Kids in the Museum

Mission to Mexico

All they could see was a street. A busy street with some buildings.

"Where are we?" Melanie asked. "Why aren't we back at the Metropolitan Museum?"

Imhotep looked worried but Cameron grinned. "I told you. We don't have to stay at the same museum forever."

"Then which museum are we at?!" Melanie demanded.

Cameron looked around. "Uh..." there was no sign of a museum anywhere.

"Where are we?" Melanie asked.

Imhotep looked around. He wasn't Mistoffelees anymore- he was a lion! He was dressed as the cowardly lion from the Wizard of Oz!

"This is a sign," Imhotep said. "That I'm getting closer to a human and we're around the same decade this movie came out."

"So... 1940s?" Melanie asked.

"We've got that figured out," Cameron said. "But where..."

Melanie and Cameron looked at their clothes. Melanie was wearing a frilly peasant blouse with her shoulders showing and a long skirt. Cameron was wearing a striped suit.

"This is Mexican fashion," Melanie said. "We should be in Mexico during the 1940s!"

"You look like Frida Kahlo," Imhotep said to Melanie and smiled through his lion makeup when Cameron snapped his finger.

"The Frida Kahlo museum!" he said. He turned. It was a one-story square blue house with tall windows. "This should be where it was supposed to be built. It's going to be built in the future. Right nowc it looks like Ms Kahlo's home."

"Should we go in?" Imhotep asked.

"Maybe, let's knock first? I don't want to get arrested!" joked Cameron. He found the front door on the corner and knocked. While they waited, Cameron seemed to get a bit anxious. "Wait, what are we going to say if they answer?"

Before anyone could answer, the door opened. A tall, rather fat man answered the door. Cameron recognized him immediately as Diego Rivera, Frida Kahlo's husband. Diego Rivera was actually the much more famous artist during their time, and he was easily one of the most famous artists in the world in 1940.

"Okay, okay, you've found me, the famous Diego Rivera. What do you want?" the man asked.

"Um, sir, we're here to see Ms Kahlo," Cameron said. "Your beautiful wife."

Diego Rivera frowned. "You're not here to see me?"

"OF COURSE we're not here to see YOU!" Cameron said loudly and shoved him aside. He walked into the house and Melanie apologized.

"I'm sorry for my brother's rudeness, sir," she said. "We're here to see you, too!"

"You and this... lion?" Diego asked.

"Yes," Melanie locked arms with Imhotep and walked into the house.

"Okay, well, Frida's in the courtyard, painting," Diego said as he put his hands in his pockets and walked away. "Wait, what are your names?"

"I'm Melanie," Melanie said, "this is Imhotep, and my brother is Cameron."

"Chameleon?" Diego asked.

Melanie held back her laughter. "Cameron."

Cameron had already gone to the courtyard. Frida Kahlo was sitting down on a stool, painting on a canvas that was on an easel. It was a self-portrait with flowers.

"Oh, I know this one!" Cameron said. "It's-"

"Beautiful!" Melanie interrupted as she walked into the courtyard with Imhotep before Cameron could say the actual title of the artwork. "She's still painting it, it's not finished," she whispered to Cameron.

Frida turned to look at them, and stood up, walked over, and started to touch Imhotep's lion costume. At first, she didn't say anything, but just walked over, touched each one of them, one-by-one, until she went and sat back down at her stool.

"What interesting children you are," she said, facing them. "Why are you here?"

"This is where the Frida Kahlo museum is!" Cameron said proudly before Imhotep shoved him.

"What he means is," Melanie said, "we're here to see you."

"Me?" Frida looked surprised. "You should be here to see my husband."

"Oh, NO," Cameron said. "We're not here to see HIM, of course not, he's not that IMPORTANT!"

Melanie flushed and Imhotep shook his head.

"My husband, Diego, is one of the most famous artists in the world!" she laughed. "You really are curious children. Well, let me get a photo of you, I can use it for inspiration." She walked across the courtyard and disappeared into a door on the other side. She reappeared from the door nearest to where she had been sitting, this time holding a film camera.

"Stand over there, that's where the light's best," she said, pointing toward a wall near two sets of french doors. The three of them stood between the two sets of doors, with the sun blaring in their eyes. Imhotep touched his tail and did a sad little pose like the actual lion in The Wizard of Oz, and Melanie smiled and just stood there. Cameron, however, bent down in front of them and did a silly little pose where his fingertips were touching the top of his head and bowed his arms in arches, almost resembling elephant ears.

"Cameron!" Melanie said but continued smiling as Frida took the picture. Afterwards, Frida sighed and rolled her eyes at Cameron.

Frida seemed satisfied with her pictures, and disappeared back into the house. This time she emerged without the camera, and shortly after her a maid came out with cups of Mexican hot chocolate. It was sweet, and had spices like cinnamon and others that Cameron and Melanie didn't immediately recognize. Frida drank the cocoa in silence. Finally she spoke again.

"I find it funny that you came to my house to see me but don't really seem to have a lot to say," Frida said.

"Well, if you had known how far--" Cameron started.

"Oh and how long!" Imhotep interrupted.

"-- it took for us to be here, all the times and places we have been, you would appreciate how tired we are."

Just then Diego came into the courtyard and said, "Children. Come see my paintings."

Cameron's face fell. He quietly muttered, "Why?" but Melanie said, "We would love to."

Frida followed the three of them into the house again and looked at the artwork Diego had made. Melanie and Cameron didn't find it as exciting as seeing Frida's, but they still appreciated his work. His work was big and grand, and had big ideas. Hers was more quiet and contemplative.

After about 20 minutes Imhotep said, "Thank you for welcoming us, but we really must get going."

"Can we have both your autographs?" Melanie asked Diego and Frida, holding out a paper and pen, which was conveniently in her pocket.

After the artists had signed the paper, Melanie hugged Frida, who gave her a kiss on the cheek. Imhotep did the same, so did Cameron. Before leaving the house, Cameron said to Diego, "Treat your wife with more respect!"

He patted Diego on the belly and left the house.

"Where are we going now?" Imhotep asked.

"To the Louvre museum!" Cameron said. He took the autographed paper. "With this."

They grabbed ankhs and zapped away to France.