A'isha slowly walked through the small hallway of the anti-chamber, taking in all of the brilliance of the artwork and sculptures. She gasped with awe and surprise when she came across a hieroglyphic picture depicting a young priestess. She was dressed in the usual uniform of a priestess of Isis, wife of Osiris god of the underworld. Her hair was long and as black as ebony, and her skin was tanned from the sun.
But if you pushed away these usual characteristics, you would see that her eyes were not a muddy brown, but a blue color as deep and beautiful as the ocean. Her cheeks were as pink as the cumin flower even though she had not rubbed her cheeks with henna. You could tell because the ceremony she was performing called for water to pour down ones face to purify the spirit, this would have washed away any remnants. Her eyes still had a little lingering kohl around her eyes and gold amulets hung from her neck and ankles. It was Meryt-Amen, the priestess of Isis. She was the daughter of Meritamen who was daughter of Ramses II.
"Dr. Kazeem!" Roberts's voice broke the spell the artwork had put on A'isha's mind.
"What is it Robert?" A'isha asked excitedly. Had he found Meryt-Amen's resting place?
"We found…the sarcophagus!" Pure anticipation coursed through A'isha's veins. The sarcophagus at last. After 3 years of searching and excavating, had they finally found it? She held back tears of joy. 'No tears, not yet' she told herself.
"Well let's not stand here man! Show me the way! Oh, and by the way, you're promoted," Aisha said as she laughed. Robert then smiled the biggest smile A'isha had ever seen, and she couldn't help but smile back.
"Yes ma'am. Follow me on the path of light," Robert pointed upwards. A'isha looked up and saw that there was a path marked by shining stars engraved into the ceiling. They both laughed and began to run down the long corridor.
Robert and A'isha had been friends since college where they teemed up to be the best in the class. They graduated and went on to find the newest great archeological discovery. Robert of course, being the gentleman, let A'isha be in charge.
Robert watched A'isha out of the corner of his eye. He had always loved being with A'isha. In his mind she was the smartest, prettiest, and bravest woman he knew. He felt the inside of his pocket again where the tiny velvet box was hidden. Yesterday when Robert was on his lunch break, he went into the Egyptian bazaar and found a jeweler. He had already decided about a week ago that he wanted to spend the rest of his life with A'isha. He stopped by the jeweler and found a diamond ring inlaid with small sapphires. A'isha loved the color blue, and her favorite stone was a sapphire. He emptied his wallet in a second, considering the location the price was cheaper than Tiffany's, but the quality was just as good.
"Robert?" Robert jumped at the sound of A'isha's voice. He had forgotten what he was doing and had stopped in the middle of the corridor.
"Sorry A'isha, I was a little distracted. The sarcophagus is this way." Robert pointed to the right. A'isha smiled and began to walk again down the corridor to the right.
A'isha rounded the corner of the corridor and exalted with happiness. The sarcophagus was laying face up in the corner of the burial chamber. The face of the priestess was looking up as if waiting for something to fall from the sky. The two archeologists rushed over to examine the sarcophagus. Just as the painting in the anti-chamber had depicted, Meryt-Amen's eyes were blue as the ocean and her hair was as black as ebony. Her lips were turned up in a slight smile as if happy to see the two archeologists. A'isha put her hands underneath the lid to find the crease to lift.
"Wait, A'isha. Before you open that, I have something else for you to open," Robert said with a mischievous gleam in his eyes.
"Oh…Okay. What is it?" 'Something else? What?' A'isha thought to herself. Robert then reached into his pants pocket and pulled out a tiny blue velvet box. He handed it to A'isha, who at this moment couldn't seem to find her breath. She slowly opened the lid, and laid on silver silk was a ring. It had her favorite stones, a diamond and sapphires. She quickly looked back up at Robert who had the brightest smile on his face.
"A'isha?"
"Yes?" A'isha said while her mind was still reeling.
"Would you marry me?" A'isha knew her answer immediately.
"Yes. Yes! I will Robert." A'isha ran to him and he picked her up in a big embrace. This was the happiest moment in her life so far. She realized then that she could spend the rest of her life with Robert. After a few moments Robert reminded A'isha of the reason she was standing in a burial chamber.
"Only one thing to do before we begin a life's adventure" He gestured towards the sarcophagus.
"Shall we?" A'isha nodded and slowly found the crease under the lid of the bejeweled casket. She smiled at her new fiancé. She realized at that moment that life was a lot like an archeological dig. It takes a lot of patience, hard work, and determination. Sometimes if you take the right path, it can lead to unexpected surprises, great accomplishments, and a feeling of peace and joy. A'isha took a deep breath grabbed a hold of the lid and slowly lifted the limestone lid.