It'd been two weeks and two days since Topaz was again locked away in the sarcophagus. Steven was at a constant unease about it and increasingly so as the time passed. He had brought up the subject of Topaz to Garnet for the first few days, but she told him that she was still talking to her, and for the past fortnight, Steven has seen Garnet go into the kitchen every dawn for a thermos of morning coffee, then return to the Temple, as if what was going on was strictly good business-an exchange. Steven could see Garnet sitting in a recliner next to the chaise sarcophagus sipping at her coffee with one leg over the other, probing Topaz's mind-a penny for her thoughts; only, that fat penny was what her and Peridot's freedom costed.
Amethyst and Pearl were aware of the situation. Connie knew about it, too, and so did Greg. They all, more or less, and in their own ways, told him the same thing: to trust Garnet.
But, Garnet had deceived Steven and he still couldn't help but feel unnerved about the whole thing.
Today, however, Steven and Connie had made plans to go to a museum near her home. Well, her mother made the suggestion, but Steven and Connie thought it'd be cool. Both Connie's parents and Greg would go, too.
...
The museum they went to collected art and artifacts. There weren't any pieces there of global renown, or of national renown, for that matter, but they weren't pieces to overlook either (except for the naked things, they generally avoided those). There were tastes of art from several styles and forms: paintings and ceramics and metal sculptures-romanticism, Gothic, abstract, etc.
They came upon an impressive three-dimensional work of art that didn't look unlike a big three-armed rotary water sprinkler that was lop-sided. The Mahasawarens started theorizing as to what it could represent. "Clearly," began Connie's father, "the fork balancing the three objects signifies the power imbalance between the national government, the state, and the individual. The wings, here, represent the judicial system carried down through the states. The pyramid with the crown is the national government, and the solitary pyramid is the individual."
"It would seem to me," said Dr. Mahaswaren, "that it should represent the Holy Trinity of Christianity, given our country is predominantly Christian. The one you imply is the national government possesses a crown of thorns. The single pyramid, the one with the most weight and influence, is God, and the wings of justice is the illumination of the Holy Spirit."
"Both valid arguments," said Connie, "but I proffer the objects represent knowledge, strength, and wisdom, which, connected by this dainty axle, might signify their need for true unity and balance to achieve an enlightened state of being."
"Astute observation, Connie," said her father.
"Steven? Greg? What do you think?" said Dr. Mahaswaren.
Steven perspirated. "Eehhh... reminds me of the teacup ride at Funland..."
Greg scratched his head and said, "Looks like a bunch of triangles to me." He smiled. "You guys have good eyes for culture. Especially you, Connie. I'm impressed."
Steven breathed because of his father.
"Thanks, Mr. Universe."
They all continued on through the museum, to the sections dedicated to artifacts. The artifacts on display were from the Mediterranean and Africa, from Zulu arrowheads to Armenian urns, including a visiting exhibit featuring mummification practices from around the world. The mummies are what originally brought the Universes and the Mahaswarens here today.
The Mahaswarens and Greg hung back and talked about adult things, while the kids went around and saw some dead guys. They saw mummification throughout the ages: peat bog mummies from the Bronze age in Northern Europe, disembodied Maori heads that were all the rage during the Victorian Era, even a Chinchorro mummy from South America that dated back approximately 7,000 years. The exhibit also had pictures and videos of modern rituals, such as Ma'nene in Indonesia, but the most discomforting specimens on display were bodies preserved through the process of plastination, seeing as they were standing in awkward positions and had no skin and were about as naked as can be (any more so and they'd have the devil blushing). Around all of the bodies were some artifacts relating to them.
Then, Steven and Connie found the ancient Egyptian section. They had a few mummies on display, each from a different "Kingdom"-the Old, the Middle, and the New-showcasing the development of funerary preservation over time. The sarcophagus on display was enormous and fit two smaller sarcophagi inside it. The more sarcophagi a mummy had, the wealthier and more revered they were in life, Connie told Steven. The ancient Egyptians took so many procedures to ensure their dead would be comfortable that Steven thought the ancient Egyptians were all mothers. As a matter of fact, several mummies were buried with their mother, as Connie would explain.
"Look there," she said. She pointed to the inside of the smallest sarcophagus, where iconography was painted in the back of it. "The lady in the middle is the goddess, Nut."
"Newt?"
"Yep. She was the mother of the gods and, by extent, the mortals, too. She was put on the inside of coffins as a symbol to mean the deceased would return to their mother. She's got her arms open in that image, as if she were embracing them."
"Wow," mumbled Steven. "That's really sweet."
After saying goodbye to Connie, Steven got to thinking things on the car ride home. Of all the things they saw today, none of them touched him more so than the sarcophagi. The ancient Egyptians saw it, literally, as a home. The sarcophagus in the Temple was anything but. There wasn't any mother on the other side of it. No constellations etched in the lid, no food, no comforts. It was a prison.
"I tell ya, those Mahaswarens know their stuff," Greg chuckled. "So, did'ja have fun today?"
Steven smiled.
...