Hey people! Sorry I haven't done anything in a while, but school is out now and I finally have time to write something! Thank you for the reviews! XD

10 Years Old

My dad sure knew how to draw a crowd. You'd think nobody would care to listen to somebody talk about Egyptian curses and the King Tut exhibit. But Munich had caught me by surprise by leaving the museum packed and ready to burst all because Dr. Julius Kane was speaking. A lot of the stuff he talked about made no sense to me, and I doubted I'd need to know much about it. I couldn't help learning a few things about Egyptian mythology, what with my dad doing lectures every other day, though. I knew about a lot of their gods and goddesses, monsters, and such. I'd seen my share of artifacts this past year, more than most people see in a lifetime. And judging by the looks of things, this is how my life was going to be from now on.

I was daydreaming in a chair offstage, when I heard my dad say something he'd never talked about before.

"Dr. Kane, Egyptians believed the soul to have multiple parts. Do you know anything about this?" I couldn't see who was talking, but they sounded young. Maybe they were with one of the schools.

"The soul was a big part in Egyptian life. Think of it like one hand with five fingers. One soul with five parts. Every part was different. Without all five, you would not be complete."

"What are the five parts?" This time it was somebody else talking. I could tell the crowd had renewed energy. That's saying a lot, considering we've been here for four hours.

"The first part is called the ba. It represents your personality. Then, the ka, which is the life force. The ib is one's record of their good and bad deeds. That is what's weighed on the scales of justice in the afterlife. The ren is the sum of one's experiences, including their thoughts and secrets, good and bad. The last is the least known, and that is the sheut, or the shadow of the soul."

"That doesn't make sense. A shadow? How is that important?" There were a few "Yeahs" from the crowd, but it got quiet fast. These people really were interested in the soul.

"Explaining this concept thoroughly would take hours, and I'm afraid we don't have the time. Thank you all for coming, and I hope you enjoyed it."

\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/

The crowd was still clapping when Dad went backstage to where I was waiting for him. He gave me a smile when he saw me and said, "Come on birthday boy, let's go look at those books you wanted." That wasn't what I was expecting, but I'm not one to complain when it comes to getting books. I followed my dad out of the museum and into the rainy summer evening.

We walked to the nearest bus stop and waited. We sat in silence for a few moments until I said, "Do I have room in my suitcase for a book?" That may sound weird, but I was allowed one suitcase to hold all of my stuff. That's why I was surprised when Dad offered.

Dad laughed at that and replied, "If you don't you can always put it in mine."

"Really?"

Dad laughed again. "Well, don't act so surprised! I am your father. Besides, you'll have something to do while I'm giving lectures. You looked bored the last few times."

"But Dad, we're in Germany. Will they have any books in English? You know I can't speak German."

"Carter, don't worry. If they don't, next time we're an English speaking country, we'll get you a few books there." My dad got a small twinkle in his eye. "Or, you can just learn German."

My eyes got really big and I yelled, "No!" which made the people walking by give us weird looks. Last time we were in Germany, this person started yelling at me for who knows what. Just getting yelled at by a complete stranger is scary enough, but getting yelled at in German, the language that makes everything sound like an insult... Well, you get the idea. That language has scared me since.

"Carter, the proper German way to respond is 'Nein.' If you're going to learn, you'd better start now." Dad gave me another smile and tousled my hair to show he was joking. I saw the bus coming and felt disappointed that this moment with my dad was being interrupted.

\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/

We got off the bus and walked a few blocks. I had no idea where we were going and how my dad knew his place around. He stops in front of a store that says, 'The Munich Readery Bookshop – Secondhand Books In English' on the window. I look at my dad and he says, "Well, I guess you don't have to learn German, now that there's a bookstore full of books in English." He opens the door and I go inside. The amount of books in there is amazing. I look at my dad again and he nods at me. "Go pick a few," and then sits down in a leather armchair by the window.

After much debating I eventually get Of Mice and Men by John Steinbeck and The Book Thief by Markus Zusak. Sure, they're generally for older people, but they looked like good books. I went back to my dad and showed him the books I picked out. He smiled when I showed him The Book Thief.

"What's so funny?" I asked.

Dad just said, "Are these the ones you want to get?"

"Yeah, but why are you smiling?"

"You'll find out when you read the book, Carter." It was obvious that I wasn't going to get anything more out of him, so I dropped the subject. Only a few days later, when I started reading the book, did I realize what was so funny. There was quite a bit of German mixed in. Of course. But I got over it quickly when I became engrossed in the book. Dad couldn't get me to put it down.

So, I tried to make this a bit longer than the other chapters and I think it turned out well. You tell me what you thought of it. Please! :)