The Mummy

Harry didn't waste time and decided to bring the map to Terence as soon as he noticed the cartouche. He knew that one. He could have known it anywhere. He rushed to the Curator's office, Jonathan hot on his heels.

“What do you want?” Terence asked harshly.

“You might want to see this.” Harry simply replied as he handed the map over. Terence stared at the map for a long while and Harry couldn't keep the smile off his face. “You see the cartouche there?” He asked as he walked around the desk to stand next to Terence. “It's the official royal seal of Seti the First, I'm sure of it.”

“Perhaps.” Terence muttered, his voice filled with doubts.

“Two questions.” Jonathan jumped in. “Who the hell was Seti the First, and was he rich?” He asked, an excited laugh escaping his lips.

“He was the second Pharaoh of the nineteenth dynasty, said to be the wealthiest Pharaoh of them all.” Harry told his brother, shaking excitedly.

“Good, that's good. I like this fellow, I like him verymuch.”

“I've already dated the map. It's almost three thousand years old and if you look at the hieratic just here, well, it's Hamunaptra.” Harry explained, kind of proud of himself.

“Dear God, don't be ridiculous.” Terence scoffed. “We're scholars, not treasure hunters. Hamunaptra's a myth told by ancient Arab storytellers to amuse Greek and Roman tourists.” Terence said, Looking Harry straight in the eye.

“I know all the blather about the city being protected by the curse of a mummy nonsense, but my research has led me to believe that the city itself may have actually existed.” Harry said, talking a mile a minute.

“Are we talking about the Hamunaptra?” Jonathan asked, narrowing his eyes.

“Yes. The City of the Dead. Where the earliest Pharaohs were said to have hidden the wealth of Egypt.” Harry said, knowing that this exact part would catch his brother's attention.

“Yes, yes, in a big, underground treasure chamber.” Terence scoffed at Jonathan's comment. “Oh, come on. Everybody knows the story. The entire necropolis was rigged to sink into the sand on Pharaoh's command.” Harry was mesmerized by the passion appearing in his brother's eyes. “A flick of a switch, and the whole place would disappear beneath the sand dunes, taking the treasure with it.”

“As the Americans would say, it's all fairy tales and hokum. Oh, my goodness!” Terence yelped as the map caught on fire. “Look at that!”

Terence let the burning map fall to the floor. Both Harry and Jonathan rushed to it, trying kill the fire. But they were too late, half of the map had disappeared already.

“You've burnt it! You've burned off the part with the lost city!” Jonathan cried out in frustration.

“It's for the best, I'm sure.” Terence replied, his voice void of emotion.

Harry looked at Jonathan who staring right back, his mouth hanging open in shock. Harry couldn't believe his own eyes. The map had been their only way to find Hamunaptra, a city hundreds of people would die to see. Harry could only begin to imagine how many historical treasures were laying inside the city. Finding the city would have been a perfect way for Harry to learn more about the Pharaohs, to learn things only he would know. But Terence had destroyed the map and Harry's hope along with it. He didn't understand why a Curator would do such a thing.

“Many men have wasted their lives in the foolish pusuit of Hamunaptra. No one's ever found it. Most have never returned.”

CAIRO PRISON, THE FOLLOWING DAY.

“Come, come! Step over the threshold.” A little, plump Egyptian man said with a thick egyptian accent, smiling widely at both Harry and Jonathan as they arrived at the prison. “Welcome to Cairo Prison, my humble home.”

Harry honestly failed to see how his idea to come here was a good one. He just wanted to turn around and leave. He wanted to go back to his library and never come out again. He simply didn't feel safe in a prison. But he wanted answers concerning the map. Harry had had to question Jonathan for endless minutes until Jonathan had finally admitted that he had not found the box on a dig down in Thebes but that he had stolen it. Harry had thus forced Jonathan to come along along with him.

“You told me that you got it on a dig down in Thebes.” He whispered at Jonathan as they made their way through the prison, following after the man.

“Yeah, well, I was mistaken.”

“You lied to me.” Harry accused him.

“I lie to everybody. What makes you so special?”

“I am your brother.” Harry argued.

“That just makes you more gullible.”

“Jonathan, you stole it from a drunk at the local casbah.” Harry said, louder than necessary. He couldn't keep the frustration off his voice.

“Picked his pocket, actually, so I don't think it's very good...” Jonathan pulled Harry by his arm, trying to make him go back but Harry was having none of it.

“Stop being so ridiculous.” He said as he pulled Jonathan along after the man. “What exactly is this man in prison for?” Harry asked the man as he walked a little faster to keep up with him.

“Oh, this I did not know.” The man replied as they stopped in front of some kind of cage. “But when I heard that you were coming, I asked him that myself.”

“And what did he say?” Harry asked, intrigued.

“He said he was just looking for a good time.”

The interior cell door burst open and two Egyptian guards brought a chained man inside the cage. He was struggling and so they shoved him against the cell bars. From the looks of it, he had been here awhile. He had long, wavy light brown hair and had apparently not washed himself for a few days. He was wearing rags and Harry couldn't help but be slightly disgusted by his appearance. He didn't show it though for it was unbecoming.

“This is- This is the man that you stole it from?” He asked Jonathan as he pointed at the man.

“Yes, exctaly.” Jonathan confirmed quickly, clearly ill-at-ease. “So why don't we just go sniff out a spot of tiffin-”

“Who are you?” The prisoner cut Jonathan off. “And who's the broad?” He added, looking Harry up and down.

“Broad? What's that?” Harry asked, looking up at Jonathan in confusion.

“I'm just a local sort of missionary chap, spreading the good word and all that,” Jonathan lied as he took a step forward, “but this is my brother, Harry.”

“How do you do?” Harry asked the prisoner awkwardly as he also took a step forward to stand next to Jonathan.

The prisoner frowned slightly. “Oh, well. Guess she's not a total loss.”

“I beg your pardon.” Harry huffed, frowning down at the prisoner. Who did he think he was?

The warden shouted something in egyptian at one of his men which made Harry jump slightly in surprise. “I'll be back in a moment.” The warden said, leaving Harry and Jonathan alone with the prisoner.

“Ask him about the box.” Jonathan whispered into Harry's ear.

“We have found,” Harry began but the prisoner wasn't listening, he wasn't even looking at Harry anymore. “Um, hello, excuse me.” The prisoner turned his head back to look at Harry, glaring slightly at him. “We both found your puzzle box, and we've come to ask you about it.”

“No.” The prisoner said, shaking his head.

“No?” Harry asked in confusion.

“No. You came to ask me about Hamunaptra.” The prisoner said matter-of-factly, ignoring Jonathan's attempts to make him stop talking.

“How- How do you know the box pertains to Hamunaptra?” Harry whispered to the prisoner.

“Because that's where I was when I found it. I was there.” The prisoner replied, looking at Harry straight in the eye. Harry couldn't take his eyes off the prisoner. He was looking at him in awe. He had been to Hamunaptra and if he had been there, he could tell them where it was.

Jonathan took a step forward and crouched in front of the prisoner. “But how do we know that's not a load of pig's wallow?”

The prisoner looked at Jonathan, recognition flashing through his eyes. “Do I know you?” He asked.

“No, no. I've just got one of those faces.”

The prisoner's eyes widened. His fist came flying through the bars, hitting Jonathan square in the face. Jonathan fell to the ground, grunting in pain. One of the guards clubed the prisoner hard across the head who only winced slightly. Harry quickly glanced at his brother before focusing his attention back onto the prisoner.

“You were actually at Hamunaptra?” He asked as he stepped over Jonathan.

The prisoner smiled widely. “Yeah, I was there.”

“You swear?”

“Every damn day.” The prisoner joked, a grin on his face still.

“No, I didn't mean that.” Harry replied.

“I know what you meant.” The prisoner replied, his grin slipping off his face. “I was there. Seti's place, City of the Dead.

“C-Could you tell me how to get there?” Harry asked, a small grin on his face and his eyes shining with excitement. The prisoner blinked once as though he couldn't believe what he had just heard. “I mean, the exact location.” Harry insisted as he bent over slightly to make sure that no one could eavesdrop on their conversation.

“Do you wanna know?” The prisoner asked.

“Well, yes.” Harry replied as he leaned closer to the bars.

“Do you really wanna know?”

“Yes.” He leaned his face right up to the bars, feeling both nervous and excited.

The prisoner motionned him to come even closer before he grabbed chin and kissed him full on the lips. “Then get me the hell out of here.” He said as he pulled away.

Harry gasped in surprise, his wide eyes and his mouth gaping. He had just been kissed. He had just had his first kiss ever. He had been kissed for the first time by a very dirty and smelly man. He was too stunned to be disgusted. He watched as the prisoner fought the guards inside of the cell but he felt like he wasn't even here. His mind was still stuck on the kiss, on the feeling of the man's lips on his own.

“Do it, boy!” The prisoner said before he was dragged through the door and away from the cell by the two guards.

Harry shook his head slightly, forcing himself to focus back on the reality. “Where are they taking him?” He asked the warden who had just come back from wherever it was he had gone.

“To be hanged. Apparently he had a very good time.” The warden answered. “Wanna see it?”

Harry agreed and Jonathan had no choice but to come along. He didn't really want to see the man being hanged but he was Harry's only way to Hamunaptra and Harry couldn't very well let his only chance slip through his fingers. They went up a flight of stairs and Harry himself seated on a chair, next to the warden. Harry could see the gallows courtyard from there.

Hundreds of filthy prisoners were gathered here, staring down at the gallows, excited to see someone being hanged. Harry watched, helplessly, as two guards brought the prisoner in.

“I would give you a hundred pounds to save this man's life.” Harry tried.

“Boy, I would pay a hundred pounds just to see him hang.” The warden replied as the guards draped the hangman's noose over the prisoner and cinched it tight around his neck.

“Two! Two hundred pounds.”

“Proceed!” The warden shouted at the guards.

“Three hundred pounds!” Harry said desperately. The warden didn't answer, he only shouted instructions in Arabic at the guards. “Five hundred pounds.” Harry offered.

The warden told the guards to wait and turned his head toward Harry. “And what else?” He asked, looking Harry up and down. “I'm a very lonely man.” He added, setting his greasy, lecherous hand on Harry's thin thigh. Harry swatted the warden's hand away, glaring at him.

The warden glared down at the prisoners who were laughing at him. He angrily turned away from Harry and gestured to hangman who immediately pulled the lever.

“NO.” Harry yelled as he stood up from his chair. He looked at the prisoner, who fell through the trapdoor, desperately praying to the Gods to not let him die.

The warden laughed. “His neck did not break. Oh, I'm so sorry. Now, we must watch him strangle to death.” He added as Harry sat back down on his chair.

He knew he had to do something to save this man and quickly. He couldn't let him die. “He knows the location to Hamunaptra.” He knew it was the only option he had left. He had to tell everything to the warden.

The warden glared down at Harry. “You lie.”

“I would never!” Harry said, offended.

“Are you telling me this filthy, godless son of a pig knows where to find the City of the Dead?” The warden said, pointing at the prisoner who was hanging from the rope, trying to fight for his life.

“Yes.”

“Truly?”

“Yes. And if you cut him down, we will give you... ten percent.” Harry bargained.

“Fifty percent.” The warden argued.

“Twenty.”

“Forty.”

“Thirty.”

“Twenty-five.”

“Ah! Deal.” Harry said, smiling happily.

The warden groaned at his own stupidity. “Cut him down!” He yelled down at the guard who obliged at once.

The prisoner fell to the floor, gasping for breath. Harry looked down at him, smiling smugly. He had done as the prisoner had asked, now he had no other choice but to lead them to Hamunaptra. Harry had kept his part of the bargain, now it was the prisoner's turn to keep his.