The New Night Guard

Chapter 8

May was pacing in the Egyptian room when Ahkmenrah woke up, though she was so focused on the book she was reading that she didn't realize he was awake until he said, "You're quite good at that, reading and walking at the same time without running into anything. What is it you're reading?"

May smiled, "I've been able to read and walk since I was probably ten or eleven, got the nick name Belle in school. This is a copy of a diary written by my great, great grandmother, I actually just found what I was looking for, confirmation of the origin of a family heirloom," she replied then asked, "So how does the tablet work if a mannequin of a person is just to be some random person from a time period, not a specific historical person, like Teddy or Sacagawea, what determines who's memories they wake up with?"

"From what I've seen its a little unpredictable, with Attila's men they awoke with the memories of Attila's most trusted friends who would have often been at his side in life. Other's will awaken with general memories of the time period they were from, but not the memories of anyone who was ever alive. Then others will awaken with the memories and behavior of what people thought they would be like at the time they were made. Which explains the Neanderthals, while modern research has proven they would have been just as intelligent as humans were in their time, when they were made it was believed that they were far less intelligent and those beliefs seem to have been imprinted on them. However that's only if everything on them, clothes to the smallest piece of jewelry is a reproduction. If they have anything at all that belonged to someone who once lived, then they'll wake up with the memories of that person," Ahkmenrah explained, when a grin spread across May's face he asked, "You have someone you want to meet?"

"They're bringing in an American Revolution exhibit this week. My favorite many greats grandfather, Jacob Kreager, fought in the Revolution and this diary confirms that the powder horn I have at home did belong to him," May told him excitedly.

"You have a favorite grandfather that you've never met?" Ahkmenrah asked.

"I've heard it's perfectly normal for a genealogist to feel really close to random grandparent's they've never met or even know much about," May replied.

"So this isn't just a family heirloom with rumors attached to it, you've actually done research and traced your family back to one of the Revolutionary War soldiers?"

May smiled, "Not just one, he's my favorite grandfather and I'm lucky enough to have something that belonged to him, but I know of a lot of my grandfathers who fought in the war."

"A lot? How many is a lot?" he asked.

Grinning at the excuse to brag a bit about her second favorite part of her family tree, second only to her Native American grandparents, she said, "I don't remember the exact number, I always have to go through the list. There was George Debolt, Abraham Teagarden, William Harris, Phillip Lindley, William Logan, William Wagstaff, Phillip Bortner and Phillip Schellhammer. I think that's all of them, but I have several branches of the family tree that haven't been traced back that far. Then you have Wagstaff's great grandson William Courtney who was only seventeen at the time and two of his older brothers Elzy and James, Harris's grandson, John Harris and Bortner's great grandson Samuel Bordner and his brother Hugh who all fought in the Civil War and are my grandfathers."

"You come from quite a long line of warriors, it's an impressive heritage. You clearly have great admiration and pride in your heritage, your face lights up when you talk of them, but how do you know so many branches of your family?" Ahkmenrah asked.

"Come up to the library with me and I'll show you," May told him as they left the Egyptian room.

"Are those all the warriors in your family?" Ahkmenrah asked.