Cairo, a city so old the stars have actually changed their positions in the sky since it's birth. A city teeming with every form of life. A strange, mysterious, wonderful city.
At the Cairo Museum Of Antiquities, deep in the bowels of the museum lie the stacks. Rows upon rows of towering bookshelves. Filled with literature on the Antiquities. Standing at the top of a tall ladder between two of these rows and leaning against one of the bookshelves, is a rather uninteresting British girl: hazel eyes covered by glasses, chestnut coloured hair-in-a-bun, long boring off cream dress, your typical prudish nightmare. Evelyn pulls a book out from a stack under her arm, blows the dust off it, then places it on a shelf with other books whose titles all begin with the letter "O". Then she grabs another book out from under her arm and reads the title aloud. "Tuthmosis?...Now how did you get up here?"
Carefully, so as not to lose her balance, she looks over her shoulder to the bookshelf behind her, where all the titles begin with the letter 'T'. Then she looks down. It's a long way to the bottom. Evelyn gently sets the other books down on the top shelf, then turns and gingerly starts to reach across the aisle with the Tuthmosis book. It's a little too far, so she stretches, reaching, holding the top of the ladder with her fingertips; she's almost got it, closer now closer. When the ladder pulls away from the shelf. Evelyn yelps, flinging the Tuthmosis book and grabs the top of the ladder, which stands straight up. Evelyn holds her breath, swaying precariously, and then she loses her balance, the ladder swings around and Evelyn starts stiltwalking down the aisle.
"OHEIUGM! AHHHHHH!" Evelyn loudly cries out.
The ladder crosses the aisle, does an about face and heads back the way it came. Evelyn clings to the top, struggling for balance. The ladder teeters out into the main aisle and picks up speed. Evelyn screams as it does a 180 degree spin into another aisle and finally crashes to a stop at the top of a book shelf. Evelyn holds her breath, then sighs heavily. And that's when the bookshelf falls away from her and crashes into the next bookshelf. Evelyn slides down the ladder and plops to the floor. She looks up just as the domino effect kicks-in: each bookshelf crashing into the next. And onward it goes. Bookshelf after bookshelf. Thousands of volumes flinging off shelves and scattering across the floor. It finally ends as the last shelf crashes into a wall. Evelyn's eyes are closed. She opens one eye. Looks left. Then right. Then opens the other eye and stares at the huge mess.
"Oops." She quietly mutters.
At that moment the Egyptian Curator storms in. "Look at this! Sons of the Messiah! Give me frogs, flies, locusts, Anything but this! Compared to you, the other plagues were a joy!"
Evelyn quickly gets up and starts gathering books."I'm sorry, it was an accident."
"When Ramesses destroyed Syria, it was an accident. You are a catastrophe! Why do I put up with you?"
Evelyn turns to him, trying to contain herself. "You put up with me, because I can read and write Ancient Egyptian, decipher hieroglyphs and hieratics, and I'm the only person within a thousand miles who knows how to properly code and catalogue this library."
"I put up with you because your mother and father were our finest patrons, Allah rest their souls. Now straighten up this mess!' The Curator storms out. Evelyn just stands there, steaming.
And then she hears a noise and quickly turns around. "Hello?" Quiet. Eerie. And then she hears it again, like feet, slowly shuffling across the floor, coming from a nearby gallery.
"Abdul? Mohammed? Bob?" Evelyn walks through the stacks and enters The Ramses Museum. Filled with treasures and plunder from the Middle Kingdom. It's very dark and quiet in there, the only light is from flickering torches at either end of the spooky gallery.
The noise sounds again! From the far side of the room. Feet, slowly shuffling, plodding across the floor. Evelyn grabs a torch. Looks around, at a statue of Anubis, another of Horus, they stare down at Evelyn, who is starting to get scared now. She walks down the aisle. Past a closed sarcophagus. Past cases of ancient artifacts. Past another sarcophagus, only this one is open! Evelyn freezes, swallows hard, nervously looks around to see who could have opened it. Then she slowly leans forward with the torch, and peers inside.
A hideous rotted mummy sits up and screeches at her! Evelyn screams, drops the torch and backs away, scared out of her wits. And then, coming from inside the sarcophagus, she hears two people laughing. Her eyes narrow as a foppish cad and a lithe young woman crawl out from behind the Mummy, laughing their asses off, half drunk.
"You... ! YOU... !"
"Drunkard? Fool? Rat-bastard? Please call me something original." Jonathan slurs. As he crawls out of the sarcophagus, Evelyn pulls a cigarette out of the mummy's mouth.
Jonathan is roughly average height, with a swimmer build, he has tawny hair that is unruly curly, and bright blue eyes. The woman inside the sarcophagus with him has ashy brown hair, with mahogany colored eyes. A quiet giggle sounds from the woman, "Come now, sister. No need to pick on little ol' Jonathan."
"Have you no respect for the dead?" She asks Jonathan after ignoring her younger sister Rose's comment.
"Right now, I only wish to join them." Both woman look at him sadly. He grins drunkenly. Evelyn decides that she has pitied him enough, so she punches him hard in the chest.
"Well I wish you'd do it sooner rather than later, before you ruin my career the way you've ruined yours." She coolly declared. Rose shakes her head saying nothing at her older siblings.
"My dear, sweet, baby sister, I'll have you know, that at this moment my career is on a high note." He belches, then falls back and sits on the edge of a tomb. Rose placing a hand on his back to make sure he doesn't hurt himself in his drunken state.
"High note? Ha! For five years you've been scrounging around Egypt, and what have you to show for it? Nothing." Evelyn quips.
Jonathan excitedly starts scrounging around in his jacket. "Oh yes I do! I have something right here!"
"Oh no, not another worthless trinket, Jonathan, if I bring one more piece of junk to the Curator to try and sell for you." Both woman look at him apprehensively. Jonathan pulls out a small, ancient box; the collapsed key to Imhotep's sarcophagus and coffin. Evelyn is instantly curious, she grabs the box out of his hand.
"Where did you get this?" Evelyn breathlessly gasped. Rose pears over her sister shoulder, staring down at the box. Jonathan knows her weaknesses, gives her a mischievous smile.
"On a dig, down in Thebes" Rose raises an eyebrow at Jonathan's comment,"When did you go to Thebes?" Evelyn rolls the box around in her hands, mumbling to herself as she translates the hieratic and hieroglyphs covering it. Jonathan licks his lips in anticipation.
"My whole life I've never found anything, Evy. Tell me I've found something." Rose looks at her big brother sorely. Evelyn's fingers play with the various little slats on the box, shifting them this way and that way, it's like a puzzle box. Then suddenly, it unfolds itself, almost-mechanically, opening up. Sitting inside the open box is a folded piece of golden papyrus. An ancient map.
"Jonathan?" She gleefully announces. Roses eyes widen at the map on Evy's lap.
"Yes?" He gently mutters.
"I think you found something." Both woman quietly say at the say time.
In the Curator office, he sits at his desk, staring through a jeweler's eyepiece at the box. Evelyn hovers behind him, excited. Rose sits off to the side watching her two siblings chatter delightedly with the Curator.
"See the cartouche there, it's the official royal seal of Seti the First, I'm sure of it" Evy prattles on.
"Perhaps" The Curator remarked in a vexed tone. Rose narrows her eyes at the man in suspicion.
Jonathan leans in from across the desk. "Two questions. Who the hell is Seti the First? And was he rich?"
"He was the last Pharaoh of the Old Kingdom, said to be the wealthiest Pharaoh of them all." Evelyn bubbly gushed.
"He was very rich, Jonathan. Like God level wealthy." Rose responds at the same time as Evelyn.
"Alright, good, that's good. I like this fellow, like him very much." Jonathan states. The Curator picks up the map.
"I've already dated it, this map is almost four thousand years old. And the hieratics over here..." Evy breathlessly sighs,"It's Hamunaptra."
The Curator freezes, suddenly very nervous, then he recovers. "My dear girl, don't be ridiculous, we are scholars, not treasure hunters. Hamunaptra is a myth." Rose opens her eyes wider at the Curators slip up, before nodding her head, understanding that her sister is right. The map does lead to Hamunaptra.
"Are we talking about the Hamunaptra?" Jonathan's eyes comically widen.
"No, Jonathan. Not THE Hamunaptra. The secondary Hamunaptra, you know the one near Fiji." Rose comments sarcastically.
"Yes. The City of The Dead. Where the early Pharaohs were said to have hidden the wealth of Egypt." Evelyn responds to his question ignoring Roses sarcasm.
"Right, right, in a big underground treasure chamber. Everybody knows the story. The entire necropolis was rigged to sink into the sand. On Pharaoh's command, a flick of the switch! And the whole place could disappear beneath the dunes." Jonathan states as his eyes glaze over thinking of the gold. Rose shakes her head good naturally at her brother.
"All we know is that the city mysteriously vanished around 2,134 B.C." The Curator holds the map closer to the burning candle-lamp. Rose starts to stand up and grab the map from the Curator.
"As the Americans would say: it's all fairy tales and hokum." The map 'accidentally,' catches on fire. The Curator throws it to the floor. Jonathan drops to his knees and quickly puts it out. Lifts it up. The left third of the map is now missing. Rose glares at the curator knowing that he burned the map intentionally.
"You burned it! You burned off the part with the lost city!" Jonathan wails
"It's for the best, I'm sure. Many men have wasted their lives in the foolish pursuit of Hamunaptra, no one has ever found it, most have never returned."
Jonathan cries devastate, "You killed my map."
I'm sure it was a fake, anyway, I'm surprised at you, Miss Carnahan, to be so fooled." The Curator reaches for the box. Evelyn quickly snatches it off the desk; her and Rose give him a very angry, suspicious look.
Cairo prison. One of the worst hell holes on earth, every low-life form of scumbag can be found here. The Warden, a first rate scumbag himself, escorts Evelyn, Rose and Jonathan across the gallows courtyard. Evelyn whispers to Jonathan. "You told me you found it on a dig down in Thebes!"
"I was mistaken." He relies to her statement.
"You lied to me!"
"I lie to everybody, what makes you so special?"
"We are your sisters."
"Honestly Evy, We should have expected something like this." Rose answers her sister.
"That just makes you more gullible." Rose shakes her head a his comment, knowing that it is sadly true.
"You stole it from a drunk at the local Casbah?!"
"Picked his pocket, actually." Rose gives her brother an impressed look
The Warden ushers Evelyn, Rose and Jonathan into the holding pen. "And what is he in prison for?" Evelyn asks.
"I did not know, so when I heard you were coming, I asked him that myself."
"And what did he say?" Rose questions.
"He said,...he was just looking for a good time." The interior cell door bursts open. O'Connell is in chains, dragged by four guards, they shove him up to the cell bars. From the looks of it, he's been here awhile; his face is half hidden by long hair, a scraggly beard and many new bruises. Evelyn looks at him, disgusted by his appearance.
"But he's just a filthy criminal?" Rose looks at Evelyn darkly.
Jonathan says while cringing, "Way to go, Evy."
O'Connell gives Evelyn the once over, then looks at Jonathan. His glance at Rose was short and fleeting. "So who's the broads?" He growls out.
"Broad?!" Evy angrily cries.
"She's one of my sisters, actually." Jonathan declares, peacefully.
"Yeah? Well,...I'm sure she's not a total loss." Evelyn is stunned and furious. Rose smirks at her sister.
The Warden heads out the door. "I'll be back in a moment."
"I tremble with anticipation." Rose giggles at his sarcastic response to the Warden. A Guard clubs O'Connell across the head, O'Connell's face bounces off the metal bars. He shows no pain, but just looks back and gives the Guard a nasty look.
Evelyn steps closer. "We uh,...found... your puzzle box, and we've come to ask you about it.
"No."
"No?" Evy questions.
"No...You came to ask me about Hamunaptra." Evelyn, Rose and Jonathan quickly look around, hoping the guards didn't hear him. They step closer.
Evelyn plays coy. "How do you know the box pertains to Hamunaptra?"
"Because that's where I found it. I was there." Evelyn is dumbstruck. But Jonathan and Rose looks suspicious.
"How do we know that's not a load of pig swallow?" O'Connell looks closer at Jonathan, a glint of recognition. "Hey,...don't I know you?"
"Um. a, well. you, you see..." Jonathan stutters out. O'Connell's fist comes flying through the bars, hits Jonathan square in the jaw, decks him. He hits the floor; out cold. A Guard clubs O'Connell and his head bounces off the bars again. He shows no pain, but gives the Guard another nasty look.
Evelyn and Rose look down at their brother, then back at O'Connell. "You were actually at Hamunaptra?"
"I just decked your brother."
"Yes, well," Evy shrugs; "I know my brother." O'Connell almost smiles. There's a bit of spark to this girl. Rose laughs because she knows that Jonathan deserved that knock out.
"Yeah, I was there."
"You swear?"
"Every damn day." Rose laughs again at his comment.
"No, I mean..."O'Connell cuts Evy off. "I know what you mean. I was there, alright. Seti's place. The City Of The Dead."
"What did you find? What did you see?"
"I found sand. I saw death." The warden enters. Evelyn quickly leans closer to O'Connell. Rose looks at her sister in mock surprise.
"Could you tell me how to get there? The exact location?"
"Want to know?" Evelyn leans in even closer trying to hear. "Yes."
"Really want to know?" She leans her face right up to the bars, nervous and excited. Rose just watches her older sister.
"Yes." O'Connell steps forward and kisses her full on the lips. Rose stares at the two of them while they kiss.
"Then get me the hell outta here." Evelyn is stunned. A Guard club him, his face bounces off the bars again, but before he can react the Guards grab him, yank him away from the bars and drag him out of the room.
"Where are they taking him?"
"To be hanged." Rose and Evelyn is shocked. The warden shows-off his crocked green teeth. "Apparently, he had a very good time."
Hundreds of filthy prisoners stare down onto the gallows as the hangman's noose is draped over O'Connell's head and cinched tight around his neck. Rose and Evelyn follow the warden onto a balcony above the gallows. The prisoners all go dead quiet at the sight of her; like jackals staring at fresh meat.
"No women allowed."
"We are English women." Evy states coolly. This seems to confuse the Warden, though he shrugs and sits down. O'Connell looks up as Evelyn plops down beside the Warden. Rose continues to stand a little behind her sisters chair.
"I will give you one hundred pounds to spare his life."
"I would pay one hundred pounds just to see him hang." The warden chortled.
"Two hundred pounds."
"Proceed!"
"Three hundred pounds!" O'Connell can hear every word, he looks hopeful. Other than Evelyn, you could hear a pin drop. The hangman turns to him. "Any last requests, pig?"
"Yeah, I'd like ya to let me go." The Hangman grabs the lever to the trapdoor.
"FIVE HUNDRED POUNDS!" The Warden sets his greasy, lecherous hand on Evelyn's leg. Rose retches behind her sister.
"And what else?" Evelyn is revolted, she quickly shoves his hand away. Insulted, the Warden angrily turns and gestures to the Hangman, who pulls the lever. The trapdoor drops away.
"NOOO!" Evelyn screams as O'Connell drops through the hole. The rope pays-out. Then jerks taught. O'Connell's body snaps at the end of the rope. But he's still alive, because... "His neck did not break! Good! Now we watch him strangle to death." The warden mocks.
The prisoners go crazy, screaming and shouting in anger. The guards look around, nervous. O'Connell struggles at the end of the rope, gagging. Evelyn and Rose are horrified, Evy quickly turns to the warden, leans forward and whispers in his ear. "He knows the location to Hamunaptra."
The warden spins around and faces her. "You lie."
"I would never!" At the end of the rope, O'Connell is choking and gagging and turning several shades of red. The Warden stares at Evelyn.
"Are you saying this filthy godless son of a pig knows where to find The City Of The Dead? Truly?"
"Yes and if you cut him down, we will give you ten percent." Evelyn starts to negotiate a price with the warden, while Rose watches her.
"Fifty percent."
"Twenty."
"Forty."
Evelyn hesitates, bites her lip. O'Connell's eyes bulge as he looks up at her, he can't believe this girl.
"Twenty-five percent, and not one single farthing more." The warden flashes a big green smile, then yells in Arabic. A scimitar slashes the air. The rope is cut. O'Connell crashes to the ground. Half dead. Rolls over. Gagging. All of the prisoners bursts into cheers. O'Connell looks up at Evelyn. She smiles broadly and waves down at him.