Chapter 2
She came to sometime later, "Wow I have such a bad headache, what happened? I must have slipped and hit my head, I better find Aaliah" Misha berated herself for wandering off on her own. Thinking that she needs to get a grip, she was a soon-to-be doctor, and this fainting and not being able to handle tricky situations will not do. She definitely needed to get a grip. Standing slowly, she notice the Nile for the first time. She could not remember it looking so beautiful. The lush greens of the river were shining blue. Trees were swaying in the wind, this was an Egypt that she could get used to she thought.
She heard someone approaching her, turning she saw a dark skinned young man dressed in a white robe walking toward her, "Are you feeling unwell my lady"? he asked. Misha felt faint, here was another good looking man wearing very little and she had nowhere to run. The man kept staring at her.
"I think I'm in heaven, my headaches couldn't have given me a better dream" she realized that she had just spoken that out loud and immediately blushed. The man kept on staring at her, as if trying to figure out where she came from.
Mishas mouth felt salty, and she had the taste of blood on her tongue, her hands looked paler than normal. She thought maybe she had gone into shock, she tried to stand, but blood rushed from her head, and she felt dizzy again. The young man came and helped her to her feet, he continued to support her as she got her footing. Misha could feel him staring at her, questioning her, and she was starting to blush again, just like every time when a good looking man looked at her. She never understood why men made her feel this way, suddenly she wished Aaliah were with her, she was always so calm and cool in these situations. Aaliah was strong-minded and always confident, even when talking to gorgeous men. Misha looked around and could not see her friend, or any of the press around. The lecture must have ended, and everyone must have left, Misha thought. "Well, if Aaliah wasn't here to save me in this situation, then I better man up, and learn some confidence" Misha gave herself a small pep talk.
The man is yelling at her, "Can you hear me, whats your name, what happened?"
"I think I was dehydrated and fell" Misha stammered. The man continued to bombard her with questions, and continued to stare at her in a questioning way. Misha just wanted to sit down for a minute to collect herself. " YES, I am fine" she finally yells at him so that he would stop with his questions. The man takes a small step back, looking hurt and ashamed. Misha immediately felt bad. "I just thought that you were mute or deaf when you didn't answer me, I did not mean to annoy you" the man apologized. They both stare at each other, and out of relief and stress, they began to laugh.
"Thanks for helping me out there, I was having a terrible headache and I think I must have fainted. I don't remember walking to the river." He interrupts her "I brought you here, and you did faint into the ground near the Anuket temple. You are lucky I found you, if it was some other men, they would have sold you as a slave. You seem like you are not from here and I wanted to see who you were, and to make sure that you were safe".
Misha looked confused, what in the world is this man talking about, sold her as a slave? The man suddenly didnt seem so friendly anymore and Misha decided that it may be her cue to leave. Egypt is known to have its share of creeps, and just her luck she found one when she was alone and at her weakest moment. It was time that she got her bearings, and got a safe distance away from this creep. She took a step away, and looked around. She knew that she was near the Nile, but that was about it. She didnt know what part of the Nile she was near. She couldnt see any buildings, all she could see was lush tropical bamboo trees, and miles of grasslands. Wait, that wasnt right she thought. Egypt was a desert, must be an illusion from hitting her head, she just needed to lie down and sleep for a while. The compass in her head was thrown, and she had no idea how to get back to the city and home. No one else was around, except for this creepy guy, but really he didnt seem that bad, something in her gut told her that she could trust him. Maybe she had just misunderstood what he said. She decided to trust her instincts, "so, do you think you can give me a ride back to the city if you dont mind"? People had always warned her that she was too trusting, but she had to get back to the city, and there was no way she was going to be able to walk back in her condition. She had to hope that she was right, and this man was as nice as he looked.
The man looked at her "I am heading back to the city, I can take you with me. Do you know anyone from there?" Misha nodded, she wanted to to minimize any conversations with him, her instincts told her to trust him, but she still felt confused and disoriented. They walked for a few minutes, he held her arm to support her as her legs were still shaking. Misha began to look around, and her confusion deepened, all she saw were chariots and horses and men in short white robes. Her brain, trying to compensate for the strange things that it saw, reasoned that she must have stumbled onto a movie set, yes, they were always filming movies in Egypt. The dig site must have been near a movie set. That is the reason for the costumes, and the set decorations. This man was probably just an extra, and a very good looking one too. Misha began to feel better, even excited, she had always wanted to be a part of a movie. She would have to remember to bring Aaliah back so that they could explore, and maybe take a ride in one of the chariots. The set was very well done, Hollywood had done an amazing job at making everything look so real.
Misha and that young man approached a chariot with two horses harnessed to it. They climbed aboard. Misha thought this was weird, but the director probably just wanted to keep the movie as authentic as possible. She felt like a star riding in the chariot standing next to the man. For a moment she even considered changing careers to become a movie star.
The chariot approached a city that was surrounded by a gate, Misha starred in shock at the level of detail that the direct mush have went through to make everything look so real. She thought that the director must be a big shot with all the money that he could spend on props. Everything looked marvelous, the details of the gates, huts that stood in for a marketplace, even the people walking around could have been taking right out of ancient Egypt. She couldn't see any cameramen or the director anywhere, she figured that they were just well disguised so to preserve the authenticity of the film. Misha thought about how Aaliah would have loved to walk around this set, it really did feel like she had gone back in time to when the ancient Egyptians lived. It had been Aaliahs dream to live and breath ancient Egypt, hence why she became an Egyptologist. Misha was a big fan of Egypt and history, but since studying medicine, she was content to help people in need. She had a gift for it, but Aaliah would have loved to have been here, and try to point out the mistakes that the set director may have made.
The young man had pulled the chariot to a stop in from of a house that was made out of mud bricks and straw. It seemed fresh, like it was actually made out of mud instead of Styrofoam or whatever movies usually used. It even had a garden in the front yard. "This is my house," the man said, "if you want you can come in and have some wine, give me some company. It is my day off from work, and you seem like you need to sit down, and that you have interesting stories that you can tell". Misha shot the man what she thought was a coy smile, "Sure, I would love to come in. Your house seems so nice and real, I didn't know that you guys got a house included in your work package. And the garden smells so lovely, you must enjoy working on this set. Perhaps you can tell me more of your work over some wine". He gave her a wide smile and took her hand to lead her into his house. The house felt cool and inviting, even though outside was baking under the Egyptian sun. They obviously have AC here, and the material used to construct the houses probably keeps a lot of the heat out, Misha thought.
A low rumble forced Misha out of her daydream, she was hungry and her stomach was rumbling. She realized that she hadnt eaten anything since breakfast, and it had to be mid-afternoon by now, she must have blacked out longer than she thought. "You must be hungry and thirsty, let me fetch you some food" The man offered. Misha blushed, happy that she listened to her instincts, he really was very kind and gentle. After drinking some wine, she started to feel better, her head was becoming clearer. She could see and hear things properly now. "That was all that she needed", she thought, "some food and nourishment, and now I can make sense of my surroundings". She looked around, and looked at the young man who had been so kind and helpful. He seemed of African origin, maybe with a mix of Persian. He was tall, with a well muscled body that comes from manual labor. He never took his dark searching eyes off of her. Misha looked away, trying to settle her nerves, he seemed like the strong quiet type, it would have to be up to her to make conversation.
"What is the role that you are playing? You seem a soldier to me". Misha questioned. He seemed shocked by her statement, Misha took it as he was surprised that she had guessed his role in the movie so easily. "Yes, I am a soldier for the great pharaoh. IT is an honor to serve him". Misha suppressed a small giggle at his dedication to his role, she thought she had found someone who may be more serious about his work than herself. Maybe they could be friends, they could force each other to have more of a social life.
"So do you like your work?" Misha asked, "how often do you get to travel to exotic locations like Egypt?"
He looked at her with those dark eyes and answered " I have always served the royal army, just as my father had and his father before him. We have always served the royal family with our loyalty and our lives. As you know, not many people get to serve the Royal family, it is one of the biggest honors that anyone could ever have." Misha bit down another giggle, wow this guy is really into his role, and his archaic view and loyalty to a royal family is a little boring. She thought that he really must not get out a lot, he could have impressed her so much more by telling her about his other roles and all the places that he has been. Is this how movie actors really try to impress people? By staying in character even when they are off the clock? Misha though that the next time she sees Aaliah they need to have a talk about dating, and how to find men who will be more interesting. She really had felt as thought she had stepped back into the year 2000 BC. Having a strong man was one thing, but all this talk about blind loyalty and dying for a pharaoh was very old age. She needed a man to be and think for himself.
Misha decided to play along, after all, maybe he was just nervous, he needed help to come out of his shell. She could also never be mean to someone who had been so nice to her. Maybe a little flirting would help him, and maybe if she played along she would be able to have an adventure, or even just a one night fling. All of her other friends were always talking about their adventures across the globe and with exotic men. She never had anything to contribute. It would be nice for a change to be able to be the one with the story.
"So what is your name in your role?" She asked him with a big smile trying to sound interested. "Merenpath" A man of few words she thought, he seemed mysterious, and she liked that about him. So far her adventure seemed to be going well, he was a very good looking man, with deep dark eyes and a mysterious way about him. He seemed to have so much to say, but it was going to take time to drag it all out of him. The only thing that Misha found that he was lacking was passion, she had always wanted a man to bring out her passionate side. But she had to make do with what she had. And really, sometimes mystery trumped passion, she imagined that this would be a story that would keep Aaliah and their other friends on the edge of their seats. She thought about Aaliah, who must be worried about her by now, she wanted to continue this adventure and see where it went, but she would definitely need to talk to Aaliah first. She would come back.
"Merenpath, i really appreciate you taking care of me, and the wine and food, but I think that its time for me to get back to my friends, I promise to come back, I just dont want them to worry. Do you could tell me which direction I would have to go to get to Saggara?"
He looked at her with wide eyes, "A beautiful women such yourself should never wander the streets alone. I told you men will come and get you and they will try to sell you off to the highest bidder."
Misha looked at him annoyed, ok, maybe he was just a little too into his role, maybe this wasnt the adventure for her. "I am not going get kidnapped. We live in a world where women have rights and are free to walk where they want, we do not live in make believe sets make to look like ancient times..."
Mishas rant was cut off by a group of men who rushed into Merenpaths house breathing heavily. One of the men gasped for breath and said "The pharaoh has been hit badly and he needs medical attention. The local sinew tried to help him but it seems a lot worse." Wow Misha thought, everyone on this set takes their role so seriously, even used the correct term for an Egyptian doctor, sinew. "The royal sinew is attending the queen and he is an hour away." the man continued.
Oh these melodramatic actors, well it may be fine to play along, I may even be asked to be a part of the film Misha thought. "I can help, I have passed all my exams as a doctor and should be getting my license soon." Merenpath grabbed her arm and pulled her close, "you possess the skills to save the pharaoh?".
Without waiting for Misha to answer, Merenpath dragged her to the chariot and they were off. The horses raced the chariot through the maze of the market place, Misha felt that they were going so fast they were almost flying. She had to hold on to Merenpath just to keep from falling out. Merenpath held her steady, she gained her footing as was able to look around at the city as they passed. It was absolutely magnificent, everything seemed so freshly painted that she could almost smell the color pigments. She began to notice the actual market place, and even the way that everyone spoke. As the wind rushed through her hair, she her head began to clear, her brain began to actually take in the reality of her surroundings. The air was very fresh, almost too fresh, not like the smog filled air that hangs around most cities of this size. The lush fertile landscape was too real to be anything synthetic. She started to come to her senses, could this really be a movie production? Or was she having a very vivid dream? Misha pinched herself to see if she would wake up, the chariot went over a rock and she bumped into him.
"Opps, sorry Merenpath," Misha said, "this is new to me, I have never been on a chariot. I think I am ok now" Misha steadied herself.
Merenpath looked down at her with a deep gaze, "Not to worry, I'll catch you if you fall". Misha blushed, her heart was melting. The passion may not be all there, but this man certainly knew what to say.
The 10 minute ride felt like half an hour standing so close to Merenpath, feeling his strong body against her. Finally Merenpath pulled on the horses rains and they halted near the east side of the Nile. Misha knew this side of the Nile well, she had last been there with one of the many dates that Aaliah had set her up with. She had come as a weekend getaway with Aaliah, who had a conference to attend. While Aaliah was lecturing, she kept sending Misha off with random men, ones who thought they could help Misha come out of her shell. Misha came out of her revive, her brain started to speed. When did the sycamore trees come in? She hadnt seen them the last time that she was here, and that had only been a year ago. The Acacias also looked so fresh, so new. She realized that she had spoken out loud because a soldier looked at her strangely and said that the trees had been there for over 50 years! The soldier gave her a quizzical once over glance and began to lead them inside. Misha froze for a moment, that just didn't make sense, no it's not possible, her brain kept making leaps and bounds. It hit her finally, maybe she wasn't in modern day Egypt anymore. Maybe, somehow, she was in ancient Egypt. But how was that even possible? Her logical doctors brain tried to find another conclusion. But there just wasnt any. But time travel did not exist, and even if it did, science fiction told us that you had to have a machine like a T.A.R.D.I.S or a flux capacitor to do it. Misha thought back, she could not remember coming close to any. Then again there was the mesmerizing eyes of Anukets statue, and she did touch the bracelet….in fact that is when she started to feel dizzy, and she passed out. Was it possible, did she time travel back into ancient Egypt? It certainly seemed so, her brain could come up with no other logical explanation. Everything here was just too real to be a set.
