بازگشت مومیایی فصل 14

Return of the Mummy - Chapter 14

A shocked silence fell over the room. I swallowed hard, stunned by my uncle’s words.

But then a broad smile crossed his face. “We made a mistake by underestimating our discovery!” he exclaimed. “This will be more important than the discovery of King Tut! This tomb is even grander!” A gleeful cheer echoed against the stone walls. The workers rushed forward to shake Uncle Ben’s hand and offer their congratulations.

“Congratulations to us all!” Uncle Ben declared happily.

We were all laughing and talking excitedly as we slipped through the narrow opening, into the next chamber.

As the lights beamed over the vast room, I knew I was seeing something I would never forget. Even the thick layer of dust and cobwebs could not cover the amazing treasures that filled the chamber.

My eyes darted quickly around. I struggled to focus on it all. But there was too much to see! I actually felt dizzy.

The walls were covered from floor to ceiling with hieroglyphics, etched into the stone. The floor was cluttered with furniture and other objects. It looked more like someone’s attic or a storeroom than a tomb!

A tall, straight-backed throne caught my eye. It had a golden, radiating sun etched into the seat-back. Behind it, I saw chairs and benches, and a long couch.

Against the wall were stacked dozens of stone and clay jars. Some were cracked and broken. But many were in perfect condition.

A gold monkey head lay on its side in the middle of the floor. Behind it, I saw several large chests.

Uncle Ben and one of the workers carefully pulled back the lid of one of the chests. Their eyes grew wide as they gaped inside.

“Jewelry!” Uncle Ben declared. “It’s filled with gold jewelry!”

Sari came up beside me, an excited grin on her face.

“This is awesome!” I whispered.

She nodded agreement. “Awesome!”

We whispered in the heavy silence. No one else talked. Everyone was too overwhelmed by the amazing sight. The loudest sound was the clicking of Nila’s camera.

Uncle Ben stepped between Sari and me and placed a hand on our shoulders. “Isn’t this unbelievable?” he cried. “It’s all in perfect condition. Untouched for four thousand years.” When I glanced up at him, I saw that he had tears in his eyes. This is the greatest moment of Uncle Ben’s life, I realized.

“We must be very careful—” Uncle Ben started. But he stopped in midsentence, and I saw his expression change.

As he guided Sari and me across the room, I saw what he was staring at. A large stone mummy case, hidden in shadow, stood against the far wall.

“Oh, wow!” I murmured as we stepped up to it.

Made of smooth, gray stone, the heavy lid had a long crack down the center.

“Is the prince buried inside it?” Sari asked eagerly.

It took Uncle Ben a moment to reply. He stood between us, his eyes locked on the ancient mummy case. “We’ll soon see,” he finally replied.

As he and the four workers struggled to move the lid, Nila lowered her camera and stepped forward to watch. Her green eyes stared intensely as the lid slowly slid away.

Inside was a coffin in the shape of the mummy. It wasn’t very long. And it was narrower than I thought it would be.

The workers slowly pried open the coffin’s lid. I gasped and grabbed Uncle Ben’s hand as the mummy was revealed.

It looked so tiny and frail!

“Prince Khor-Ru,” Uncle Ben muttered, staring down into the stone case.

The prince lay on his back, his slender arms crossed over his chest. Black tar had seeped through the bandages. The gauze had worn away from the head, revealing the tar-covered skull.

As I leaned over the case, my heart in my throat, the tar-blackened eyes seemed to stare helplessly up at me.

There’s a real person inside there, I thought, feeling a chill run down my spine. He’s about my size. And he died. And they covered him with hot tar and cloth. And he’s been lying in this case for four thousand years.

A real person. A royal prince.

I stared at the stained, cracked tar that covered his face. At the gauzelike cloth, all frayed and yellowed. At the stiff body, so frail and small.

He was alive once, I thought. Did he ever dream that four thousand years later, people would open his coffin and stare at him? Stare at his mummified body?

I took a step back to catch my breath. It was too exciting.

I saw that Nila also had tears in her eyes. She rested both hands on the edge of the case and leaned over the prince’s body, her eyes locked on the blackened face.

“These may be the best-preserved remains ever found,” Uncle Ben said quietly. “Of course we will have to do many tests to determine the young man’s identity. But, judging from everything else in this chamber, I think it’s safe to say…” His voice trailed off as we all heard sounds from the outer chamber. Footsteps. Voices.

I spun around toward the doorway as four black-uniformed police officers burst into the room. “Okay. Everybody take one step back,” one of them ordered, lowering his hand to the gun holster at his side.