The Pearl of the Sinai

1. PHARAOH

1.   PHARAOH

Egypt, year 2800 before Christ...Great Pharaoh Den was a stern man, whose big, deep-set eyes could turn into cruel slits when moved to anger and ferocity. There was no fear in him and he showed himself to his people as the only link between divinity and humanity. Nevertheless, behind closed doors he was no more than a man of flesh and blood, driven by insatiable carnal appetites, who used to take his pleasure among the wenches of the realm. Unfortunately, as years went by his untamed concupiscence only grew stronger, dragging him along the path to evil and turning him into a creature that could not tell the difference between divine and worldly actions; as a consequence, no woman was safe in that realm. The preparation for the temple ceremonies, which were considered sacred, started very early, at dawn. Some priests began their task by taking special care of the chosen maid: a piece of confectionery, a jewel, the engraving of her name on a stele of stone and a bathe on the sacred lake of the temple, that was all that was granted to her. In this way and for the space of a day, the maid turned into a beautiful goddess, unaware of the fact that she would be sacrificed to the temple god. Other men, likewise skilled in magic, concocted the sacred potion. Although its composition had never been revealed, it was believed to be brewed only with certain wild herbs, under some ancestral spells. After ingesting the potion, the maid experienced an odd desire to laugh, sing and dance; her restless mood was gone, and all sense of shame having vanished, she felt a strange excitement inside her being. Her muscles relaxed, her eyes shone and a smile appeared on her lips. The musicians, harpists and flautists, played their string or wind instruments, while a mysterious smell of incense wafted around the colorful engravings on the temple walls; statues became indistinct among spells, shadow and light blurring together, and a man no bigger than a child invoked aloud the temple god, Min. Exhibiting her naked body, bracelets and a gold belt her only ornaments, the chosen one began the sacred dance. With overpowering eroticism, the sensuous young woman danced like a goddess, swaying her hips with powerful and sinuous movements. The pharaoh, in admiration for such sensuality, did not take his eyes off her; almost in the manner of an enraged bloodthirsty lion, he fixed his young carnal prey. The maid rounded off her dance by falling on her knees and bowing her head as a sign of submission.  Now came the most important moment in the ceremony, the priests led the young woman to the holy of holies, a tiny chamber where the basalt statue of the god was kept. There, motionless like a rock, the young girl lay upon a stone pedestal and against all their expectations, fear did not cast its shadow over her face. Meanwhile the pharaoh sunk into a deep trance from which he emerged feeling more powerful in himself; nevertheless, as a counterpart, he had to offer the life of the chosen maid to god Min. To this end, the pharaoh resorted to the deadly Egyptian asp, the most lethal serpent of the realm. Its bite acted quickly, so death happened in an instant, with no pain or bruising. Just a weak eye movement and a faint sigh on her lips marked the end of her life.