Prologue
Ohmmm … Ohmmm …
Echoes fill the dark halls of a hidden ritual chamber beneath the Temple of Ra pyramid. Inside stood a crowd of priests clothed in black standing in a circle around a golden altar. At the altar stood the tall, muscular leader. As he offered sweet incense to the statues of the Egyptian gods, he glances at the mystical ornaments sitting on the altar: the Scepter of Osiris, the Pendant of Ra, and the Mask of the Ancient Pharaohs.
A scout entered the chamber, approached the altar, and prostrated face down on the ground at the leader's feet.
Not taking his eyes off the altar, the man asked the scout, "Did you find the girl for the sacrifice?"
The scout promptly nodded.
"Good. Soon, all the pieces will be in place.
The scepter to open the gateway
100 mummies to bear witness.
A beautiful lady as an offering.
Then, I will have my one desire and will get back what belongs to me. The gods will not refuse," the man muttered to himself as he glanced at a scroll, also on the altar, displaying a portrait of the lovely Queen Nefertiti.
"Nobody will stop me!"
Chapter 1: The Destined Girl
On the flat roof of a simple mudbrick home, the warm morning sun massaged a young girl's back and shined in her dark straight hair as she was sewing a white travelling cloak. Her name was Abayomi. At first glance, she was a simple commoner born in a weaver family. But she had a remarkable talent for creating clothes. She could make beautiful dresses with decorative weaving patterns or simple but very functional clothes like the travelling cloak in her hand.
"Aba! Come on down for breakfast," her mother cried.
"Coming, mother!" Abayomi replied.
Finishing the last stitches on the cloak, she cut the thread and folded it to bring it down with her. Down the ladder she went to enter the main room of the house where the dining table stood.
Bump! Smack!
But as Abayomi stepped off the ladder and headed towards the table, her foot bumped into a protruding floor brick and her face planted firmly onto the floor. Abayomi's talent in clothes was evenly matched by her clumsiness.
"And the morning ritual continues," her mother chuckled as Abayomi got up and brushed the dirt off. Abayomi was fine. She was not going to let a silly fall keep her down.
Sitting at the table, Abayomi's excitement burst out. "Hehe! I'm sorry, mother. I just can't believe it is finally today. I have been waiting for this day forever."
On this fine, sunny day, she going to the family booth at the market and assist her father in selling their handcrafted fabrics and clothing. She was especially excited because, for the first time, she would be selling her own creations. For months, she crafted a variety of clothes from the traveling cloak to stylish dresses. And now that her set was complete, she would present them at the booth.
"Your father is already at the market to set up the place. Once you finish your breakfast, go over to him," her mother said.
Gulp! Gulp! Gulp!
Abayomi quickly ate like a hungry crocodile. Once her bowl was empty, she immediately got up from the table
ZOOM!
She dashed out the door greeting the world with a big and bright smile on her face.
"Don't forget the clothes that you wanted to sell," her mother casually said.
ZOOM!
She dashed back in the house, picked up the bundle of her creations, turned around, and dashed right back out the door wearing a big and embarrassed cringe on her face.
The marketplace was bustling with life as merchants from near and far came to sell their goods. Hundreds, if not thousands, of people crowded the area kicking up sand as they hopped from one booth to another and haggled for the best deals. There were even a few grunting camels carrying items trying to squeeze through the sea of people.
"How am I going to get to the booth with so many people around?" Abayomi wondered as she carried her clothes through the marketplace. The strong desert heat was beating against her tanned skin, and hot, gritty sand lodged between her toes. But she could not rush. She had to be careful. If she bumped into someone, she could drop her bundle. Or worse, a camel might accidentally step on her.
As she was trying to maneuver through the crowd, she can't help but notice a frail old man walking in the busy street. What caught her eye was the great difficulty the poor man had just to keep standing. Just one little bump from a passerby would be enough to … Uh! Oh!
Sure enough, a busy person bumped into the old man and, in the next instant, the old man was on the ground struggling to get up with his frail limbs. Unfortunately, as he was taking forever to get back on his feet, a tall, lumbering camel was headed towards him. It's hard hooves drew closer and closer.
"That poor man is going to be crushed," Abayomi said as she ran towards him. Quickly, she stood between the man and the camel. She was petite and small, but the large bundle of colorful clothes she was carrying made her more noticeable. Immediately, the camel stopped in its tracks.
"GET OUT OF MY WAY, YOU STUPID GIRL!" the merchant on the camel screamed.
"Many apologies, kind sir!" Abayomi said as she bowed her head several times and then smiled hoping to calm down the angry rider. With a snort from both the camel and the merchant, the two maneuvered around Abayomi and the old man and continued on their way.
"Thank you for helping me, little one," said the man who finally got on his feet.
"I'm glad I can help," the shaken but cheerful girl said, "I have not seen you before. Did you travel from far away?"
"Oh, yes," the old man said, "Very far. Farther than you can imagine."
"Really? Where?" Abayomi said excitedly. She had an incurable curiosity, especially about far-away lands.
"Oh, I journeyed through many places. It is my lifestyle to never stay in one place for very long," the man replied.
"I would love to hear some tales of the places you visited," Abayomi said.
"I don't think you have time right now. Don't you have to be somewhere?" the wonderer said, dodging the girl's request. But he did make a good point.
"Oh, right! The booth!" Abayomi replied as she suddenly remembered her reason for coming to the market.
"You better hurry, then," the man pointed out.
But before the girl left, she decided to do one more thing for the old traveler.
"Here! Please have this," Abayomi said as she pulled out the white travelling cloak that she was working on, "This will protect you from the wind and the sun."
"Oh! But this is such a nice cloak," the surprised man replied, "I cannot -"
"Please, accept it," Abayomi insisted. She refused to be refused twice. "I wove it to be durable. It even comes along with a new feature: the pocket. It is like a pouch but it is sewn in the cloak. I even put it on my own robe. Now, I can easily carry small objects with me." She turned around to give the man a good view of the opening to her own pocket at her side.
The old man, knowing that Abayomi will not take "no" for an answer, accepted the gift cloak and smiled. Before the girl could turn and leave, the man made one request of his own.
"May I have one close look at that pocket of yours?" the man said.
Once again, Abayomi turned her side towards the man and held the pocket opening with her fingers. The old man poked one hand into the pocket briefly before pulling it out. Finally, after exchanging thanks, the two parted ways, and Abayomi was finally on her way to the booth.
Unknown to her, the old man slipped a special gift of his own in Abayomi's pocket.