sari — " I started.
"Maybe — " "Gabe, we have to go find Daddy!" Sari
interrupted. She grabbed my arm and started pulling me to the pyramid opening.
"Hurry!" "No, Sari, wait!" I insisted, tugging out of her
grasp. "We can't go stumbling around the pyramid in the dark. We'll just
get lost. We'll never find Uncle Ben!" "We'll go back to the tent and
get lights," she replied. "Quick, Gabe — " I raised a hand to
stop her. "Wait here, Sari," I instructed. "Watch for your dad.
Chances are, he'll be climbing out in a few moments. I'll run and get some
flashlights." Staring at the dark opening, she started to argue. But then
she changed her mind and agreed to my plan. My heart pounding, I ran all the
way back to the tent. I stopped at the tent opening, and gazed down the row of
tents, searching for Dr. Fielding. No sign of him. In the tent, I grabbed up
two flashlights. Then I went hurtling back to the pyramid. Please, I begged
silently as I ran. Please be out of the pyramid, Uncle Ben. Please be safe. But
as I frantically made my way over the sand, I could see Sari standing by
herself. Even from a distance, I could see her frightened expression as she
paced tensely back and forth in front of the pyramid opening. Uncle Ben, where
are you? I wondered. Why haven't you come out of the pyramid? Are you okay?
Sari and I didn't say a word. There was no need. We clicked on the flashlights,
then made our way into the pyramid opening. It seemed much steeper than I
remembered. I nearly lost my balance, lowering myself to the tunnel floor. Our
lights crisscrossed over the dirt floor. I raised mine to the low ceiling.
Keeping the light high, I led the way through the curving tunnel. Creeping
along slowly, I trailed one hand against the wall to steady myself. The wall
felt soft and crumbly. Sari kept on my heels, her bright beam of light playing
over the floor in front of our feet. She stopped suddenly as the tunnel curved
into a small, empty chamber. "How do we know we're going in the right
direction?" she asked, her voice a quivering whisper. I shrugged,
breathing hard. "I thought you knew your way," I murmured. "I've
only been down here with Daddy," she replied, her eyes over my shoulders,
searching the empty chamber. "We'll keep going until we find him," I
told her, forcing myself to sound braver than I felt. She stepped in front of
me, shining the light over the chamber walls. "Daddy!" she shouted.
"Daddy? Can you hear me?" Her voice echoed down the tunnel. Even the
echo sounded frightened. We froze in place and listened for a reply. Silence.
"Come on," I urged. I had to lower my head to step into the next
narrow tunnel. Where did it lead? Were we heading toward Prince Khor-Ru's tomb?
Is that where we would find Uncle Ben? Questions, questions. I tried to stop
them from coming. But they filled my mind, pestering me, repeating, echoing in
my head, as we followed the tunnel's curves. "Daddy? Daddy — where are
you?" Sari's cries became more frantic as we moved deeper and deeper into
the pyramid. The tunnel curved up steeply, then leveled off. Sari suddenly
stopped. Startled, I bumped into her hard, nearly making her drop her
flashlight. "Sorry," I whispered. "Gabe, look — !" she
cried, pointing her beam of light just ahead of her sneakers.
"Footprints!" I lowered my eyes to the small circle of light. I could
see a set of bootprints in the dirt. A heel and spikey bumps. "Work
boots," I muttered. She circled the floor with the light. There were
several different prints in the dirt, heading in the same direction we were.
"Does this mean we're going the right way?" she asked.
"Maybe," I replied, studying the prints. "It's hard to tell
whether these are new or old." "Daddy?" Sari shouted eagerly.
"Can you hear me?" No reply. She frowned and motioned for me to
follow. Seeing the many sets of prints gave us new hope, and we moved faster,
trailing our hands along the wall to steady ourselves as we made our way. We
both cried out happily when we realized we had reached the outer chamber to the
tomb. Our lights played over the ancient hieroglyphs that covered the wall and
the doorway. "Daddy? Daddy?" Sari's voice cut through the heavy
silence. We darted through the empty chamber, then slipped through the opening
that led to the tomb. The prince's burial chamber stretched out in front of us,
dark and silent. "Daddy? Daddy?" Sari tried again. I shouted, too.
"Uncle Ben? Are you here?" Silence. I swept my light over the room's
clutter of treasures, over the heavy chests, the chairs, the clay jars piled in
the corner. "He isn't here," Sari choked out with a disappointed sob.
"Then where did Dr. Fielding bring Uncle Ben?" I asked, thinking out
loud. "There's nowhere else in the pyramid that they might come."
Sari's light came to rest on the large stone mummy case. Her eyes narrowed as
she studied it. "Uncle Ben!" I shouted frantically. "Are you in
here somewhere?" Sari grabbed my arm. "Gabe — look!" she cried.
Her light remained on the mummy case. I couldn't figure out what she was trying
to show me. "What about it?" I demanded. "The lid," Sari
murmured. I gazed at the lid. The heavy stone slab covered the case tightly.
"The lid is closed," Sari continued, stepping away from me and toward
the mummy case. Her light remained on the lid. "Yeah. So?" I still
didn't understand. "When we all left this afternoon," Sari explained,
"the lid was open. In fact, I remember Daddy telling the workers to leave
the lid open for tonight." "You're right!" I cried. "Help
me, Gabe," Sari pleaded, setting her flashlight down at her feet. "We
have to open the mummy case." I hesitated for a second, feeling a wave of
cold fear run down my body. Then I took a deep breath and moved to help Sari.
She was already pushing the stone lid with both hands. I stepped up beside her
and pushed, too. Pushed with all my might. The stone slab slid more easily than
I'd guessed. Working together, Sari and I strained against the lid, pushing . .
. pushing. We moved it about a foot. Then we both lowered our heads to peer
into the mummy's case — and gasped in horror. 20 "Daddy!" Sari
shrieked. Uncle Ben lay on his back, knees raised, hands at his sides, his eyes
shut. Sari and I shoved the heavy stone lid open another foot. "Is he — ?
Is he — ?" Sari stammered. I pressed my hand on his chest. His heart was
thumping with a steady beat. "He's breathing," I told her. I leaned
into the mummy case. "Uncle Ben? Can you hear me? Uncle Ben?" He
didn't move. I lifted his hand and squeezed it. It felt warm, but limp.
"Uncle Ben? Wake up!" I shouted. His eyes didn't open. I lowered the
hand back to the bottom of the mummy case. "He's out cold," I
murmured. Sari stood behind me, both hands pressed against her cheeks. She
stared down at Uncle Ben, her eyes wide with fear. "I — I don't believe
this!" she cried in a tiny voice. "Dr. Fielding left Daddy here to smother!
If we hadn't come along . . ." Her voice trailed off. Uncle Ben let out a
low groan. Sari and I stared down at him hopefully. But he didn't open his
eyes. "We have to call the police," I told Sari. "We have to
tell them about Dr. Fielding." "But we can't just leave Daddy
here," Sari replied. I started to reply — but a frightening thought burst
into my mind. I felt a shudder of fear roll down my body. "Sari?" I
started. "If Uncle Ben is lying in the mummy case . . . then where is the
mummy?" Her mouth dropped open. She stared back at me in stunned silence.
And then we both heard the footsteps. Slow, scraping footsteps. And saw the
mummy stagger stiffly into the room. 21 I opened my mouth to scream — but no
sound came out. The mummy lurched stiffly through the chamber doorway. He
stared straight ahead with his vacant, tarry eyes. Under the ancient layers of
tar, the skull grinned at us. Scrape. Scrape. His feet dragged over the dirt
floor, trailing shreds of decaying gauze. Slowly, he raised his arms, making a
terrifying cracking sound. Scrape. Scrape. My throat tightened in terror. My
entire body began to tremble. I backed away from the mummy case. Sari stood
frozen with her hands pressed against her cheeks. I grabbed her arm and pulled
her back with me. "Sari — get back! Get back!" I whispered. She
stared in terror at the approaching mummy. I couldn't tell if she heard me or
not. I tugged her back further. Our backs hit the chamber wall. The mummy
scraped closer. Closer. Staring at us through its vacant, blackened eye sockets,
he reached for us with his yellowed, tar-encrusted hands. Sari let out a shrill
shriek. "Run!" I screamed. "Sari — run!" But our backs were
pressed against the wall. The mummy blocked our path to the doorway. Moving
stiffly, awkwardly, the ancient corpse dragged itself closer. "This is all
my fault!" I declared in a trembling voice. "I said the words five
times. I brought him back to life!" "Wh-what can we do?" Sari
cried in a hushed whisper. I didn't have an answer. "Uncle Ben!" I
shrieked desperately. "Uncle Ben — help us!" But the mummy case
remained silent. Even my frantic screams could not awaken my uncle. Sari and I
edged along the chamber wall, our eyes locked on the approaching mummy. Its
bandaged feet scraped over the floor, sending up dark clouds of dust as it
moved heavily toward us. A sour smell rose over the room. The smell of a
four-thousand-year-old corpse coming to life. I pressed my back against the
cold stone of the chamber wall, my mind racing. The mummy stopped at the mummy
case, turned stiffly, and continued lurching toward us. "Hey — !" I
cried out as an idea burst into my mind. My little mummy hand. The Summoner.
Why hadn't I thought of it before? It had saved us last summer by raising a
group of ancient mummies from the dead. Could it also summon them to stop?
Could it make them die again? If I raised the little mummy hand up to Prince
Khor-Ru, would it stop him long enough for Sari and me to escape? He was only
seconds away from grabbing us. It was worth a try. I reached into my back jeans
pocket for the mummy hand. It was gone. 22 "No!" I uttered a
surprised cry and frantically grabbed at my other pockets. No mummy hand.
"Gabe — what's wrong?" Sari demanded. "The mummy hand — it's
gone!" I told her, my voice choked with panic. Scrape. Scrape. The foul
odor grew stronger as the ancient mummy dragged nearer. I was desperate to find
my mummy hand. But I knew there was no time to think about it now. "We've
got to make a run for it," I told Sari. "The mummy is slow and stiff.
If we can get past him . . ." "But what about Daddy?" she cried.
"We can't just leave him here." "We have to," I told her.
"We'll get help. We'll come back for him." The mummy made a brittle
cracking sound as it stepped forward. The sound of an ancient bone breaking. But
it continued toward us, moving stiffly but steadily, its arms outstretched.
"Sari — run — now!" I screamed. I gave her a hard shove to get her
going. The room blurred as I forced myself to move. The mummy made another
loud, cracking sound. It leaned its body forward, and reached out as we dodged
around it. I tried to duck under the mummy's outstretched hand. But I felt the
scrape of its ancient fingers against the back of my neck — cold fingers, hard
as a statue. I knew it was a touch I would never forget. My neck tingled. I
lowered my head from his grasp — and plunged forward. Sari let out low sobs as
she ran. My heart raced as I hurried to catch up to her. I forced myself to
run, but my legs felt so heavy, as if they were made of solid stone. We were nearly
to the doorway when we saw a flickering light. Sari and I both cried out and
skidded to a stop as a beam of light swept into the room. Behind the light, a
figure stepped into the doorway. Shielding my eyes from the sudden brightness,
I squinted hard, eager to see who it was. "Nila!" I cried as she
raised the flashlight beam to the ceiling. "Nila — help us!" I choked
out. "He's come alive!" Sari shouted to her. "Nila — he's come
alive!" She pointed back toward the mummy. "Help us!" I
screamed. Nila's green eyes widened in surprise. "What can I do?" she
asked. And then her expression changed quickly to anger. "What can I do
about you two kids? You shouldn't be here. You're going to ruin
everything!" "Huh?" I cried out in surprise. Nila stepped into
the room. She raised her right hand. In the dim light, I struggled to make out
what she was holding up. My little mummy hand! She raised it toward the mummy.
"Come to me, my brother!" Nila called. 23 "How did you get my
mummy hand? What are you doing?" I demanded. Nila ignored my questions.
She held the flashlight in one hand. She gripped the little hand in the other,
holding it up toward the approaching mummy. "Come here, my brother!"
she called, waving the hand, summoning the mummy. "It is I, Princess
Nila!" Its legs cracking, its brittle bones breaking inside the gauze
wrappings, the mummy obediently dragged itself forward. "Nila — stop it!
What are you doing?" Sari shrieked. But Nila continued to ignore us.
"It is I, your sister!" she called to the mummy. A triumphant smile
crossed her pretty face. Her green eyes sparkled like flashing emeralds in the
darting light. "I have waited so long for this day," Nila told the
mummy. "I have waited so many centuries, my brother, hoping that someday
someone would uncover your tomb and we could be reunited." Nila's face
glowed with excitement. The little mummy hand trembled in her hand. "I
have brought you back to life, my brother!" she called to the mummy.
"I have waited for centuries. But it will all be worth it. You and I will
share all this treasure. And with our powers, we shall rule Egypt together — as
we did four thousand years ago!" She lowered her eyes to me. "Thank
you, Gabe!" she cried. "Thank you for The Summoner! As soon as I saw
it, I knew I had to have it. I knew it could bring my brother back to me! The
ancient words weren't enough. I needed The Summoner, too!" "Give it
back!" I demanded, reaching out for it. "It's mine, Nila. Give it
back." A cruel laugh escaped her throat. "You won't be needing it,
Gabe," she said softly. She waved the hand at the mummy. "Destroy
them, my brother!" she ordered. "Destroy them now! There can be no
witnesses!" "Nooo!" Sari shrieked. She and I both dove to the
doorway. But Nila moved quickly to block our path. I shoved my shoulder against
her, trying to push her away like a football lineman. But Nila held her ground
with surprising strength. "Nila — let us go!" Sari demanded,
breathing hard. Nila smiled and shook her head. "No witnesses," she
murmured. "Nila — we just want to get Daddy out of here. You can do what
you want!" Sari insisted desperately. Nila ignored her and raised her eyes
to the mummy. "Destroy them both!" she called. "They cannot
leave this tomb alive!" Sari and I spun around to see the mummy lumbering
toward us. Its blackened skull glowed in the dim light. It trailed long strips
of yellowed gauze across the dirt floor as it dragged itself closer. Closer. I
turned back to the door. Nila blocked the way. My eyes darted frantically
around the chamber. No way to escape. No escape. The mummy lurched toward Sari
and me. And reached out its cold, cold hands to obey Nila's cruel command. 24
Sari and I darted toward the door. But Nila blocked our escape. Its vacant eyes
gazing blindly at us, its jaw frozen in a hideous skeletal grin, the mummy
hurtled toward us. Raised its arms stiffly. Stretched out its hands. Dove at us
with a final, desperate lurch. And to my shock, reached past Sari and me — and
wrapped its tarred hands around Nila's throat. Her mouth opened in a choked cry
of protest. The mummy tilted back its head as it gripped her. Its tarred lips
moved, and a dry cough cut through the air. And then the whispered words, dry
as death, escaped the mummy's throat: "Let me . . . rest in peace!"
Nila uttered a choked cry. The mummy tightened its fierce grip on her throat. I
spun around and grabbed its arm. "Let her go!" I screamed. A dry
wheeze erupted from the blackened skull. Its hands tightened around Nila,
bending her back, bending her toward the floor. Nila's eyes shut in defeat. Her
hands flew up helplessly. The flashlight and the mummy hand fell to the floor.
I grabbed my little mummy hand and shoved it into my jeans pocket. "Let
go! Let go! Let go!" I shrieked. I leaped on to the mummy's back and tried
to pull its hands from Nila's throat. It let out a defiant roar, a harsh
whisper of anger. Then it heaved itself up straight and struggled to toss me
off its shoulders. I gasped, startled by the mummy's surprising strength. As I
started to slide off the mummy's bandaged back, I reached out my hand, grabbing
desperately, grabbing air, trying not to fall. My hand grabbed onto Nila's
amber pendant. "Hey — !" I cried out as the mummy gave a hard toss. I
tumbled off. The pendant tore off its chain. It fell from my hand, crashed to
the floor — and shattered. "Noooooooooo!" Nila's horrified wail shook
the walls. The mummy froze. Nila spun out of the mummy's grasp. Backed away.
Her eyes wide with terror. "My life! My life!" she shrieked. She bent
and struggled to pick up shards of amber from the floor. But the pendant had
shattered into a hundred tiny pieces. "My life!" Nila wailed, staring
at the smooth pieces in her palm. She raised her eyes to Sari and me. "I
lived inside the pendant!" she cried. "At night, I crept inside. It
kept me alive for over four thousand years! And now . . . now . . . ohhhhh . .
." As her voice trailed off, Nila began to shrink. Her head, her arms, her
entire body grew tinier . . . tinier . . . until she disappeared into her
clothes. And a few seconds later, as Sari and I gaped down in horror and shock,
a black scarab crawled out from under the sweatshirt and jeans. The scarab
moved unsteadily at first. Then it quickly scuttled away over the dirt floor,
disappearing into the darkness. "That — that beetle — " Sari
stammered. "Is it Nila?" I nodded. "I guess," I said,
staring down at Nila's crumpled clothes. "Do you think she was really an
ancient Egyptian princess? Prince Khor-Ru's sister?" Sari murmured.
"It's all so weird," I replied. I was thinking hard, trying to piece
it all together, trying to make sense of what Nila had said. "She must
have returned to her scarab form every night," I told Sari, thinking out
loud. "She crawled into the amber and slept inside it. It kept her alive —
until . . ." "Until you smashed the amber pendant," Sari
whispered. "Yes." I nodded. "It was an accident — " I
started. But I choked on my words as I felt a cold hand close on my shoulder.
And knew that the mummy had grabbed me from behind. 25 The hand rested on my
shoulder. The cold seeped through my T-shirt. "Let go!" I screamed. I
spun around — and my heart skipped a beat. "Uncle Ben!" I cried.
"Daddy!" Sari leaped forward and threw her arms around him.
"Daddy — you're okay!" He pulled his hand off my shoulder and rubbed
the back of his head. He blinked his eyes uncertainly and shook his head, still
a little dazed. Behind him, I saw the mummy standing hunched over, frozen.
Lifeless once again. "Whew. I'm still groggy," Uncle Ben said,
sweeping a hand back through his thick, black hair. "What a close
call." "It's all my fault," I admitted. "I repeated the
words five times, Uncle Ben. I didn't mean to bring the mummy back to life, but
— " A smile crossed my uncle's face. He lowered his arm around my
shoulders. "You didn't do it, Gabe," he said softly. "Nila got
there first." He sighed. "I didn't believe in the power of the
chant," he said softly. "But I do now. Nila stole your mummy hand and
chanted the ancient words. She used The Summoner to bring the mummy to life.
Dr. Fielding and I were both suspicious of her." "You were?" I
cried, surprised. "But I thought — " "I became suspicious of
Nila at dinner," Uncle Ben explained. "Remember? She asked me what
were the six ancient words to bring the dead to life? Well, I had never revealed
that there were six. So I wondered how Nila knew there were six words."
Uncle Ben put an arm around Sari's shoulders, too, and led us to the wall. Then
he leaned his back against the wall, rubbing the back of his head. "That's
why I hurried to the communications tent right after dinner," Uncle Ben
continued. "I phoned the Cairo Sun. They had never heard of Nila at the
newspaper. So I knew she was a fake." "But we saw Dr. Fielding pull
you from the tent," Sari broke in. "We saw him force you into the
pyramid, and — " Uncle Ben chuckled. "You two aren't very good
spies," he scolded. "Dr. Fielding didn't force me to do anything. He
had spotted Nila sneaking into the pyramid. So he found me at the
communications tent. And the two of us hurried to the pyramid to see what Nila
was up to. "We got there too late," Uncle Ben continued. "She
had already brought the mummy to life. Dr. Fielding and I tried to stop her.
She hit me over the head with her flashlight. She dragged me to the mummy case.
I guess she stuffed me inside." He rubbed his head. "That's all I
remember. Until now. Until I awoke and saw Nila turn into a scarab."
"We saw Dr. Fielding hurry out of the pyramid," Sari reported.
"He walked right past me. He had the weirdest look on his face, and —
" She stopped and her mouth dropped open. We all heard the sounds at the
same time. The scraping of feet on the floor outside the burial chamber. My
heart jumped to my throat. I grabbed Uncle Ben's arm. The footsteps dragged
closer. More mummies. More mummies brought to life, staggering toward the
prince's tomb. 26 I reached into my jeans pocket for my little mummy hand.
Pressing my back against the wall, I raised my eyes to the chamber doorway —
and waited. Waited for the mummies to appear. But to my surprise, Dr. Fielding
burst into the room, followed by four dark-uniformed police officers, hands at
their gun holsters. "Ben — are you okay?" Dr. Fielding called to my
uncle. "Where is the young woman?" "She . . . escaped,"
Uncle Ben told him. How could he explain that she had turned into a bug? The
police explored the chamber warily. Their eyes came to rest on the mummy,
frozen in place near the doorway. "I'm so glad you're okay, Ben," Dr.
Fielding said, placing a hand warmly on Uncle Ben's shoulder. Then he turned to
Sari. "I'm afraid I owe you an apology, Sari," he said, frowning.
"When I ran out of here, I must have been in shock. I remember seeing you
outside the pyramid. But I don't remember saying anything to you."
"That's okay," Sari replied quietly. "I'm really sorry if I
frightened you," Dr. Fielding told her. "Your dad had been knocked
unconscious by that crazy young woman. And all I could think about was calling
the police as fast as possible." "Well, the excitement is over,"
Uncle Ben said, smiling. "Let's all get out of here." We started
toward the doorway, but a police officer interrupted. "Could I just ask
one question?" he asked, staring at the upright mummy in the center of the
floor. "Did that mummy walk?" "Of course not!" Uncle Ben
replied quickly, a grin spreading over his face. "If it could walk, what
would it be doing in this dump?" Well, once again, I turned out to be the
hero of the day. And, of course, later in the tent, I wasted no time in
bragging about my courage to Sari. Sari had no choice. She had to sit there and
take it. After all, I was the one who had stopped the mummy and turned Nila
back into a beetle by smashing her pendant. "At least you're not too
conceited!" Sari shot back, rolling her eyes. Lame. Really lame.
"Well, that scarab crawled away and disappeared," she said. An evil
smile crossed Sari's lips. "I'll bet that bug is waiting for you, Gabe.
I'll bet it's waiting for you in your cot, waiting to bite you." I
laughed. "Sari, you'd say anything to try to scare me. You just can't stand
the idea that I'm the hero!" "You're right," she replied dryly.
"I can't stand the idea. Good night, Gabe." A few minutes later, I
was in my pajamas and ready for bed. What a night! What an amazing night! As I
slid into the cot and pulled up the covers, I knew it was a night I would never
forget. "Ouch!"
0 comments:
Post a Comment