The Pharaoh's Tomb

It was the 31st of October. Mary was skipping along a wide, curved road. It was almost always hot in Egypt, but today was unnaturally chilly. Mary lost track of time as she went along, admiring all the Halloween decorations. After a while, she realized she was lost. Mary looked around and realized that she was standing in front of Haunted Street. People believed that the spirits of the long-gone haunted this street. There was also supposed to be a tomb under the ground.

Being adventurous, Mary began to walk down the street. It looked pretty normal except for the abandoned houses. She wondered what had caused the rumors to spread. Haunted Street looked like any other street in the town. Mary wished something exciting would happen. She’d just had the thought when the ground opened up and swallowed her.

When she’d stopped falling, Mary found herself in an empty, round chamber. She looked up. The ground was closing above her. No escaping that way. Mary’s keen eyes scanned the room and came to a rest at a small door. In hope of finding a way out, Mary walked toward it. A label on the door read:

“Caution! This door leads to the resting room of forgotten deities.”

An ancient belief surfaced in Mary’s mind:

“There were lots of minor deities in Egypt. Most of them were forgotten and forced into exile. Day by day, their memories fade, until they remember nothing.”

Mary shivered. She did not want to push open the door and walk in. Yet, she had no other choice. Mary took a deep breath and entered the room. The sight that met her eyes was unbelievable and terrifying. About a hundred deities walked around, muttering incoherently. The only goddess who seemed to be in her senses had a lion’s head. She seemed to sense Mary’s presence and turned. When she spoke, her voice was heavy with sadness.

“Hello, Mary. I’m Sekhmet, a recently exiled goddess. I believe you’re looking for a way out?”

“Y-yes.”

“The only way is to travel through the Pharaohs’ Tomb. I can send you there. You must not stay here much longer. The sight of these deities could make your mind shatter. I’m only in my senses because I arrived just now.”

“Okay. I’m ready.” Mary was startled and afraid, but she forced herself to accept what was happening.

“Just be careful. Try to avoid the mummies and ghosts. I’ll guide you all I can. Good luck.” Sekhmet snapped her fingers. The room dissolved and Mary’s vision blurred.

When Mary could see again, she was standing in some kind of labyrinth. Coffins littered the ground. Some were open and empty. Somehow, she knew the way. Sekhmet was probably guiding her. She began to run through the passages, brushing away cobwebs and hoping she wouldn’t meet any mummies. But, as always, her luck was rotten. She turned a corner only to find the corridor packed full of mummies. Some were so rotten, they literally crumbled to dust. Mary wondered what she should do.

Desperately, she rummaged around in her pockets. Her hand closed around two rings. Something told her to take them out and put them on. The rings instantly transformed into twin swords in her hands. Mary didn’t know how to fight with a sword but she was thankful for the weapons. She took a deep breath and started moving forward, hacking through the undead.

Before she knew it, she was at the end of the corridor, which was now full of dust and mummy wrappings. Mary was surprised. She was sure Sekhmet hadn’t been helping the fight. She was apparently good with a sword. Mary slipped off the rings and continued to make her way through the maze. Thankfully, she didn’t meet any undead creatures again. She turned the last corner and saw a wooden door at the end of the passage.

Somehow, she knew that several traps were protecting the door. She took off her shoe and threw it in front of her. Instantly, a spear flew out and impaled the wall. Spikes shot out of the ground. A hidden bow shot five arrows. Even after all that had stopped, Mary stood still for a long time. Eventually, she made her way towards the door, retrieving her shoe as she went. The door led straight to her bedroom. Mary went in and checked the clock. 12.00am! Mary decided she would worry about what happened later and went to sleep.

The next morning, Mary was sure she’d had a nightmare. That is, until she found two rings that turned into swords in her hand.

***

Happy Halloween, everyone!