Misguided Mummies
"Rath?"
"Yes, my Prince?"
"What did that scroll do?"
A tired mummy looked up from his lesson plan, pain evident on his grey face. "Did?" he asked wearily.
"Ya." Presley held up a haggard piece of papyrus, which looked like it had been chewed by the Sphinx itself.
Rath took one look at it and tensed immediately. "What did you do to it? It looks like it was put through the rinse cycle in a-what is it again? Oh yes - a washing machine."
The boy looked up sheepishly "Well you see," he started hesitantly "it did."
Rath's fists clenched.
"I kinda, sorta, took it when I left last time. I saw my name on it, so I assumed it was my homework from our last lesson," he rushed "and I left it in my pocket. Mom took my jeans and put them in the laundry without checking what was in the pockets and-well, you can guess what happened."
Rath gently took the ancient paper and spread it out carefully, and kept his eyes on it. "Prince Rapses, do you have any idea what you have done?" Rath's voice was like steel.
"Rath I-I'm sorry" Presley started backing up.
Rath stood slowly and breathed deeply. Trying to calm himself "If I were not sworn to protect you, we would not even be having this conversation. You would be in excruciating pain, gasping on the floor." He looked at the young prince "The reason you saw your name on it is because you were the last Pharaoh I had recorded on my translation of the Pharaohs' scroll. I started salvaging it from your mother's copy in the display when we were reawakened. Now, I have to do it all over again!"
"I - I don't know what to say Rath. I guess I won't take any more scrolls without checking with you first." Presley said, and continued when he saw Rath's mouth opening to say something "And I promise, I'll make it up to you somehow. Now I gotta go, Mom will wonder where I am; it's almost supper. Bye Rath!" He ran out of the room before Rath could respond.
Rath sat back down and sighed heavily, and was thankful that he could get back to the current spell he was formulating. He gently put the ruined scroll aside.
"Where did the young prince go, Rath?" Armon asked, poking his head into Rath's personal haven. Rath groaned to himself.
"He left."
"So early? I wonder why. I still had to give him today's lesson in Egypt-Su."
"Yes, he said something about supper."
"Oh, well than, a worthy excuse. Food is more important than a lesson. Speaking of food, the white stone sarcophagus-"
"Refrigerator Armon, it's a refrigerator."
"Oh, yes, anyway, it's empty again. Do you have silver metal pieces with George Washington on them for the museum vending machine?"
Rath sighed and handed his large friend some coins. "I think Ja-Kal has some more."
"Great! Thanks Rath!" Armon strode out of the room "Ja-Kal!!!" Armon bellowed "Do you have any silver…"
Rath sighed as he heard Armon's voice disappear down the corridor. "Finally some peace and quiet around here."
* * *
Armon approached the vending machines and put in the money, selecting some chips, and spoke reveretly "Great is the power of George Washington." As he bent to retrieve his bag, and although he was unaware of it, time slowed…
* * *
Moments passed, and as Rath went to dip his quill in the ink, he felt himself slowing. A light fuchsia glow pulsed behind him. Rath muttered a spell, countering the time pause, so he could move freely, and promptly swiveled around. Slowly, a thick dark fuchsia line appeared in the middle of the glow, and Rath shaded his eyes.
The line got longer and touched the floor. Two distinctly feminine hands emerged from the middle of the line, one of them holding a large walking staff. The hands grasped the sides of the seam from the middle. The woman pulled herself forward and stepped out of the tear. Bandages wrapped her body, and her small toga style skirt was white, a dark turquoise, and silver. Six long strips of cloth hung down her front making up a belt of dark turquoise, silver and royal purple; a large triangle clasp with a dark purple triangle amethyst set in the middle. Her white hair was wrapped in a long bandage, which hung down her back to her thighs, and her long bangs hung around her face. Long lashes and high eyebrows, accented the mysteriousness of her eyes; which both seemed to be a deep emerald green. Her skin was the same grey tone as the Mummies', for she was indeed just that; a mummy.
Rath watched on in amazement.
As she looked around, she frowned slightly and muttered pensively through a pair of voluptuous lips. "This is not the right time." Rath cleared his throat, waking out of his trance like state. The woman's eyes darted to him, and they flashed in recognition and a hint of surprise, but than clouded over, as she frowned again. The fuchsia glow began to pulsate, and she stepped back through the seam, but stopped half way through. She looked at Rath, once more, recognition in her eyes. She mumbled softly, mostly to herself "Rath…" but than stopped herself and thought better of saying anything. She stepped through the seam, and the glowing ceased.
Rath shook his head, not believing what he saw. "I've got to get some air, this dust must be giving me hallucinations…'"
* * *
Cruising to the nearest Beefy Burger in the Hot-Ra, Rath stared out the window, his memory nagging him, remembering that face. Somehow, it reminded him of a pupil, but an enemy…
"Ugh, how much longer? My stomach is complaining."
"I'm driving as fast as I can Armon! Hold your horses," Answered a peeved Nefer-Tina.
"But how can I hold the horses when they are driving the chariot?" Armon asked, confused.
Nefer-Tina sighed exasperatedly.
Ja-Kal changed the subject quickly "So Rath, how are the young Prince's studies coming?"
Rath still stared out the window.
"Rath?"
Nothing.
"Rath!" Armon looked at his friend.
Rath snapped out of his deep thinking with a start.
"Rath, what is it my friend?" Ja-Kal inquired.
"Ya, what's eating you?" Nefer-Tina asked.
"Eating…mmm Beefy Burger…" Armon's mind wandered off to the many different ways to eat beef.
"Nothing. Nothing important anyway." Rath answered, still distracted. "What was your question?"
Ja-Kal gave him a curious look. "It's not like you to get that wrapped up in thought Rath. No pun intended. I wanted to know how the prince's studies were coming."
Rath grimaced. "I'm still a little sore to go into it. Let's just say, a very important papyrus found itself in a washing machine."
Ja-Kal glanced at him curiously.
Rath shrugged and replied "Our Young Prince seems to find trouble as if it were grains of sand in the desert."
"I know" said Nefer-Tina "But that's what we're here for, isn't it?"
"Hey! There it is! I want 5 - no 6, triple deluxe beefy burgers, 2 sides of fries, onion rings…" Armon dominated conversation now, and Rath produced the necessary money that he had conjured earlier. At least he was left with his own thoughts again; for now.
* * *
An Egyptian scribe sat by a young prince patiently scripting what was being spoken.
"And by my father's decree, hence forth all crops shall be plotted at least once branch's length away from the Nile's flooding line. End script."
The Prince smiled down at his personal scribe. "You know you don't have to wear that helmet in here May-ma." He said, using his young endearment.
"I know, My Prince. I'd just prefer to keep my secret at all times. My long hair must stay up, and please Rapses, call me E-Lan."
The prince sighed "It still feels funny calling you that. You raised me when my mother was busy, in my Father's Court. But so it shall be, I will keep your secret safe. I have in other cases as well. You and Nefer-Tina are very dear to me-and my father."
"I am glad you told me about Nefer-Tina, as she is glad you told her about me. We have become very close. And yes, it is odd to hear you call me that. I am so used to being called 'May-ma' by you. I raised you like a brother, but also as a mother would, even though I was far too young to have a child. You and I played and learned together from my mother when she was your nursemaid. But if I am to ever achieve my dream, I must keep it this way, despite the past."
Prince Rapses smiled mischievously "I heard the guards talking about you. They wondered why you were never around when they go swimming. They say it's bad enough with 'Nefer' refusing to swim, but you just seem to disappear."
Elandra laughed out loud. "Oh, if only they knew. Nefer-tina has it bad enough. I've heard women talking in the market place about how 'handsome' she is." She grinned wickedly.
Rapses raised his eyebrow at her in a suggesting gaze. "What makes you so sure that you aren't under the same scrutiny? I've heard of the occasional crush myself."
Elandra grinned. "My mother would be appalled if she knew."
"I know."
They both laughed.
* * *
Elandra stepped out of her portal once again, this time on the top of the great Sphinx in Egypt, as she had so many times before when she needed to think. Everything had stopped; there were workmen in mid-step at the bottom of the Sphinx, walking towards the pyramids. The wind had swept up the sand their steps had made, and Elandra could pluck the grains out of the air if she so wished to.
But she didn't.
She sat alone on the head of the lonely stone beast. "I can't believe he's there. I suppose he would be. Chontra's there. I can't believe how much she is willing to hurt someone from pure spite. I have to keep looking for her. It's my duty. I have to stop her and her wickedness. She's changed so much since I knew her." Elandra sat there and fingered her bangs.
She sighed. "I've changed since I knew her. Traveling through decades hasn't been the easiest thing. Learning, studying, making sure I would be ready for anything she threw at me. But I wasn't ready for this. It's ironic really. She had something I always wanted, and she didn't care." Elandra drew her knees up to her chin, looking into the frozen sunset. She sat there thinking for a long, long time.
"Rath?"
"Yes, my Prince?"
"What did that scroll do?"
A tired mummy looked up from his lesson plan, pain evident on his grey face. "Did?" he asked wearily.
"Ya." Presley held up a haggard piece of papyrus, which looked like it had been chewed by the Sphinx itself.
Rath took one look at it and tensed immediately. "What did you do to it? It looks like it was put through the rinse cycle in a-what is it again? Oh yes - a washing machine."
The boy looked up sheepishly "Well you see," he started hesitantly "it did."
Rath's fists clenched.
"I kinda, sorta, took it when I left last time. I saw my name on it, so I assumed it was my homework from our last lesson," he rushed "and I left it in my pocket. Mom took my jeans and put them in the laundry without checking what was in the pockets and-well, you can guess what happened."
Rath gently took the ancient paper and spread it out carefully, and kept his eyes on it. "Prince Rapses, do you have any idea what you have done?" Rath's voice was like steel.
"Rath I-I'm sorry" Presley started backing up.
Rath stood slowly and breathed deeply. Trying to calm himself "If I were not sworn to protect you, we would not even be having this conversation. You would be in excruciating pain, gasping on the floor." He looked at the young prince "The reason you saw your name on it is because you were the last Pharaoh I had recorded on my translation of the Pharaohs' scroll. I started salvaging it from your mother's copy in the display when we were reawakened. Now, I have to do it all over again!"
"I - I don't know what to say Rath. I guess I won't take any more scrolls without checking with you first." Presley said, and continued when he saw Rath's mouth opening to say something "And I promise, I'll make it up to you somehow. Now I gotta go, Mom will wonder where I am; it's almost supper. Bye Rath!" He ran out of the room before Rath could respond.
Rath sat back down and sighed heavily, and was thankful that he could get back to the current spell he was formulating. He gently put the ruined scroll aside.
"Where did the young prince go, Rath?" Armon asked, poking his head into Rath's personal haven. Rath groaned to himself.
"He left."
"So early? I wonder why. I still had to give him today's lesson in Egypt-Su."
"Yes, he said something about supper."
"Oh, well than, a worthy excuse. Food is more important than a lesson. Speaking of food, the white stone sarcophagus-"
"Refrigerator Armon, it's a refrigerator."
"Oh, yes, anyway, it's empty again. Do you have silver metal pieces with George Washington on them for the museum vending machine?"
Rath sighed and handed his large friend some coins. "I think Ja-Kal has some more."
"Great! Thanks Rath!" Armon strode out of the room "Ja-Kal!!!" Armon bellowed "Do you have any silver…"
Rath sighed as he heard Armon's voice disappear down the corridor. "Finally some peace and quiet around here."
* * *
Armon approached the vending machines and put in the money, selecting some chips, and spoke reveretly "Great is the power of George Washington." As he bent to retrieve his bag, and although he was unaware of it, time slowed…
* * *
Moments passed, and as Rath went to dip his quill in the ink, he felt himself slowing. A light fuchsia glow pulsed behind him. Rath muttered a spell, countering the time pause, so he could move freely, and promptly swiveled around. Slowly, a thick dark fuchsia line appeared in the middle of the glow, and Rath shaded his eyes.
The line got longer and touched the floor. Two distinctly feminine hands emerged from the middle of the line, one of them holding a large walking staff. The hands grasped the sides of the seam from the middle. The woman pulled herself forward and stepped out of the tear. Bandages wrapped her body, and her small toga style skirt was white, a dark turquoise, and silver. Six long strips of cloth hung down her front making up a belt of dark turquoise, silver and royal purple; a large triangle clasp with a dark purple triangle amethyst set in the middle. Her white hair was wrapped in a long bandage, which hung down her back to her thighs, and her long bangs hung around her face. Long lashes and high eyebrows, accented the mysteriousness of her eyes; which both seemed to be a deep emerald green. Her skin was the same grey tone as the Mummies', for she was indeed just that; a mummy.
Rath watched on in amazement.
As she looked around, she frowned slightly and muttered pensively through a pair of voluptuous lips. "This is not the right time." Rath cleared his throat, waking out of his trance like state. The woman's eyes darted to him, and they flashed in recognition and a hint of surprise, but than clouded over, as she frowned again. The fuchsia glow began to pulsate, and she stepped back through the seam, but stopped half way through. She looked at Rath, once more, recognition in her eyes. She mumbled softly, mostly to herself "Rath…" but than stopped herself and thought better of saying anything. She stepped through the seam, and the glowing ceased.
Rath shook his head, not believing what he saw. "I've got to get some air, this dust must be giving me hallucinations…'"
* * *
Cruising to the nearest Beefy Burger in the Hot-Ra, Rath stared out the window, his memory nagging him, remembering that face. Somehow, it reminded him of a pupil, but an enemy…
"Ugh, how much longer? My stomach is complaining."
"I'm driving as fast as I can Armon! Hold your horses," Answered a peeved Nefer-Tina.
"But how can I hold the horses when they are driving the chariot?" Armon asked, confused.
Nefer-Tina sighed exasperatedly.
Ja-Kal changed the subject quickly "So Rath, how are the young Prince's studies coming?"
Rath still stared out the window.
"Rath?"
Nothing.
"Rath!" Armon looked at his friend.
Rath snapped out of his deep thinking with a start.
"Rath, what is it my friend?" Ja-Kal inquired.
"Ya, what's eating you?" Nefer-Tina asked.
"Eating…mmm Beefy Burger…" Armon's mind wandered off to the many different ways to eat beef.
"Nothing. Nothing important anyway." Rath answered, still distracted. "What was your question?"
Ja-Kal gave him a curious look. "It's not like you to get that wrapped up in thought Rath. No pun intended. I wanted to know how the prince's studies were coming."
Rath grimaced. "I'm still a little sore to go into it. Let's just say, a very important papyrus found itself in a washing machine."
Ja-Kal glanced at him curiously.
Rath shrugged and replied "Our Young Prince seems to find trouble as if it were grains of sand in the desert."
"I know" said Nefer-Tina "But that's what we're here for, isn't it?"
"Hey! There it is! I want 5 - no 6, triple deluxe beefy burgers, 2 sides of fries, onion rings…" Armon dominated conversation now, and Rath produced the necessary money that he had conjured earlier. At least he was left with his own thoughts again; for now.
* * *
An Egyptian scribe sat by a young prince patiently scripting what was being spoken.
"And by my father's decree, hence forth all crops shall be plotted at least once branch's length away from the Nile's flooding line. End script."
The Prince smiled down at his personal scribe. "You know you don't have to wear that helmet in here May-ma." He said, using his young endearment.
"I know, My Prince. I'd just prefer to keep my secret at all times. My long hair must stay up, and please Rapses, call me E-Lan."
The prince sighed "It still feels funny calling you that. You raised me when my mother was busy, in my Father's Court. But so it shall be, I will keep your secret safe. I have in other cases as well. You and Nefer-Tina are very dear to me-and my father."
"I am glad you told me about Nefer-Tina, as she is glad you told her about me. We have become very close. And yes, it is odd to hear you call me that. I am so used to being called 'May-ma' by you. I raised you like a brother, but also as a mother would, even though I was far too young to have a child. You and I played and learned together from my mother when she was your nursemaid. But if I am to ever achieve my dream, I must keep it this way, despite the past."
Prince Rapses smiled mischievously "I heard the guards talking about you. They wondered why you were never around when they go swimming. They say it's bad enough with 'Nefer' refusing to swim, but you just seem to disappear."
Elandra laughed out loud. "Oh, if only they knew. Nefer-tina has it bad enough. I've heard women talking in the market place about how 'handsome' she is." She grinned wickedly.
Rapses raised his eyebrow at her in a suggesting gaze. "What makes you so sure that you aren't under the same scrutiny? I've heard of the occasional crush myself."
Elandra grinned. "My mother would be appalled if she knew."
"I know."
They both laughed.
* * *
Elandra stepped out of her portal once again, this time on the top of the great Sphinx in Egypt, as she had so many times before when she needed to think. Everything had stopped; there were workmen in mid-step at the bottom of the Sphinx, walking towards the pyramids. The wind had swept up the sand their steps had made, and Elandra could pluck the grains out of the air if she so wished to.
But she didn't.
She sat alone on the head of the lonely stone beast. "I can't believe he's there. I suppose he would be. Chontra's there. I can't believe how much she is willing to hurt someone from pure spite. I have to keep looking for her. It's my duty. I have to stop her and her wickedness. She's changed so much since I knew her." Elandra sat there and fingered her bangs.
She sighed. "I've changed since I knew her. Traveling through decades hasn't been the easiest thing. Learning, studying, making sure I would be ready for anything she threw at me. But I wasn't ready for this. It's ironic really. She had something I always wanted, and she didn't care." Elandra drew her knees up to her chin, looking into the frozen sunset. She sat there thinking for a long, long time.