Son of Egypt - The Short Story

Part 15

It's a terrible sensation. I move my legs and arms in the air as my lungs seem to escape from the rib cage, it's hard to breathe. My heart jumps fast, my mouth goes dry.

During the freefall, I wonder what I'll feel when I arrive in the sunken tomb. Will the water cushion my body or kill me with the impact? Will I have a quick death or will it be slow and painful? What will happen to me? Will I sink immediately?

What about Anhuren? What happened to him? Did the evil kill him? Is it my fault? Anhuren is a god—or an embodiment of a god. He'll go to the afterlife, I assume, and I... I don't know if I'll gain eternal life. I've never thought about it before, after all I'm very young. Even with my father's death, I haven't thought about it. I haven't had time to think about anything because I've been too busy mourning my losses.

I think of my mother. We have problems but... she doesn't deserve it. She has tried hard during these few days. She will look for me; she won't find me. I wonder if she'll blame herself for my disappearance. I've said that I wanted to return to London. I've been mean to her.

Guilt possesses me, I'm repentant; I've mistreated my mother. I wish I had an opportunity to apologize. Maybe I deserve this fate.

An explosion of light blinds me. A squeak echoes in the well. No, it's more like a cry full of pain. Light involves me as hands holding my body. I feel cold water touching my back, but I don't sink in the water, on the contrary, I float in the air. No, I'm not floating, I'm flying, the light is carrying me to another part of the Sphinx.

Air escapes my lungs when I touch and roll on the ground. The intensity of the light diminishes and I see a golden falcon landing a few feet from me. The bird seems on fire. He squeaks, as if trying to tell me something or ask something.

Mesmerized by its beauty, I walk toward the bird with dropped open mouth. I stretch my arm; my fingertips skim the golden soft feathers. "Where are you come from?" I whisper.

The intensity of the light diminishes more and the golden falcon transforms into a man who I know very well, or I'd like to know very well if he had the same feelings for me. Anhuren.

He grasps my hand, stopping my strokes—my skin tingles. "Are you hurt?" he asks.

I shake my head slowly. I'm too astonished to manage a word. My knees fold a little, for a moment I think I'll faint.

"Can you move?" He encourages me to walk a few steps and then move faster.

After a few minutes, I ask, "How did you do that?"

"It's the power of the Eye of Horus. That was the Golden Hawk of Horus." He stops in front of the wall.

"Are you saying that a blue stone can transform you into a hawk? What else?" I stop next to him. I want him to look at me and explain how that magical stone works.

"It isn't a blue stone, Adele. It's the Eye of Horus. It also gives me wisdom," he answers as he walks along the wall reading the hieroglyphs.

I hold his hand, catching his attention. "I thought you were dead." My voice fails at the end.

He holds my face with both hands. "Nothing will hurt you, Adele. I'll protect you with my life. You are important to die."

My heart thumps fast inside my chest due to his touch, proximity, and words. I am important. Is he saying that... Before I have time to reply, he breaks visual contact, returns his attention to the wall, and withdraws his warm hands.

"Do you see these symbols?" He points to a man with an eye over his head, he is seated behind a stair, I assume. "Osiris. We are near his tomb," Anhuren concludes.

He turns toward the sunken tomb with a worried expression. "We don't have much time. Let's go."

I turn around. "This is a dead end. The only way is to return to the sunken chamber."

He shakes his head. "No, the hieroglyphs point to the opposite side. We must climb down the stairs."

I lift my palms. "Which stairs? I just see walls."

He holds my hand and walks to the wall taking me with him. He positions the other hand on the wall and chants in a low tone. I keep looking to the wall while it fades in front of me.

"These stairs," he says.

Anhuren snaps his fingers, light illuminates the way. We climb down the stairs. Anhuren holds my hand so firm that my bones click, it's painful. I don't complain. I don't want to fall in another well.

At the bottom, we find what looks like a temple. As we go forward, his light illuminates our way and reveals the stunning large space. It is big. Assuming it's safe to explore the place by myself, I release Anhuren's hand and walk between pylons and statues—they are huge. I wonder who built it under the Sphinx.

"It's impossible!" I babble. "They built the Sphinx above the temple to hide it, to protect it, to protect Osiris." This is the only conclusion I reach.

I wonder how many thousands of years have passed since the construction of this place. I wonder how it was possible. The architecture, objects, sculptures, stories carved and painted on the walls are impressive.

"It's impossible!" I repeat.