Pharaoh’s Curse Pt. 04

"Greetings Professor Sanders," a grey haired man spoke from the center box on her computer screen, "I hear that this Mr. McCain fellow found something else that we sent along with you."

"Yes, that he did," Alex nodded after greeting the members of the board. "Here let me play you the video my student Anta took," she said, sending the file through the app. "As you can see we took every precaution, I was even hesitant to allow Mr. McCain to open the lock box, fearing that he would destroy a priceless artifact. Yet as you can see if we had gone about trying to remove the objects from the box, our way, after we had x-rayed it, it would have been us who destroyed the item trying to get into it," Alex stated seeing their nods in agreement as the video played of Andrew opening the box.

"Do you still have the box with you?" asked a withered old woman that had been a bane in Alex's backside ever since she's started to work at the museum and university.

"Of course, I do, it's right here," Alex said, reaching over and picking up the jewel encrusted box and showing it to them.

"And what exactly was in it?" asked the youngest man on the board. Alex noted how the man's eyes roamed her body. She's always felt soiled whenever she had to interact with the man.

"The seal of Onouphrios," Alex stated matter-of-factly, listening to their gasps knowing how rare it was to ever find one. Most were destroyed when the Pharaoh died and the new one took his place. Others, like the one's that were on display back at the Cairo museum, had managed to find their way to survive the ages. Showing off the ten inch onyx statue of Bast in her gloved hands, then showing them the hieroglyphs that were cut into the base of the stone.

"My Lord, are you sure this man has no formal training in the field?" asked a fifty-year-old man.

"No sir, Mr. McCain does not have any experience in archaeology," Alex stated, as she gently placed the seal onto the table before her. "However, that wasn't all the box contained."

"Oh?"

"I believe Onouphrios was Hetepheres' son," Alex stated noting their shocked eyes.

"That's impossible!"

"I don't believe it is," Alex spoke in a teacherly voice. "Mr. McCain did find Onouphrios' sarcophagus with Sneferu[14] and Khufu[15] sarcophagi if they weren't related I doubt three different Pharaohs would subject themselves to their eternal rest beside complete strangers. Also... I have proof of Onouphrios' linage to Hetepheres."

"How?" asked the head of the board.

"This necklace," reaching over and ever so gently cradling it in her hands, "was also found in the lock box underneath the seal stone. I believe that Hetepheres placed it there upon the death of her son and given how anything and everything that was related to Onouphrios was obliterated from history I think she did this to defy Khufu and those who sought to erase her son from history. So that Onouphrios would not be forgotten or lost to the sands of time," Alex said, showing off the inscription on the back of the necklace.

"That's..." Alex's eyes darted along the screen as the board members began to bicker with one another. It wasn't until the head of the board pounded his gavel that the talking heads on the screen quieted down.

"We'll discuss the matter of Onouphrios' linage at a later date. Right now we have matters to discuss with Professor Sanders. Now Professor, what exactly do you have need of us?"

"I was hoping I could get the boards approval to display these two new items during the exhibit here in a week along with the other museums," Alex stated peering at the head of the board.

"I see... hmm... I would rather we wait until we can verify the necklace as Hetepheres', however, that might cause the Egyptology world to finally have something new to talk about if it was," the head of the board mused as he stroked his chin. "Okay, Professor, you have my approval, only on the condition that you have a label that states that the connection between them hasn't been verified yet."

"Thank you, I'll make sure it's presented with the necklace," Alex nodded.

"This Mr. McCain is an interesting fellow, when you return to Cairo I would like to have a word with him," the man said, hiding the symbol of his secret order deep within the confines of his clothes.

"I will tell him the moment I see him again."

"Good, until then Professor Sanders have a good night." With that her Skype call ended and she was left alone in that silent room. A flash across the surface of the sapphire caught her eyes. The moment her fingertip touched the surface of the stone everything when black.

******

Three days before the grand opening...

For four days Alex has been in a type of fog that she couldn't find herself out of. Four days of voices being muffled, her vision blurred, her body so tired even after a good nights rest. However, that wasn't the strangest part, no, it was the dress, made in an old Egyptian style, a style closely related to the Fourth dynasty of the Old kingdom. Which was strange to her, why she would have something so revealing made. Although, as much as the dress confused her, it was the sapphire necklace that laid in the nap of her neck that had her frozen in fear. Her body moved on its own, feeling like someone else was controlling her body and she was only along for the ride.

Watching herself reaching for her phone. Feeling how weird it was as her body moved on its own accord. Noting how her thumb hit speed dial one, knowing exactly who it belonged to -- her son! Praying in her mind that Andrew could somehow help her, to break whatever this was that held her bound.

"Mom?"

"Hello baby, why don't you come over to my hotel." Alex couldn't begin to describe how weird it was to feel her lips moving, the vibrations of her voice when it wasn't her that was speaking.

"Mom, you sure you're feeling okay?"

"Never been better, but I'm very pleased to know you care about my welfare. So why don't you come over and let me show you just how much I care."

"O-okay..." Andrew knew something was amiss with his mother for days now. What that was, he couldn't say, he just hoped it wasn't something that would make his life even weirder than it already was, "I'll be there in a few."

"Good. I'll see you then." Cutting off the call, dropping her phone on her bed. A sensuous smile formed on her lips as whomever was in control of her body stared down at the dress. Feeling her head turning to the left seeing her naked image staring back at her in the reflection of the mirror. Feeling whoever was in control scowling at the way her body looked. "Hey! I like my body just the way it is. If you don't like it get the hell out!" Alex screamed into her mind, yet whomever was in the driver's seat failed to listen. Mentally tapping her imaginary finger on her imaginary left arm that sat crosswise along her equally imaginary chest in her mind as she fumed while whatever was possessing her moved towards the bath room. Taking a dry swallow at how Egyptian she looked as she stared at her painted face after whomever was done with her makeup. Noting the odd assortment of gold bracelets that were carefully placed upon her wrist, to how her body moved as she dressed herself in the Egyptian blue translucent dress. Her heart raced knowing she would never be caught dead in public wearing such a gown when she could see the color of her nipples bleeding through the material and how pink her labia were. No. She would never wear such a dress, not even if her life depended on it. It was too revealing for her tastes.

"Come in!" Her voice called out when she heard Andrew speaking through the door of her hotel room. "Greetings my Pharaoh, come and greet your..."

"Mother?!" Onouphrios spoke into Andrew's mind.

To Be Continued...

[1] Akhenaten -- 10th ruler of the 18th dynasty.

[2] Nefertiti -- Akhenaten's Queen, mother of Tutankhamen, and Pharaoh.

[3] Hor-Aha - is considered the second pharaoh of the First Dynasty of Egypt.

[4] The Lost Labyrinth Of Egypt - was a massive building, two stories tall. Inside, there were an unbelievable 3,000 different rooms, all connected through a winding maze of passages so complex that nobody could find their way out without a guide.

[5] Thinis (This or Tjenu) - was the capital city of the first dynasties of ancient Egypt. It remains undiscovered.

[6] The Sphinx Of Israel - In 2013 in Tel Hazor, Israel, archaeologists found something they'd never expected to find so far away from Egypt: a 4,000-year-old Egyptian sphinx.

[7] Punt - It was an ancient African kingdom full of gold, ivory, and exotic animals that excited the Egyptians' imaginations. It was a place that commanded the respect of the Egyptians, a land they had dubbed "God's Land."

[8] Ra's solar barge, also known as Mandjet.

[9] The river that runs through all the lands of Duat -- the Egyptian underworld.

[10] Egyptian underworld.

[11] First Pharaoh of the First dynasty of the Old Kingdom.

[12] Thoth was the Egyptian god of wisdom and knowledge. Honored as the inventor of writing and the founder of branches of learning such as art, astronomy, medicine, law, and magic, he was the patron god of scribes.

[13] Pepi II -- last ruler of the Old Kingdom before the First Intermediate Period.

[14] First Pharaoh of the Fourth dynasty of the Old kingdom.

[15] Second Pharaoh of the Fourth dynasty of the Old kingdom. However, for this story Khufu would technically be the third Pharaoh of the Fourth dynasty.