"Ah well alright…I see how it's going to be," Jonathan said nodding his head at them.
"Rick," Amanda said, "we have to be there within the next five days by camel, is it possible?"
Rick shrugged, "I don't really know."
"Well isn't it true that Hamunaptra is a day's journey away?"
"What makes you think I've been to Hamunaptra?"
"Don't be silly. I've read the articles written about you by the Bembridge Scholars."
"Oh well in that case, yes it's true. And Jonathan was just on his way to get our camels…weren't ya Jonathan?" Rick gave him a stout slap on the back.
"Oh right…the camels…" Jonathan said quickly escaping Rick's tight grasp.
It was only a matter of minutes before Jonathan reappeared with camels for each of them. They rode well into the night with only sand in view at all direction.
"I think we should set up camp soon." Amanda stated.
"Me too," they hear Alex's tiny voice from the back of the heard.
"Yeah, good idea," Carolyn said.
"Mom…Dad…" Alex called softly, "I think we're being followed."
"What?" Evie asked bringing her camel to a halt.
"Well earlier I thought I saw dancing lights behind us."
"Ah don't worry Alex," Jonathan waved it off. "It's something that they call mirages."
"No Uncle Jon," Alex grumbled. "I know what a mirage is and these were real lights."
"I don't see anything," Rick said looking around. "Why didn't you say something sooner, Alex?"
"Nor do I," Amanda said.
"They were there. I swear."
"Well next time you see them let us know okay Alex" Evie said dismounting the camel.
"Sure thing Mom."
It only took Carolyn and Rick minutes to set up the tents. Every one was asleep within moments, except for Amanda and Carolyn.
"It's weird how the desert gets so cold at night," Amanda said.
"Yeah," Carolyn agreed.
"It's safety for me, knowing that my family, although half a world away, is sleeping under the same sky." Amanda sighed deeply at the thought of her family. "Hey C? What do you say we go for a walk out there?"
"Oh Mandy I don't know," Carolyn shuttered.
"Come on, just a short walk. Bring the compass so we can find the way back."
"Okay," Carolyn reluctantly agreed, knowing her friend would not let it rest until she went along with the idea.
"I can't sleep anyhow, this is far too exciting," Amanda grinned.
Carolyn and Amanda had only walked approximately ten minutes from camp when the two of them plunged completely in soft sand, disappearing totally.
Both thinking they'd been devoured by quick sand were shocked to find themselves in an underground tunnel. They were completely enshrouded in darkness.
"Mandy, where are we?"
"I'm not sure." Amanda reached out and touched the walls. The wall was cold and damp.
"And what is that awful smell?" Carolyn scrunched her nose.
Amanda shrugged again, "It smells like vinegar."
Carolyn hummed in agreement, she was busy digging in her pockets for a strike anywhere match. She fumbled around her Swiss army knife, and came upon the match.
"Here I found a torch," Amanda said reaching for Carolyn through the darkness.
Carolyn struck the match along the wall and lit the torch. The room was an open hall, with lots of hieroglyphs and tiny pairs of pots up on the walls. Each pot on the right side was connected with a copper wire, while the left pot stood alone. A top the right pot in each pair was a curious looking transparent balloon connected to the copper wire and pot. Each glass bulb was lined along the inside walls with the copper wire conductor in zig zagging patterns.
"I get it," Amanda said.
"Get what?" Carolyn asked reaching out to touch one of the clay pots.
"NO! Carolyn don't!"
Carolyn quickly withdrew from the object as if it were a snake. "What?"
"Watch, the Egyptians were genius," Amanda walked over to a pot pair, she lifted the lid on the left pot, "This is why it smells like vinegar, it is." Amanda revealed a small ladle from the pot filled with the stinky liquid. She dropped a spoonful into the opposite pot pair. Once finished with the first one she went on down the line filling each right jar with a ladle full of vinegar.
"What are you doing?" Carolyn asked. "What are these huge glass bulbs for?"
"Wait and you shall see," Amanda grinned.
Once Amanda was satisfied with the jars she went to the end of the hall where a single jar was hung on the wall, this jar was made only of copper. She took the copper wire and slid it through the loop atop the copper container. Instantly throughout the room there was a soft hum and the large awkward bulbs lit the halls with artificial light.
"Wow," Carolyn awed. "The Egyptians had electricity?"
"Crudely," Amanda said, "but yes. Vinegar is a powerful acidic liquid, and copper is an excellent conductor. See how much copper it takes to make this much light? It's no better than candle light, but none the less we won't have to worry about the torch."
Carolyn studied a large glass balloon, "That's amazing."
"It was only used in the most important of places," Amanda nodded. Then she grinned, "I would consider a library filled with tons of secrets written on papyrus scrolls of great importance. You can put the torch out now, we wouldn't want an accident like that of Alexandria when we do find the library."
Carolyn dusted the torch out with some sand.
"Hey…hey Mandy, what do these say?"
Amanda walked up close, studying them intensely.
"Well?" Carolyn asked in anticipation.
Amanda looked over to her friend seriously, "I have no idea." She shrugged, "I can't read them, that's why we need Evie."
"Oh, okay. Well I'm gonna jump back through the ceiling and go get her. You wait here," Carolyn's voice oozed with sarcasm.
Amanda who examined the hieroglyphics harder said, "Okay, whatever." Then she turned to see Carolyn's angry, unbelieving stare. And before she had a chance to respond Amanda suggested, "You could try that but those stairs behind you might prove an easier meant by which to get there."
"Mandy," Carolyn said in a quiet, even tone, "by all logical thought you and I should be the only ones down here right?"
Amanda walked quickly to Carolyn's side, "you can try and scare me but it's not going to work."
"Um okay, then I'll leave you guys here and go get the others," Carolyn backed slowly toward the staircase.
Amanda swung as fast as she could to see what her friend was talking about, she turned back angrily, "Damn it Carolyn."
Carolyn was laughing quietly until the two of them heard some rocks fall behind them and footsteps. Off at the far end of the tunnel they saw a shadow.
"AHHHHH!" Both of them broke into a terrified scream. They stumbled over one another to get to the stairs. Carolyn grabbed Amanda's wrist and bolted for the logical exit, but in the sudden movement Amanda's ankle caught and she fell using her face as a means by which to catch her decent. Carolyn knelt quickly trying to pull her friend to her feet, "I knew it! I knew it! This is going to turn out just like last summer."
Carolyn and Amanda made a mad dash for the stairs but were mortified to find that the stone stair case crumbled at their feet upon applying pressure.
"I thought you said the Egyptians built good, strong stuff?" Carolyn shouted frantically.
"I thought they did!" Amanda shouted in a terrified response.
"Let's not argue about it now. Let's just RUN!"
"Please!" A voice called after them, "I mean you no harm."
They stopped runny and turned to face their pursuer. Carolyn had her six inch survival knife in hand, she didn't even remember removing it from its sheath and Amanda held the unlit torch out in front of her.
"I apologize for scaring you." The man came into sight. He was slightly shorter than Rick, but equally as broad in the shoulders. He wore the typical garb of a native, except that his outfit was entirely black. Amanda could barely make out the marking on his face and wished to get closer so that she might see what they were, but as if reading her mind Carolyn grabbed her arm and held her in place.
Amanda startled by Carolyn's grasp looked over to her friend.
"You shouldn't be here," He told them.
"No kidding," Carolyn said sarcastically. "We hadn't figured that out already."
The man looked at them rather surprised. "I need to speak with your travel companions."
"Oh?" Amanda asked. "And what makes you think we travel with others?"
He sighed and let his arms drop to his side. "Please, I can show you the way out. If you will take me to Rick and Evelyn."
Amanda and Carolyn exchanged quick glances.
"Okay," Amanda said, "but should you be a traitor…" she trailed off not being able to think of something they could do to him at that moment. She was slightly taken off guard this mysterious, handsome stranger.
Carolyn, seeing her friend freeze, finished, "We'll slit you hip bone to hip bone so that your guts may spill out."
"Well then," he said, "let's be on our way."
"Not so fast," Carolyn raised her knife. "We are taking you to them as our prisoner. You walk first…mister…"
"Ardeth," he finished for her.
"Okay Ardeth," Carolyn flicked her wrist nervously, "You walk first, and slowly."
"Rick," Amanda said, "we have to be there within the next five days by camel, is it possible?"
Rick shrugged, "I don't really know."
"Well isn't it true that Hamunaptra is a day's journey away?"
"What makes you think I've been to Hamunaptra?"
"Don't be silly. I've read the articles written about you by the Bembridge Scholars."
"Oh well in that case, yes it's true. And Jonathan was just on his way to get our camels…weren't ya Jonathan?" Rick gave him a stout slap on the back.
"Oh right…the camels…" Jonathan said quickly escaping Rick's tight grasp.
It was only a matter of minutes before Jonathan reappeared with camels for each of them. They rode well into the night with only sand in view at all direction.
"I think we should set up camp soon." Amanda stated.
"Me too," they hear Alex's tiny voice from the back of the heard.
"Yeah, good idea," Carolyn said.
"Mom…Dad…" Alex called softly, "I think we're being followed."
"What?" Evie asked bringing her camel to a halt.
"Well earlier I thought I saw dancing lights behind us."
"Ah don't worry Alex," Jonathan waved it off. "It's something that they call mirages."
"No Uncle Jon," Alex grumbled. "I know what a mirage is and these were real lights."
"I don't see anything," Rick said looking around. "Why didn't you say something sooner, Alex?"
"Nor do I," Amanda said.
"They were there. I swear."
"Well next time you see them let us know okay Alex" Evie said dismounting the camel.
"Sure thing Mom."
It only took Carolyn and Rick minutes to set up the tents. Every one was asleep within moments, except for Amanda and Carolyn.
"It's weird how the desert gets so cold at night," Amanda said.
"Yeah," Carolyn agreed.
"It's safety for me, knowing that my family, although half a world away, is sleeping under the same sky." Amanda sighed deeply at the thought of her family. "Hey C? What do you say we go for a walk out there?"
"Oh Mandy I don't know," Carolyn shuttered.
"Come on, just a short walk. Bring the compass so we can find the way back."
"Okay," Carolyn reluctantly agreed, knowing her friend would not let it rest until she went along with the idea.
"I can't sleep anyhow, this is far too exciting," Amanda grinned.
Carolyn and Amanda had only walked approximately ten minutes from camp when the two of them plunged completely in soft sand, disappearing totally.
Both thinking they'd been devoured by quick sand were shocked to find themselves in an underground tunnel. They were completely enshrouded in darkness.
"Mandy, where are we?"
"I'm not sure." Amanda reached out and touched the walls. The wall was cold and damp.
"And what is that awful smell?" Carolyn scrunched her nose.
Amanda shrugged again, "It smells like vinegar."
Carolyn hummed in agreement, she was busy digging in her pockets for a strike anywhere match. She fumbled around her Swiss army knife, and came upon the match.
"Here I found a torch," Amanda said reaching for Carolyn through the darkness.
Carolyn struck the match along the wall and lit the torch. The room was an open hall, with lots of hieroglyphs and tiny pairs of pots up on the walls. Each pot on the right side was connected with a copper wire, while the left pot stood alone. A top the right pot in each pair was a curious looking transparent balloon connected to the copper wire and pot. Each glass bulb was lined along the inside walls with the copper wire conductor in zig zagging patterns.
"I get it," Amanda said.
"Get what?" Carolyn asked reaching out to touch one of the clay pots.
"NO! Carolyn don't!"
Carolyn quickly withdrew from the object as if it were a snake. "What?"
"Watch, the Egyptians were genius," Amanda walked over to a pot pair, she lifted the lid on the left pot, "This is why it smells like vinegar, it is." Amanda revealed a small ladle from the pot filled with the stinky liquid. She dropped a spoonful into the opposite pot pair. Once finished with the first one she went on down the line filling each right jar with a ladle full of vinegar.
"What are you doing?" Carolyn asked. "What are these huge glass bulbs for?"
"Wait and you shall see," Amanda grinned.
Once Amanda was satisfied with the jars she went to the end of the hall where a single jar was hung on the wall, this jar was made only of copper. She took the copper wire and slid it through the loop atop the copper container. Instantly throughout the room there was a soft hum and the large awkward bulbs lit the halls with artificial light.
"Wow," Carolyn awed. "The Egyptians had electricity?"
"Crudely," Amanda said, "but yes. Vinegar is a powerful acidic liquid, and copper is an excellent conductor. See how much copper it takes to make this much light? It's no better than candle light, but none the less we won't have to worry about the torch."
Carolyn studied a large glass balloon, "That's amazing."
"It was only used in the most important of places," Amanda nodded. Then she grinned, "I would consider a library filled with tons of secrets written on papyrus scrolls of great importance. You can put the torch out now, we wouldn't want an accident like that of Alexandria when we do find the library."
Carolyn dusted the torch out with some sand.
"Hey…hey Mandy, what do these say?"
Amanda walked up close, studying them intensely.
"Well?" Carolyn asked in anticipation.
Amanda looked over to her friend seriously, "I have no idea." She shrugged, "I can't read them, that's why we need Evie."
"Oh, okay. Well I'm gonna jump back through the ceiling and go get her. You wait here," Carolyn's voice oozed with sarcasm.
Amanda who examined the hieroglyphics harder said, "Okay, whatever." Then she turned to see Carolyn's angry, unbelieving stare. And before she had a chance to respond Amanda suggested, "You could try that but those stairs behind you might prove an easier meant by which to get there."
"Mandy," Carolyn said in a quiet, even tone, "by all logical thought you and I should be the only ones down here right?"
Amanda walked quickly to Carolyn's side, "you can try and scare me but it's not going to work."
"Um okay, then I'll leave you guys here and go get the others," Carolyn backed slowly toward the staircase.
Amanda swung as fast as she could to see what her friend was talking about, she turned back angrily, "Damn it Carolyn."
Carolyn was laughing quietly until the two of them heard some rocks fall behind them and footsteps. Off at the far end of the tunnel they saw a shadow.
"AHHHHH!" Both of them broke into a terrified scream. They stumbled over one another to get to the stairs. Carolyn grabbed Amanda's wrist and bolted for the logical exit, but in the sudden movement Amanda's ankle caught and she fell using her face as a means by which to catch her decent. Carolyn knelt quickly trying to pull her friend to her feet, "I knew it! I knew it! This is going to turn out just like last summer."
Carolyn and Amanda made a mad dash for the stairs but were mortified to find that the stone stair case crumbled at their feet upon applying pressure.
"I thought you said the Egyptians built good, strong stuff?" Carolyn shouted frantically.
"I thought they did!" Amanda shouted in a terrified response.
"Let's not argue about it now. Let's just RUN!"
"Please!" A voice called after them, "I mean you no harm."
They stopped runny and turned to face their pursuer. Carolyn had her six inch survival knife in hand, she didn't even remember removing it from its sheath and Amanda held the unlit torch out in front of her.
"I apologize for scaring you." The man came into sight. He was slightly shorter than Rick, but equally as broad in the shoulders. He wore the typical garb of a native, except that his outfit was entirely black. Amanda could barely make out the marking on his face and wished to get closer so that she might see what they were, but as if reading her mind Carolyn grabbed her arm and held her in place.
Amanda startled by Carolyn's grasp looked over to her friend.
"You shouldn't be here," He told them.
"No kidding," Carolyn said sarcastically. "We hadn't figured that out already."
The man looked at them rather surprised. "I need to speak with your travel companions."
"Oh?" Amanda asked. "And what makes you think we travel with others?"
He sighed and let his arms drop to his side. "Please, I can show you the way out. If you will take me to Rick and Evelyn."
Amanda and Carolyn exchanged quick glances.
"Okay," Amanda said, "but should you be a traitor…" she trailed off not being able to think of something they could do to him at that moment. She was slightly taken off guard this mysterious, handsome stranger.
Carolyn, seeing her friend freeze, finished, "We'll slit you hip bone to hip bone so that your guts may spill out."
"Well then," he said, "let's be on our way."
"Not so fast," Carolyn raised her knife. "We are taking you to them as our prisoner. You walk first…mister…"
"Ardeth," he finished for her.
"Okay Ardeth," Carolyn flicked her wrist nervously, "You walk first, and slowly."