// Denotes vision\\
========
//The potter bows low in the desert sand next to the newly fashion dish that is drying in the merciless heat of the day. A bejewelled priest examines several glazed goblets, the potter had made earlier, checking each one, thoroughly, for the tiniest of flaws. The boy, ever curious, watches their visitor out of the corner of his eye, mesmerised by this man who seems to gleam spotless and white in the punishing red of the landscape. The priest stops for a moment and messes the boy's dark locks, with his hand, smiling through the malachite and galena that adorns his gracious eyes and protects them against the intense light of the sun. He then holds one of the vessels up by its stem, rotating it in the day's radiance and nodding respectfully at the craftsmanship of the piece as the rays shimmer off the glaze. He calls to a slave, who had accompanied him, and hands over the piece.
The priest touches the old man's shoulder and bids him to rise, stepping back while the boy helps him to his feet. The priest presses his palms together, under his nose, and nods once more, signalling his approval of the potter's work.
The slave comes forward and places a golden pendant around the old man's sinewy neck. The potter feels his way along the chain to the oblong piece that is suspended from the links. He touches the symbol engraved upon it surface and there are tears in his sightless eyes. He drapes his arm over the boy's shoulders to steady himself and the boy fingers the emblem too with a prayer on his lips.\\
==============
"Hey Carter what ya doing?"
Sam pushed her safety glasses back onto her head and placed the testing equipment down, acknowledging Colonel O'Neill and Teal'c with a small, exasperated, sigh.
"Sir, I'm trying to figure out this personal shield emitter that SG2 acquired," she replied, wondering if she should go into further detail.
"Oh, that old 'do hickey', haven't you got it sussed yet?" O'Neill asked, toying, idly, with one of the miniature, fragile, components with his finger.
"No Sir, I haven't," Sam countered, removing the piece, carefully, from her CO's reach.
"You know what you need Carter?" Jack continued, leaning on one elbow across her workbench but looking towards Teal'c, "you need to take some time away from the SGC, clear your head, give the old brain cells a rest." He tapped his temple in emphasis.
"Sir, I'm not going to accompany you on Daniel's expedition, I've too much work to do here," she said with a slight smile.
"But Carter this mission was made for you, mysterious planet, sand, sun, lots of nerds and geeks digging holes with paint brushes and chop sticks and getting excited over tiny pieces of broken pottery."
Sam smiled, again, "sir, my time would be better spent here, at the SGC, anyway there's no evidence that you'll find technology on the dig."
"Oh but we might Carter, we might. Think of the excitement of excavating some strange alien 'do da' out of the sand," he looked up towards the ceiling in wonder, gesturing with his hand, "what is it? What was it used for?"
"Sir, if that does happen Daniel will contact me."
Jack surrendered, his face clouding with concern "okay, okay," he said whispering, looking over to the Jaffa once more, "you know I'm not asking for myself, it's for the big guy over there, he gets kinda 'tetchy' when you're not around."
"Tetchy?" Sam enquired.
"Yeah, you know, moan, moan, moan, moan, moan."
"Sir," Sam said rolling her eyes, as Teal'c lifted a well-trained eyebrow.
"Okay, if you want us to have all the fun."
"Sam," Daniel came into the office reading an A4 piece of paper without looking up, "I've just come to give you the heads up that Jack might.."
"Might what, Daniel?" O'Neill asked.
Daniel looked up, "Ah, Jack, Teal'c," he said with an acknowledging smile, "might try and persuade you to, to come with us."
Sam smirked with a shake of her head and then crossed her arms, "I guess I'm too late?" Daniel asked, looking from one to the other.
"She refused our petition, Daniel Jackson," Teal'c informed him.
"Yeah, it'll be 'way' too exciting for her," Jack said with his usual irony.
"Doctor Jackson," Jonas ran into the room, breathing heavily.
Sam sat down defeated, while Teal'c steadied the young alien from falling over in his excitement.
"Jonas, shouldn't you be resting?" Jack said sternly, looking at his flushed face.
The Kelownan caught his breath and held up his hands, "I know, I know, it's just I had another go at reading the bowl."
Jack's forehead furrowed, "okay, I believe you were 'ordered' to rest, is there some communication problem here?" He looked toward Daniel.
"I'm sorry, sir, I just wanted to have another go, before you gate to the planet."
"Jonas, this morning you tried to fry S'hang's brain, which would have been a good thing if he'd been an enemy Jaffa but he wasn't, he was on our side. Hence, you being 'ordered' to stay in your room until the Doc can run some tests on you."
Daniel watched the exchange, "Jonas, Jack's right, you really need to take it easy for a few days, especially if you want to join us, later, on the dig."
"But I've found something, it, it could be useful," he cried impatiently.
Daniel looked towards Jack, apologetically, who threw his hands up in the air, "oh for heaven's sake, go on Junior, spill the beans."
Jonas' forehead creased momentarily as he tried to understand what beans needed spilling, "oh, the information," he replied, with an energetic smile and snatched the piece of paper Daniel had been holding and a pen from Sam's desk.
He flipped the sheet over and began to draw, with bold strokes, the emblem he had seen on the pendant given to the old man, while explaining the vision he had just witnessed.
Daniel took the sheet, when the younger man had finished, "a flat-horn ram, that's the symbol of Khnemu, one of the oldest Egyptian Gods," he handed the paper back to Jonas and looked around at the questioning faces of the team.
"He, he was the creator-god whose cult centre was at the city of Elephantine. He was said to have made all men and their kai from clay and straw which he moulded on a great potter's wheel," he explained, his face folded in thought, "in fact another of his symbols is the wheel itself."
Daniel's mind ball was definitely rolling, "he's also credited, on an inscription, on the Island of Shahal, with, with ending the Seven Year's Famine by making the Nile flood."
"And this thrilling news means?" Jack asked looking from Daniel to Jonas.
Daniel shrugged and sighed simultaneously, "I really don't know Jack. I'm sure the site we're excavating is more Central or South American than Egyptian, so I'm not sure how this all ties together."
"And I have never heard of a System Lord by that name," Teal'c ventured.
"But it doesn't mean that he doesn't exist?" Sam questioned.
"Indeed," came the Jaffa's usual reply.
"Well maybe Jonas' radar is off a bit?" Jack tried, raising an eyebrow towards the Kelownan.
Jonas kept his eyes fixed on the drawing and gave a small shrug, "maybe," he whispered.
"Could not the artefact have been made here, on earth, for this God Khnemu and then transported to the planet at another time?" Teal'c enquired, noticing the Kelownan's disappointment.
"That's possible," Daniel answered, walking around Sam's office in thought, "maybe," he grasped, thinking out loud, "maybe for some reason, um, a System Lord came back to Earth to obtain further resources," he looked up.
"Like a shopping trip?" O'Neill posed.
Daniel shrugged again, "it's a possibility, Jack," he replied, ruling nothing out.
"Is there any record of such an event in your archives?" Jonas asked, eagerly.
"None that I can think of, Jonas," Doctor Jackson answered.
"I could contact the Tok'ra, while you're off world, to see if they have anything," Sam suggested.
Daniel nodded, "maybe the answers to this mystery will be found on the planet's surface Daniel Jackson," Teal'c ventured.
"Well let's hope so," Jack said, "the suspense is killing me. See Carter you'd be missing out on all this fun."
"Yes, sir, but I think I can handle it."
"Jonas," Daniel looked up, "I've some books back in my office, on Khnemu, I'll sort them out for you before we leave."
Jonas kept his head down as if in thought but Jack notice the angry splodges of red that had pooled on the paper, "holy crap," he cried exasperated, tearing the paper from the Kelownan's hand and lifting his head up to reveal the extent of the nose bleed.
"No, Daniel," Jack continued, "no more books for Junior here. Teal'c?"
"Yes O'Neill."
"Take Jonas to the infirmary, get him a private room, with no distractions, hell rip the TV off the wall if it has one and get Hammond to assign someone to make sure he stays put until the Doc can run those tests on him!"
Jonas went to say something but Jack cut him short with another Colonel size glare, "if he refuses, shoot him."
The Jaffa nodded, a slight smirk crossing his lips and led the Kelownan out the room, who threw a pleading glance at both Daniel and Sam; Daniel and Sam exchanged looks.
"What?" O'Neill enquired as Daniel left the room shaking his head and Sam stood up and put her glasses back on.
===========
Sam entered the gate room and O'Neill gave her a frustrated looked. Daniel was busy checking the other three archaeologists' equipment making sure their packs were secure. Teal'c was leant against the gantry rail in an effort to relax while behind him six cadets waited impatiently for the off.
"Are we ready now Daniel?" Jack asked through gritted teeth.
"I think so, Jack," Daniel retorted, giving his fellows the thumbs up which all three reciprocated.
Jack looked up to the observation room and nodded to General Hammond, "okay General we're good to." He began just as a small trowel dropped onto the walkway with a metallic roll.
"Sorry," one of the archaeologists said, throwing his over stuffed kit bag to the floor, "that was me, this time."
The man fell to his knees and scooped the item up, holding it above his head so everyone could see he had, in fact, retrieved it, "it's my lucky trowel," he informed the room, "had it for twenty years now," he continued, ramming it into his bag.
He got to his feet and pushed his wild, cloud dog hair under an ill-fitting cap, "I'm ready now Colonel Jack," he smiled, nodding to O'Neill.
Jack looked to Hammond once more and saluted; the gate started to spin.
"Have fun, sir," Sam called watching Jack's face shake with frustration.
O'Neill gave an unconvincing smile, "you know I could still order you to come along," he stated clearly.
Sam just gave him a smug look, which Jack returned with a roll of his eyes.
The Stargate shot along the gantry then back in on itself in a spin of water like energy. The three archaeologists began to twitch excitedly to each other in a range of grating voices as they followed Daniel through the chevron ring. Jack looked back at Sam, with beseeching eyes, before passing though the gate; Carter just waved.
As the Colonel disappeared, Hammond motion for the gate to shut down just as a small rush of power entered back into the room before vanishing.
"Major?" The General asked from the observation room.
Sam narrowed her eyes, "I don't know sir," she replied, heading up the stairs to join him.
"Sergeant Davis contact Colonel O'Neill, immediately," Hammond ordered.
Davis nodded, making the necessary connections, "O'Neill here," Jack's voice echoed around the room.
"Colonel, is everything alright your end?" The General queried.
"All present and correct, sir," came the static answer, "why?"
"We had a slight power surge at this end sir," came Carter's reply.
"Do you want to call off the mission, General?" O'Neill asked a little to eagerly.
"No Colonel, not just yet, I'll get Major Carter to run a check on the gate before we use it again."
"If you're sure General."
"Yes Colonel I am," he added then with a slight smirk, "we wouldn't want you to get stuck out there."
"Is that a possibility? Carter?"
Sam answered from one of the control panels, tapping away at a keyboard, "everything looks fine here, sir, but I'll run a full diagnostic just to be on the safe side."
"You do that Carter, O'Neill out."
=======
//The great Nile has flooded leaving behind a fertile fringe called 'the Black Land' which blossoms with growth and hope. Where once death reached a skeletal hand along the cramped narrow streets of the city, there is now life; even the rats have returned to feast hungrily on the scraps left by the sanguine merchants.
The boy leads the potter through a maze of lavish market stores, while tradesmen shout their wares like a chant of redemption to the great sun disc. The potter stops for a moment and breaths in the many aromas blending with the heat of the morning, giving strength to this new day. He touches the boy's head and a smile smoothes the age from his face; the boy returns the old man's gesture knowing the sightless man can see the happiness in his soul.
They wait under the shade of a tree, talking in gentle phrases of optimism until the potter falls into a restful sleep, exhausted by the journey to Elephantine. The boy stays by his mentor's side watching the city change with the day as the tree's shadow keeps time around them.
The old man wakes, and stretches lazily under the canopy of lush green leaves. The boy tears off a portion from a flat loaf of bread, sweetened with dates, and offers it to him. The potter accepts the food and lets the boy guide his hand to a clay jar containing amber coloured beer made from barley.
They sit there in content silence, listening to sounds echoing around the network of streets like a heartbeat pumping blood throughout the body.
An official makes his way to their resting place, disturbing their moment of repose as he ushers them to their feet. The boy quickly wraps the uneaten loaf in muslin and drinks the last dregs of liquid from the jar. He helps the old man to his feet and the potter shows the bureaucrat the pendant he was given. The man nods, touching the emblem of Khnemu before turning it over in his hand to look at the symbols engraved on the back, "'I gave thee thy heart'", he repeats from memory. He nods once more and tells them both to follow him.\\
Jonas awoke, fighting with the cotton sheets that bound him to the bed like a serpent's embrace. He sat up and flicked on the bedside lamp, blinking back the vision that was seeping through the pores of his mind. He looked down at his hand, as if it had offended him in some way and saw the last residue of light wither from the scar.
He rubbed his forehead and swung his legs out of the bed and headed for the sink. He ran the tap and let the cold-water pool in his cupped hands before splashing his face to revive his dulled senses. He dried his face roughly with a towel, trying to comprehend the spool of images that had stolen into his slumber and where they had originated. He knew they were more than a dream or a restless night's sleep, it was as if he had connected with the bowl again, it was the same transferral of distant events where he was just a bystander, watching; but the bowl was still in the office.
He stared at his reflection, in the shaving mirror over the sink, as if the answer lay somewhere in his face, as if it was written in the furrows on his forehead but it wasn't; it was behind him.
Jonas turned back to the bedroom, his breath clouding in soft swirls as the temperature dropped. A shapeless glow of melting light churned and simmered by the doorway as it tried to take form. Jonas felt his heart crack like frozen ice at the anguish, pain and injustice radiating from this being who was trying to link with him. He steadied himself against the sink as he sensed the raw trauma burning through his emotions, baptising him with unspoken grief. He tried to reach out, to understand what the entity was trying to impart but it was fruitless task, there was just too much distress to get a connection.
The light began to fade and Jonas felt the bond between them loosen as the entity weakened but, just before the light dispersed, its identity became apparent.
The waning image of the potter stood in front of him, one arm outstretched in petition, the other hand spanning the cavity in his chest where his heart should have been.
===========
Thanks again, hope it's got you interested
Take care
//The potter bows low in the desert sand next to the newly fashion dish that is drying in the merciless heat of the day. A bejewelled priest examines several glazed goblets, the potter had made earlier, checking each one, thoroughly, for the tiniest of flaws. The boy, ever curious, watches their visitor out of the corner of his eye, mesmerised by this man who seems to gleam spotless and white in the punishing red of the landscape. The priest stops for a moment and messes the boy's dark locks, with his hand, smiling through the malachite and galena that adorns his gracious eyes and protects them against the intense light of the sun. He then holds one of the vessels up by its stem, rotating it in the day's radiance and nodding respectfully at the craftsmanship of the piece as the rays shimmer off the glaze. He calls to a slave, who had accompanied him, and hands over the piece.
The priest touches the old man's shoulder and bids him to rise, stepping back while the boy helps him to his feet. The priest presses his palms together, under his nose, and nods once more, signalling his approval of the potter's work.
The slave comes forward and places a golden pendant around the old man's sinewy neck. The potter feels his way along the chain to the oblong piece that is suspended from the links. He touches the symbol engraved upon it surface and there are tears in his sightless eyes. He drapes his arm over the boy's shoulders to steady himself and the boy fingers the emblem too with a prayer on his lips.\\
==============
"Hey Carter what ya doing?"
Sam pushed her safety glasses back onto her head and placed the testing equipment down, acknowledging Colonel O'Neill and Teal'c with a small, exasperated, sigh.
"Sir, I'm trying to figure out this personal shield emitter that SG2 acquired," she replied, wondering if she should go into further detail.
"Oh, that old 'do hickey', haven't you got it sussed yet?" O'Neill asked, toying, idly, with one of the miniature, fragile, components with his finger.
"No Sir, I haven't," Sam countered, removing the piece, carefully, from her CO's reach.
"You know what you need Carter?" Jack continued, leaning on one elbow across her workbench but looking towards Teal'c, "you need to take some time away from the SGC, clear your head, give the old brain cells a rest." He tapped his temple in emphasis.
"Sir, I'm not going to accompany you on Daniel's expedition, I've too much work to do here," she said with a slight smile.
"But Carter this mission was made for you, mysterious planet, sand, sun, lots of nerds and geeks digging holes with paint brushes and chop sticks and getting excited over tiny pieces of broken pottery."
Sam smiled, again, "sir, my time would be better spent here, at the SGC, anyway there's no evidence that you'll find technology on the dig."
"Oh but we might Carter, we might. Think of the excitement of excavating some strange alien 'do da' out of the sand," he looked up towards the ceiling in wonder, gesturing with his hand, "what is it? What was it used for?"
"Sir, if that does happen Daniel will contact me."
Jack surrendered, his face clouding with concern "okay, okay," he said whispering, looking over to the Jaffa once more, "you know I'm not asking for myself, it's for the big guy over there, he gets kinda 'tetchy' when you're not around."
"Tetchy?" Sam enquired.
"Yeah, you know, moan, moan, moan, moan, moan."
"Sir," Sam said rolling her eyes, as Teal'c lifted a well-trained eyebrow.
"Okay, if you want us to have all the fun."
"Sam," Daniel came into the office reading an A4 piece of paper without looking up, "I've just come to give you the heads up that Jack might.."
"Might what, Daniel?" O'Neill asked.
Daniel looked up, "Ah, Jack, Teal'c," he said with an acknowledging smile, "might try and persuade you to, to come with us."
Sam smirked with a shake of her head and then crossed her arms, "I guess I'm too late?" Daniel asked, looking from one to the other.
"She refused our petition, Daniel Jackson," Teal'c informed him.
"Yeah, it'll be 'way' too exciting for her," Jack said with his usual irony.
"Doctor Jackson," Jonas ran into the room, breathing heavily.
Sam sat down defeated, while Teal'c steadied the young alien from falling over in his excitement.
"Jonas, shouldn't you be resting?" Jack said sternly, looking at his flushed face.
The Kelownan caught his breath and held up his hands, "I know, I know, it's just I had another go at reading the bowl."
Jack's forehead furrowed, "okay, I believe you were 'ordered' to rest, is there some communication problem here?" He looked toward Daniel.
"I'm sorry, sir, I just wanted to have another go, before you gate to the planet."
"Jonas, this morning you tried to fry S'hang's brain, which would have been a good thing if he'd been an enemy Jaffa but he wasn't, he was on our side. Hence, you being 'ordered' to stay in your room until the Doc can run some tests on you."
Daniel watched the exchange, "Jonas, Jack's right, you really need to take it easy for a few days, especially if you want to join us, later, on the dig."
"But I've found something, it, it could be useful," he cried impatiently.
Daniel looked towards Jack, apologetically, who threw his hands up in the air, "oh for heaven's sake, go on Junior, spill the beans."
Jonas' forehead creased momentarily as he tried to understand what beans needed spilling, "oh, the information," he replied, with an energetic smile and snatched the piece of paper Daniel had been holding and a pen from Sam's desk.
He flipped the sheet over and began to draw, with bold strokes, the emblem he had seen on the pendant given to the old man, while explaining the vision he had just witnessed.
Daniel took the sheet, when the younger man had finished, "a flat-horn ram, that's the symbol of Khnemu, one of the oldest Egyptian Gods," he handed the paper back to Jonas and looked around at the questioning faces of the team.
"He, he was the creator-god whose cult centre was at the city of Elephantine. He was said to have made all men and their kai from clay and straw which he moulded on a great potter's wheel," he explained, his face folded in thought, "in fact another of his symbols is the wheel itself."
Daniel's mind ball was definitely rolling, "he's also credited, on an inscription, on the Island of Shahal, with, with ending the Seven Year's Famine by making the Nile flood."
"And this thrilling news means?" Jack asked looking from Daniel to Jonas.
Daniel shrugged and sighed simultaneously, "I really don't know Jack. I'm sure the site we're excavating is more Central or South American than Egyptian, so I'm not sure how this all ties together."
"And I have never heard of a System Lord by that name," Teal'c ventured.
"But it doesn't mean that he doesn't exist?" Sam questioned.
"Indeed," came the Jaffa's usual reply.
"Well maybe Jonas' radar is off a bit?" Jack tried, raising an eyebrow towards the Kelownan.
Jonas kept his eyes fixed on the drawing and gave a small shrug, "maybe," he whispered.
"Could not the artefact have been made here, on earth, for this God Khnemu and then transported to the planet at another time?" Teal'c enquired, noticing the Kelownan's disappointment.
"That's possible," Daniel answered, walking around Sam's office in thought, "maybe," he grasped, thinking out loud, "maybe for some reason, um, a System Lord came back to Earth to obtain further resources," he looked up.
"Like a shopping trip?" O'Neill posed.
Daniel shrugged again, "it's a possibility, Jack," he replied, ruling nothing out.
"Is there any record of such an event in your archives?" Jonas asked, eagerly.
"None that I can think of, Jonas," Doctor Jackson answered.
"I could contact the Tok'ra, while you're off world, to see if they have anything," Sam suggested.
Daniel nodded, "maybe the answers to this mystery will be found on the planet's surface Daniel Jackson," Teal'c ventured.
"Well let's hope so," Jack said, "the suspense is killing me. See Carter you'd be missing out on all this fun."
"Yes, sir, but I think I can handle it."
"Jonas," Daniel looked up, "I've some books back in my office, on Khnemu, I'll sort them out for you before we leave."
Jonas kept his head down as if in thought but Jack notice the angry splodges of red that had pooled on the paper, "holy crap," he cried exasperated, tearing the paper from the Kelownan's hand and lifting his head up to reveal the extent of the nose bleed.
"No, Daniel," Jack continued, "no more books for Junior here. Teal'c?"
"Yes O'Neill."
"Take Jonas to the infirmary, get him a private room, with no distractions, hell rip the TV off the wall if it has one and get Hammond to assign someone to make sure he stays put until the Doc can run those tests on him!"
Jonas went to say something but Jack cut him short with another Colonel size glare, "if he refuses, shoot him."
The Jaffa nodded, a slight smirk crossing his lips and led the Kelownan out the room, who threw a pleading glance at both Daniel and Sam; Daniel and Sam exchanged looks.
"What?" O'Neill enquired as Daniel left the room shaking his head and Sam stood up and put her glasses back on.
===========
Sam entered the gate room and O'Neill gave her a frustrated looked. Daniel was busy checking the other three archaeologists' equipment making sure their packs were secure. Teal'c was leant against the gantry rail in an effort to relax while behind him six cadets waited impatiently for the off.
"Are we ready now Daniel?" Jack asked through gritted teeth.
"I think so, Jack," Daniel retorted, giving his fellows the thumbs up which all three reciprocated.
Jack looked up to the observation room and nodded to General Hammond, "okay General we're good to." He began just as a small trowel dropped onto the walkway with a metallic roll.
"Sorry," one of the archaeologists said, throwing his over stuffed kit bag to the floor, "that was me, this time."
The man fell to his knees and scooped the item up, holding it above his head so everyone could see he had, in fact, retrieved it, "it's my lucky trowel," he informed the room, "had it for twenty years now," he continued, ramming it into his bag.
He got to his feet and pushed his wild, cloud dog hair under an ill-fitting cap, "I'm ready now Colonel Jack," he smiled, nodding to O'Neill.
Jack looked to Hammond once more and saluted; the gate started to spin.
"Have fun, sir," Sam called watching Jack's face shake with frustration.
O'Neill gave an unconvincing smile, "you know I could still order you to come along," he stated clearly.
Sam just gave him a smug look, which Jack returned with a roll of his eyes.
The Stargate shot along the gantry then back in on itself in a spin of water like energy. The three archaeologists began to twitch excitedly to each other in a range of grating voices as they followed Daniel through the chevron ring. Jack looked back at Sam, with beseeching eyes, before passing though the gate; Carter just waved.
As the Colonel disappeared, Hammond motion for the gate to shut down just as a small rush of power entered back into the room before vanishing.
"Major?" The General asked from the observation room.
Sam narrowed her eyes, "I don't know sir," she replied, heading up the stairs to join him.
"Sergeant Davis contact Colonel O'Neill, immediately," Hammond ordered.
Davis nodded, making the necessary connections, "O'Neill here," Jack's voice echoed around the room.
"Colonel, is everything alright your end?" The General queried.
"All present and correct, sir," came the static answer, "why?"
"We had a slight power surge at this end sir," came Carter's reply.
"Do you want to call off the mission, General?" O'Neill asked a little to eagerly.
"No Colonel, not just yet, I'll get Major Carter to run a check on the gate before we use it again."
"If you're sure General."
"Yes Colonel I am," he added then with a slight smirk, "we wouldn't want you to get stuck out there."
"Is that a possibility? Carter?"
Sam answered from one of the control panels, tapping away at a keyboard, "everything looks fine here, sir, but I'll run a full diagnostic just to be on the safe side."
"You do that Carter, O'Neill out."
=======
//The great Nile has flooded leaving behind a fertile fringe called 'the Black Land' which blossoms with growth and hope. Where once death reached a skeletal hand along the cramped narrow streets of the city, there is now life; even the rats have returned to feast hungrily on the scraps left by the sanguine merchants.
The boy leads the potter through a maze of lavish market stores, while tradesmen shout their wares like a chant of redemption to the great sun disc. The potter stops for a moment and breaths in the many aromas blending with the heat of the morning, giving strength to this new day. He touches the boy's head and a smile smoothes the age from his face; the boy returns the old man's gesture knowing the sightless man can see the happiness in his soul.
They wait under the shade of a tree, talking in gentle phrases of optimism until the potter falls into a restful sleep, exhausted by the journey to Elephantine. The boy stays by his mentor's side watching the city change with the day as the tree's shadow keeps time around them.
The old man wakes, and stretches lazily under the canopy of lush green leaves. The boy tears off a portion from a flat loaf of bread, sweetened with dates, and offers it to him. The potter accepts the food and lets the boy guide his hand to a clay jar containing amber coloured beer made from barley.
They sit there in content silence, listening to sounds echoing around the network of streets like a heartbeat pumping blood throughout the body.
An official makes his way to their resting place, disturbing their moment of repose as he ushers them to their feet. The boy quickly wraps the uneaten loaf in muslin and drinks the last dregs of liquid from the jar. He helps the old man to his feet and the potter shows the bureaucrat the pendant he was given. The man nods, touching the emblem of Khnemu before turning it over in his hand to look at the symbols engraved on the back, "'I gave thee thy heart'", he repeats from memory. He nods once more and tells them both to follow him.\\
Jonas awoke, fighting with the cotton sheets that bound him to the bed like a serpent's embrace. He sat up and flicked on the bedside lamp, blinking back the vision that was seeping through the pores of his mind. He looked down at his hand, as if it had offended him in some way and saw the last residue of light wither from the scar.
He rubbed his forehead and swung his legs out of the bed and headed for the sink. He ran the tap and let the cold-water pool in his cupped hands before splashing his face to revive his dulled senses. He dried his face roughly with a towel, trying to comprehend the spool of images that had stolen into his slumber and where they had originated. He knew they were more than a dream or a restless night's sleep, it was as if he had connected with the bowl again, it was the same transferral of distant events where he was just a bystander, watching; but the bowl was still in the office.
He stared at his reflection, in the shaving mirror over the sink, as if the answer lay somewhere in his face, as if it was written in the furrows on his forehead but it wasn't; it was behind him.
Jonas turned back to the bedroom, his breath clouding in soft swirls as the temperature dropped. A shapeless glow of melting light churned and simmered by the doorway as it tried to take form. Jonas felt his heart crack like frozen ice at the anguish, pain and injustice radiating from this being who was trying to link with him. He steadied himself against the sink as he sensed the raw trauma burning through his emotions, baptising him with unspoken grief. He tried to reach out, to understand what the entity was trying to impart but it was fruitless task, there was just too much distress to get a connection.
The light began to fade and Jonas felt the bond between them loosen as the entity weakened but, just before the light dispersed, its identity became apparent.
The waning image of the potter stood in front of him, one arm outstretched in petition, the other hand spanning the cavity in his chest where his heart should have been.
===========
Thanks again, hope it's got you interested
Take care