The Mirror Of Bastet

Chapter 1: The black cat

Anna Nerutti

The tent shook as the wind began to wail against it. I was trying to write a letter to my daughter Akasma, about the amazing discovery I had made during the dig in Alexandria. We were studying a 2,000 year old temple that is thought to be the first temple made in that era to be dedicated to the great goddess Bastet. When I was studying some hieroglyphs on the walls I had noticed that one of the bricks was loose, when I tried to move the brick something clicked and a door opened in front of me. Like the archeologist I am I go in and investigate. To my surprise as I walked down the narrow old corridor the torches on the walls all lit one by one as I made my way down. The walls were covered with hieroglyphs and drawings of the ancient priestesses worshipping Bastet. I then stopped as I came to a peculiar drawing of Bast giving a priestess a mirror. Beside the picture was a drawing of a strong woman wearing a cat mask, and a type of staff. She looked like a warrior, but back then women weren't warriors so this made me wonder. I studied the walls, and started to decifer the hieroglyphs above the picture. They were faded with age but I tried to read them as best I could. It read that the great goddess Bastet had entrusted one of the priestesses with the mirror to find a girl who could be worthy of being her warrior and to save the world against the evil dark forces of Set. It said that when the chosen one looked into the mirror, Bastet would come and give her incredible power to defeat the evils of Set, and save mankind. I was amazed as I continued to read, it said that they had found a warrior and that she managed to banish Set to the underworld, but he also had made a mirror made to find a warrior to defeat her and free him from the underworld so he can take over the world. The warrior of bastet had fought against the dark warrior, but they were to evenly matched. While they were fighting she had flung him into the crocodile infested waters, where before he fell had grabbed her and they both were eaten alive by crocodiles.

It said that they had managed to find the girls body and buried her in a tomb with the mirror of Bastet. They also his the mirror of set deep in one of the tombs hidden. Away from anyone who could use it for evil.

As the text ended, I turned to see more when I saw that there was a dead end. The hieroglyphs had said this was the tomb of the warrior of bastet, yet there was no rooms anywhere just a long passage way that ended at a dead end. This puzzled me, but it was common for ancient Egyptians to have a false wall, to hide sacred things. This would be the case if they were trying to protect the mirror of Bast. I then ran my fingers along the wall trying to feel for any loose bricks or buttons. It was too dark to see the wall correctly so I grabbed a torch from the wall, but as I pulled it I heard a light click as the wall before me slid away reveilng a lit tomb Adorned with a golden sarcophagus in the middle of the room. I walked in slowly in awe, as I looked around the room. The walls were covered in hieroglyphs of Egyptian blessings, and then on the wall was a grand beautiful painting of the goddess Bast with her cats. Her eyes were so real and life-like they seemed to look into my very soul. As I recalled looking at the painted picture of bastet, the very detailed cat face on the well sculpted body of a woman. I then looked over to the sarcophagus that gleamed in the light of the torches. As I made my way towards it besides on the ground was a medium sized jeweled box. On the top was the face of a cat with sapphires as the eyes, and had scarubs beside the lock. I dropped to my knees as I ran my fingers of the designs of it. I then began to open it, until I saw something black jump onto the sarcophagus. As I looked up alert, my gaze was met with two glimmering green eyes. A black cat stared at me as I held the box. It seemed to be judging me, as its black tail waved back and forth. I then tried to coaxe the cat off the sarcophagus, when it jumped off and walked over towards me. Its eyes glareing at me as it began to speak. I was in complete shock as the cat spoke to me.

"Your not suppose to be here. No one disturbs the tomb of the warrior of Bastet, and steals the sacred mirror. I have defended this place from thieves such as you before." It hissed as it barred its sharp white teeth at me. My face grew pale as I couldn't believe my eyes, a talking cat protecting a tomb for 2,000 years was going to kill me.