The Mummy: The Tomb Robbers' Secret

The Funeral in the Dark of the Night

They lay on their cots, side by side, gazing into the other's eyes, hands tightly clasped and leaning over to kiss and then kiss again.

"Go to sleep," Ardeth kissed her one last time then turned over. Soon his breathing was slow and even, leaving her free to think.

I wonder what this meant, she thought, if it meant anything. It cannot, can it? He doesn't fit into my world and I do not fit into his, yet we have had an affection for each other all our lives. We are two adults, free to do what we want—I could have refused him, but I did not want to. Where do we belong, anyway, where does this belong?

"In the desert," came a voice in her head, startling her. She looked around, wondering where the voice had come from, but afraid to know the answer. She could not deny that the words were probably true.

She rolled over on her side, resting her head on her arm. Fatigue washed over her and when she drifted off to sleep, she did not even realize she had closed her eyes.

She was gazing out into a night sky full of stars more ancient than time itself. As she watched a strange sight came into view, a crowd of people moving steadily, almost rhythmically, proceeding in the dead of night, but to where? This is strange, she thought, Egyptians feared the darkness, what are they doing?

The light of torches reflected off shiny metal helmets and spear tips. Oxen with gilded horns tied with ribbons pulled a great sledge on which rested a shiny golden coffin. A parade of women mourners followed, their black hair greyed with ashes and beating their bared breasts as they wailed.

They headed to the doorway of the hollowed-out chamber which still had fresh chips of limestone laying around its entrance. A high priest stood at the head of the procession, he wore a linen kilt with a leopard skin tied around his shoulders, his shaven head seeming to reflect the light of the torches. He entered first, saying something she could not understand, no one had ever heard ancient Egyptian being spoken.

As priests swung censors of burning incense around the sarcophagus four men brought in the coffin and slowly lowered it in. Unguents heavy with the scent of cedar were poured over the coffin and wreaths were laid carefully on top of it.

The priest seemed to bark an order and a group of slaves wrestled the sarcophagus lid into place. Grave goods, some glittering with gold, were brought in and placed in the tomb for the use of the deceased in the afterlife. Slowly the procession filed out and guards stood by as the last of the possessions were placed in the tomb.

Then, suddenly, darkness. She heard the rattle of lime chips and rubble being used to fill the corridor. The doorway was sealed with mud and inscribed with the seal of the three jackals that guarded the dead.

She opened her eyes and sat up, seeing nothing but the darkness of the cave. The cool air now seemed cold as she felt a frisson of cold air sweep down her back like the touch of a finger. This tomb, which had at first seemed a welcome refuge from the heat, now began to feel dark and sinister. And she was cold.

She rose from the cot and went to their pile of clothes and wrapped Ardeth's outer robe around her, but she still felt the bone-chilling cold. And worse, she became aware that something was in the cave, something that hid from view but had touched her, it was watching her making sure she knew it was there.

"Why are you awake?" Ardeth asked her crossly. She looked over and saw him sitting up on his cot, "You should be resting."

"We have to get out of here, we're not alone, something, I don't know what, is in this cave. I had a dream, or maybe it was a vision, I don't know. I saw mourners, priests, and a gilded coffin on a sledge hauled through the desert and brought here. He must have been someone important, but I saw no name, I even saw the seal of the necropolis placed on the entrance. There must something special about this tomb and a reason why the deceased did not give his name, even for the last rites."