Plauged

Chapter One

Chapter 1

     I avoid the palace as much as possible. That hag’s eerie story of Moses frightened me. I was  relieaved when she died; she deserved it, telling young children about murderous princes. Its been years and the even the thought of Moses coming back still haunts me.

     Rashidi and I walked threw the market place as we often did; he read me his lesson scroll, I would half heartedly listen. Out of nowhere my younger bother and two of his friends ran past us pushing us out of the way.

   “Hey! And the purpose of that was...?” I yelled at him.

  “Dendara!” he exclaimed. “The…. Army…come….Zeki…” he said in between huffs. Then he dashed to the docks.

    “The army is returning home!” I said. “That is great news.”

     “Yay,” Rashidi said sarcastically.

    “You have not seen your bother in two years. Are you not happy?”

    “Overjoyed,” he scowled.

     Zeki was Rashidi’s older bother; he was not the kindest, in fact he treated Rashidi like his personal assistant most of the time. He was the golden child of their family, good looks, athletic, charming. Reshidi on the other hand; was skinny, awkward, and is more  fit for a temple arther then a battle field. 

   “Come on we could beat the crowd to the docks!” I said, already braking into a run. We raced all the way to the river bank. He won, he is scrawny but quick. 

    “Are you ever going to join the army?”  I ask. Reshidi shook his head. “Why?”

   “Well Zeki tried to teach me what he learned once…”

    “Yes?”

     “And I couldn’t do any of it! I’m just no good at it, at anything...” He said angrily.

    “You are good at reading.” I said optimistically. He looked at me with a smile.

    “Yeah, you’re right. I will be a scribe.”

    “An amazing scribe!” I corrected.

The ship passed us, and the whole city screamed its greetings. We spotted Zeki with my brother, Pottipher, on his shoulders. I called him over to where we were.

   “Dendara,” greeted Zeki “my you have grown, and still associating with my little brother I see.”

He gave me a hug, and rubbed Rashidi’s head. He glared at his brother, he always hated it when he did that.

   “I’m not a little kid anymore Zeki.” Rashidi said crossly.

   “You look little from where I am sitting.” Pottipher mocked from Zeki’s shoulders. I glared at him.

   “What?” he asked innocently “onward to home.” He yelled thrusting his fist in the air.

Once we arrived at Rashidi’s house, we all said our greetings. I told everyone that we should have a welcome home feast.

   “Yes, and it shall be a wonderful feast grander then that of Pharaoh’s,” Zeki exclaimed, “So grand people will think, ‘I must put this on a wall so it shall be known for eternally.’”

      One of my dreams is to be painted on a wall, the story of my life engraved for eternity into limestone with pictures and hieroglyphics. But nothing happens to me that is interesting enough to be painted.