Summer Job Gone Wrong
By Idhrenniel
Chapter 1
I remember the first time Dad took me to the Natural History Museum. My whole family tagged along—my parents, myself, and my little sister Annie who was only four at the time. I was five years older, so while Mom tried to keep Annie calm and have her look at some old portraits of princesses, I was able to make a beeline for what I had come to see without interruption.
The Egyptian artifacts. There were loads of them, gold jewelry, sarcophagi, and even an elegantly carved headrest that the Ancient Egyptians used to sleep on. Not to mention the great slabs of rock full of hieroglyphics that were taken from the tombs that the archeologists had found.
Enough historical treasure to make me drool.
I remember pressing my nose against the glass case until I was force to move away since my breath was clouding my vision.
"Daddy?" I whispered. "Why do the pretty artifacts have to be locked away like that?"
He only looked amused. "Martha, Martha. If anyone could touch them, someone might steal them!"
I scowled at him since I could tell he was laughing at me, but on the inside my mind was reeling. I was young then. Too young to think of anyone stealing something as precious as the relics I saw before me.
"But I wouldn't be able to see them anymore."
Dad's face softened. "It's okay, Marty. No one's going to take them away. That's why the glass is here. Whenever they display things like this they make sure bad things won't happen to them."
It was at that particular moment when Mom and Annie decided to rejoin us. My sister liked the relics as well as I, but her attention span was worse than a piece of taffy and she kept rushing ahead of us. I'd have much rather taken my time to see the other exhibits, but sadly I did not get a chance that day.
But when we returned home that night, there was a part of me that still didn't quite believe that keeping the artifacts safe was that simple.
What if someone knew how to get past all the security? And what would someone want to do with that sort of thing when they took it? Sell it? Destroy it? I dared not ask Mom or Dad for fear that they would laugh at me.
I've spent most of my life trying not to have them laugh at me.
This trip was the first of many. When Annie grew older, she was able to enjoy the museum for the amazing place it truly was. By the time I was eighteen I would take her with me and we'd go on our own, heading to see the glass encased treasure and stopping for refreshment at an ice cream parlor on our way back.
"Annie?" I inquired one day, trying to wipe my melting chocolate ice cream off my hand. "Do you think I should go to college?"
My sister sighed. At thirteen she was already quite smart herself, but she knew that girls didn't really take on careers that went beyond teaching and secretary work. "Depends on what you're planning to do, really. Mom says that college is a great place to find a husband that will make a lot of money. And it's always nice to get a teaching degree just in case something happens." She grinned. "But I have a feeling that's not exactly what you had in mind."
I gave an unladylike snort. "You got that right. I'm thinking about being a cryptographer, or an archaeologist." I stared vaguely into the distance. "Maybe I'll be able to actually handle some of those artifacts at the museum."
Oh, the thought of it! To actually touch those exclusive figures from behind the glass…
"Marty," Annie says seriously, "I know Mom would kill me for getting your hopes up… but I think that sounds thrilling. Just promise me one thing."
"What?"
"Be really, really successful. That way Mom won't be so sore when I tell her I want to do it too."
I grin. "That can be arranged."