𝐓𝐇𝐄 𝐍𝐈𝐆𝐇𝐓 𝐖𝐄 𝐌𝐄𝐓 ; ahkmenrah

three.

Two men approach him cautiously, very similar in appearance. If Ahkmenrah had to guess, he'd say they were father and son. Both of their eyes are darting between him and the girl behind him. The older man focuses on him after a moment and says, "You went to Cambridge?"

"I was on display in the Egyptology Department," Ahkmenrah replies. And then he remembers he hasn't introduced himself. He can practically hear his mother scolding him in his head. "I am Ahkmenrah, fourth king of the fourth king, ruler of the land of my fathers." Well, before my brother murdered me, anyway.

The older man nods awkwardly. "Uh, I am Larry," he says, pointing to himself, "son of...Milton..." He points to the younger man--boy, really--beside him. "And this is my son, Nick. We hail from...Brooklyn."

Nick gives Ahkmenrah a tiny wave, accompanied by an awkward smile. (He gets it from his dad, reader.)

"Well, I do," Larry corrects himself. "I mean, he comes out and stays with me on Wednesdays and every other weekend. That was the...custody agreement that we had."

Ahkmenrah hasn't understood a single thing he's said for the past forty seconds.

"Uh, hi." The girl steps away from the pillar and toward Ahkmenrah, a tiny smile on her face now. "I'm Luna. You're--you're really Ahkmenrah? The actual pharaoh Ahkmenrah?"

"I am." Ahkmenrah nods to her. This conversation is a delightful excuse for him to stare at her without being rude. She really is stunning.

"You're not...wax?"

"I wasn't last time I checked." He gives her a wry smile. "And I will say, I'm a lot better-looking at night than when the sun comes up, all things considered."

The girl--Luna--laughs, and Ahkmenrah thinks it's the most beautiful sound in the world. He can't believe he was cooped up in that stifling sarcophagus for all those years, while the world around him went on and on. He didn't realize how much he missed human conversation until now.

Ahkmenrah turns to the two men, Larry and Nick. "Well, Larry, Nick--" He looks back at Luna and smiles-- "Luna--guardians of Brooklyn, I am forever in your debt." And now for the dramatic request... "Now bestow the tablet upon me, so that I may assume command of my kingdom."

Larry raises his eyebrows, then nods understandingly. "Oh, yes. Okay, the tablet. I would love to bestow it upon you, but we don't actually..." He pauses awkwardly. "Have it."

Oh, dear.

"Actually, I'm a little confused," Luna says, tilting her head to the side and frowning. "What exactly is going on with this tablet thing?"

"Well, like I said before, the tablet is magic," Larry says. "It brings everything to life at night."

"I think I got that part." Luna looks pointedly at Ahkmenrah, who notices that her eyes shine like a thousand stars and is very pleased about this discovery. "But who are those old guys and why do they want it?"

Larry sighs and explains that the three "old guys", as Luna said, are the former night guards that used to work at the museum, Cecil, Gus, and Reginald, and just like the tablet gives all the exhibits life at night, it gives them renewed vitality. When they heard that the museum was going to fire them to cut back on costs, they realized they couldn't live without the energy the tablet gave them, so they decided to steal it, which Ahkmenrah thinks is a bit rude, if he's honest.

"Okay, so hang on," Nick says, running a hand through his hair and looking entirely lost. "The tablet's magic only works at night, right?"

"Yes," Ahkmenrah and Larry say at the same time.