Disclaimer: I do not own The Mummy,
or any of the characters found therein. They belong to Stephen Sommers and Universal
Studios.
Author's Note: Amenemhet and his wife
are real; I created all other characters. I have striven to make this story
(and especially the prologue) as accurate as possible. This is the prologue and
sets up the action that will happen later in the story; Rick and Evy will
appear in the next chapter, so do not worry!
The Curse of Nefrutotenen
Prologue: Amenemhet and
Nefrutotenen
Itj-tawy, Egypt, 1962 BC
For
sixty-nine days, the body of Pharaoh Amenemhet I had been prepared for his
entry into the afterlife. His organs had been removed and placed in the sacred canopic
jars; his body had been soaked in natron and oil of cedar, and wrapped in
layers of fine linen. Anherkhau, Pharaoh's high priest, had placed amulets
throughout the wrappings, chanting and praying to the Gods that his Pharaoh's
body would be protected throughout time and that his soul would find peace and
prosperity in the afterlife.
He was
surprised when Nefrutotenen, the Pharaoh's wife and mother of his successor,
came before him before they were done wrapping the last layers of linen. She
was carrying an object wrapped in gold cloth, bearing it with a reverence
Anherkhau had never seen outside of the priesthood.
"Anherkhau,"
she said, "I have come to see my husband for a final time."
"I will
leave you alone with him, but it must only be for a short time." Anherkhau said
apologetically. "I hope you understand, your highness."
"Of
course," she said, nodding in a way that both signified her acceptance, and
dismissed him in the same second. He walked a short distance away, behind the
draperies hiding the body from prying eyes. Anherkhau could not leave the
building until the funery parade the next day, as that would leave the body
unattended. While the country mourned the Pharaoh's death, some voyeurs lurked
around, trying to catch a glance of the preparations.
"Jackals."
He thought, trying to focus his attention away from the low murmurings coming
from within the room. Soon, he heard the draperies part and Nefrutotenen came
out. Her face was serene, but her eyes were red from crying.
"Thank
you for allowing my that time with my husband." She said softly. "And thank you
for your dedicated service to him." Nefrutotenen walked out of the building
into the warm twilight.
Anherkhau
watched her leave, then turned back to continue his vigil. As he looked over
the wrapped body, he noticed that some of the bandages were in disarray, and
had taken on a new shape. Anherkhau ran out of the building.
"Your
highness! Please wait." He called out to her retreating form. She turned
around, her eyes fearful. "I must talk to you."
"Yes,
Anherkhau? What do you need of me?" She said, attempting to steady her voice.
"Can I
talk to in private?" he asked, attempting to catch his breath.
"For a
short while, but I must return to the palace to prepare for tomorrow." Nefrutotenen
replied, walking a short distance from her handmaidens. "Yes, high priest?"
"What did
you do to the Pharaoh's body?" Anherkhau asked in a low, but intense voice.
"Please,
if I tell you, will you let it remain?" she asked.
"Perhaps."
Anherkhau thought for a moment. "I have known your family too long to think you
would do your husband wrong. What was it? Why did you feel you could not trust
me with it?"
Nefrutotenen
had the grace to look abashed. "I…I have seen that many of the older graves –
and even some of the new ones – have been robbed. I fear for my husband – that
tomb robbers will disturb his journey to the afterlife. So I sent a trusted
servant to the high priest of Hathor in Iunet, to create for me a talisman
containing both a blessing for my husband as he enters the afterlife, and a
curse on anyone who disturbs the talisman."
Anherkhau
nodded his head slowly. "What a clever plan. You are a wise woman,
Nefrutotenen. Your husband will praise you when you meet in the afterlife." He
smiled fondly. "I will rearrange the linen so no one will notice. Now go back
to the palace."
"Thank
you, Anherkhau." Nefrutotenen said quietly. "May Amun-Ra grant you peace." She
turned quickly and strode away, her head held high.
Anherkhau
returned to his duty. "Well, my Pharaoh, you were a lucky man in life, and it
seems you will continue to be so after death."
Pyramid of Amenemhet I, Itj-Tawy, near the Fayoum Oasis
1958 BC
"Hurry
up, you idiot!" Asim hissed. "If you keep fooling around out there someone's
bound to see."
"Well,
excuse me." Hay said, climbing carefully down the rope with a torch in one
hand. "How did you find out about this?"
"Bribed
one of the builder's assistants." Asim replied. "Told me all about the secret
passageways the builders and artisans used – and how to get to the burial
chamber without setting off any of the booby traps."
"Good
plan." Hay answered. "What did it cost you?"
Asim
chuckled. "A cheap dagger."
"I think
you came out ahead in the deal." Hay said, sticking the butt of his torch in
the wall socket.
"Absolutely.
Now give me a hand." He was standing at an apparent dead end in the passageway.
Asim stared quizzically at the stone ceiling, and shoved up. Hay watched in
surprise as a section of the ceiling moved.
"What? How
did you do that?" He asked, incredulous.
"There's
a secret passage from here to the burial chamber – quick and easy money." Asim
hoisted himself through the hole. Shaking his head, Hay followed suit.
When he
emerged into the chamber, his jaw dropped. The entire room had a golden sheen,
and the torchlight set off shimmers of color from precious jewels. The goods
contained within could feed a family of four for life. Every conceivable item
of furniture, food, clothing, and entertainment was represented.
"We're
going to be rich!" Hay shouted, throwing his arms out. The torch sent eerie shadows across the
room.
Asim
whirled around and glared. "Shut up. Some tomb robber you'll make, if you can't
shut up! Now take a bag and grab the gold. We don't have time or space to take
stuff we can't resell." He suited action to word, taking a sack and filling it
with jewelry and small gold statues.
Hay
followed his lead reluctantly. What fun was it being a tomb robber if people
still yelled at you? He shook his head and started tossing things into his bag.
A thought occurred to him suddenly. "Hey, Asim? Won't there be jewelry and
amulets in with the mummy?"
"I
suppose so. Check it out – but be quiet!" Asim turned away, probing the dark
corners of the room for easily resalable items. Hay moved towards the
sarcophagus, finding a place to stick his torch so that it shone onto the lid.
Shoving with all his might, he finally shifted the stone lid to the side.
Inside, he could see a faint gleam – the inner sarcophagus had inlays of gold.
"I'm in.
Now what should I look for?" Hay asked Asim, whose bag was almost full.
"Open it
up and look for any amulets – I saw one and it was pure gold." Asim replied,
sparing the merest glance inside the coffin. Hay shrugged, and opened up the
inner sarcophagus. He quickly became aware of a rather unpleasant smell.
"Disgusting.
If you smell like this, I think I'd rather not be mummified." He muttered to
himself. Tentatively he reached in, skimming his hand along the bandages for
any likely bumps. Up towards the neck, he felt something. "Aha!" Hay exclaimed
softly. "And what do we have here?"
He
grasped his knife and cut the first few layers of linen, revealing a most
appealing sight – a gold talisman that was an udjat eye on top of an ankh. Hay
was surprised – he had never seen a symbol like this. In any case, he thought,
it would fetch a pretty price. He reached out and pulled…
Asim was
digging through one of the chests stacked in the room, hunting for items that
would both bring large sums of money, and that would not betray their origins.
Therefore, he did not see what happened to his partner. Instead, he only heard
loud hacking sounds.
"Would
you shut up!" He hissed over his shoulder. When the noises did not stop, Asim
was forced to turn around. He was dumbfounded by the scene in front of him. Hay
was quickly turning blue, and was unable to breathe. With a last imploring
glance, his eyes rolled back in his head and he fell to the ground.
Asim,
normally a fearless man, was frightened almost out of his wits. He realized
that something in the sarcophagus must have caused Hay's death, and that he
should leave as quickly as possible. Moving quickly, he pulled shut both
sarcophagi, grabbed both bags of loot and Hay's body and fled the scene, vowing
to use this treasure to become an honest man.
