Chapter 4

Misha knew that once she had helped cure the pharaoh that it was her time to leave and try to find her way home. She did not belong to this place. She took a final look around, Merenpath and the other soldiers were busy looking after the Pharaoh. She looked at him and once again realized how breathtaking he was. His deep strong voice resonated through her whole body. The way that he commanded his men with authority was making her week in the knees.

'No," Misha thought it was just the heat and the events of the day that was making her feel light headed and weak, She really had to get back. She started to slowly sneak out of the area, out of the corner of her eye she noticed one of the pharaohs slaves watching her. The woman looked older than her years, beaten down by her station in life and the hot sun of the desert. Misha looked at her with a pleading smile. The woman gave her a slight smile and bowed her head, she seemed to sense that Misha did not belong to her world, and with kindness let Misha sneak away unnoticed. Misha looked at her, she immediately felt a great gratitude and sadness for this woman, she could tell that while the slave had accepted her life, she still longed for an easier one. Misha left, thankful for being able to leave quietly and wondering where she could go next, and how she would get back to her time.

As Misha escaped into the shadows, she began to realize how tired and hungry she was, and how much her legs hurt. All she wanted to do was get back home, into a bath filled with sea salt and relax with a glass of rose wine. Her eyes became teary at the thought of home, she missed her friends, her family, even her studies. She missed the simple conveniences of 20th century life and understanding the way that they world worked. Although she was only gone for a day, with the rush of events and the heat it felt like she has been in ancient Egypt for weeks.

With sore feet, she managed to get into the heart of the city. It looked familiar to her, as though she had seen this place before. Aaliah had taught Misha about hieroglyphics and how to read them, she also showed her pictures of the ancient cities. Above a sign, Misha recognized the hieroglyphics that read Memphis. It did look like the pictures of Memphis that Aaliah had shown her. She noticed how fresh and alive everything seemed compared to the pictures. There were frescos painted on the walls with vibrant blues and bright reds. The city seemed to come alive around her. It was one thing to look at pictures of dusty old remains, or artist renderings, it was another to actually be able to experience it. To see the people, clearly dressed according to their wealth, to smell the smells and to hear the bustle of everyday ancient Egypt. No one else had ever been able to have an experience as amazing as this. Misha wished that while she was here she would be able to see some of Egypt's nobility, they were very distinct in their clothing, wearing light clothes and wigs. She had heard about the wigs and the jewelry that the nobles wore, and how ornate and beautiful they were.

Misha found a bench where she could sit and gather her thoughts, and where she could watch everything around her. She loved being able to see this side of Egypt that no one in thousands of years had seen, but she also knew that this could be a very dangerous place, especially for a woman on her own. She also had no idea of how to get anywhere, or contact anyone. One had to walk everywhere, there were no cars; carriages and horses were reserved for the nobility, and she obviously knew no one, and was not noble. Misha had always come from a well off family, a family of doctors, she never had to worry about where her next meal came from, or where the money to pay for it did. She never had to worry transportation or where to find shelter.

She started to think about what to do first, and how she could get back home. Then she realized, if she was able to travel back to the past, than there had to be a way to travel back to the future. She had to go back to the temple of Anuket, she was certain that the bracelet of Anuket was what brought her here, and it may be what can take her back. Misha calculated that it would probably be a 3 hour walk back to the temple of Anuket from Memphis, in the hot, unsheltered desert. She needed food and water so that she could stay hydrated. As she stood up, ready to leave this ancient city, she began to wonder how the Pharaoh was doing, and if he or Merenpath will miss her. She had only met Merenpath for a few hours, but she knew that she would miss his charming face and deep dark eyes.

Misha walked towards a street vendor wondering how she was going to be able to pay for food and water. The man looked suspiciously as she approached. She had always been good at reading people, she noticed that while this man had an icy exterior, there was goodness in him, he looked like a desperate man who felt that the world had given up on him.

Misha, gave him her brightest smile and said, "Hello, it seems like you are having a bad day, is there any way that I could help you, and maybe in exchange I can have some food and water?"

The man grunted, "And why would a stranger want to help another stranger, I am no one to you, what could you possibly offer me, either buy something or move along"

Misha, being stubborn, stood her ground, "Sir, please trust me, I know that I am a stranger and look different, but I do mean well, please tell me what is troubling you?"

The man eyed Misha, seeing that she was not leaving he finally gave in. "Fine, I will tell you, but there is nothing that you can do for me, you are a mere woman" Misha nodded for him to go on. "My youngest daughter is very ill, she may not even make it through the night, the medicine is very expensive, and I try to sell my goods, but no one is buying, and I cannot make enough money to buy her what she needs." Tears started to form in the corners of his eyes, he quickly whipped them away. Misha patted his shoulder, "I can help, I know about medicine, I can help your daughter, and all that I ask is for some food and water for my travels."

The man looked at her through bleary eyes, "You are a sinew, and all you want is food, that is very generous of you, you clearly are not from here, how can I trust what you have said?"

"Sir, you must trust me, where I come from, people help each other out, I promise that I have no ill intentions, I just want to get back to my home. It's a long journey and I have no money to pay for food along the way, if I do this for you, then you can do me the great favor of helping me. You must believe that I am a kind caring person, I live to help those in need."

With some apprehension still on the mans face, he orders a slave boy to look after the shop. "I am Paser" The man introduces himself, "What may I call you?"

Misha thought about that for a moment, she thought that if she was stuck here she would have to have an Egyptian name so that people would not ask more questions. "I am Nefertari, but I go by Nef" Misha had always liked that name from one of the Queens of Egypt, she figured that it would be a common enough name for the time.

The walked to Paser's house, it was small, much smaller than Merenpaths house. It did not have a garden, or an elaborate gate to enter through. The house was made out of bricks mixed with straw, it was clearly a house belong to the lower middle class. Paser and the ones who lived on this street were people who worked hard for their money, living day to day, scraping by on meager earnings.

As they stepped into the cool house from the heat of the day, Misha noticed just how different it was from Merenpaths. There was one big room, which doubled as a living space and a kitchen. At the wood burning stove there was a full figured, middle aged woman stirring a pot, this must be Pasers wife, Misha thought. There was one bedroom off to the side. The floor was mud covered with pads and blankets. The house had very little furniture, small clay pots were everywhere.

Paser led Misha into the bedroom where a single cot lay, on the cot lay a little girl. She looked frail, and in pain. She was sweating and had chills at the same time. Misha put her hand to the girls forehead and she seemed to have a high fever.

"What did the doctor say said she had?" Misha asked Paser.

"He said he had a terminal disease and there is no cure. He said that he could give her some medicine that could make her more comfortable and maybe keep her alive for a few more days."

"Ah, I see" Misha examined the girl.

"What do you mean, Ah. Can you help her, is she going to die?"

"I can help your daughter, she does not have a terminal disease. From what I can tell, it looks like an infection from a worm that can come from drinking dirty water. I should be able to save her with a few simple ingredients."

Paser and his wife smiled hopefully at her and fell to the floor with appreciation.

"Thank you Nefertari, you have no idea the joy that this news brings us, anything you need, we can get it" the girls mother sobbed with relief.

"I will need some garlic, ginger and neroli, do you have that here, neroli can sometimes be hard to find. The other doctor must have missed something when examining her, your daughter will be fine" Misha assured Paser and his wife.

Paser ran out the door to go and collect the ingredients that Misha had asked for. The wife turned to Misha and began asking about where she was from, who was she, how did she come to Memphis and to be at her home. Misha answered the questions as vaguely as possible, but the women was very persistent.

Finally Paser returned with the garlic, ginger and a large bag of neroli.

Misha looked impressed, "Where did you get the neroli, it is rare to come by in this area"

"We have a small town where it grows quite well in this weather." He replied.

Misha took the herbs, and clean water and began mixing a drink for the little girl. "She must drink this for two days" Misha explained, "in a few days color will return to her cheeks and she will start to feel better, don't let her go out for about a week, she will need to rest. Also, its very important that she doesn't go to the river or lake and drink any dirty water. Make sure to always drink clean water, dirty water contains parasites that can kill you."

Misha sat down on a chair next to the bed, suddenly feeling exhausted. Paser and his wife were busy helping their daughter drink and making her comfortable.

She closed her eyes for a moment, and the next thing that she was realized was that it was dark outside. There was less noise, and someone had covered her with a blanket, she must have fallen asleep.

Misha could hear evening birds singing outside the house, and a little girls giggle in the next room. She smiled, happy that the girl seemed to be feeling better and that she had be able to help. Misha got up and walked into the next room. The family was rejoicing at having their little girl back and healthy.

"Thank you, thank you, thank you" Paser and his wife repeated to Misha, "You have given us our little girl back, we are forever grateful, you are a true miracle worker! If there is anything that we can do, please name it".