The excavations
The clock read 8 o'clock when Arthur woke up, after returning from dinner he had accompanied Soraya to her room and hurried back to his room. He felt recharged with all the energy he had expended, of course he still had to get used to the time zone, but each time he returned to Egypt he felt he suffered less and less from the time change; his body got used much faster to those rhythms different from his usual time zone. He freshened up and put on the light havana linen suit, pulled up the sleeves rolling them up to his elbows, walked out of the room and as he passed Soraya's room he saw that she still had the "do not disturb" tag attached to the doorknob, he tried knocking but received no answer he knocked once more but Soraya was still supposed to be sleeping blissfully. He headed for the elevator and went down to the breakfast room, he still had about an hour and a half before meeting up with his other colleagues to go to the dig. He saw others from the group sitting at a small table who called his name and he approached, once Tucker, the only one with whom he had formed a firm friendship, was seated, he told him:
- I saw that you formed a deep friendship with Soraya.
He nodded, it was not the topic he thought he would start the day with, least of all if it was questions about his private life, but he also could not think that yesterday's outing had gone unnoticed, and to deflect the conversation he replied:
- Yes, we are getting to know each other better. Have you consulted the maps for the excavations? Where do you plan to start? I before I leave have to meet Osahar Gamal in Qena and I promised Soraya to take her to the Khonshu temple.
In the group of his colleagues, besides Tucker the rest were just acquaintances and except for one co-worker whom he could not stand because of his arrogant brazenness:
- I see you have a lot in common; hadn't you written an article on Khonshu for that university paper years ago? You had gotten particular feedback from what I remember. Surely Soraya will hang on your every word when you enter the topic - he said sarcastically - I should do the same, in case I find someone who is crazy about my work.
Arthur looked at him; he had never liked the guy, so much so that he could not even remember his name. He was the busybody, he wanted to mind other people's business while holding back well from ever saying anything about himself.
- Yes, of course, I certainly didn't discover hot water, and she is aware of that, they were just studies that I have always done that directed me to a little-known deity.
- And did you end last night on a positive note? - he continued with malice - If it still doesn't go down I can see that you did a really good job. She has potential, and then those who already know her on the faculty say she has a way with words, so I wondered if it was the same in deeds.
The inappropriate joke only made him laugh, the others at the table each continued their own business except Arthur who continued to look at him and with slight annoyance at hearing him say those things. In fact she had done nothing at all that night except for dinner and not because she had no desire to do so, but she was just waiting for the right moment and if dinner had amazed her she also wanted for that occasion to be special or at least to be less mechanical in thinking: dinner = sex. She was not an animal and would not release her male impulses that way.
- So Harrow? Just as long as you haven't stunned her with the story of Kh-.
- I don't think it's the most appropriate topic- he cut it short- and out of respect even for her I don't want to go into details of what we did or didn't do.
- Did you go blank? There's no reason to answer like that.
- Oh no, actually it was great - Soraya rested her hands on Arthur's shoulders - he doesn't need to mark his territory like you do. Almost like a dog pissing on every lamppost, because that's how you do it in the faculty, you approach all the female colleagues in the hope of catching something, but I don't think you then get anything in return. And so you go on looking for a new lamppost and then another one.
Arthur saw him get up abruptly from his chair flushed in the face and stepped in front of Soraya who stood behind him and said:
- What do you think you are doing? You asked for it, don't rail at her.
- She told me I like a dog pissing on lampposts.
- Luckily she said it ironically, I sure would have said it even more disgracefully. If there is such a rumor going around in the faculty I would say that you should do some self-examination on yourself and if you have a shred of self-respect and don't want to feed rumors that would put your figure as a researcher in a bad light I would say it's about time you behaved differently.
- Do you know what they say about you? - pointed his finger at him - Do you know? That you're a strange guy, always keeping to yourself.
- It is called confidentiality, at least I always called it that.
He took leave of the other colleagues taking Soraya with him, when they were dismissed he looked at her and she said:
- He hits on anyone, I think it's enough for him to just breathe and it's okay.
- Yes, I heard something about that too, but to say it to his face like that is a cruel act.
- Did you eat I guess...
- Yes, I took something, it would be good if you took something too.
Soraya walked over to the buffet table and with tongs picked up a croissant which she placed on a saucer and poured a pineapple juice into her glass, bit her lip and glancing sidelong at Arthur's blue eyes said:
- I'm sorry if I put you in awe, in case they think things they shouldn't about you.
- Oh you know, I would really enjoy sharing that experience with you - he replied with a slight blush on his face - I don't think there is anything wrong in saying that.
Soraya smiled without looking up, Arthur saw for the first time some tender embarrassment and also her cheeks blushing, they sat down at a small table for two and he told her:
- I think I will stay a few more days here, I have to go to Qena to talk to an Egyptologist, so I will come back a few days later than you and the others. On the way back, on the flight stay close to Tucker, he is reliable, I don't want to ... don't even know the name that seeing that you are alone becomes inappropriate towards you.
- Benjamin Lucas...dog piss, I mean.
- Dog piss - Arthur repeated, smiling.
Arriving at the excavation Arthur took his tape recorder and after lowering himself to get a better look at the relic piece pressed the button saying " The finding is large in size, the compound is limestone, it has splits and...there are clearly visible hieroglyphics. There is a deep split in the right side that falls into the underside from where you can see an internal hole." - he paused, pulled a soft brush from his breast pocket, gently dusted the surface of the find still glimpsing a hieroglyphic inscription - "Interesting, the inscription is a veritable hymn to Horus and Anubis with references to the mummification ritual and propitious offerings on one side, while on the other..." - he moved next to the other section of the find - " It continues with the rite to expel - he gave another stroke of the brush - I can't believe it, maybe I got the translation wrong...Khonshu?!
Arthur stood up and looked with his eyes for where Soraya was with the camera, he saw her near Tucker, called out to her and she looked up and answered with a nod. She walked away from Tucker and when she was near him he said:
- Can you take pictures of the find in length, if you can highlight the hieroglyphs on this side well.
- Certainly - she quickly loaded the roll of film before taking the picture- what did you find interesting?
- I don't want to get out of line, just between you and me, but it is the ritual by which they expelled Khonshu by relegating him to the Karnkak temple.
Soraya lowered her camera and looked at Arthur in amazement, then got on her knees and took pictures and said in a low voice:
- They never mentioned this ritual, you on your research had made assumptions, but not to an expulsion.
- It could be so, the hieroglyphics on that part suggests that, but I need time, to have the relic to study along with other pieces that were found in Qena. Gamal, he contacted me a few days ago for this reason.
- I can't stay even if I wanted to or in short if you had asked me to.... I have to go back to the faculty.
Arthur continued to watch her photograph the relic; at breakfast he would have to tell her whether he wanted to stay or not, even a simple invitation that he knew from the beginning would be declined.
- I didn't want to put you on the spot with this request.
She shrugged, reloaded her camera, and again took pictures along the length of what probably could have been a tombstone. Khonshu Temple was miles away from where they were now, so how could that artifact be there? He looked around and picked up the maps he had left on the small easel he had set up and observed the territory. With a compass he drew a circle and by joining the various points between straight and parallel lines he formed a triangle pointing toward Luxor and Karnak.
" Let it be some kind of delimitation...beyond which Khonshu is rejected, if it was that beyond expulsion he was exiled far away," thought Arthur, indeed it made sense. Anyone who would have seen this ritual would have made it clear why Khonshu did not actually represent a deity like the others, but he did not understand why to expel a deity. The case of Isis and Osiris was fairly well known, but this was not at all, and if all this evidence with that of Osahar Gamal would give other clues, in case they were related finds, Arthur told himself that he was riding on a new Egyptian discovery. A discovery to which in many years he had not stirred up that much hype.
- What are you thinking about?
- Khonshu. What if he had committed something so serious that he was banned by the other deities?
- Arthur, you know that there is no firm evidence that they existed, you say so in your writings.
- I am speaking metaphorically.
- But why would they have done that?
- Let me go and see what Gamal has to show me and when I come back to the faculty I will know better.
Soraya nodded and when she was called again by Tucker she moved away from Arthur, brushing his arm and leaving him alone. He ducked down, he was looking well at the hieroglyphics and wiping them clean of the sand that the wind was constantly stirring, he turned sharply, he felt he was being watched again and he thought he saw something pass by out of the corner of his eye but again he found that there was no one there.