PYRAMID ESCAPE

S H I R L E Y L I A O , B B S Z

Icy fingers gripped my arm in the darkness, but, no one should be in here, a secret passage inside the Khufu Pyramid, with the entrance door that I just closed.

“Who…” I asked in a shivering voice, holding the torch tightly as grabbing the only hope in this room, while slowly, painfully, turning my head, expecting—no, dreading—to find something unnatural, something long-dead and restless waiting behind me. In fact, during those seconds, I was already prepared for the worst.

It was such a relief to me when I saw a girl, a living person. She was about 21, 22, red hair (which was little hard to determine because of the lack of light), as well as a gorgeous face, a typical western face with impressive beauty, just like every girl I’ve met in America. However, her skin was pale, and her eyes framed by dark circles that hinted at exhaustion. “Maybe it’s because of the longtime trip to Egypt. She’s probably jet-lagged." I guessed.

She smiled, with a bit of excitement flickering in her light blue eyes: “Oh no, I’m sorry that I might’ve scared you! I’ve been observing you for a long time and watching you opening this secret door. And I was like: So cool! How did you do that! Then I just quickly followed you and got into here. By the way, I’m Laverna, nice to meet you!”

The girl seemed to be very delightful, almost too cheerful for the oppressive gloom surrounding us.

“I'm Mallory.” I pointed at the map I used to guide me here, which was made by ancient papyrus, with uneven crinkles, rough texture, a faint, musty scent of ancient earth. It was preserved well in a transparent folder due to its fragility. “I found the secret entrance by this map, inside a crack of a Sphinx statue, from the ancient Egypt exhibition in the museum of my university. It says if we follow the instruction, we can find the old ancient Egyptian pharaoh—Khufu’s body.”

Laverna’s eyes lit up. “Then what are you waiting for? Let’s go and find out!” Laverna just grabbed my hand and pulled me deeper into that mysterious and endless passage. Her touch was ice-cold.

The surroundings got darker, and colder, our footsteps echoed in the silence. I tried to slow down, but Laverna pressed forward, ignoring my hesitation. “Hey, wait, I’m not even sure if this is real.” She stopped and turned abruptly, impatience flashing across her face. “What?

“The map, it shows the mummy is, is beneath the pyramid. That’s not where Pharaohs are typically buried.” I stammered.

To my surprise, Laverna snickered, and then she gazed at me: “Well, Mallory, I see your concern. People always believe that “pharaohs’ tombs were placed in designated rooms inside the pyramids, known as the burial chamber. However, most of the pharaohs’ mummies weren’t found in those rooms but were excavated in the places that are outside of the pyramid and deep underground, such as the Valleys of the Kings. It’s… unusual, but reasonable if Khufu chose to place his body under his pyramid.”

So that’ll explain why archaeologists only found a burial chamber with an empty tomb, which was meant to hold Khufu’s body.” But I’m still confused: “If the pyramid had been built, everything was prepared, why would his people move his mummy to somewhere else?”

“I was told that… No, I’ve heard of a story: Just like other pharaohs, due to the fear that others will damage the mummy and prevent the connection to the afterlife, Khufu, at the very end of his life, asked his closest priest to keep his real burial site hidden. Khufu foreseen that not only the grave robber, but his future political rivals, even his successors, like his son Khafre, might try to desecrate his tomb because they believed Khufu’s pyramid may challenge their authorities in reign." She started moving forward again, and in a faster way. I still couldn’t understand why she got to hurry.

“You seem to be an expert on it, don’t you. “I asked her while following.

“I study Egyptology.”

During that period, people in America were crazy about ancient Egypt because of the thrive of Ancient Egypt exploration. But most of them only read news that reported where and how those things were discovered. A few people really chose to dedicate their careers to it, and Laverna seemed to be one of them.

However, the further we walked, the stranger Laverna became. She knew far too much about this place, more than any of those casual Egyptologists.

“So which university are you in?”

“I’ve already graduated for a long time.”

I was impressed. Because she was so young, and for me, I was still doing the undergraduate course. “Really?! then you’re working on, your master's degree?”

“No. I’ve made a huge mistake, and it confined me...” Laverna paused, “for years.”

“What happened?”

She didn’t answer me but pointed at the end of the passage:” we’ll soon arrive.”

On the rest of the way, we both kept silent. I was guessing what mistake she made, but obviously, she didn’t want to talk about that.

“We reached the end of the passage. Under the shimmering lights of the torch, I vaguely saw something. As we moved closer, the item in that secret room became clear to see it was a coffin, with a cover that was opened and put aside.

My blood ran cold.

“What’s that, Laverna? It wasn’t closed!” I almost yelled because I was scared: Laverna said Khufu’s mummy had been moved to a secret place where nobody should know, but apparently someone had been here before.

“Calm down Mallory, it’s fine.” She held my hand tightly. The lights of the torch reflected in her eyes.

“No, I thought I’m the only one who made myself here because I’m the only one that has the map. It’s just so strange…”

“Come on, you gotta be kidding with me. We’re literally in front of him and you said you decided not to do it?”

“Ok Laverna. I trust you.”

Stepping into that area, holding the torch, Laverna observed it as she studied an item in her Egyptology lecture.

However, I closed my eyes instantaneously after having a glimpse at the mummy, while the image of a centuries-old and decayed corpse was already engraved on my mind: The shrunken skin under the yellowed linen bandages, the long and skeletal arms that crossed in front of the chest, the empty hollows on the face that used to be the eyes and mouth, and the weird smell that combined decomposition and perfume that were used in mummification.

It was the most eerie and unsettling scene I’ve ever seen in my life, something that would haunt me in my nightmare, reminding me death and curses.

I opened my eyes and turned to Laverna, and she was also staring at me simultaneously, and coldly.

“Laverna, it’s the time to go. I, I just can’t stay here for another second.”

Suddenly, I felt a searing pain through my left hand, so intense that my screaming kept echoing in the passage. Terror swallowed me when I looked down: there was a long, deep cut right in the center of my palm; the dark, and almost blackened blood, was pouring all the way down to my elbow; and dripping onto the worn bandage of the mummy----with each crimson bead sinking into the linen, just like a terrible offering ceremony.

I froze. My legs refused to move, my mind numb with shock. I looked at Laverna again, coldness still existed in her eyes, but fright and fear gradually occupied over them. “I’m sorry.” She whispered, her voice trembling. “I wasn’t meant to do this.”

Before I could process what she said, she turned around, and began running.

I immediately chose to chase her since I didn’t want to be left there with the mummy.

“Laverna, what happened?! Wait!”

"I don’t have a choice. He forced me!” She didn’t slow down at all.

“Who, tell me! Who is he?” I was scared.

“You are not the only one who has the map. I came here, and, met him. He, he needed someone to sacrifice for him!” She kept saying, while nearly reaching the exit. I was still far behind, struggling to keep up.

She threw herself at the heavy stone door and pulled by using all her strength. It opened, with the creaky sound. The sunshine went in. The wind rushed in, made the dust floats.

I coughed and walked towards her: "What the hell are you talking about!” I couldn’t see the reason why she behaved so oddly.

“I’m just trying to escape. Forgive me, please! I really want to go back.” She gazed at me and said it desperately, but I still took it as a joke and rolled my eyes.

She sighed. As she stepped out of the pyramid, something happened: her body, from her foot to legs, back and finally, her head, every part just dissolved into fine particles, swept away by the wind, and disappeared into the air.

“It was impossible—she was just here.”

Quickly followed and went out, but still, I couldn’t see anything, except the vast, empty desert.

Walking in the sand, thinking about the experiences that happened just now, and I trying to comfort myself: “Everything is my illusion. I made up a partner. It’s just because of my fear!” But the wound in my hand was still there: deep, raw, and real. “Maybe it was a snake bite.”

Walking to the city beyond, I saw the sunshine, through the clouds, sprinkled on the earth and formed beams, together into the shape of a pyramid.

I just enjoyed that present moment, warm and safe.

The peace was disturbed by a melody, which I recognized at once though I never heard it before: it was an ancient Egyptian style song.

- A curious girl,

- traveled across thousand miles,

- to find a legendary tomb.

- Accidentally triggered the mummy's curse:

- It asked for a drop of human blood to revive,

- but she will be trapped forever.

- The desire for freedom,

- made her decide to wait,

- wait for the next prey.

- the door to the real world is now closed,

- with the innocent victim,

- wandering in the sand.

- One after another,

- the ancient curse,

- ever, for ever

I found out the city was still in distance, as if it could never be reached.

“It’s a mirage. A trick of the desert. A cruel illusion.” From a voice behind me.

I turned around:

Something was walking towards me.

To be specific, it was a mummy, taking off its bandages.