CHAPTER 3-Curse of the sad mummy

"Pop-Pop, come on, give us a day off. We came here to visit you, not to be your seasonal workers, and on top of that, you're not even paying us", Lincoln lamented as Albert and Lynn were setting up the table for breakfast.

"Pay for what? Slacking and fooling around? You even managed to infect poor Chaz with your laziness. Plus, you get a free a stay at my house, with free food, and now you want me to pay after all that?", Albert grumbled. Lincoln just shook his head.

"Oh my, let's see what's new for today", Albert grinned as he opened up the fresh newspapers while drinking his morning coffee.

"Any interesting?", Lynn wondered as she started to eat the omellete that Albert had made, one of his cooking 'specialities'.

"Nothing really, just boring politics...oh, look at this. A very famous Canadian archeologist will hold a live presentation of a mummified child that he discovered six months ago. He's supposed to deliver him to the main Canadian Museum in Ottawa, but will stop in the small town of Gravity Peaks for one night and will continue his journey tomorrow. Today, from 3 PM to 6 AM, visitors will be able to see and take photos of the mysterious kid mummy in the Gravity Falls History Museum, but no touching will be permitted. Everyone who is a fan of history and antique things is welcome to come for this unique event. Heh, I almost forgot that we had a museum and now we're gonna host a real life mummy, guess we are really becoming more and more urbanized", Albert chuckled as he too started to eat his 'speciality'.

"Are you gonna go Pop-Pop", Lynn asked.

"Who, me? No way kiddo, I have seen enough dead people in my lifetime, don't wanna any more nightmares. What about you two, would you like to go?"

"Wait, you mean it for real?", Lincoln was beyond excited.

"Why, of course! You did want a day off work, right? And this could be a great experience for the both of you, don't you think?", Albert laughed.

"I will definitely go, no way I'm gonna miss this. I just wish that Lucy were here, she would like a creepy thing like this. Or Lisa, for some of her science stuff or something...by the way, you'll come too Lynn, right?", Lincoln quickly finished his meal, the prospect of seeing a real mummy was really hyping him up.

"I mean, it's not that interesting for me, maybe if it was a mummy of a famous player, then I would care more. But I'll still go with you, to ensure that you don't get lost or robbed again", Lynn teased her younger brother.

"Very funny...Pop-Pop can you give us some money? We don't know if it's gonna cost us the entrance", Lincoln nearly jumped from his chair out of excitement.

"I can give you twenty dollars."

"Twenty for me and twenty for Lynn?"

"Um, no. Twenty for the both of you."

"What?! Please Pop-Pop, this is a once in a lifetime experience, I don't think that I'll be able to witness this thing again", Lincoln used Lynn's old tactic of putting puppy eyes to get his wish. However, Albert appeared unfazed.

"Ugh, all right then, here's fifty bucks for you two to split it up."

"When will we go then Lynn?"

"It's too early and it only starts in three...and honestly I'm not really that interest in randomly lurking around the town."

"So what will you do then? Work here? He gave us a day off, remember."

"Yeah, I know but it's not like we do construction work here, I mostly just fool around with Sam and help her occasionally, we'll go at half past two, okay?"

"All right fine then, but I'm not gonna work here on my day off. I'll watch the people fishing who are fishing at the lake until we go, see you then", Lincoln said as he went outside.

Think you're gonna bribe with some money eh you cheap old man, Lincoln smirked.

"Well, thanks Lynn for your help. I'll take care of the dishes, you can go and clean the dust in the shop if you want, I'll come right after I take care of this", Albert said as he got up and started to take the dirty dishes to the sink in the kitchen. Lynn then went outside and unlocked the shop with the reserve key that Albert gave her.

The Michigan Lake was one of the Five Great Lakes and the only one to be located completely in the States. Lincoln found great peace in just looking in the distance and some occasional fisherman who would come to try his luck. Although Lincoln did find it awkward that there weren't that many people fishing here or bathing, it was kinda a good thing since it meant that they had more freedom for themselves.

I'm gonna have to get me of these fishing rods to try this, shouldn't be too hard.

Hours had passed since Lincoln was looking at the lake. Until it was three PM, he also briefly ventured into the mysterious forest around the 'Leviathan' and that followed the path to the centre of the town, but he didn't stay there long. He remembered his experience from last week when he saw (or at least he thought that he had seen) a pair of red eyes looking right back at him, so he concluded that it wasn't very wise lurking around the forest, especially on his own.

"Lynn, come on, it has already started, where are you?", Lincoln asked loudly as he entered the shop.

"All right I'm coming Stinkcoln. Hey that just came out unexpectedly, now I have a new nickname for you, I really need to write a list down so that I don't forget these many new ideas", Lynn chuckled as she was tying her shoelaces.

I really wish that I was with another sister here, really, any other sister at all.

"Thank for that. Now, where is Pop-Pop? I thought maybe he could give us a ride, considering how hot it is today...", Lincoln said as he went outside.

"Oh, he already said that he won't because he is watching some old Western films and he doesn't want to get disturbed. But he gave me permission to use Aunt Harriet's old bike, just like you use his old bike", Lynn explained as she started to blow the dust off the old, rusty bike.

"Aunt Harriet? Who's that?", Lincoln scratched his head.

"Geez Lame-o, it's Pop-Pop' younger sister, they shared the room that we share now, and she was also two years older then him, may she rest in peace. Isn't that just awesome, and we're even gonna use their bikes!"

"Wait a second, isn't she the one that looks exactly like Lucy?"

"Yeah, that's her."

"Oh, now I remember, it's just that we rarely talk about her."

"Maybe because she was also a Goth like Lucy and had some weird preferences? Anyway, let's go now, or we're gonna pass this thing", Lynn concluded.

The two siblings drove off to the town, constantly bickering between one another, but they did manage to arrive without fighting...too much.

"I honestly expected more people here...guess the citizens here don't really like mummies", Lincoln said as he and Lynn parked their bikes near the museum. Even though they didn't know where the museum was located, they found it pretty easily by using road signs.

"For the time that we have been here, most of the people here are lame, which is kinda a shame. By the way, why didn't you call Clyde to join us, I think that he would also like to see this since you two seem to be good friends with common interest in comics", Lynn wondered as she and Lincoln entered the museum.

"I did call him but he said that he was out of town and wouldn't make it in time. Really sucks for him", Lincoln replied as they stumbled upon two policemen who were standing in front of the entrance to the main hall where the mummy was located.

"Oh, you two must surely be here to see the mummy. Step ahead, but please don't touch the mummy", one of the police officers kindly said.

"It's free? Really?", Lincoln was surprised.

"Since a lot less people visited than expected, Mr. Cranston, the archeologist, then decided for it to be free", the other policeman explained. The siblings nodded and stepped in the main hall.

There were less than twenty people in the hall, most of them old folks. But, that didn't bother Lincoln, who came as close as he could to the mummy, which seemed smaller than him, and took a good look at it. Unfortunately, it's face wasn't visible as it was completely covered by the bandages except for two holes where its eyes were supposed to be.

"So, do you have any camera or something to take a picture?", Lynn asked as she slowly started to sweat, she wasn't particularly enjoying the view like Lincoln was.

"Dang it, I forgot to ask Pop-Pop about it...doesn't matter. Actually, you know what I wanna do?"

"Uh, no I don't, I can't read your mind", Lynn snarkily replied. Lincoln sighed.

"I want to touch the mummy", he whispered into her ear.

"And why would you want that? It's forbidden, I don't wanna end up in jail over a stupid thing like this."

"We'll do it when there's no one around. Besides, if I can't take a photo, I can at least touch it or are you to scared, Chickenlynn? Hey, that's awesome, I need a list to write down all the nicknames I gather for you, otherwise it would be a waste if I forget them all, don't you think so?", Lincoln teaser his older sister, gaining revenge for today's morning.

"Who, me? Please, Lame-o, don't make me laugh. I can do it right now if you want", Lynn silently hissed at him, competition was the thing that gets her blood boiling at the fastest rate.

"Okay 'Lynnsanity', calm down. Let's just bide our time and walk around a little..."

After approximately half an hour, one of the policemen informed the visitors that they would make a quick pause of ten minutes, and that they would close the presentation until then. All of the visitors left...except Lincoln and Lynn who hid in the male bathroom.

"Should we also go and eat? I heard there is a bonus on donuts, the finest sort", one of the policemen asked the other.

"I don't know...if something happens to the mummy, we'll be guilty", the other replied.

"Nothing will happen, we'll only be gone for ten minutes, we'll lock the museum, and you already saw how little people there were. This is a dead town, come on."

"All right, you got me, let's go then but we must be fast", the two cops left the museum and locked the door behind them. The Loud siblings were now the only two people left in the building, apparently.

"This is probably the craziest thing that we've ever done", Lynn said as they left the bathroom.

"Tell me about it", Lincoln grinned, as they approached the open sarcophagus.

"Uh, I'm...I'm sorry, but could you two help with something?", said a kid's voice from the sarcophagus. Lincoln and Lynn instantly froze, with their eyes wide open and a cold sweat suddenly started to stream down their faces.

"Lincoln, are...are you doing th-this?", Lynn said in a barely audible voice.

"Nope...remember Luan's not here...", Lincoln replied in an equally mortified voice.

"I'm really sorry for scaring you but I'm just lonely, I need someone to talk to...", the child's voice could be heard again and then it happened.

The mummified kid slowly got up, wiped some dust from himself and turned towards them.

Lynn nearly let out a scream but Lincoln covered her mouth in time with both of his hands, greatly suppressing her.

"Be quiet, if they find out that we're inside, they're gonna kill. Now, I'm gonna remove my hands and you won't scream, okay?", Lincoln furrowed his brows as Lynn nodded. He slowly removed his hands.

"What in the world is that?! It's an undead mummy, call the cops, the army!", Lynn panicked while Lincoln gave himself a facepalm.

Talk about being quiet.

"I'm deeply sorry if I scared you, I just needed some company...", the mummy replied, in a very soft and innocent voice. Lincoln took a deep breath.

"I...I really don't know what to say. You're a living mummy, right?", Lincoln was curious as he took a step forward, Lynn looked at him with her eyes full open.

"I dead a long time ago, but my soul didn't go to the afterlife. It's trapped somewhere between the mortal earth and the astral world, and I can temporarily return to my mortal body or should I say corpse but sadly my soul can advance to the next world, to reunite with my family, that's the reason why I asked you when I noticed that you didn't leave with the others."

"Okay...I just have a few questions. How are you speaking English and not ancient Egyptian?", Lincoln asked as he took another step back, the mummy didn't seem to mind.

What is that fool doing, were Lynn's thoughts.

"I have travelled for six months with Dr. Cranston, and I just absorbed whatever he was talking, and I learned his language that way. I still don't know how but I'm glad that I did. By the way, my name is Khufu, and I was a prince, next in the line, but not that it matters anymore", little Khufu sighed.

"I'm Lincoln and this is my sister Lynn. What happened to your family when you said that you want to reunite with them?", Lincoln continued as he took some more steps towards the mummy and they were now just two meters apart from each other.

"One day, I don't know how, I was running around some old building and it just crumbled, turned to dust. I don't know how, just happened. And then, when I got home, the worst thing in my life happened. Everyone and everything just started to turn to dust, people, animals, buildings, my own parents, brothers, sisters, and the girl that I had a crush on. I promised that I would marry her but sadly it never happened as she died because of me, I killed them all. And after I destroyed my own people, I started to travel through the desert but the result was the same-everyone who came near me just perished, turning into dust. Then, everyone started to run away from me, until I secluded my self to a small mountain, which surprisingly didn't get destroyed, for whatever reason, and I started to cry. And I cried for many days and nights, just wishing for this curse to end until I passed away. I don't know what happened after that, only that they called my situation the 'Curse of the sad mummy'. I was only ten when I died."

"Woah, that's really tragic, I'm really sorry, but don't blame yourself, Khufu. It's not your fault, that just came, that curse, you couldn't have known. But speaking of the curse, how is that the two of us aren't affected by it?", Lincoln wondered and Lynn also approached Khufu, finally getting over her fear of him.

"I don't know honestly but this is fascinating, really. Maybe you have some kind of immunity on yourself? Anyway, I think you're the only two who can help me now."

"What do you need us to do?", Lynn asked, startling the two boys.

"Mr. Cranston, the red stone on his staff, I think that's the reason why my soul can't travel to the afterlife. It looks like it's the vessel that keeps my soul attached to this world."

"Wait, how do you know that?", Lincoln asked.

"I'm not hundred percent sure, but I overheard him talking about it and just connected the dots. I couldn't have done it because then everyone around me would die and I don't want that. That's why you two need to try. If you do that, I will be forever in your debt. But even if you don't, I won't be mad, really", Khufu smiled, the smile clearly visible even through his bandages.

"We will do it, don't worry. You will get reunited with your family, I can guarantee you that. Come on Lincoln, let's do it now", said Lynn as she went for the exit.

"Where is Dr. Cranston now?", Lincoln asked.

"He stays at the hotel, but he never leaves without staff. That's all I know I'm sorry."

"All right, we'll find him no problem, just what do we need to do with the stone?"

"Just bring it to me, I'll settle it. Oh, and please don't hurt Dr. Cranston, he's not a bad man."

"Okay then, let's do this", just as Lincoln said, the door started to get unlocked. Khugu swiftly went to the sarcophagus and feigned dead, while Lincoln and Lynn ran towards the bathroom.

The two cops unlocked the door, and this time, there were much more visitors, including kids around Lincoln's and Lynn's age. After waiting for few minutes, the two siblings stepped out from the bathroom and made their way to the front door. Nobody seemed to notice anything suspicious until:

"Hey you two, I don't remember seeing you enter the museum behind us right now", one of the policemen suddenly said just as Lincoln and Lynn were leaving through the front door.

"Uh, we were, sir, you must have confused us with someone", Lincoln replied, trying to sound as perfectly normal as possible. Lynn just nodded.

"All right then, it must have been the sun that hit me in the head, have a nice day kids", the cop said as Lincoln and Lynn left the museum.

"Man, that was close. Now, where could he be? Dr. Cranston, I mean", Lynn scratched her head as she and Lincoln mounted their bikes.

"Let's search every restaurant or café, it shouldn't take us long, this is isn't a large town, what do you think?", Lincoln suggested.

"All right then, let's go", Lynn nodded and they set off, looking from one building to another. They had seen his poster from inside the museum so they roughly knew how he looked like, but the most important thing to them was his staff, with a red stone on its head.

After approximately half an hour of searching, they found an elderly man with a staff that matched the description.

"And what now?", Lynn asked they parked their bikes near the restaurant where Cranston was sitting alone, drinking coffee and reading newspapers.

"You go and talk with him for a while, I don't know, you need some help for a school project, something like that. Meanwhile, I'll try and extract the stone from the staff, okay? Let's do it, for Khufu", Lincoln explained as he sneaked to the side of the restaurant, where he could barely reach the staff as the restaurant was a little elevated compared to the ground that he was standing on.

"Dr. Cranston? I'm sorry for bothering you, but I wondered if you could somehow help me about my school project whose main theme is Ancient Egypt", Lynn asked if she approached the archeologist.

"Why of course young girl! Please take a seat, do you want to drink, eat something? My threat!", Cranston was rather excited at the prospect of someone actually asking him about stuff that he knows since no one so far was that much interested in his expeditions and research.

Lynn gave Lincoln a small wave of her hand as a sign that he could start and take off the stone from the staff. Lincoln slowly extended his hand and grabbed the staff. Then, he pulled it back to him and started to inspect it, Dr. Cranston didn't notice as he was too busy talking with Lynn.

All right, now comes the funny part, Lincoln tried to pull the stone away from the head of the staff but to no avail.

"Please, this is for a little kid's sake, he just wants so see his loved ones...", Lincoln whispered in desperation, when he felt a slight vibration from the stone. He immediately tried to pull it off again-and this time it worked, for whatever reason.

He put the staff in the same place and waved to Lynn that he was finished. But only another half an hour passed until she was finally over talking with Dr. Cranston.

"So, how was the history talk? I bet Lisa must be jealous of you", Lincoln grinned as they drove off towards the museum.

"Ugh, my head hurts, it was so, so boring, but at least it was worth it", Lynn lamented as they arrived to the museum.

"So, are we gonna wait until everyone's gone or...", Lynn wondered.

"It's four now. There will probably be another pause. Let's wait until then to give Khufu the stone", Lincoln explained as they entered the museum again and pretended to watch around and talk about history.

It wasn't until five that the cops called another pause as they shift had ended and another two cops would take their place. Again, the Loud siblings hid in the bathroom until everyone was gone and then they stepped out.

"Khufu, we got it! You're gonna see your family again!", Lincoln and Lynn nearly said in unison as they ran towards his sarcophagus. He swiftly jumped out of it.

"You two are really the best, thank you guys!", the little mummy shouted in excitement as he gave the two siblings a double hug. Getting hugged by a mummy was definitely one of the coolest things that could happen to them.

"So, how does this work?", Lincoln asked as he handed the stone to Khufu.

"I'm not sure myself, but it shouldn't be too hard to understand...", the child mummy grabbed the stone in his small right hand...but nothing happened. Not until it started to glow red and a swishing sound was heard after a bright red flash.

"What...what's happening? Is it working?", Lincoln asked as he and Lynn covered their eyes in protection from the stark light that was flashing in front of them.

But as the event ended, Khufu wasn't standing in front of them anymore, instead his corpse where it was before, in his sarcophagus, laying idly, motionless.

"Did it fail...", Lynn whispered in disbelief.

"Khufu, did it go well?", Lincoln asked as he approached the mummy.

"It did, I'm ascending slowly. Sadly, you can't see my human self, when I was still alive but that's okay. I'm sure than we will meet again someday. Goodbye friends...", Khufu's voice could be heard as it slowly faded away. Lincoln and Lynn stared above them for a few moments.

"We did it, Lynn. We successfully reunited a child with his family, we did a good thing...Lynn, are you crying?", Lincoln turned to his sister's side as he saw her wiping some tears from he cheeks.

"I'm not, it's just my allergy, that's all", Lynn hissed as she went towards the bathroom. Lincoln smiled as he joined her.

Yeah, sure it is Lynn. But it's okay to cry, that's a human thing to do.

After a few minutes, the two new policemen returned for the last hour of the open visit for the mummy. The siblings again left the bathroom and soon after, the museum. Then, they went home, seeing as they did what they wanted to do today.

Later that night…

"Hey Pop-Pop, wanna play Uno with us?", Lincoln asked as the trio was watching some old Western film with John Wayne (not like Albert watched anything else).

"Uno? What's that?", Albert was confused.

"The most popular card game in the world. It's really fun and it also requires strategy, that's ideal for you", Lynn joined in as she already started to shuffle the deck that Lincoln had brought here with him from Royal Woods.

"All right, let's see it then. By the way, how was the visit to the mummy today? Did you guys have a good experience? I forgot to give my old camera to take a few pictures, what a pity", Albert sighed.

"Oh don't worry, Pop-Pop. We had the best time of our lives", replied Lincoln as he and Lynn exchanged smiles.

It was the first time since they had arrived in Gravity Peaks that they had some quality family time.