A Dream Of Egypt

A Dream of Egypt

The heat beat down on the men working in the valley, moving the mounds of sand and rock. Their dark skin glistened with sweat and they paused once to look up at the bright sky before returning to work. One man stood apart from the rest watching the progress with a smile on his face. He turned as a child’s voice called out to him,

“Papa!” A seven year old dark haired girl appeared just behind a row of tents, her mother trailing behind carrying a basket. He scooped the girl into his arms and hugged her tightly as she began to talk quickly explaining the events of the day. He nodded in all the right places and congratulated her on her childish accomplishments. His wife pressed a kiss to his cheek and teased the small girl in his arms. She giggled and wiggled from the mans arms and landed carefully in the sand.

Her father called for a break, ordering everyone to get something to eat and drink. They had two hours to relax before returning to digging,

“Anna…” her father spoke gently, “lets go eat.” Anna turned to smile at the man who was already leading her mother into the largest tent on the grounds. But Anna did not follow, something else had caught her attention. A brown lizard was escaping across the sand and she darted after it giggling.

She stopped just above where the men had been working, staring at the stairs that had been revealed. She forgot all about the lizard as her wide blue eyes followed the stairs. For a moment there was sand blocking anything further than a few steps, but in that instant it was gone.

There was no hesitation, for children can care less how things happen, she bounded down the steps giggling as she once more caught sight of the lizard. It scurried ahead of her, turning down a hall that hadn’t existed a moment ago.

The moment she turned down the hall, she changed. No longer was there a seven year old standing in the hall, but a teenager of 16. But the giggling was still there and the attraction of the lizard was still present. Her legs were longer and she easily caught up with the creature. She held it tightly yet carefully,

“Silly little lizard. Running from me like that!” It’s head tilted slightly to the side and it’s tongue flew from it’s mouth. She smiled and bent down letting the animal run from her hands into the gathering darkness. With her mission accomplished she finally took in her surroundings. There was no confusion on her face, even when she knew she couldn’t really be here. Sand had covered this place for years, and yet here she was standing in a tomb that hadn’t been opened in centuries.

She followed the hall to a stone door, one that seemed familiar, but yet could not be. She put all her weight against the door and forced it to slide open. The door made no sound against the sand and she realized then, that while people had been speaking, there was no sound. Just the illusion of sound. A chill ran down her spine, but it did not stop her from venturing further into the darkness of that room.

Again without a sound light flashed into existence, torches along the walls lighting to reveal their hidden secrets. People lined the walls painting intricate pictures onto sandstone. They did not look up as she stood over their shoulders, examining pictures of ancient gods and goddesses. Prays to these entities to protect the soul of the dead that they were going to entomb here. Anna stepped back marveling in the colors that brought the pictures to life.

Another illusion of someone speaking drew her away from the carvings and paintings. It pulled her farther into the tomb. The farthest room held many more people all working under the command of two men who stood next to one another. The one who seemed most important wore a striped nemes of white a cobra rose from the front. She felt she should recognize him, but the name eluded her. He wore a white wrap-around kilt that was outlined a deep royal blue and reached to just above his knees. Around his neck was, what she could only describe as a necklace made of gold. Gold cuffs were around his wrist and ankles and sandals adorned his feet. His skin was deeply tanned, as was the man to his right.

The man to his right had no such headdress, and no hair at all. He was dressed in a similar fashion but his kilt had no blue, just a plain white. He too had cuffs of gold on his wrists. They continued to speak as if she didn’t exist then the man on the right turned his head slightly and their eyes locked.

She didn’t notice when the others disappeared leaving just her and this man. He continued to stare for a while before he approached her hand raising to gently touch her cheek. She could feel the connection, yet she couldn’t. It felt as if a wind has ghosted over her skin sending another shiver through her body. It took her a moment to realize he was speaking,

“You have grown into a fine young woman…” he said and this time there was sound, “it’s been… a while since you have walked these halls. Something disturbs you…” he stepped away and took down a hall she had not seen before, but knew it was there. As she walked she felt something wet on her face. She lifted her hand and pushed away the tears that had fallen. He looked at her and pulled her into his arms,

“You will be alright…” he whispered gently. And she clung to him, unsure of why she would be alright. He seemed to know something she didn’t? Her mind knew something was wrong, but couldn’t quite identify the reason,

“I… I’ve seen you somewhere else before.” she said quietly, the first time she’d spoken to him since she’d arrived. He smiled at her,

“You have seen me many times. But it disappears like a dream. But you will return to this place again one day. For now.. It is time for you to leave. They call you.” Anna looked up alarmed, she felt safe in his arms. He pressed a kiss to her forehead before the sounds of someone calling her dragged her out of his arms.

She woke to her roommate tugging on her arm and calling to her,

“God Anna you take too long to wake up!” the blond grumped, “You have a phone call downstairs.” she said leaving Anna to stare blankly after her. With a sigh she pushed back the pale pink sheets and made her way down the stairs. Her t-shirt already clung to her like a second skin, the heat was unbearable even at six in the morning.

She picked up the phone,

“Hello?” she asked as cheerful as she could that early in the morning. The voice on the other side of the line did not carry her cheerfulness. Her father spoke quietly, as he had in his dream,

“Anna? I have bad news… your mother…You need to come home.” he said and Anna’s stomach fell. She assured her father she’d be on the next plane home. She hung up the phone and looked at her roommate that stood in the doorway,

“I’ve been packing your stuff…” Anna hugged the girl,

“Thank you Maria…” She ran up the stairs and showered quickly changing into a pair of shorts and a tank top. She finished packing her bags and called the airport on her way to her car. In a matter of hours Anna was on a plane from Arizona on her way home. Egypt was calling, but she didn’t want to know what waited for her.



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And there you are. Chapter one. I’m planning on this having some magic and time travel. So if you want to know what happens… review please ^-^