It was dark. That was the first thing she realized. It wasn't oppressive darkness, like nothing existed. She knew she was there, and she knew that she wasn't alone. Vaguely, she heard fuzzy voices around her. Had she fallen asleep somewhere along the corridor of the temple? Corridor... temple... she didn't start out in a temple corridor, did she? The voices were getting louder as something touched her shoulder.
"Uskut..." she whispered. "Agab." Now she was confused. Since when did she speak Egyptian Arabic? Since when did she speak Arabic, period? It wasn't exactly something she learned in high school. Slowly she opened her eyes. Leigh winced at the sudden light held over her head.
"Miss Crawford, are you alright?" The man's accent was definitely Egyptian. The face that Leigh focused on hovering over her was definitely middle-eastern, too. Elderly face deeply lined with wrinkles and full of concern. "Miss Crawford..."
"Yes Hamid. I'm fine." Hamid? She knew this man?
"You had us all worried Miss Crawford. You were creeping along the corridor and suddenly you disappeared. When we found you, you were unconscious. No, no! Don't sit up yet. Let me look at your forehead. You have quite the nasty gash here and there is blood everywhere. Did you stumble on a rock?" Hamid instructed the others with him to clear the path and set up lights further down the corridor.
"I... I don't remember." Leigh sighed and let the older man gently clean out the cut on her forehead. At least know she knew why her head was throbbing. "When did I get here? Where is here?"
Hamid looked at her like she was mad. "Surely you are joking with me, Miss Crawford. We are in Egypt, in the legendary Valley of the Kings. You led us here with the map that you found in London that pointed to the sister city of Hamunaptra, Hamunhora."
London? Hamunaptra? Egypt? She furrowed her forehead and looked up at him. She found a map in London? "What.... what day is it?"
Hamid's face took on a look of pity as he helped her sit up. Offering her a drink of water from his canteen, Hamid sighed. "It is May 1. Do you not remember anything?"
"No, I wish I did. When did I start speaking Egyptian?" She rubbed the back of her neck gently and leaned against the stone wall of the corridor. She looked down at her clothing and blinked. She was in a pair of VERY short tight black shorts and a black tank top under a white cotton blouse that was tucked into her shorts. Her feet and lower legs were encased in a pair of what she could only describe as tactical boots that laced up to her knees. Further up her thighs were leather straps holding down holsters for two rather large and shiny Heckler and Koch USP.45 ACP Match model pistols belted around her hips. Since when did she dress like Lara Croft?? Gingerly she reached up and touched her nose... yup, the nose ring was still there...
"You have always spoke Egyptian, Miss Crawford." Hamid was steadily getting more and more concerned. His friend and employer was beginning to scare him with her inability to remember what had just happened. "Your mother was Egyptian. It was she who taught you to speak it."
"Right." Leigh sighed and looked at him. She knew that sort of look. He was thinking she was mad as a March hare. "Mother taught me to speak perfect Egyptian Arabic. And what are we doing here in this temple? I mean, I'm obviously dressed for it, and your crew of workers is here... I see my rucksack and there's tools in there for digging and brushes for cleaning away the dust and sand from the carvings. But this is... how much archaeological recovery are we REALLY here for?"
Leigh stopped and stared wide-eyed. Everything she'd just said was completely NOT what she was feeling. Archaeology? She wasn't an archaeologist that she knew of... was she?
"Perhaps, if you start walking again, and see the temple ruins, then you will remember more. We," Hamid stood and offered his hand down to her to stand up. "have already found the Preparation Chamber. You were leading us down towards the Altar Chamber."
"Right. The statue is supposedly buried in the base of the altar itself."
"That is the legend, Miss Crawford. You are not worried about the Curse?"
"I don't believe in curses, Hamid. I believe in what I can see and touch. Curses don't scare me one whit." She brushed the sand off of her rear end before she took the torch from his hand and began walking. This was beginning to freak her out. The more and more she was awake, the more and more she apparently 'remembered'. But, she didn't really remember any of this. It was just coming out of her mouth like she SHOULD be remembering this. Maybe the blow to her head scrambled her noodle a bit and she was really remembering this stuff.
"I think that we need to call it a day, come back tomorrow. Tell the boys to quit for now and we'll start at dawn tomorrow morning." Leigh patted Hamid's shoulder in a friendly manner, then turned around and headed back the way the entire party came. She was going to have to hurry if she wanted to make it out of there before she vomited all over the place.
--
Uskut = Be Quiet
Agab = Please
****
"Uskut..." she whispered. "Agab." Now she was confused. Since when did she speak Egyptian Arabic? Since when did she speak Arabic, period? It wasn't exactly something she learned in high school. Slowly she opened her eyes. Leigh winced at the sudden light held over her head.
"Miss Crawford, are you alright?" The man's accent was definitely Egyptian. The face that Leigh focused on hovering over her was definitely middle-eastern, too. Elderly face deeply lined with wrinkles and full of concern. "Miss Crawford..."
"Yes Hamid. I'm fine." Hamid? She knew this man?
"You had us all worried Miss Crawford. You were creeping along the corridor and suddenly you disappeared. When we found you, you were unconscious. No, no! Don't sit up yet. Let me look at your forehead. You have quite the nasty gash here and there is blood everywhere. Did you stumble on a rock?" Hamid instructed the others with him to clear the path and set up lights further down the corridor.
"I... I don't remember." Leigh sighed and let the older man gently clean out the cut on her forehead. At least know she knew why her head was throbbing. "When did I get here? Where is here?"
Hamid looked at her like she was mad. "Surely you are joking with me, Miss Crawford. We are in Egypt, in the legendary Valley of the Kings. You led us here with the map that you found in London that pointed to the sister city of Hamunaptra, Hamunhora."
London? Hamunaptra? Egypt? She furrowed her forehead and looked up at him. She found a map in London? "What.... what day is it?"
Hamid's face took on a look of pity as he helped her sit up. Offering her a drink of water from his canteen, Hamid sighed. "It is May 1. Do you not remember anything?"
"No, I wish I did. When did I start speaking Egyptian?" She rubbed the back of her neck gently and leaned against the stone wall of the corridor. She looked down at her clothing and blinked. She was in a pair of VERY short tight black shorts and a black tank top under a white cotton blouse that was tucked into her shorts. Her feet and lower legs were encased in a pair of what she could only describe as tactical boots that laced up to her knees. Further up her thighs were leather straps holding down holsters for two rather large and shiny Heckler and Koch USP.45 ACP Match model pistols belted around her hips. Since when did she dress like Lara Croft?? Gingerly she reached up and touched her nose... yup, the nose ring was still there...
"You have always spoke Egyptian, Miss Crawford." Hamid was steadily getting more and more concerned. His friend and employer was beginning to scare him with her inability to remember what had just happened. "Your mother was Egyptian. It was she who taught you to speak it."
"Right." Leigh sighed and looked at him. She knew that sort of look. He was thinking she was mad as a March hare. "Mother taught me to speak perfect Egyptian Arabic. And what are we doing here in this temple? I mean, I'm obviously dressed for it, and your crew of workers is here... I see my rucksack and there's tools in there for digging and brushes for cleaning away the dust and sand from the carvings. But this is... how much archaeological recovery are we REALLY here for?"
Leigh stopped and stared wide-eyed. Everything she'd just said was completely NOT what she was feeling. Archaeology? She wasn't an archaeologist that she knew of... was she?
"Perhaps, if you start walking again, and see the temple ruins, then you will remember more. We," Hamid stood and offered his hand down to her to stand up. "have already found the Preparation Chamber. You were leading us down towards the Altar Chamber."
"Right. The statue is supposedly buried in the base of the altar itself."
"That is the legend, Miss Crawford. You are not worried about the Curse?"
"I don't believe in curses, Hamid. I believe in what I can see and touch. Curses don't scare me one whit." She brushed the sand off of her rear end before she took the torch from his hand and began walking. This was beginning to freak her out. The more and more she was awake, the more and more she apparently 'remembered'. But, she didn't really remember any of this. It was just coming out of her mouth like she SHOULD be remembering this. Maybe the blow to her head scrambled her noodle a bit and she was really remembering this stuff.
"I think that we need to call it a day, come back tomorrow. Tell the boys to quit for now and we'll start at dawn tomorrow morning." Leigh patted Hamid's shoulder in a friendly manner, then turned around and headed back the way the entire party came. She was going to have to hurry if she wanted to make it out of there before she vomited all over the place.
--
Uskut = Be Quiet
Agab = Please
****