Daniel made it through the next three months; barely. Amy had been his support at school and George and Ruby at home. He loved the work he was doing with Aunt Barbara and lived for their weekly meetings. He felt she understood what he was going through better than anyone else did. She knew the challenges he faced being blind and she also understood his passion for ancient history. She guided him to resources no one else could have found for him. She offered to take him to the Museum of Art on the Saturday before Thanksgiving and he was still considering it.
He did want to go experience the permanent display his parents had set up, but he really didn't know if he could handle being on the spot where they had died. George, Ruby, and Dr. Tanzi had discussed it and the psychologist was encouraging the visit. He believed that enough time had passed, almost two years, and that Daniel needed to face the scene before he could move past his self-directed anger – there had been a few incidents during the new school year. George called the museum, explained the situation and the head Egyptologist agreed to allow the small group to come after hours. He had respected the Jackson's work, was devastated by their deaths at the museum and was glad to offer a way to help their son overcome some of the trauma of the accident.
George, Ruby, Barbara, and Dr. Tanzi all agreed that, difficult though it may be, Daniel would benefit from a visit to the display. Daniel remained unconvinced until the day before the scheduled visit, when his innate curiosity overcame his fear and he agreed.
The girls were sent to their grandmother's house. George and Ruby did not want them to see Daniel if he broke down, and they could keep a better eye on Daniel without the girls.
There had been an unexpected snowfall two days before and the snow had piled against building, as it had the January of the accident. The Hammonds, Barbara, and Daniel took a taxi to the museum and as they stepped out of the taxi onto the sidewalk, Daniel was immediately taken back to the day his parents died.
The scent of cold city air assaulted his body and slammed his consciousness shut. He was lost in yesterday. It was his father's hand, not George's, he felt on his shoulder. The warmth of his mother's body, not Ruby's, filtered through the crisp November day and pooled in his gut. It was his mother's voice, not Barbara's, which urged him out of the cold New York day and into the familiar comfort of the museum building. He didn't remember moving, but his feet must have because he found himself at the top of the broad stairway, being escorted through the glass doors.
He had no sensation in his body; couldn't feel breath in his lungs or his feet connect with the marble floors or hear the hushed whispers of awed visitors as they left for the day. He could feel the blood pumping in his head. It felt as though it were seeking a way out though his eyes and ears. His head throbbed from it.
The small group turned to the right and made their way through the Great Hall and into the Egyptian wing where the Temple of Dendur was set up. They were met at the entrance by Dr. James Allen, the museum's official Egyptologist. He had met Barbara a few times at various ancient history symposiums and greeted her with warmth.
"Mrs. Theophilus, I'm glad to see you again. I had no idea that you knew the Jacksons." He turned to Daniel and noticed that the boy didn't seem to realize anyone was around him.
"I never had the pleasure. I met Daniel after my sister and brother-in-law became his foster parents last year." She gestured toward her family. "This is my sister, Ruby, and her husband, Captain George Hammond, and you remember Daniel."
Dr. Allen shook hands with the adults as he was introduced and then turned his attention to Daniel. "Of course I remember this young man. He's one of the most curious people I've ever met. Every time I answered a question, he'd come up with five more."
Ruby smiled fondly. "That's our Daniel." She ran her free hand through his hair. "Daniel? Do you remember Dr. Allen?"
Daniel jerked back to reality and nodded slowly. "Yes. He sometimes took me into his office to show me artifacts that weren't on display." Daniel gripped George and Ruby's hands tighter.
George noticed his pale face and quiet voice. He glanced at Ruby and she nodded. "I think Daniel might enjoy a hands-on tour of the statues in this hall."
Dr. Allen nodded and understood that Daniel needed a bit of time before he faced the temple. "I think that can be arranged." He squatted down next to Daniel's face. "How about if I take you to see some of the artifacts you were never allowed to touch? This time you can touch them."
Curiosity began to filter up through the haze and Daniel nodded.
Dr. Allen led Daniel over to the first of the sphinx statures in the hall. It stood about six feet tall at the head and was ten feet long, including a pedestal. Dr. Allen led Daniel over to the statue and guided Daniel's hand to the feet of the human-headed lion. Daniel froze and remembered the feel of the sandstone under his fingers. The feet were polished by centuries of hands that had glided over the rough surface. He allowed the history of the object to permeate his awareness and he breathed in the ancient humanity of the carved stone.
His hand began to follow the leg up to the muscled shoulder. He imagined the loin clothed worker chiseling with stone tools, carefully tapping and bringing the image to life from the stone. Next, he fingered the ribs on the sides of the lion-like figure. He counted nine as he followed his hand to the haunches, taut and ready to spring. The energy of the representation rippled under his fingers.
"Would you like to feel his face?"
Daniel nodded.
Dr. Allen led him to the front, lifted him up and settled him on the lion's outstretched legs. Daniel shifted until he felt secure and then lifted both hands up. The false beard was still attached. Daniel thought he could remember seeing this particular sphinx. It was unusual to find one with the false beard still jutting from the chin. Sandstone was a fragile material which was frequently damaged by time and vandals. His hand continued up to the face and he found the nose and eyes. He felt the carved kohl eyeliner believed to reduce the sun's glare and prevent eye infections so common in ancient times. As his hands moved up to the headdress that draped down onto the shoulders, Dr. Allen turned to Barbara.
"Mrs. Theophilius, would you like to join Daniel?"
"Call me Barbara, please. And yes, my fingers are just itching to feel a genuine Egyptian artifact. I'm pretty much limited to Greek objects."
Ruby led her sister over to join Dr. Allen and Daniel at the sphinx. When Daniel and Barbara had finished looking over the statue, Dr. Allen said, "Come into the next room. There are some smaller objects I think both of you would enjoy seeing."
Dr. Allen then led the group into the next room and handed Daniel a bowl with human feet. He didn't tell Daniel what it was and just waited while the young boy explored it. As soon as he found the base and the feet, he broke out in a huge grin.
"I remember this! I always wondered why they put feet on the base." Daniel reached out for Barbara and handed her the bowl. She smiled when she found the source of Daniel's amusement.
Dr. Allen commented, "It's thought that it was used in ritual offerings, such as renewal of the Nile floods every year. The feet symbolize the supplicant's journey to the temple. There is a hieroglyph like it that represents the word 'clean'."
"It's very smooth. What's it made of? Some type of clay?" Barbara asked.
"Exactly. It's made from red Nile River clay and highly polished." Dr. Allen took the piece from Barbara and replaced it. "The museum is very lucky to have it."
He then handed Daniel an intricately carved ivory comb. "See if you can tell me what this is used for."
All of the teeth of the comb had broken off, so it was a more difficult task for him. "I feel rows of animals." He held it close to his face, trying to make out details. "I see… is that a crane with a snake in its mouth?"
"Excellent, Daniel. There are rows of elephants, cranes, and some other animals. But what was it used for?"
"I can feel a jagged ridge alone the bottom. I remember seeing artifacts like this. I think…it may have been a comb?" Daniel frowned in concentration, bringing his eyebrows together. He handed the ivory comb to Barbara while George and Ruby peering over their shoulders.
"Very good, Daniel. Here's a stela of Mentuwoser from Abydos. There's a carved picture at the bottom. See if you can tell what the picture is."
Barbara interrupted. "Daniel's done very well with the friezes I've shown him from Greece. I don't think he'll have too much trouble with this."
"Egyptian carvings tend to be more shallow than Greek. It will take a bit more finesse to figure this out."
Daniel ran his fingers very lightly over the bottom of the stela. "I feel a man seated at a table piled high with different kinds of food. There are some small figures to the side, probably servants. The upper two-thirds is covered in hieroglyphs. I guess this was found at Mentuwoser's tomb. That's usually where stelae were found."
Dr. Allen's eyebrows slid upwards and he looked in surprise at George and Ruby. George grinned back, "Now you see what we deal with daily. Trying to find enough books to keep him mentally stimulated is a challenge."
"I would say so." Dr. Allen looked back at Daniel who was concentrating on both feeling and seeing the hieroglyphs. "I would have been thrilled to have some of my college students know that. Any time Daniel wants to come back, he's welcome. I can let the docents know about him and they'll let him handle most of the objects. Some are much too fragile for anyone to handle."
Ruby smiled, "I think Daniel would love that."
"You bet I would!" Daniel's radiant smile echoed his words.
The group spent then next hour following Dr. Allen around while he allowed Daniel to handle some of the less fragile artifacts. He examined a carved ebony chair, a ceramic hippopotamus, several pieces of jewelry, and a ram's head, beautifully crafted from solid gold. As they rounded a corner, Dr. Allen glanced back at George and Ruby and nodded solemnly. They understood that the temple was next.
The group stopped and Daniel froze. Oh, God! I was having so much fun I forgot why we were here. This is the place.
A/N: The Temple of Dendur does exist in the New York Metropolitan Museum of Art. It was one of the treasures of Egypt that would have been lost forever to the Aswan Dam, but was given to the United States by Egypt in recognition of the efforts of many Americans to save archeological sites from the coming flood waters. It was awarded to the museum in 1967 and was opened to the public in 1978. Even though this is a bit late for Daniel's timeline, I decided to go ahead and use this. Hey, this is AU anyway, so I can change what I need to for the story. If you get a chance, visit the Metropolitan Museum of Art web site and take a video tour through a tomb that has been rebuilt in the museum. Fascinating! James Allen is the current Egyptologist and has several published books on Egypt.