The Mummy: The Tomb Robbers' Secret

The Lost

"Oh my god," Roma said, then repeated, "Oh my god. Skeletons!" She dropped to her knees and shone the lantern around the chamber, "Three skulls, I don't see any more." She set the lantern on the floor then picked up a skull and examined it in the light. "This one's male, see the ridge on the brow?" She looked carefully at the other two, "All three are males, but I can't tell how old they might be until we bring them up and take them to the lab."

"They must have been tomb robbers," said Evie but Roma shook her head.

"They can't be. They were trapped behind the door and the shaft was filled. I think they were workers that were shut into the tomb to ensure their silence—forever. I wonder if someone killed them or if they were buried alive."

"I hope they weren't buried alive," she paused, "Let's get the sarcophagus to the surface, and then we can dig up the skeletons." The practical side of Evie bubbled to the surface under pressure.

"Yes," said Roma absently, unable to take her eyes from the skeletons. "I want to excavate these and make sure we don't get the bones mixed up." She reluctantly left the skeletons, even though they now held more fascination than the sarcophagus.

They took great care as they wrapped the sarcophagus in cotton sheeting and secured it with ropes. A second winch was added to keep it as stable as they could as they slowly raised it from the shaft. Roma and Omar, along with Evie and another workman, placed themselves in strategic places on the ladders to stop their prize from swinging wildly back and forth as they raised it to the surface.

Up, up, and up went the sarcophagus as the men slowly pulled on the ropes. Every so often one of the four would reach out a hand to steady it when it began to swing back and forth. Then the sarcophagus slowly resumed its journey to the surface as if a ghostly unseen hand was pulling it.

They scrambled up the ladder, eager to be there when it reached the surface. At last, the bundle came into view and they lifted the sarcophagus and removed it, stripping off the sheeting and ropes they were able to see the fine details of the decoration painted on the lid of the coffin.

"Get it into the pavilion, for now. We can't get it to Cairo until tomorrow--Evelyn, when did you say Rick would be back?" Roma rubbed the small of her back.

Evelyn glanced down at her watch, "Well, it should be any time now, he left before you woke up. Sorry," adding the implication that she had been part of the scheme was unspoken.

"I'm tired, it feels like I've had a long day but I need to get back down into the shaft and excavate the skeletons. Oh, how I wish all this were over. Are you coming with me, Evelyn?"

"No, I want to examine the sarcophagus. I'm sure it wouldn't hurt to remove the lid; don't you want to see what's inside?"

"Well, yes, but we shouldn't, not really, I need to get back down the shaft."

"Oh, come on," urged Evie, "It won't hurt to take a quick look. Those bones aren't going anywhere."

Roma sighed, knowing she was defeated. She summoned the photographer who set up tripods and cameras to get the best angles. The pavilion provided enough light that he would be able to take pictures without artificial aids. The photographer took a few photographs, then stepped back, and Roma and Evelyn came forward to examine the sarcophagus.

The wood was fragile but miraculously held together. There was no termite damage, no rotting as if the centuries in the sand had preserved it. Omar and Roma brushed the sand carefully from the surface, taking pains not to damage the centuries-old painted design.

The photographer renewed his task once the sand was removed from the surface. It was too bad the photos would not be in color, but the artist she had brought from Oxford was talented and would catch the finer details that the camera would not reveal.