بازگشت مومیایی فصل 15

Return of the Mummy - Chapter 15

Startled cries filled the room. Uncle Ben spun around, his eyes wide with surprise. “What is happening?” he cried.

The four Cairo police officers, their features set in hard frowns, moved quickly into the center of the room.

“Be careful!” Uncle Ben warned, standing in front of the mummy case as if protecting it. “Do not move anything. It is all terribly fragile.” He pulled off the hard hat. His eyes went from officer to officer. “What are you doing here?”

“I asked them to come,” a voice boomed from the doorway.

Dr. Fielding entered, a pleased expression on his face. His tiny eyes danced excitedly.

“Omar—I don’t understand,” Uncle Ben said, taking a few steps toward the other scientist.

“I thought it best to protect the contents of the room,” Dr. Fielding replied. He gazed quickly around the room, taking in the treasures.

“Wonderful! This is wonderful!” he cried. He stepped forward and shook my uncle’s hand enthusiastically. “Congratulations, everyone!” he boomed. “This is almost too much to believe.” Uncle Ben’s expression softened. “I still do not understand the need for them,” he said, motioning to the grim-faced officers. “No one in this room is about to steal anything.” “Certainly not,” Dr. Fielding replied, still squeezing Uncle Ben’s hand. “Certainly not. But word will soon get out, Ben. And I thought we should be prepared to guard what we have found.” Uncle Ben eyed the four officers suspiciously. But then he shrugged his broad shoulders. “Perhaps you are right,” he told Dr. Fielding. “Perhaps you are being smart.” “Just ignore them,” Dr. Fielding replied. He slapped my uncle on the back. “I owe you an apology, Ben. I was wrong to try to stop you before. As a scientist, I should have known better. We owed it to the world to open this tomb. I hope you’ll forgive me. We have much to celebrate—don’t we!”

“I don’t trust him,” Uncle Ben confided that evening as we walked from the tent to dinner. “I don’t trust my partner at all.” It was a clear night, surprisingly cool. The purple sky was dotted with a million twinkling white stars. A steady breeze made the palm trees sway on the horizon. The big campfire up ahead dipped and shifted with the wind.

“Is Dr. Fielding coming with us to dinner?” Sari asked. She wore a pale green sweater, pulled down over black leggings.

Uncle Ben shook his head. “No, he hurried to phone Cairo. I think he’s eager to tell our backers the good news.” “He seemed really excited when he saw the mummy and everything,” I said, glancing at the pyramid rising darkly to the evening sky.

“Yes, he did,” my uncle admitted. “He certainly changed his mind in a hurry! But I’m keeping my eye on him. Omar would like nothing better than to take over the project. I’m going to keep an eye on those police officers of his, too.” “Daddy, this should be a happy night,” Sari scolded. “Let’s not talk about Dr. Fielding. Let’s just talk about Prince Khor-Ru and how you’re going to be rich and famous!” Uncle Ben laughed. “It’s a deal,” he told her.

Nila waited for us by the campfire. Uncle Ben had invited her to join us for a barbecue. She wore a white sweatshirt over loose-fitting jeans. Her amber pendant caught the light from the half-moon, just rising over the tents.

She looked really pretty. She flashed Uncle Ben a warm smile as we came near. I could tell by his face that he liked her.

“Sari, you’re taller than Gabe, aren’t you!” Nila commented.

Sari grinned. She loved being taller than me, even though I’m a little older.

“Less than an inch,” I said quickly.

“People are definitely getting taller,” Nila said, to my uncle. “Prince Khor-Ru was so short. He’d be a midget today!” “It makes you wonder why such short people built such tall pyramids,” Uncle Ben said, grinning.

Nila smiled and took his arm.

Sari and I exchanged glances. I could see what Sari was thinking. Her expression said: What’s up with those two?

We had a great dinner. Uncle Ben burned the hamburger rolls a little. But no one really minded.

Sari downed two hamburgers. I could only eat one. That gave her something else to boast about.

I was really getting fed up with my bragging cousin. I found myself trying to think of a way to get back at her.

Nila and Uncle Ben kidded around a lot.

“That burial chamber looked like a movie set,” Nila teased my uncle. “It was all too perfect. All that gold. And that perfect little mummy. It’s all a fake. That’s what I’m going to write in my article.” Uncle Ben laughed. He turned to me. “Did you check out the mummy, Gabe? Was this one wearing a wristwatch?” I shook my head. “No wristwatch.”

“See?” Uncle Ben told Nila. “No wristwatch. So it’s got to be real!”

“I guess that proves it,” Nila said, smiling warmly at my uncle.

“Daddy, do you know the words to bring the mummy to life?” Sari broke in. “You know. The words on the tomb that Dr. Fielding was talking about?” Uncle Ben swallowed the last bite of his hamburger. He wiped the grease off his chin with a napkin. “I can’t believe that a serious scientist would believe such superstition,” he murmured.

“But what are the six words to bring the mummy to life?” Nila demanded. “Come on, Ben. Tell us.” Uncle Ben’s smile faded. He shook his finger at Nila. “Oh, no!” he declared. “I don’t trust you. If I tell you the words, you’ll bring the mummy back to fife just to get a good photograph for your newspaper!” We all laughed.

We were sitting around the campfire, its orange light flickering over our faces. Uncle Ben set his plate down on the ground and spread his hands over the fire.

“Teki Kahru Teki Kahra Teki Khari!” he chanted in a deep voice, waving his hands over the flames.

The fire crackled. A twig made a loud popping sound that made my heart skip a beat.

“Are those the secret words?” Sari demanded.

Uncle Ben nodded solemnly. “Those are the words of the hieroglyphs over the entrance to the tomb.” “So maybe the mummy just sat up and stretched?” Sari asked.

“I’d be very surprised,” Uncle Ben replied, climbing to his feet. “You’re forgetting, Sari—you have to chant the words five times.” “Oh.” Sari stared thoughtfully into the fire.

I repeated the words in my mind. “Teki Kahru Teki Kahra Teki Khari!” I needed to memorize the words. I had a plan to scare Sari.

“Where are you going?” Nila asked my uncle.

“To the communications tent,” he replied. “I have to make a phone call.” He turned and made his way quickly over the sand toward the row of canvas tents.

Nila let out a surprised laugh. “He didn’t even say goodnight.”

“Daddy’s always like that,” Sari explained, “when he has something on his mind.”

“Guess I’d better go, too,” Nila said, climbing to her feet and brushing sand off her jeans. “I’m going to start writing my story for the paper.” She said good night and walked quickly away, her sandals making a slapping sound against the sand.

Sari and I sat staring into the crackling fire. The half-moon had floated high in the sky. Its pale light reflected off the top of the pyramid in the distance.

“Nila is right,” I told Sari. “It really did look like a movie set in there.”

Sari didn’t reply. She stared into the fire without blinking, thinking hard. Something in the fire popped again. The sound seemed to snap her out of her thoughts.

“Do you think Nila likes Daddy?” she asked me, her dark eyes locking on mine.

“Yeah, I guess,” I replied. “She’s always giving him this smile.” I imitated Nila’s smile. “And she’s always kind of teasing him.” Sari thought about my reply. “And do you think Daddy likes her?”

I grinned. “For sure.” I stood up. I was eager to get back to the tent. I wanted to scare Sari.

We walked toward the tents in silence. I guessed that Sari was still thinking about her dad and Nila.

The night air was cool, but it was warm inside the tent. Moonlight filtered through the canvas. Sari pulled her trunk out from under her cot and got down on her knees to search through her clothes.

“Sari,” I whispered. “Dare me to recite the ancient words five times?”

“Huh?” She gazed up from the trunk.

“I’m going to chant the words five times,” I told her. “You know. See if anything happens.” I expected her to beg me not to. I expected her to get scared and plead: “Please, Gabe—don’t do it! Don’t! It’s too dangerous!” But, instead, Sari turned back to her clothes trunk. “Hey. Give it a try,” she told me.

“You sure?” I asked her.

“Yeah. Why not?” she replied, pulling out a pair of denim cutoffs.

I stared across the tent at her. Was that fear I saw in her eyes? Was she just pretending to be so casual about it?

Yes. I think Sari was a little scared. And trying hard not to show it.

I took a few steps closer and chanted the ancient words, in the same low voice Uncle Ben had used: “Teki Kahru Teki Kahra Teki Khari!” Sari dropped the jeans and turned to watch me.

I repeated the chant a second time: “Teki Kahru Teki Kahra Teki Khari!”

A third time.

A fourth time.

I hesitated. I felt a cold breeze tingle the back of my neck.

Should I chant the words again? Should I go for number five?