Desert Curses

Walking catastrophe

Authors note: so we get to see some sibling interaction in this one. Hope you all enjoy. :)

Evelyn stood using the rings of the ladder in the absentminded manor that someone with years worth of using it did. She mumbled to herself each book she placed on the shelf in the designated spot.

"... Volumn 1 2 and 3- Tutmoses? What are you doing here" she stuffed the rest of the books atop the line of books in front of her. "I'm going to put you where you belong!"

Her head of curly black brown locks kept back by a bun swiveled about. "T. . . T aha t "

She leaned out dangerously over the aisle focused only on the proper place of the book. And suddenly the ladder shifted to stand straight up into the air.

"Ohhhh!" She yelled in fright.

That was exactly how Darcy , walked in desert dust and smelling off from days of travel, found her dearest older sister.

"Evie!" She moaned in exasperation knowing her sister hadn't changed what so ever in the past six months.

"Help" Evie's hazel eyes latched onto her simmering green.

As she rushed over to stabilize her sister heart in her throat Evie lost her balance and twirled about to slam into the book case she had been working on. Darcy let out a cry of worry and watched after she had reached Evie and hauled her up into her feet as the books tumbled like dominos.

"Oops" she mumbled taking off her glasses.

"Oh Evie " she sighed dusting off her sisters brown skirts back.

"Wha-what!" The museum curator cried in alarm. His dark eyes landed on the two siblings. "Give me frogs! Flies! Locusts! Anything but you! Compared to you the other plagues were a joy! You! Your a walking catastrophe!" His arms slung about as he walked nearer.

"Why do I put up with you!?" He asked hands on his hips.

Darcy nudged her sisters arm as a warning not to answer that question. And yet she went on.
"Well- well you put up with me because I can read and write ancient Egyptian. I can decipher hieroglyphics and hieratic. And why I am the only one with in a thousand miles that can properly catalogue and categorize this library! That's why!" She huffed indignantly.

"I put up with you because your mother and father were our finest patrons. Allah rest their souls. Clean up this mess!"

He walked away mumbling expletive in Arabic.

"Such an interesting man. " she said patting her sister on the back. "Come on old mom lets get cleaning" she said

"Oh Darcy! It so good to see you I wish it would have been at a better time. "

"It's alright Evie our family has always had a bit of clumsy bad luck. " she said moving out of the hug to start righting the books and shelves.

An odd sound had Evie wondering off to one of the show case rooms. She shook her head at the sight. Evie was one to learn the hard way. And even then sometimes she didn't learn. She continued working on the huge mess.

**********************************
Evie crept to a torch holding it high in the dim light of the showcase room.

"Hello?" She called hesitantly. "Abdul? .... Bob?"

She walked closer and closer to where the casket with the sound of soft movement coming from within. She was just close to leaning over when out popped the skeleton from inside.

"Ohhhhhha" the sound of familiar laughter joined her.

"Aha aha" her brother popped up.

"Oh Jonathan do you have no respect for the dead?"

"It's not that I have no respect for the dead it just sometimes Evie I would much rather join them. " he laughed until she smacked him erratically and laid the corpse down in its original resting place.

"Get out before you ruin my career the way you've ruined yours" he attempted to get out of the casket but in his drunken state put pressure on his groin making him wince and stumble out.

"I'll have you kn-know my career is at a high point

"Jon!" Darcy called rushing over to her brother wrapping him in a warm hug and doing the same to Evie.

"Darcy what's wrong with your arm?" He asked noticing her limited movement of the wounded arm.

"Nothing just fell from Ali nothing to worry about how are you? Drunk and high on life as expected?"

"Doing well! Your the one with an actual dig that could lead to a major discovery! Why aren't you there?"

Darcy winced knowing that her brother wasn't the suspicious sort but he tended to ask all the right questions.

"There was some problems with the workers. We are taking a break from digging. Nothing to worry over. " she laughed off his concern.

"Well I have just the thing to cheer both of you up!"

"Oh Jonathan none of your nonsense now I've just made a bit of a mess in the library and Darcy has just arrived back she's awfully tired. " evie's mother tone came out " if I have to try to sell one more of your senseless baubles to the curator I-"

She and even Darcy paused when he pulled out a little hieroglyph box. Evie reached for it studying it carefully before fiddling with it. Darcy simply watched in avid curiosity as the box clicked open.

"Tell me girls tell me I've finally found something.

"Jonathan I think you've found something" they both chimed.