Michael Manley Meets a Mummy

By: Joan L. James and Ken Seamon
Published by Kensea Media


Copyright 2001-2002, Joan L. James and Ken Seamon

Published August 2001 by
Kensea Media
http://www.kenseamedia.com

Support - support@pixelparadox.com

All electronic rights reserved. No part of this
ebook\screensaver may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval
system, or transmitted by any means, electronic, mechanical,
photocopying, recording, or otherwise without written
permission from the publisher. Although every precaution has
been taken in the preparation of this book, the publisher
and author assume no responsibility for errors or omissions.
Neither is any liability assumed for damages resulting from
the use of the information contained herein.

Literary license has been taken in the construction of
illustrations. Abydos is a real city in Egypt, However,
Seti's Temple reliefs and all other Egyptian artifacts have
been shown with regard to artistic needs rather than
authenticity. All persons and all activities and motivations
attributed to the characters are fictitious. Visit our
website:

http://www.kenseamedia.com/lookup.htm/

and consult the index or purchase Joan's and Ken's Egyptian
Holiday CD for actual pictures of Seti's Mortuary Temple at
Abydos and other Egyptian sites.

------------ DEDICATION -------------------------

For the women who raised me,
My Mother, Emily R. Milner,
My Grandmother, Elizabeth Pearl Shropshire,
And My Aunts, Clara and Roberta.
-- Joan L. James --

------------------------------------------------------------


NOTE:  Remember, you can change the timing between images
in the screen saver.

------------ Page 1 ------------------


"Michael, wake up! We're here! We're in Egypt. And look,
we're flying over the Pyramids!"

In Michael's dream he had just found the pirate's treasure
map when he heard someone call his name. Drat! what was
Suzie doing in this dream?! He woke up and looked at Suzie
sleepily. Then he leaned over to the window and looked down
at the Pyramids gleaming in the sun. He heard Dad say "Wow"
as he leaned over too.

"Double Wow! They're huge," said Michael. "I bet there was a
lot of treasure buried with those guys. When we get to
Abydos I'll start my own treasure hunting."

"Treasure? Don't you want to see Mom first?!", said Suzie.

"Sure, but Mom will be busy digging up that old city and Dad
will be busy too, I'll have plenty of time to look for
treasure."

"Well, I'm going to help Mom dig, and maybe poke around in
that temple I saw last year. This will be great, all of us
together here in Egypt."

"Yep", said Dad. "This will be a great family trip. Egypt
has a lot to see and the people are great. You'll like
Abydos, Michael, even without a treasure."

Better with a treasure, Michael thought.



------------ Page 2 ------------------

The Plane landed at Cairo Airport where Dad had rented a
Jeep to drive from Cairo up to Abydos. So, they loaded all
the luggage in the back.

"I'll sit next to Dad," Michael said as he jumped into the
front seat.

"No you won't," said Suzie. "How can I take pictures from
the back seat?"

"I got here first," he replied. Suzie's frown turned into a
smile. "Okay, I'll just sit back here and figure out how
this metal thingy works."

"Whoa," said Michael as he climbed across the front seat
into the back. He didn't want Suzie tinkering around with
his metal detector. That was how he was going to find the
gold. "You're right, Suz, you should be up front if you want
to take good pictures."

They drove to Abydos through the green countryside. "They
sure plant things everywhere," said Michael. "What do they
grow?"

"They grow many different things to eat and export, but they
also get a lot of income from tourism. That's why the
village council hired me to build the new dock, so the big
tourist boats can stop at Abydos again. If the boats come,
people won't have to go to Cairo for work."

"Do the tourists visit Seti's Temple when they go to
Abydos?" Suzie asked. "Mom says it's got lots of good stuff
on the walls. She says the villagers say it's haunted, too."

"Haunted!" Michael turned around. "Then it's probably got a
treasure too."

"If it did, it was probably taken long ago, Michael," said
Dad. Turning to Suzie, Dad added, "Suzie, the temple is
pretty amazing, but I think the tourists don't go that far
from the village. They mostly see the ruins along the Nile
and the shops in Abydos. The village could use a good
treasure find though. That would bring the big tour boats."



------------ Page 3 ------------------

Late that afternoon they arrived in Abydos, where Mom was
digging up an ancient city buried in the desert. They
stopped at the front gate of the living compound near the
dig site.

Mom was staying there, and Suzie had stayed with her as a
special guest on her visit over last Christmas vacation.
Suzie knew the layout of the compound, and she went racing
inside while Dad and Michael unloaded the Jeep.

"Mom's not here, she's still out at the dig," Suzie said as
she came back out of the gate. "They said she's riding
Carol." Carol was Mom's favorite camel. Carol was very nice
to Mom, but was known to spit at strangers.

"That's okay. She didn't know exactly when we would arrive.
Can we go out and meet her? Is the dig nearby?" asked Dad.

"Sure, it's not far. A twenty minute walk, maybe."

"Good, let's get the luggage inside first, then we'll go,"
said Dad.

So a little while later, they set out to walk to the dig
site. As they came over the last sand ridge they saw Mom
sitting on her camel, preparing to ride back to the
compound.

"Mom! Mom!" Michael and Suzie shouted as they ran down the
slope. Mom signaled the camel to kneel, dismounted and
gathered them all into a huge hug.



------------ Page 4 ------------------

The next morning Dad woke Michael up early. "Come on
Michael, get up!" Dad called.

"We have to get down to the cattle market to hire some men
for my project. Breakfast is waiting for you."

Michael hurried to get dressed and eat breakfast. The cattle
market? Were they going to buy a cow? Maybe a milk cow!
Maybe the villagers could tell him the best place to use his
metal detector.

"Dad!" Michael yelled as he rushed out of the door and
hopped into the jeep. "Dad, will there be shovels and things
at the market? I'll probably need those when I find my
treasure."

"Nope, mostly cattle, sheep, goats and camels. You can get
other things at the daily market in the village. But I think
you can hold off a while. You can borrow what you need from
me or your Mom when you make that big discovery."

"The cattle market is where most of the men from the village
and the farms go on Tuesday. I need workers for the boat
dock, and I am sure to find a foreman and some workers
there."

The cattle market was huge. People were everywhere. Michael
wandered among the goats and sheep while his Dad talked to
some of the villagers. One of the goats looked a bit like
Mr. Olsen, his Fourth Grade teacher. A boy who was watching
the goats spoke a little English, so Michael struck up a
conversation.

"Do you live around here?" Michael asked him.

"Yes, all my life. How many days here are you?" the boy
replied.

"A couple of weeks. I thought I would discover a treasure
while I was here. Maybe a small one. I brought my metal
detector. Heard of any lost treasures around?"

"Yes, everyone has heard of the treasure from the Temple. A
mystic dreamed about such a treasure, but no one has found.
Most people are afraid of the spirit that walks the Temple."

"A ghost! Have you seen it?" Seeing a ghost was on Michael's
"Must Do" list.

"No," the boy said with regret. "But my Uncle's wife's
brother has a friend whose cousin knew someone who saw it."

"Wow! Dad, did you hear that, he knows someone that saw a
ghost!"

"Is that so? Come on Michael, we're going now. I hired ten
men and a foreman for the dock. There were lots of men
looking for work, the tourist business is not good this
year."




------------ Page 5 ------------------


Later that morning Michael started looking for his treasure.
"So, what are you doing, Michael, vacuuming?" said Suzie as
she approached the field.

"Ha! Ha!. This is my super ace high-band metal detector. I
traded a new fishing rod and my old bicycle for it." "It's a
guaranteed gold and silver finder, and that's what I'm
looking for. When I was at the market yesterday, a boy told
me there's a treasure from the Temple hidden somewhere. Some
misty guy dreamed about it. I'm going to find it! You wait
and see!"

"Okay, I believe you; I'll even help. But first, Mom wants
you to go down to the village market and get some onions for
the cook. We're eating real Egyptian food tonight. Here,
this should be enough money."

She pulled some coins out of her pocket and handed them to
Michael. "You can go along the river and look for crocodiles
on the way. I'll take the metal detector back to the
compound for you."

"You're sooooo funny. I know there aren't any crocodiles
around here anymore. I asked Dad and he said that they were
all gone years ago. And for your information, Miss Egypt
Expert, there aren't any hippopotamuses either."

With that brilliant reply, he handed over the metal detector
and turned to walk along the path toward the river. Boy, he
thought, he was going to be really famous when he found the
treasure. So famous he could maybe skip Fifth Grade and go
right to college, 'cause he was so smart.


------------ Page 6 ------------------


Michael walked along the river watching the boats and
thinking of a million things. The river is pretty wide here,
he thought. There goes a big boat with an engine. Look at
that wake! Those little sailing feluccas are neat, I wonder
if Dad and Mom will let me sail one? I'm a good swimmer, and
I did really well with the sailboat on the Lake last summer.
It wasn't my fault that Suzie got pushed into the water by
the sail. Good thing she had the life jacket on.

"Hey! Watch what you're doing! There are others on this
path, you know!"


Michael looked down---It was a frog!--- A large green frog
was sitting at the edge of the path.

"You know you almost squashed me with your giant feet? Why
don't you look where you're going?"

"Well, I... I... I guess I just didn't see you. Sorry!"

"Sorry! Well 'sorry' won't get me lunch. I had a giant
beetle all lined up, and now he's gone." The frog looked off
into the high grass. "Delicious buttery beeeetle," he
slobbered.

"Oh, well maybe I can help. I have a sandwich I can share."

"What? No! I don't eat human food. I eat bugs, all kinds of
bugs. Big bugs, little bugs, crawling bugs, and flying bugs.
If they're bugs, I eat 'em. Any bugs in that sandwich?"

"Well, maybe you'd like to go to the market with me? There
must be some interesting bugs at the market."

"Oh yes, there are good juicy bugs at the market."

"Okay, my name is Michael, what's yours?"

"My name is Rivit, and I and all my ancestors come from this
village. I was hoping to get up to the Temple Lake to see
some of my family. Maybe you could give me a ride now that
you've spoiled my lunch."

"Sure." Michael picked up the frog and put him on his
shoulder. "There, you'll get a good view from there." And
Michael walked on to the village market.


------------ Page 7 ------------------


This market is pretty good, I'll bet you can get anything,
thought Michael.

"Hey, Rivit, want some chicken for lunch? Wait, looks like
the cat beat you to it!"

"No, thank you, but I do see a few tasty flies."

"Here, I'll put you down and you can chase them."

"Wait! Did you say cat? Perhaps I'll wait for lunch until we
get to the lake."

"Sure, I'll drop you by there on my way home. Now, where are
the onions?"

Rivit watched the cat nervously from Michael's shoulder as
Michael bought the onions. Michael then looked around in the
dark back stalls to see what equipment he could get for his
treasure hunting project.

Michael was talking to one of the shopkeepers when Rivit saw
the cat walk across the open space toward them. The chickens
strutted hurriedly out of its way.

"Excuse me, have you got any shovels. I might be needing one
later. I'm going to look for the Temple Treasure. It's
probably buried somewhere nearby."

"You are no doubt correct. But I have no shovels, Young
Sir," said the stall owner. "Perhaps tomorrow. But you must
be very careful digging, there are cobras and scorpions. And
the Temple spirit guards his treasure."

"Right," Michael began to see there might be a down side to
this treasure hunting. "Well, I'm going to use my metal
detector first, then maybe I can hire somebody to help me
dig it up."

The cat was getting closer, and the frog was worried. "Hey
Michael, let's get going! I'm hungry. There are dragonflies
waiting to be eaten."

"Okay, Rivit. Thanks for your help Mister." They took the
onions and started home.




------------ Page 8 ------------------


Niles, the cat, always came to the market for lunch. The
shopkeepers always had a few tidbits for him. Besides it was
his job to watch the village.

Now here they were, the red-headed boy and the frog. Niles
thought, I must tell my Master about these ones. He has
waited a long time for them and they talk of the Temple
Treasure too.

Niles crossed over to stand behind Michael and Rivit, and
when they left he followed at a distance.

"So you're really interested in the Temple Treasure," Rivit
asked Michael.

"You bet! Do you know something about it?"

"Not the treasure, but I know something about the Temple. My
great, great, great, great grandfrog is on the wall. Want to
see him?"

"Okay. How about tomorrow? I want to see the Temple, anyway,
and you can show me around." Michael thought a moment. "How
about if I get Suzie, my sister, to come along too? She
knows lots of stuff about temples and treasures and Egypt.
She helps my Mom on the dig out in the desert near here."

"Sure, I'll meet you at the Temple, tomorrow."




------------ Page 9 ------------------

The next day Rivit took Michael and Suzie on the grand tour
of Seti's Temple.

"Here he is," said Rivit. "My great, great, great, great
grandfrog Crocus. He was a pet of Seti who was a great
Pharaoh, or King." "Seti was a boy when he knew Crocus, but
he never forgot and put him here on the tomb wall."

"Well, then I think he is probably more than your great,
great, great, great grandfrog," Suzie said. "That was almost
3000 years ago. By the way, did you know Seti had red hair
like Michael's?"

"Yeah? Red hair, huh! Anyway, I knew it was a long time ago
and I used to say all those 'great's', but it took all day."

"So, my family's been hopping around at the Temple Lake and
down by the Nile ever since. Sometimes we come in here for
crickets. Yes, tasty crunchy crickets. You have to watch out
for the snakes though; no place for a frog to hide in here."

"Don't worry, Rivit, I'll protect you. You're related to a
celebrity frog." Michael pointed to Crocus painted on the
wall.

"That's me, Famous Favorite Frog of the Pharaoh!"

"Rivit, who is this?" Suzie pointed to the large drawing of
a priest on the wall.

"Don't know, must have been important with all that gold."

Michael and Suzie looked at the other wall paintings. The
smaller men were herding goats, fishing and drawing water
for the crops.

"Michael, see that man with the funny looking machine by the
lake and the tree? He's using a 'shaduf'. It helps him lift
water from the Nile for his crops. They still use them
today. There's one down by the river near the compound."

"Yeah! I saw it yesterday!" said Michael. "It looks just
like that one."

Michael stood up, dropped Rivit to the floor, and started
walking over to the next wall. Suddenly, he saw Suzie's
freeze and look in horror over his shoulder, behind him.


------------ Page 10 ------------------


Michael heard Rivit scrambling along the floor, his tiny
claws stirring up the dirt floor.

"Cripes, it's a Mummy!" cried Rivit.

Michael turned and took a quick glance. He saw a tall figure
all wrapped in gray bandages. What he noticed most was the
glowing blue eyes. It was reaching out towards him,
shuffling along the floor. It didn't make a sound, just
stretched it's arms out further toward him.

Just as the Mummy's hand was about to touch him, Michael was
jerked backwards by Suzie.

"Run Michael! Run!" gasped Suzie.



------------ Page 11 ------------------

And they ran as fast as they could down the hallway, towards
the bright light of a doorway to the outside. Not to be left
behind, Rivit was taking giant leaps beside them.

"Come on Michael, faster!"

"I'm coming as fast as I can."

Outside they stopped to get their breath and watched the
doorway they had come out of. But it didn't seem to be
following them.

"What was that?" said Suzie.

"The Mummy. The spirit that guards the temple," croaked
Rivit. "I'll never complain about snakes again!"

"Wow, I wish I could have gotten a better look at him. I've
never seen a Mummy before." gasped Michael.

"Well, you're not going back in there. Mom and Dad will kill
us if we get killed."

Suzie grabbed Michael by the arm and pulled him toward the
path beside the temple.

"That's enough adventure for today. I'm going home, and
you're coming with me."

"Okay. Okay." But Michael wished he could go back and get a
better look.



------------ Page 12 ------------------


Meanwhile, back in the temple, the Mummy and his cat were
talking.

"What does it mean, Niles? He is truly a red-headed boy. And
the frog?" "After so many years, what does it mean?"

"Purrhaps he is the one, Master?" replied Niles.

"We must know more. Follow them and bring him to me."

"Yes Master." Niles agreed and walked toward the outside
door.




------------ Page 13 ------------------


The next day Niles found himself clinging for dear life to
the top of a carriage in Luxor! "Follow them," muttered
Niles. "That was easy for him to say, but what about me?" He
ducked his head closer to the carriage and tried to make as
little noise as possible.

The night before Niles had followed Suzie and Michael back
to the compound. He had spent an uncomfortable night in a
tree outside with the village dogs sniffing around the tree
trunk.

Early this morning Dad and Michael had gone down to the
river and loaded up a boat. Niles thought he was quite
clever to get into the boat without them seeing him.

They had sailed up to Luxor, and now he was hanging on to
the top of this carriage that had picked them up at the
Luxor dock. "I know I have nine lives, but this is
ridiculous!" Niles complained. Just then he heard a voice
from inside the carriage. He dug his claws in further and
quit muttering so he could hear what was being said over the
sound of the wind whistling by.

"There it is, Karnak, the greatest temple in the world." Dad
pointed to the huge area with a moat, and bridge, and a huge
wall. There was a line of statues of crouching animals
leading up to the entrance in the wall. "Those statues are
called sphinxes."

"I'll leave you to walk around and see everything while I go
and pick up the supplies. I'll meet you back at the sphinxes
in two hours. Have you got your lunch and water bottle?"
asked Dad.

"Yep, I'm okay."

The carriage pulled into the space in front of the entrance.
Michael hopped out and said, "Okay, Dad, we'll get out here.
See you in a couple of hours. Don't worry, we won't get
lost."

"See the sphinxes, Rivit, and that big wall? Behind it are
lots of statues, columns and old crumbly buildings. You just
stay on my shoulder and we'll be fine." Michael and Rivit
walked toward the entrance way, through the avenue of the
sphinxes.

"Thank the Great Cat Goddess that's over!" said Niles as he
watched Michael walk away from the carriage. "I don't know
how much longer I could have hung on, my claws are aching."
"Where are they going now? All this running, jumping,
clinging---I think I'll just go up to them and introduce
myself. That should save a lot of trouble in the long run.
Now that the man has left them, we can have a little chat."



------------ Page 14 ------------------


Michael and Rivit had spent an hour or so inside Karnak,
walking around. "How's it going, Rivit? Aren't these huge
statues and columns neat?"

"Yes, it's all wonderful, but where are the bugs? I'm
getting hungry." 

"Gee Rivit, you're always hungry.Tell you what, I'll put 
you down when we get back to the boat. You can catch something 
while we load everything. We have to hurry now. We need to meet 
Dad in a few minutes."

"Michael, look! Look over there!"

"Where?"

"At that headless statue. Isn't that the cat we saw in the
market yesterday?"

"Nah, couldn't be, could it? Although I thought I saw that
cat at the boat dock this morning. Let's see if we can get a
better look at him, we have a little time."

And with that he and Rivit went over to the statue. Niles
jumped off and marched out to meet them, tail in the air.

"Be careful. He looks hungry. He may be just waiting for a
fine frog like me to make a meal," whispered Rivit in
Michael's ear.

As he met them in the courtyard, the cat greeted them. "How
do you do, my name is Niles." The cat sat down and waited
for Michael to respond.

"He seems to be polite," Michael whispered to Rivit. "How do
you do, my name is Michael and this is Rivit my frog
friend."

"Pardon me, but I overheard you speaking. Your, uhummm, frog
friend is correct. I am the cat from the village, in fact I
am the Temple Cat. I followed you here because I must speak
to you. I was waiting at Seti's statue to catch you before
you left. We must talk."

"Well, sure. I guess? Do you want to come out to the front
with us? I have to wait for my Dad, but I have a few
minutes."

"Purrrfect."

"Did you say that was Seti's statue?" asked Michael. "What
happened to his head? That's the same Seti as the Temple
Seti in Abydos, right?"

They all walked out of the entrance and found a sphinx to
sit on for a little chat.



------------ Page 15 ------------------


Rivit didn't seem very happy about this, Michael thought.
When they sat down, the frog immediately jumped from his
shoulder to the sphinx on the other side from the one the
cat claimed.

Once they were settled. The cat spoke.

"Michael, I am the Temple Cat of Seti's Temple and my
Master, Amenhotep, protects the Temple."

"You mean the Mummy!" Rivit croaked.

"When I saw you in the market and overheard you speak of the
Temple Treasure, I was interested. It is our job, my
Master's and mine, to guard the Temple from harm. But more
than that, all my days I have been told to watch for the
red-headed boy and the frog. There is a prophecy that this
boy will come and bring the Temple to life again. So my
instructions have been to watch and to tell my Master when
the red-headed boy and the frog came."

Rivit moved closer to hear better, but he was still wary of
the cat.

"My Master cannot leave the Temple, so after you ran away
yesterday, he sent me to follow you and to ask you to come
speak to him."

"Is your Master a ghost?" Michael asked. "He looks like a
mummy all wrapped up in bandages, but I didn't get close
enough to see if he was solid or not. I would have, but my
sister pulled me away and I had to run after her because she
was scared."

"Purrrfectly understandable. In a way my Master is a ghost,
but he is solid. The spell that called him to duty was very
powerful. He wears what he did when he was called. But he
has limited power, he cannot leave the Temple. The Temple
Cat always watches in the village for him."

"He wishes to meet you to understand if the time has come
for Seti to return and relieve him of his duties. As you
learned yesterday when Rivit gave you the tour of the
temple, Seti had red hair and, as a child, had a pet frog.
That is why my Master wants to talk with you, nothing more."

"Well," Michael rose from his seat. "Here's Dad with the
carriage. You had better come back with us, and tomorrow
morning I'll meet you at the Temple. It's a good chance to
ask him about the treasure. But I think he will be
disappointed. I'm not Seti, I'm Michael Manley."

Rivit hopped on his shoulder and they all climbed into the
back of the carriage. The cat was careful not to be seen by
Dad.





------------ Page 16 ------------------


That evening, as they all sailed back to Abydos, Michael
thought it was like the African adventure stories. Sailing
along the Nile under the full moon, he could almost hear the
drums of the natives as they stalked them along the river
and sent messages ahead.

"Michael. Michael." Dad's voice broke through his daydream.
"Where did you get that cat? He seems tame, but won't
someone be missing him up at Karnak?"

"Ummm, no, Dad. He followed us this morning from the
village. He must have been down at the dock and got caught
in the boat. He's the one from the market. I found him in
the bow of the boat when I went up to fix the sail. He must
have been there all day."

Dad just shook his head.

Michael thought that was a pretty good explanation, and just
a small lie. He couldn't tell him the truth. If he told him
about the Mummy, Dad wouldn't believe him anyway, or worse
Dad might not let him go to the Temple to meet him.

He would tell Suzie. She would understand. He didn't think
there was any danger, but he should tell someone just in
case. But definitely not Dad.

Michael saw Niles stretch up the mast and paw at a moth.
Rivit hopped up to have a look. Rivit and Niles had come to
a truce on the Luxor dock.

Rivit agreed to come along with Michael tomorrow, and Niles
agreed not to eat him. Purrrfect, thought Michael and smiled
to himself.





------------ Page 17 ------------------


The next morning Niles led Michael and Rivit to a storage
room in the Temple, and called to the Mummy. "Master, I have
brought him, but he is not who you think," said Niles. "He
is not the spirit of Seti."

Michael watched the Mummy rise from behind the pots, and
listened to him speak to Niles.

"Ah, I see. But he is a boy with hair of flame who is the
protector of the frog. Perhaps I was wrong in the details,
but I am sure it is the prophecy come to life," the Mummy
answered, looking at Michael and Rivit thoughtfully.

"Um... Excuse me, but I'm not a prophecy, I'm Michael
Manley, and this frog is Rivit, and his great, great, great
grandfrog was Crocus."

Michael was a little scared, but he wasn't going sit around
like a lump on a log. He had his reputation as an adventurer
and treasure hunter to protect.

"I greet you in the name of Amun, may your fields always be
fertile," said the Mummy. "I am Amunhotep. I guard the
Temple in this spirit form. No one has harmed the temple
while I have watched." He smiled, and his smiling made a
sound like the slow creak of a wooden rocking chair. "You
must admit the effect is very good. But in your case, I
apologize for frightening you and the young lady."

"Uhmmmmm, Uhmmmmm," Rivit cleared his throat.

"And my apologies to you as well, Rivit," added the Mummy.

"There is a prophecy that a boy would come to bring the
Temple back to life and ensure the eternal fame of Seti, my
Master. When I saw you, it was as if I saw Seti again as a
boy with his pet frog, Crocus. He had red hair, you know.
Seti, not the frog."

Gazing at Rivit, he added, "Crocus was useful at catching
insects in the gardens, but he got a bit above himself when
Seti put him on the wall of the temple. He wanted servants
to catch insects for him." Looking back at Michael he said,
"Oh well, that was years ago, and now you've come. For I
believe you are the boy of the prophecy, Michael Manley."

"And that is why you saw me. I usually do not show myself to
visitors unless they are trying to harm the Temple. I knew I
must speak to you and since I cannot leave the Temple, Niles
was sent after you when you ran away." He reached down and
touched Niles' head.

Michael quickly corrected him. "Suzie ran. I followed her
because she is my sister and she was scared."

"You know I want to find the Temple Treasure, don't you?"
added Michael. "If your supposed to guard it, won't you try
to scare me off?" Michael hoped he sounded brave and
determined.

"The prophecy is unclear about the treasure, but the frog is
a special sign that you are the one. You must do what you
think best and the prophecy will be fulfilled by your acts,
and I must help you." replied the Mummy.

"I may be a 'sign'," piped up Rivit, a little indignant at
the comments about his grandfrog Crocus, "but I'm hungry
again. Put me down so I can scout around. I thought I saw
couple of fat beetles around those pots."

Michael put Rivit down and walked toward the Mummy, offering
his hand for a hand shake. "Glad to meet you, I'll be happy
to have your help with finding the treasure."



------------ Page 18 ------------------


"Come to the decorated hall, your sister waits for you
there" said the Mummy as they walked further into the
temple. Niles led the way, his tail in the air. Rivit hopped
along watching the walls for insects. Suzie looked startled
as they entered the room.

"Michael, it's the Mummy! What are you doing, run!"

"No, Suzie, stop. It's okay. Don't be such a scardy cat."

"Sorry, Niles," Michael added.

"Purrfectly alright," Niles replied.

"Suzie... meet the Mummy, and his cat, Niles. They know
where the treasure is."

"Young Master, let me tell my story, and then we will speak
of treasure."

"Sure, go ahead." Michael looked back at Suzie who did not
look happy at all. "You okay?"

"I am Amunhotep," said the Mummy. "Here you see me as I
supervised the temple farms. I saw that fields were
irrigated during the dry season with the watering shaduf,
that livestock was cared for, and fish were caught for the
daily offerings."

"You've been here a long time, almost 3000 years," said
Suzie.

"Yeah, but what about the treasure?" Michael interrupted.

"You believe there is a treasure. I believe it also, but I
do not know where it is. I left the world before Seti. My
spirit was called to duty after he too was called to the
spirit world. Many who have come to the temple have spoken
of the treasure, but none have found it."

"Great, that means it's still around somewhere!" Michael
said with a gleam in his eye.

"Yes, Young Master, but only Seti knows where. You must ask
him."

"Okay, I guess he comes around here pretty often, this being
his Temple and all. We'll just wait around for him to show,"
Michael proposed.

"Alas, Seti's spirit once walked these halls at night, but I
have not seen him in many years. He has not come through his
Spirit Door since the temple was abandoned by the priests."
The Mummy pointed to the carved door behind Michael and
Suzie.

"There may be some other way, at some other place, but in
this I cannot help you. As I said, I must always remain here
in the Temple. So you must find your own way to speak to
Seti's spirit."


------------ Page 19 ------------------


Later Suzie, Michael, Niles and Rivit walked through the
Temple toward the entrance.

"I knew there was a treasure, and the prophecy says I'm
supposed to find it! Now all we have to do is ask Seti where
it is."

"And how do you think you are going to do that, Mr. Prophecy
Boy?"

"Hum, it doesn't sound like he shows up here anymore. What
does the Mummy mean by his Spirit Door?"

"Well, a Spirit Door, or False Door, allows the soul to come
out of the tomb at night and visit. It's not really a door,
it's just carved into the wall, and that's his."

"Hey you two," croaked Rivit. "Let's get outside near the
lake. I'm hungry and the dragonflies are on the menu this
time of day. They're spicy and give me heartburn, but they
taste soooo good!"

"Purrrfect, you just hop off my back and lead the way," said
Niles.

"No way, I never hop when I can ride," replied Rivit.

"Have you thought about going on a diet of gnats? You are a
heavy fellow," growled Niles as he sat down and looked over
his shoulder pointedly.

Rivit took the hint and slid off his back. He hurriedly
hopped to catch Michael and Suzie.

"Okay," continued Michael as he stepped out into the
courtyard. "So he doesn't come out here anymore. How am I
going to talk to him?"



------------ Page 20 ------------------


In the courtyard of the Temple. Michael and Suzie sat at the
foot of a statue of Sekmet the Lion Goddess and thought. And
thought.

"What about knocking on the door or something?"

"Well, you could try, but I don't think Seti answers the
doorbell. He is a great and powerful Pharaoh, after all.
Whatever we do, it will have to be respectful, or he won't
tell you."

"Oh, right. Bowing and kneeling and that sort of stuff,
huh?"

"Yes, Michael, bowing and that sort of stuff."

"Okay, we'll talk to him just like when he was still
Pharaoh. Didn't people come to ask him for special favors
then?

"Well, yes, he was just like Solomon and other Kings. People
went to court to ask for his favor or his judgement. I guess
you can still talk to his spirit and ask for things. If he
doesn't use this door, maybe he hangs around other temples.
If we found one of his statues, maybe he would speak to us
through that. But I haven't seen a statue of him around
here."

"I saw one!" Michael said excitedly. "Up at Karnak. The cat
was standing by it."

"But it didn't have a head," he sighed. "I don't reckon he
can hear us without any ears." Michael watched Rivit eyeing
a dragonfly.

"No, probably not," Suzie sighed too.



------------ Page 21 ------------------


As they continued to sit in the courtyard, Suzie suddenly
realized what other objects were there. "Michael, Michael,
we have heads here!" she said.

"Huh?" said Michael as he turned around.

"Heads. These are Seti's heads. They made them to replace
any that got broken on the statues. The statues have all
been taken away, but the extra heads are still here."

"Oookay," Michael said slowly. "But can we just talk to the
head and ask about the treasure? It's going to seem sort of
silly bowing down to a head."

"No, Michael, we're going to put them together. We'll take
the head up to Karnak and give it to the statue without a
head. If you had been several hundred years without a head,
don't you think that would be about the best gift you could
get? And maybe with both a head and body, the Pharaoh could
answer our questions."

"Well," Michael replied uncertainly. "We can try it. But how
will we get the head there? And will anyone let us take it
into Karnak?"

"We'll get Dad to help us, and the villagers that are
working for him. And Michael, we will have to go at night
when the spirits walk," she added grinning.

"Oh, I'm not afraid, I know magic stuff has to be done at
night. And besides, I am the one in the prophecy, he won't
hurt me."

Schlaazap! Rivit's tongue whipped out of his mouth and
caught the juicy dragonfly he had been stalking. "Mumm...
Mummm... I hear there are nice moths at night in the lights
of Karnak," he said as he ate the dragonfly.



------------ Page 22 ------------------


That night in the shadowy courtyard at Karnak, Dad watched
as Michael and Suzie adjusted the head at the foot of the
headless statue of Seti. What a tale Michael had told
him---Mummies, treasure and a prophecy! At first he hadn't
taken him too seriously, but the foreman of his work crew
was listening and began to speak excitedly.

"The prophecy of Seti's treasure! It has been many
generations that the story has been told. Listen to him, he
has seen the one who haunts the temple. And his red hair! Of
course, the mark of Seti!" The foreman had spoken aloud and
everyone had heard.

Well, what could he do? He had asked the men if they wanted
to help Michael, and they all agreed, yes. The drive up to
Luxor had taken the rest of the afternoon and now it was
night here at Karnak. The lights were on for the normal
tourist program, but here it was only partially lit.

Michael's Dad was still bewildered.

The men were whispering among themselves. Suzie was lifting
something up on the statue. Oh yes, the frog that Michael
had carried around since he found it. And the Temple cat was
here too, probably rode up in the back with Michael.

"Okay, Michael, Suzie, move away from the statue and let's
see what happens. It's almost midnight; the perfect time for
things like this." Dad said. He thought they all should be
home in bed, but the men were nodding and watching the
statue carefully. He heard Suzie whisper something as she
backed away.



------------ Page 23 ------------------


Suzie adjusted the head carefully at the base of the statue.
"Oh Mighty Seti we bring you this gift and ask that you hear
our plea," Suzie whispered as she backed away.

As she watched, the head became hazy, like it was surrounded
by fog, and began to glow.

"Michael, look, it's working!"

Then the whole statue glowed and a shadowy head appeared on
the headless shoulders.

Rivit took one look, and leapt, croaking, "Look out the
lightning comes next."

Niles was not far behind him, leaping off the base of the
statue and retreating to the outer edge of the courtyard.



------------ Page 24 ------------------


Michael's mouth went dry. "Jeepers!" he exclaimed. "It's
working." He kept an eye on the statue as he backed away.
Behind him he heard the villagers whispering excitedly to
one another.

As he watched, the statue grew solid and glowed. The
courtyard was lit from the light cast off the statue.
Then--the glow grew brighter, and a brilliant white crown
appeared and a jeweled collar, and finally... the Pharaoh.

"Oh great and Mighty Pharaoh, please don't turn me into a
frog!" It was Rivit, who was hopping away in terror.

"What silly creature is this? He's already a frog," came
Seti's voice, loud and clear.

Seti had spoken to him and Michael realized he was standing
there with his mouth open. He felt Suzie reach out and pull
his arm as she began to bow. Oh yeah, he thought, the bowing
stuff.

"Oh Mighty Pharaoh, we have come to ask a favor," Michael
said as he bowed down with Suzie.

"Ah, so it is you who have summoned me after all this time."
The Pharaoh looked at them. "How pleasant to see the stars
again and feel the night air blowing off the Nile. Thank you
for calling me forth." " Now, what is your plea?"

And the Pharaoh stood and waited for them to speak.



------------ Page 25 ------------------


"Well Mr. Pharaoh, it's about your treasure. We really need
to find it to help out the villagers."

After the first few minutes of bowing and stuff, they were
chatting away like Seti was a dinner guest Dad or Mom had
brought home. Even Rivit was only a tiny bit afraid. When
Michael had picked him up, he had moved well back on his
shoulder, but Michael could see him out of the corner of his
eye, peeking over.

"Yes," added Suzie. "Many villagers must leave the village
to find work. If we had your treasure to display the
tourists would come to the village and everyone could stay
at home and work."

Michael noticed that Dad and the villagers were standing
back, waiting to see what happened. They probably think I
should take care of it since I am the one in the Prophecy,
Michael thought.

"What are these 'tourists'?" asked Seti.

"They are people who come from many lands to visit Egypt.
They come to see the beautiful things that you and the other
Pharaohs built," said Michael.

"And they always remember the names of the Pharaohs that
have the most treasure to display," Suzie added, shifting
the weight of Niles on her shoulder.

"Hmmmm," Seti considered. "The treasure has remained hidden
many years. There are many beautiful things." And then he
seemed to make up his mind.

"This I will tell you, red-headed boy:
All doors are not false,
All treasure is not lost,
Touch the true treasure of Egypt,
And you will find the way."

And he folded his arms over his chest, floated back up to
the pedestal, and faded away.

Everyone began to speak at once, except Niles who had fallen
asleep on Suzie's shoulder.

"What did he mean by that?" "Seti still protects his
treasure. We must consult the Headman about this clue," said
the foreman.

Michael knew who he was going to consult. First thing
tomorrow morning, he was going to talk to the Mummy!



------------ Page 26 ------------------


Suzie and Michael picked up Rivit at the lake and went to
the Temple storage room early the next morning. They were
anxious to find the answer to the riddle Seti had told them.
Niles came out from behind one of the pots and greeted them.

"Hi, Niles. Is your Master here?" Michael looked around for
the Mummy.

"He will be with us in a little while, there are some people
touring the Temple and he must keep an eye on them until
they leave."

Just then the Mummy entered. "Greetings, Michael. Suzie. Oh,
and to you, Rivit. Did you have success last night at
Karnak?"

"It was great. You should have seen Seti! He was dressed in
all his jewels and a huge white hat with a gold cobra,"
Michael said.

"Yes, I wish I could have seen him. What did he say? Did he
tell you where the treasure is?"

"Not exactly, but he gave us this clue." Michael stood up
straight and recited the clue, looking a bit like the
dignified Pharaoh:

"All doors are not false,
All treasure is not lost,
Touch the true treasure of Egypt,
And you will find the way."

"We think he's talking about the False Door in this Temple,
his Spirit Door. It must open somehow," said Suzie. "But
what is 'the true treasure of Egypt'?"

"Hummmm." The Mummy thought a bit. "There is much gold in
Egypt still, and everyone values their land and their
livestock, but the most valuable thing for everyone in Egypt
is truly water. Without the Nile, Egypt would not exist. It
is the same for you in your land?"

"Yes," Suzie agreed. "But I guess we don't think much about
it at home because there seems to be plenty of it."

"Alright, the 'true treasure' is the Nile. But what does
water have to do with the False Door?" Suzie thought aloud,
then became silent again.

Everyone was in deep thought except Rivit. He was leaping
across the floor after a large moth that had somehow
wandered into the pot room.

Michael spoke first. "It must be some secret passage thing,
you know like in the Movies. You push, or pull, or twist
something and the door opens."

The Mummy was not familiar with "Movies" but he knew of such
things from talk of tomb robbing. "Perhaps it is a hidden
handle or lever, or some other sort of machine." Michael
suddenly got an idea! "What about that shaduf thing, it's a
machine--a machine to get... "

"Water out of the Nile." They all three said together.

"That's it," said Suzie.

"Let's go," said Michael and led the way to the interior
room of the Temple.



------------ Page 27 ------------------


They all rushed into the room with the False Door, even the
moth, who was being chased ahead of them by Rivit. Niles
took a few kittenish leaps and then settled into a dignified
trot over to the wall near the door.

Everyone gathered around the picture of the man with the
shaduf.

Michael ran his hand over the shaduf. "No handles or
anything," he reported.

"The clue said 'Touch the true treasure of Egypt'. Touch the
water, Michael, touch the Nile!" Suzie was jumping up and
down. Michael put his hand on the picture of the water and
pushed firmly. The stones moved a little, so he pushed even
harder.

"Look, its opening!" cried Suzie. She and the Mummy were
pointing excitedly at the False Door that was slowly sliding
open making a dust cloud on the floor.

A gust of warm air flowed out into the room and the moth
floated and fluttered toward the opening. Rivit hopped after
it and was about to jump into the room when Michael reached
down and grabbed him.

"Wait, Rivit, let's have a look before we go inside. It
could be booby trapped."


------------ Page 28 ------------------


"It's empty," said Michael. What a disappointment after all
the excitement of figuring out the secret. Michael felt
really let down. "Why did he give us the clue if he knew it
was empty?"

Suzie shook her head. "I don't know, it doesn't make sense."

They both stared at the small room. There was nothing there,
not a scarab, not a scrap of linen, not even a tiny gold
bead. Nothing.

"There's nothing in here but that dumb moth that just flew
in," Michael said in disgust.

"We must have gotten something wrong," said Suzie. As Suzie
spoke, Rivit caught sight of the moth resting on the back
wall of the room.

"Mmmmm munchy moth," he muttered, and he made a mighty leap
from Michael's shoulder.

"Rivit!" Michael called after the frog, reaching out to
catch him, but the frog was beyond his reach.



------------ Page 29 ------------------


Rivit leapt so hard he hit the back wall. There was a crack
and a crunch, and Rivit tumbled through the wall. The wall
was a false wall made of thin plaster, and beyond there was
a glint of gold!

Michael and Suzie looked at each other in surprise and
started into the tiny room.



------------ Page 30 ------------------


"Rivit, are you all right? Did you hurt yourself?" Suzie
called out through the jagged opening.

"I'm okay, but I missed the moth. Did you see which way it
went?"

"Never mind the moth, Rivit. What's in there?" said Michael.

"Well---lots of stuff. Can you see me? I'll hop up on this
thing so you can see me."

And they looked through the hole in the plaster and Rivit
was sitting on a golden cow!



------------ Page 31 ------------------


Michael and Suzie carefully enlarged the hole in the false
wall and stepped through. The Mummy followed them in. The
treasure room was full of ritual items that had been used in
the Temple.

There were golden vases, stands, and bowls. Alabaster jars
shown in the dim light. There was a lacquer chair, probably
from China. But most magnificent of all was the solid gold
cow, a representation of Hathor, the protector of all
Pharaohs.

They wandered around in the room, careful not to step on
anything.

"So this is the Temple Treasure that was hidden for so many
years," said the Mummy. "The prophecy is complete. Seti's
name will be forevermore."

"Aren't these things magnificent?" said Suzie. "This will
make the Temple famous all over the world, and there are a
lot of things for a local museum."

"Will many tourists come?" asked the Mummy.

"Oh yes! So many that there will be many local jobs for the
villagers."

Michael, who had been silently taking an inventory, broke
in. "Wow! Oh man! This the is greatest treasure ever! And I
discovered it! I'm a famous treasure hunter for real now!"
"You sure are Michael, with a little help from your
friends," said Suzie.

"Michael, you had better run back to the compound and tell
Mom and Dad and then go to the Village Headman. Mom will
notify the Antiquities people in Cairo. Amunhotep and I will
stay here and watch over the treasure. But make sure that
Dad sends guards as fast as he can. There's a lot of gold
here."

"Sure, I'll run as fast as I can. I'll be back soon."

"And Michael, don't tell anyone on the way to the compound,
and don't tell anyone at all until you find Dad to get the
guards here."

"Okay, Okay, I'll find him first, then tell everyone else."
When Michael had left, Suzie turned to Amunhotep, the Mummy.
"Soon your job will be over, what will you do then?"

"Young Mistress, I will be released to travel to The Field
of Reeds where I can dwell for Eternity. I am ancient; I
will enjoy a rest." He had a crooked smile on his face. "I
will wait in the other room until the guards come, and when
you and the treasure are safe, I will leave."

"I am glad you will finally get your rest, but what about
Niles?" "Niles is a special cat. Already he becomes sleepy,
ready to leave this world. For Niles has been by my side
from the beginning. The Villagers have always known The
Temple Cat. They, and you, thought he was a descendant of an
animal from Seti's time, like Rivit. But Niles was my cat in
life, and he has been here at the Temple with me for many,
many years. Niles will come with me."

When Dad arrived with the guards, he found Suzie standing in
the doorway of the treasure room. He gave her a hug and he
and the guards went inside the treasure room with her. "Wow,
this is fabulous! Michael was too excited to give me many
details. We got here as quickly as possible, the village
police will be here soon, and the people from the
Antiquities Department will be here in a couple of hours.
Michael is on the phone with a newspaper man now, telling
him all about the treasure."

"That's good, Dad. Did you see anyone as you came in?"

"No, no one."

"Good," said Suzie, and she walked to the doorway and looked
out into the other room. There was no one, just a fine mist
or dust cloud over by the painted walls. Probably from the
guards running in, Suzie thought, and turned to go back into
the treasure room.


------------ Page 32 ------------------


Michael was famous! The treasure was headline news all over
the world. The treasure find, and a new museum at Abydos to
house it, already had the international travel agencies
planning new tours to Egypt. Suzie was famous too, but not
nearly as eager as Michael to have her picture in all the
newspapers.

On the day of the discovery, after all the excitement had
settled down a little, Dad and Michael sat down on the mud
brick bench beside the front door.

"Michael, this has been quite a vacation for you, hasn't
it?"

"Yeah," said Michael. "Real exciting, but that's what a
world famous treasure hunter should expect; right, Dad?"

Dad looked at Michael and laughed. Then he put his arm
around Michael's shoulder and gave him a hug. "Your Mom and
I are proud of you son, but we wish you would tell us a
little bit more about what you're doing. This treasure
hunting can be dangerous."

"Oh, I'm giving up treasure hunting, Dad. I want to be a
famous explorer now!"

Dad just looked at him and laughed again.



------------ Page 33 ------------------


And Michael was a very popular person for the rest of his
vacation. All the local villagers wanted to have their
picture taken with him.

"Please, Young Sir, just one picture to show that I knew the
great treasure hunter and the one who freed the Temple of
the ghost."

"Okay, let's stand here. Suzie have you got us both? There.
We'll have the picture for you next week."

"Many thanks, Mr. Michael."

As they walked on into the village Michael asked, "Suzie,
what happened to the Mummy. I went by the Temple yesterday
and called, but he didn't answer."

"Well, Michael, he has gone away. You have found the
treasure and brought the Temple to life again, and he
doesn't need to watch over it anymore. I spoke to him and
Niles before they left and he was very happy. He said he
needed a rest."

"Oh, that's good. I was kind of shocked when I first saw
him, but he turned out to be nice guy. I'm glad he finally
got a vacation."



------------ Page 34 ------------------


Today many tourists visit Abydos to see Seti's Temple and
the new Abydos Museum which displays the treasure.

And when they come to look at the hidden treasure room, they
always stop to admire the beautiful wall with the priest and
his cat.




                     THE END



=========================================================================



ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS:

The following software was used by license and\or permission
in the creation of this ebook\screensaver.

Adobe PhotoShop V5.03
Asymetrix 3DFX V1.0
Expert Photo CD Gallery #2
Metacreations Bryce V4.0
Metacreations Poser V4.0 --- models by Zygote Media Group Inc.
Micrografx Simply 3D V2.0
TGS 3Space Publisher V1.0
Hemera Photo Objects
Additional 3D models provided courtesy of:
Platinum Pictures 3D Cafe - http://www.3dcafe.com
Amazing 3D Graphics, Inc. -http://www.amazing3d.com

Special thanks for permissions to use the following models:

Egyptian Collar by Melanie M. Warren at
http://www.teleport.com/~rene/mel/main.html

The Mummy, morphed from The Mad Scientist
by Eric VanDycke (Traveler) at
http://morphs.bbay.com/

Egyptian Vase by W.H. Branham (Thoth) at
http://www.gwz.org/propsguild/

============================================================================

To Plan your own Egypt trip, visit
The Gateway to Egypt Holidays at http://www.egyptholiday.com/jkegypt.htm/

To research your school paper on Egypt, visit
The World of Kensea Media Site Index at http://www.kenseamedia.com/lookup.htm/

