Synopsis
Seth felt something trickling over his feet. As he looked down, light from a slit high in the wall of the tomb shone on the sand now pouring in around him. When he had fallen into the chamber, he had set off one of the many traps, designed to catch and kill any robbers. Soon sand would fill every space. He screamed out, his voice piercing the still warm, air of the chamber, “Raki, Raki , help me . I’m down here.”
His voice echoed around the tunnels and chambers inside the tomb but there was no answer.
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Chapter 1
“Stupid child, now look what you’ve done. Why can’t you leave things alone? You‘re so clumsy, you ruin everything.”
A stone was thrown at Seth as he ran out of the yard where his father was working.
He had only picked up the brick to look at it. It was not like the usual mud bricks his father made to line the inside of the Pharoah’s tombs. How was he to know it would crumble into dust in his hands and, besides what were those small holes for? Seth knew his father was working on a very important project for the young king. As usual his brother was helping but Seth was not wanted. “Get out of here and don’t come back until you can do something useful with your hands.” His father turned back to look at the fire where the different bricks were hardening in the flames.
Seth set off down the alley towards the river, his long gangly arms and legs flapping wildly as he ran. He’d sit by the bank and watch the ferries going backwards and forwards carrying rocks, stones as well as people and animals. If he was lucky, he might even catch a glimpse of one of the royal barges as they made their way from one palace to another. He might even be asked to help load one of the ferries and then he could take home a few coins or some bread as payment. That would please his father. He sat down at the top of the steps and looked at the green water sliding past him, his fingers twisting the lock of hair that always flopped over his eyes. “Seth…here…” He turned to see the laughing face of Raki whose wide smile shone in his small round face. His skinny arms and legs stuck out from a ragged brown tunic.
“Want to go duck hunting? I know where there’s a nest with eggs.” His face crinkled into a grin. Seth knew that wherever he went with Raki, there would always be fun.
Together they set off for the river outside the small village but not before Raki had sneaked two ripe peaches from a nearby market stall. “Thieving kids,” cried the stall holder as he caught sight of a skinny arm and hand hovering near his pile of fruit and disappearing with the two choicest ones. “Come on, he’ll never catch us, he daren’t leave his stall,” shouted Raki as he ran through the crowded alleyways and out towards the open land that led to the river.
On the edge of the village, the houses gave way to fields with a dry stone pathway that ran by the side of the Nile. At the edge of the river, there were patches of reeds that crackled as the wind blew through them. Raki ran on along the path, his bare feet throwing up puffs of dust as they landed. Suddenly he drew to a standstill. “Shhhh,” his finger pressed to his lips as he trod carefully towards the water’s edge. “Look down over there.” Seth leaned forward and snuggled in the reeds was a mother duck sitting on a nest. “If I make a noise, you lean forward when she’s flown away and grab two eggs.” Seth nodded and got down on all fours to make sure he wasn’t seen.
Raki started to jump up and down, clapping his hands and shouting at the top of his voice. The duck flew off in a flurry of squawks. Seth stretched out his arm further. Just a bit more and he would have his hands on the eggs. He leaned forward, one hand reaching towards the eggs, the other holding onto the reeds that grew by the bank. But he must have leaned too far, the reeds came away in his hand and he was propelled forwards into the water.
The water was deeper there than he had realised. The current was strong and he found himself swept out away from the bank towards the centre of the fast flowing river. “Raki,” he called, “Save me!” But his cries were drowned by the ripples of waves on the river’s surface. “I’ll get help”, screamed Raki.
But Seth had gone, swept downstream by the powerful water.
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