The Mighty Isis: "The Curse of the Mummy"
Posted: Wed Oct 28, 2015 11:10 am
"Oh My Queen," said the royal sorceror to Hatshepset, "with this amulet you will be endowed with the powers of the goddess Isis. You will soar as the falcon soars, run with the speed of gazelles, and command the elements of earth and sky." Centuries later, school teacher Andrea Thomas rediscovered the mystic amulet and uses it to fight evil in the guise of... The Mighty Isis!
"The Curse of the Mummy"
Chapter 1 --
It had been raining ever since they got off the expressway, which was unusual for Southern California. As the silver Buick threaded its way over unfamiliar rural roads, the rain finally stopped, but the evening sky was black with dark clouds, interspersed with the occasional flash of lightning.
"I apologize again for bringing you out on a night like this, Miss Thomas," said the driver, a gray-haired man of fifty. He was dressed in an equally gray houndstooth suit, as befitted a junior high school prinicipal. "But Rick Mason told me that you had taken three semesters of Egyptology at UCLA."
"It's quite all right, Mr. Peterson," said the young woman perched comfortably in the passenger seat, her knees primly together. She was 26 years old, her pretty face framed with gold-rimmed glasses, her long dark brown hair pulled back in a pony tail. Her lean, young body, which had fueled the adolescent daydreams of many a male student, was dressed in a sleeveless pullover top, three or four beaded necklaces dangling around its U-shaped neckline, and a blue-gray wool skirt which failed to entirely cover her classy legs. "I'm excited. If it really is a genuine sarcophagus, it will be a real coup for the county historical museum."
"And a feather in my cap with the district superintendent if we can purchase it for a good price," Peterson agreed. Cyrus Bellingham had passed away weeks earlier, and his family who lived back East decided to sell his mansion in its entirety -- goods, chattels and all. Fortunately the executor of the estate, a lawyer named Hastie, was a school friend of Peterson, and had contacted him with the offer of first dibs on Bellingham's modest collection of Eqyptian artifacts, which included a sarcophagus. The catch was that Hastie wasn't sure if it was genuine or fake -- which was the reason Peterson had brought Andrea along.
He looked up doubtfully at the sky. "I just thought we could get to Bellingham House and back tonight. If it hadn't been for this storm..."
Andrea Thomas' lips twitched, trying her best not to smirk. They were clearly lost, and Mr. Peterson's male pride wouldn't allow him to admit it. She turned unconcernedly to look out the passenger window at the unfamiliar, rain-drenched landscape. "Look, there's a filling station," she said suddenly as a bright cluster of lights sped past in the darkness. "Why don't we stop and ask directions?"
"Miss Thomas, I don't need to ask," the principal said icily. "I know exactly where I am." He fumbled inside the pocket of his jacket for his iPad. "I have a map right here..."
"Mr. Peterson," Andrea said nervously, "you really shouldn't take your eyes off the road..."
"Miss Thomas, I know what I'm doing! We turn left at the bridge... er..." He hesitated, turning the map around. "I mean we turn right at the bridge..."
"But Mr. Peterson--"
Andrea suddenly felt the gut-wrenching sensation of the car skidding on the rain-soaked asphalt. Peterson hit the brakes in panic when he should have merely pumped them, causing the tires to squeal as they slid. With a bump, the Buick rocked to a halt halfway in the ditch.
"Not a word, Miss Thomas," the principal seethed through gritted teeth.
Andrea popped the door open on her side and awkwardly climbed out. Knealing at the side of the Buick, she could see that the care was undamaged, but the tires were hopelessly stuck in the mud. Gently she touched the golden amulet that was tucked safely inside the bosom of her top. If only she were free to transform into the mighty Isis, she could fix their predicament with a simple incantation -- but she couldn't very well change in front of Principal Peterson! It looked as if they were stranded...
Headlights suddenly appeared down the highway. Andrea stepped out into the road, frantically waving. The lights flashed bright, then dimmed, with no sign of slowing down. The pretty schoolteacher barely leaped out of the way as a red sports car skidded to a stop, close enough to splash Andrea's clothes.
"You guys having trouble?" said a perky female voice, as the passenger side window rolled down. The driver of the car was a girl, about Andrea's age, with short dark hair with faint blue highlights. She seemed to be wearing a khaki tshirt with some kind of logo on it, tight blue denim shorts and a blue denim cargo vest.
"We were on our way to Bellingham House," said Peterson. "If you could just--"
"Great!" said the girl. "I'm going there myself! I can give you a lift!"
"We're obliged to you," Peterson said, opening the passenger door. Andrea, although disgruntled at being splashed, grabbed her overnight bag and slid into the cramped back seat of the sports car. As Peterson got into the passenger side, the car sped off down the rain slick highway -- in the opposite direction from the way Peterson had been driving.
"Not a word, Miss Thomas," the principal growled in a low voice.
"My name is Abby Smith," their rescuer gushed. "I'm the assistant executive director of Pyramid Lake Resorts! Ever been there?"
"Pyramid Lake? The amusement park?" Peterson blurted, his voice ringing with disapproval.
THe girl laughed, keeping her eyes on the road. "We call it an adventure theme park, grandpa. Bellingham's got this nifty Egyptian mummy for sale, and my boss thought it would look really slammin' in the lobby of our main building! He sent me down to scope it out." As Abby prattled on, the car came to a bridge, where she unhesitatingly turned left down a long driveway flanked by tall brick pillars. At the end of the drive was a huge, Gothic mansion with a rounded victorian turret tower.
The three of them got out of the car, looking up at the dark house. Lights were on in only a few of the windows. As they watched, a sinister, man-shaped shadow lurched past the curtains drawn across one of the ground floor windows. Abby and Andrea unconsciously moved a little closer to one another. "It's... kind of creepy, isn't it?" whispered Abby.
And just then lightning split the sky overhead. The heavy clouds let go and it began to rain again. Principal Peterson immediately ducked back inside the car, yanking the door shut behind him, leaving Andrea and Abby out in the pouring rain. The two girls made a dash for the safety of the mansion, slipping and sliding on the wet lawn. Abby was wearing hiking boots and thick wool socks, but Andrea's high heels stumbled in the soggy ground. Quickly she grabbed for the other girl's slim waist with both arms, nearly pulling her off balance and dropping them both into a mud puddle. But somehow the two of them kept their balance, and a moment later were scrambling up the steps into the relative safety of the porch.
Abby banged the brass knocker mounted on the massive oak door, shivering in the chilly October air. "Hello!" she called. "Come on! Open up!"
There was a THUNK! from the door as the lock inside was turned. Hinges creaked as the door began to open. Andrea and Abby drew closer together in fright, their slender arms snaking around one other for protection. Pressed tight against the other girl, Andrea couldn't help noticing the way her wet tshirt clung to her two perky breasts. Her cheeks suddenly felt warm.
The door opened just far enough that they could see a youngish man dressed in dark clothes, with greasy black hair and ears that stood out on either side of his head. He looked them over, his pale eyes lingering over their dripping wet hair, their drenched clothes, the rain trickling down their long legs... "Go away!" he said finally. "There's been some mistake! You're at the wrong house!" And then he slammed the door in their faces.
***
Chapter 2 --
"Please let us in!" Andrea shouted, hopping up and down, her teeth chattering.
The door was opened again, this time by an elderly butler in a stiff black suit. "I do apologize, young ladies," he said invitingly. The girls quickly scooted inside the richly-decorated foyer, where the rude younger man with the big ears was standing silently and sulkily off to one side. "My name is Styles," the butler continued. "There is a fire in the drawing room, if you would trouble yourselves to step this way..."
Peterson came running before the door could be shut again. Just then a tall man in a dark grey three piece suit and a bright red tie came ambling down the main staircase. "Ah, Petey!" he said. "Glad you could make it, old fellow! Beastly night to be out..."
"Yes, well, we had a bit of an accident," Peterson said, shaking hands with the lawyer, "but we made it."
Andrea and Abby were already warming themselves by the huge fireplace in the next room, slipping out of their squelching shoes, and in Abby's case, her sodden socks as well. "This is Andrea Thomas, one of my teachers," Peterson continued. "I brought her along to authenticate the artifacts. You know, just a precaution." He fixed his friend with a stern look as he indicated Abby. "And may I ask what SHE is doing here?"
"Oh you mean, Miss Smith?" Hastie said. "Sorry about that, old fellow. Mrs. Bellingham contacted her employer directly. Nothing I could do..." Suddenly he fixed his own stern look upon the rude young man with the prominent ears, who had followed unobtrusively behind them. "What are YOU still doing here, Monkhouse?"
"Well..." the young man began timidly, "I was Mr. Bellingham's personal secretary, and--"
"And he has been dead for three weeks," Hastie snapped. "One would have thought that he has no more need of your services."
"If I may, sir," said the elderly butler, setting down a tray of sandwiches which Andrea and Abby pounced on hungrily. "Mr. Monkhouse's terms of employment included room and board. Seeing as how his salary has been paid until the end of the month, Mrs. Bellingham agreed that he might remain until then."
"I see," said Hastie stiffly. "Don't try to make off with anything, you young twerp!"
"Er... speaking of which..." said Abby, around a mouthful of ham sandwich, "could we see the stuff now?"
"I don't see why not," the lawyer replied. He led the way down a short passageway and into a large study which also seemed to double as a museum. In front of the windows was a big oak desk, two leather armchairs, and bookshelves. Andrea glanced at the titles and found most of them to be on ancient history and ancient languages. The other half of the room contained shelves with Grecian urns and small bronze figurines. Inside a glass case sat four jars made of some creamy white stone.
"Canopic jars," the pretty schoolteacher said, leaning over for a closer look. "They look like Old Kingdom, tenth dynasty."
"You mean Middle Kingdom, don't you?" Abby corrected smugly, nearly elbowing her aside. "Eleventh dynasty."
Andrea realized with a twinge of embarrassment that the other girl was right. She moved to the next case, where a papyrus parchment was laid out on display beside a wooden box with brass hinges and fittings. Andrea couldn't quite sight-read hieroglyphics, but it looked similar to some of the incantations in the Book of the Dead, intended to help the deceased person's spirit reach the afterlife. Moving aside a heavy reference book was resting on top of the case and blocking her view, a sheet of notebook paper slipped out. Someone had copied down the incantation and was trying to translate it phonetically.
Monkhouse crept forward and tried timidly to take the paper, mumbling something about a hobby of his.
"Let me see that," said Abby, snatching the paper out of Andrea's hand. "Not bad. But this symbol is pronounced 'pah', not 'tah', and this one is 'kulep', not 'kalef'."
"Actually," said Andrea, glad to be able to show up her rival, "its proper pronunciation is 'kolept' -- if you'll notice the little mark here."
Abby glared at her. "So it is," she admitted sourly, her eyes casting about for a change of subject. "Ah, but here's the Big One!"
She was refering of course to the acacia-wood mummy case, which was standing upright and partly leaning back against the wall. It was a big one, fully eight feet long and three feet wide. But the case was scuffed from handling, and many of the painted hieroglyphs were scratched and faded. Peterson and Hastie hung back, giving the women the chance to examine it.
"Look, the cartouche bearing his name as been defaced," Abby said excitedly, her fingers gently tracing the writing on its surface. "Oooh! He must have been a bad boy!"
Andrea half-turned to the men, helpless to resist the urge to lecture. "It often happened," she explained, "that if a deceased pharoah had committed an especially heinous crime, his cartouche was erased, so that his name would be forgotten in the afterlife. To the Egyptians, there could be no worse punishment."
"Come on, schoolteacher," Abby said to her impatiently. "Help me with this!" Andrea rushed over to her, and together the two women managed to pry open the lid. It creaked on its hinges as they pushed it, letting loose a stuffy, dusty miasma. Andrea wrinkled her pert nose at the smell.
"Oh yeah, that's the boy!" Abby crowed, her face lighting up. "That's what I call tall, dark and handsome!"
The mummy lying inside the case was almost seven feet tall and broad in the chest. The portions of his face that showed through the brittle bandages was the color and texture of an old baseball glove. His lips had been sewn shut, his eyes were sunken sockets, but his body and limbs were solid. He was beautiful!
Peterson and Hastie now ventured forward, staring with awe and fascination. "Well?" asked the principal softly. "Is it genuine?"
"The hieroglyphics on the case seem genuine enough," said Andrea, primly adjusting her eyeglasses. "And they match the time period of the Canopic jars. I think he's real!"
"Of course he's real!" agreed Abby, her hands running gently over the mummy's brawny frame, feeling up the hard bumps formed by his almost petrified musculature. She pulled out her smartphone and, snuggling against him like a lover, snapped a selfie of them both. Andrea shook her head in disbelief as one feminine hand slid downward in between the mummy's legs, caressing a rather large knot she had discovered there.
"Is that a sacred scarab in your wrappings, or are you just glad to see me?" the girl giggled. "I'll give you five thousand for him, right now, Hastie!"
"I'll give you six thousand!" said Peterson.
"It's late," Hastie said. "With the weather as it is, you have to stay overnight anyway. We'll talk in the morning."
The butler cleared his throat. "I have rooms prepared upstairs. This way, sir, madams."
Andrea and Abby followed him gratefully, suddenly remembering their wet clothes. Andrea caught sight of Monkhouse, watching them climb the stairs with a crafty look on his face. That young man would bear watching, in case he tried to slip away with that valuable papyrus. It was very fortunate that she could call on the unstoppable powers of Isis if she needed to. But for right now, she was looking forward to getting out of her wet things... plus it would be a definite pleasure to get away from that insufferable Abby Smith...
"I really must apologize," the butler said as they reached the top of the stairs, "but I had only prepared two additional rooms. If the young ladies would not mind sharing?"
The girls both froze in mid-step, bumping into one another. Share a room?
"The Curse of the Mummy"
Chapter 1 --
It had been raining ever since they got off the expressway, which was unusual for Southern California. As the silver Buick threaded its way over unfamiliar rural roads, the rain finally stopped, but the evening sky was black with dark clouds, interspersed with the occasional flash of lightning.
"I apologize again for bringing you out on a night like this, Miss Thomas," said the driver, a gray-haired man of fifty. He was dressed in an equally gray houndstooth suit, as befitted a junior high school prinicipal. "But Rick Mason told me that you had taken three semesters of Egyptology at UCLA."
"It's quite all right, Mr. Peterson," said the young woman perched comfortably in the passenger seat, her knees primly together. She was 26 years old, her pretty face framed with gold-rimmed glasses, her long dark brown hair pulled back in a pony tail. Her lean, young body, which had fueled the adolescent daydreams of many a male student, was dressed in a sleeveless pullover top, three or four beaded necklaces dangling around its U-shaped neckline, and a blue-gray wool skirt which failed to entirely cover her classy legs. "I'm excited. If it really is a genuine sarcophagus, it will be a real coup for the county historical museum."
"And a feather in my cap with the district superintendent if we can purchase it for a good price," Peterson agreed. Cyrus Bellingham had passed away weeks earlier, and his family who lived back East decided to sell his mansion in its entirety -- goods, chattels and all. Fortunately the executor of the estate, a lawyer named Hastie, was a school friend of Peterson, and had contacted him with the offer of first dibs on Bellingham's modest collection of Eqyptian artifacts, which included a sarcophagus. The catch was that Hastie wasn't sure if it was genuine or fake -- which was the reason Peterson had brought Andrea along.
He looked up doubtfully at the sky. "I just thought we could get to Bellingham House and back tonight. If it hadn't been for this storm..."
Andrea Thomas' lips twitched, trying her best not to smirk. They were clearly lost, and Mr. Peterson's male pride wouldn't allow him to admit it. She turned unconcernedly to look out the passenger window at the unfamiliar, rain-drenched landscape. "Look, there's a filling station," she said suddenly as a bright cluster of lights sped past in the darkness. "Why don't we stop and ask directions?"
"Miss Thomas, I don't need to ask," the principal said icily. "I know exactly where I am." He fumbled inside the pocket of his jacket for his iPad. "I have a map right here..."
"Mr. Peterson," Andrea said nervously, "you really shouldn't take your eyes off the road..."
"Miss Thomas, I know what I'm doing! We turn left at the bridge... er..." He hesitated, turning the map around. "I mean we turn right at the bridge..."
"But Mr. Peterson--"
Andrea suddenly felt the gut-wrenching sensation of the car skidding on the rain-soaked asphalt. Peterson hit the brakes in panic when he should have merely pumped them, causing the tires to squeal as they slid. With a bump, the Buick rocked to a halt halfway in the ditch.
"Not a word, Miss Thomas," the principal seethed through gritted teeth.
Andrea popped the door open on her side and awkwardly climbed out. Knealing at the side of the Buick, she could see that the care was undamaged, but the tires were hopelessly stuck in the mud. Gently she touched the golden amulet that was tucked safely inside the bosom of her top. If only she were free to transform into the mighty Isis, she could fix their predicament with a simple incantation -- but she couldn't very well change in front of Principal Peterson! It looked as if they were stranded...
Headlights suddenly appeared down the highway. Andrea stepped out into the road, frantically waving. The lights flashed bright, then dimmed, with no sign of slowing down. The pretty schoolteacher barely leaped out of the way as a red sports car skidded to a stop, close enough to splash Andrea's clothes.
"You guys having trouble?" said a perky female voice, as the passenger side window rolled down. The driver of the car was a girl, about Andrea's age, with short dark hair with faint blue highlights. She seemed to be wearing a khaki tshirt with some kind of logo on it, tight blue denim shorts and a blue denim cargo vest.
"We were on our way to Bellingham House," said Peterson. "If you could just--"
"Great!" said the girl. "I'm going there myself! I can give you a lift!"
"We're obliged to you," Peterson said, opening the passenger door. Andrea, although disgruntled at being splashed, grabbed her overnight bag and slid into the cramped back seat of the sports car. As Peterson got into the passenger side, the car sped off down the rain slick highway -- in the opposite direction from the way Peterson had been driving.
"Not a word, Miss Thomas," the principal growled in a low voice.
"My name is Abby Smith," their rescuer gushed. "I'm the assistant executive director of Pyramid Lake Resorts! Ever been there?"
"Pyramid Lake? The amusement park?" Peterson blurted, his voice ringing with disapproval.
THe girl laughed, keeping her eyes on the road. "We call it an adventure theme park, grandpa. Bellingham's got this nifty Egyptian mummy for sale, and my boss thought it would look really slammin' in the lobby of our main building! He sent me down to scope it out." As Abby prattled on, the car came to a bridge, where she unhesitatingly turned left down a long driveway flanked by tall brick pillars. At the end of the drive was a huge, Gothic mansion with a rounded victorian turret tower.
The three of them got out of the car, looking up at the dark house. Lights were on in only a few of the windows. As they watched, a sinister, man-shaped shadow lurched past the curtains drawn across one of the ground floor windows. Abby and Andrea unconsciously moved a little closer to one another. "It's... kind of creepy, isn't it?" whispered Abby.
And just then lightning split the sky overhead. The heavy clouds let go and it began to rain again. Principal Peterson immediately ducked back inside the car, yanking the door shut behind him, leaving Andrea and Abby out in the pouring rain. The two girls made a dash for the safety of the mansion, slipping and sliding on the wet lawn. Abby was wearing hiking boots and thick wool socks, but Andrea's high heels stumbled in the soggy ground. Quickly she grabbed for the other girl's slim waist with both arms, nearly pulling her off balance and dropping them both into a mud puddle. But somehow the two of them kept their balance, and a moment later were scrambling up the steps into the relative safety of the porch.
Abby banged the brass knocker mounted on the massive oak door, shivering in the chilly October air. "Hello!" she called. "Come on! Open up!"
There was a THUNK! from the door as the lock inside was turned. Hinges creaked as the door began to open. Andrea and Abby drew closer together in fright, their slender arms snaking around one other for protection. Pressed tight against the other girl, Andrea couldn't help noticing the way her wet tshirt clung to her two perky breasts. Her cheeks suddenly felt warm.
The door opened just far enough that they could see a youngish man dressed in dark clothes, with greasy black hair and ears that stood out on either side of his head. He looked them over, his pale eyes lingering over their dripping wet hair, their drenched clothes, the rain trickling down their long legs... "Go away!" he said finally. "There's been some mistake! You're at the wrong house!" And then he slammed the door in their faces.
***
Chapter 2 --
"Please let us in!" Andrea shouted, hopping up and down, her teeth chattering.
The door was opened again, this time by an elderly butler in a stiff black suit. "I do apologize, young ladies," he said invitingly. The girls quickly scooted inside the richly-decorated foyer, where the rude younger man with the big ears was standing silently and sulkily off to one side. "My name is Styles," the butler continued. "There is a fire in the drawing room, if you would trouble yourselves to step this way..."
Peterson came running before the door could be shut again. Just then a tall man in a dark grey three piece suit and a bright red tie came ambling down the main staircase. "Ah, Petey!" he said. "Glad you could make it, old fellow! Beastly night to be out..."
"Yes, well, we had a bit of an accident," Peterson said, shaking hands with the lawyer, "but we made it."
Andrea and Abby were already warming themselves by the huge fireplace in the next room, slipping out of their squelching shoes, and in Abby's case, her sodden socks as well. "This is Andrea Thomas, one of my teachers," Peterson continued. "I brought her along to authenticate the artifacts. You know, just a precaution." He fixed his friend with a stern look as he indicated Abby. "And may I ask what SHE is doing here?"
"Oh you mean, Miss Smith?" Hastie said. "Sorry about that, old fellow. Mrs. Bellingham contacted her employer directly. Nothing I could do..." Suddenly he fixed his own stern look upon the rude young man with the prominent ears, who had followed unobtrusively behind them. "What are YOU still doing here, Monkhouse?"
"Well..." the young man began timidly, "I was Mr. Bellingham's personal secretary, and--"
"And he has been dead for three weeks," Hastie snapped. "One would have thought that he has no more need of your services."
"If I may, sir," said the elderly butler, setting down a tray of sandwiches which Andrea and Abby pounced on hungrily. "Mr. Monkhouse's terms of employment included room and board. Seeing as how his salary has been paid until the end of the month, Mrs. Bellingham agreed that he might remain until then."
"I see," said Hastie stiffly. "Don't try to make off with anything, you young twerp!"
"Er... speaking of which..." said Abby, around a mouthful of ham sandwich, "could we see the stuff now?"
"I don't see why not," the lawyer replied. He led the way down a short passageway and into a large study which also seemed to double as a museum. In front of the windows was a big oak desk, two leather armchairs, and bookshelves. Andrea glanced at the titles and found most of them to be on ancient history and ancient languages. The other half of the room contained shelves with Grecian urns and small bronze figurines. Inside a glass case sat four jars made of some creamy white stone.
"Canopic jars," the pretty schoolteacher said, leaning over for a closer look. "They look like Old Kingdom, tenth dynasty."
"You mean Middle Kingdom, don't you?" Abby corrected smugly, nearly elbowing her aside. "Eleventh dynasty."
Andrea realized with a twinge of embarrassment that the other girl was right. She moved to the next case, where a papyrus parchment was laid out on display beside a wooden box with brass hinges and fittings. Andrea couldn't quite sight-read hieroglyphics, but it looked similar to some of the incantations in the Book of the Dead, intended to help the deceased person's spirit reach the afterlife. Moving aside a heavy reference book was resting on top of the case and blocking her view, a sheet of notebook paper slipped out. Someone had copied down the incantation and was trying to translate it phonetically.
Monkhouse crept forward and tried timidly to take the paper, mumbling something about a hobby of his.
"Let me see that," said Abby, snatching the paper out of Andrea's hand. "Not bad. But this symbol is pronounced 'pah', not 'tah', and this one is 'kulep', not 'kalef'."
"Actually," said Andrea, glad to be able to show up her rival, "its proper pronunciation is 'kolept' -- if you'll notice the little mark here."
Abby glared at her. "So it is," she admitted sourly, her eyes casting about for a change of subject. "Ah, but here's the Big One!"
She was refering of course to the acacia-wood mummy case, which was standing upright and partly leaning back against the wall. It was a big one, fully eight feet long and three feet wide. But the case was scuffed from handling, and many of the painted hieroglyphs were scratched and faded. Peterson and Hastie hung back, giving the women the chance to examine it.
"Look, the cartouche bearing his name as been defaced," Abby said excitedly, her fingers gently tracing the writing on its surface. "Oooh! He must have been a bad boy!"
Andrea half-turned to the men, helpless to resist the urge to lecture. "It often happened," she explained, "that if a deceased pharoah had committed an especially heinous crime, his cartouche was erased, so that his name would be forgotten in the afterlife. To the Egyptians, there could be no worse punishment."
"Come on, schoolteacher," Abby said to her impatiently. "Help me with this!" Andrea rushed over to her, and together the two women managed to pry open the lid. It creaked on its hinges as they pushed it, letting loose a stuffy, dusty miasma. Andrea wrinkled her pert nose at the smell.
"Oh yeah, that's the boy!" Abby crowed, her face lighting up. "That's what I call tall, dark and handsome!"
The mummy lying inside the case was almost seven feet tall and broad in the chest. The portions of his face that showed through the brittle bandages was the color and texture of an old baseball glove. His lips had been sewn shut, his eyes were sunken sockets, but his body and limbs were solid. He was beautiful!
Peterson and Hastie now ventured forward, staring with awe and fascination. "Well?" asked the principal softly. "Is it genuine?"
"The hieroglyphics on the case seem genuine enough," said Andrea, primly adjusting her eyeglasses. "And they match the time period of the Canopic jars. I think he's real!"
"Of course he's real!" agreed Abby, her hands running gently over the mummy's brawny frame, feeling up the hard bumps formed by his almost petrified musculature. She pulled out her smartphone and, snuggling against him like a lover, snapped a selfie of them both. Andrea shook her head in disbelief as one feminine hand slid downward in between the mummy's legs, caressing a rather large knot she had discovered there.
"Is that a sacred scarab in your wrappings, or are you just glad to see me?" the girl giggled. "I'll give you five thousand for him, right now, Hastie!"
"I'll give you six thousand!" said Peterson.
"It's late," Hastie said. "With the weather as it is, you have to stay overnight anyway. We'll talk in the morning."
The butler cleared his throat. "I have rooms prepared upstairs. This way, sir, madams."
Andrea and Abby followed him gratefully, suddenly remembering their wet clothes. Andrea caught sight of Monkhouse, watching them climb the stairs with a crafty look on his face. That young man would bear watching, in case he tried to slip away with that valuable papyrus. It was very fortunate that she could call on the unstoppable powers of Isis if she needed to. But for right now, she was looking forward to getting out of her wet things... plus it would be a definite pleasure to get away from that insufferable Abby Smith...
"I really must apologize," the butler said as they reached the top of the stairs, "but I had only prepared two additional rooms. If the young ladies would not mind sharing?"
The girls both froze in mid-step, bumping into one another. Share a room?