A class of fifth grade students were on a tour of the Museum of Natural History in New York. The museum curator, a lovely and smiling young woman welcomed them at the entrance and led them onward.
"Welcome to the Museum of Natural History, where history comes to life," she said.
She then led them inside and stopped beside of a wax statue of man sitting on a large chestnut colored horse. He was wearing an adventurer's uniform and mountain hat and had a mustache and glasses. He held a sword up in his left hand in a bold position.
"This is Theodore Roosevelt, our twenty-sixth president, whom this museum was created for. He absolutely loved history and believed that the more one knows about the past the more prepared they are for the future. He was born here in New York, and he also was a great outdoors adventurer. The teddy bear was named after him when he rescued a young bear cub in the wild."
She then led them up to a tall golden bronze statue of man wearing thirteenth century clothing and an old-fashioned sailer's hat. He was pointing to the west and holding a map in his right arm.
"This is Christopher Columbus," their tour guide began. Then some of the children began asking questions.
"I know about him! He discovered America in 1492, right?" asked a little girl with blonde pigtails.
"Well, yes, and no. You see," she began but was cut off by a boy with red hair and glasses.
"But wasn't it actually Leif Erickson the viking who first came to America long before then?"
"Well, yes, that is correct," she replied. "Though Columbus is still a very important historical figure because if he hadn't come to America when he did we might not be here today."
She then led them to the wax statues of the family of Neanderthals which were very primitive men wearing mammoth fur clothing and holding sticks and stones to make fire from.
"These are the Neanderthals," she said. "They are the cousins of our ancestors of approximately one-hundred-and-fifty thousand years ago. They used to be thought to be our own ancestors when Paleontologists discovered it to be otherwise.
She then led them into the hall of African mammals where they saw very lifelike statues of elephants, giraffes, lions, leopards, cheetahs, and monkeys.
"This is a cappuchin monkey," she explained as she stopped next to a tiny monkey with a very sweet looking face. "It is known for its trusting and loving nature, and also for its mischievousness."
She then led them to a large glass case behind which there was a statue of a beautiful young Indian woman standing next to young men who were holding maps and wearing eighteenth century English clothing.
"This is Sacajawea," she explained. "She led Lewis and Clark across rivers and over mountains with her newborn baby on her back. She was the ultimate working mother."
She led them on and the saw the giant Easter Island head, the statues of Attila the Hun and his marauders. They also went into the hall of miniatures and saw recreations of the Wild West, and the Roman Empire. Then lastly, she led them into the Tomb of the Pharaoh.
"Down this way is the Tomb of the Pharaoh," she said as she led them down a long corridor covered from wall to wall with ancient Egyptian hieroglyphics. "He was called Ahkmenrah, the fourth son of the fourth King. He reigned for ten years before he died at the age of twenty-one."
They saw the golden sarcophagus in which resided the body of the Pharaoh. She then gestured further down toward the very end of the room at which they saw there was a large golden tablet on the wall with pictures engraved in it in individual squares.
"Over there is the Pharaoh's treasure which was brought here fifty-five years ago," she explained. "It was said to hold great powers and perhaps even to hold the secrets of life within it. But what those were has always remained a mystery."
She then turned around and said, "Well, that concludes our tour. I hope you enjoyed your time here."
She then began to lead them out of the Pharaoh's room. Suddenly, a small boy with low cut black hair grabbed onto the shoulder of the boy with red hair and glasses and turned him towards him.
"You see that Tablet over there?" he whispered to him. "I heard that it makes everything in this place come to life at night."
"No way! That's impossible!" said the red-haired boy.
"Well, I want to find out," said the other boy. "You go over there and get it for me."
"Why don't you get it?" asked the other boy.
"Because if you get caught it wouldn't matter, but if I did it would. Now get it!" he said.
The boy looked nervously at the shiny tablet on the wall behind him and then turned back and said, "But what if there is a curse on it?"
"All the more reason for you to be the one to get it!" he said. He then pushed him forward a few inches.
So then he went trembling up to the tablet and with shaking fingers he grabbed onto it and took it off of its place on the wall. He held it in his hands and glanced apprehensively at the sarcophagus in which lay the Egyptian King whom this belonged to. He then rushed back to the other boy and handed it to him.
"That was easy, wasn't it?" he asked smugly as he took off his backpack and slipped the Tablet into it.
"This is stealing I'm telling you!" the other boy said in a whisper.
"But he's a dead guy," he said gesturing toward the sarcophagus.
"And that makes it all the more wrong!" the other boy said in a frightened whisper.
"Well, it's too late now," he said as he put his backpack around his shoulders again. "Now let's get out of here before they come back and catch us!"
And then they both hurried out of the Tomb and rejoined the other students just as they were aboutto leave the museum.