by Lana Axe
“I am,” Emmit said. “You know I am.” He hadn’t backed down for a second when mechanical spiders had attempted to rob the bank. In fact, he’d rushed toward the danger to help Cali. He had nothing to prove, but the look of bitter disappointment on the calico’s face gave him pause. She was a friend, and she was asking for his help. “All right, I’ll take you.” He hoped he wouldn’t regret it.
Cali patted the mouse on his back. “Thanks, Emmit.”
The blue-gray mouse took a deep breath before leaping out the window. It was a long trot to the museum, and he wished he could hail a carriage, but he was likely too small for any driver to see. And even if he could see, there’s little chance anyone would stop for a mouse. With no other choice, he led his feline friend through the streets of Ticswyk.
At first, Cali saw no signs of alarm. All seemed as it should be with people walking along the sidewalks and ducking in and out of shops. A nearby café was buzzing with activity, its patrons oblivious to talk of a walking mummy. As they neared the museum, however, the scene changed drastically.
Emmit’s description of pandemonium was entirely correct. There were humans running everywhere. Women grabbed their children and fled in all directions, none of them quite sure where this supposed mummy was. Men were running as well, many of them shouting, “I saw it!” Cali doubted that.
To her surprise, there were a number of gawkers. Passersby who had seen the panicked citizens moved cautiously toward the museum, but no one appeared to be going inside. Instead, the crowd remained on the steps, looking toward the courtyard.
“Could it be in the courtyard?” she asked, thinking out loud.
“That’s where the humans were originally running from,” Emmit replied. Pointing with his tail, he said, “I was right by that gate.”
Determined to get to the bottom of all this, Cali strutted toward the gate to the museum’s courtyard. As she suspected, there was no mummy. But her jaw dropped open when she observed the obelisk. Lights flashed on its surface, the hieroglyphs coming in and out of focus.
Now Cali knew what the men were talking about. What they’d seen was not a mummy, but the obelisk’s strange display.
“This wasn’t happening before,” Emmit said, his eyes fixated on the ancient monument. “No one said anything about this.”
“It has to be the museum’s doing,” Cali said. She stared up at the golden light shining on the falcon at the top of the obelisk, and then it faded away. Next the ever-staring eye lit up with an eerie green hue. Her fur bristled as it looked through her.
“Ladies and gentlemen!” a booming voice cried. It was Porchester, emerging from the museum’s rear exit. “We ask that you maintain your distance until we sort all this out. I apologize most profusely.”
Cali and Emmit exchanged glances. Porchester didn’t seem to know what was causing the lights any more than they did. If it wasn’t the museum’s doing, then who was behind it? Cali steeled her nerves, determined to find out.
The bravest among Ticswyk’s citizens stood their ground, mouths agape, as the flashing lights intensified. The obelisk gleamed with an otherworldly glow, every color imaginable cycling through the hieroglyphs. Cali motioned for Emmit to follow as she pressed forward, determined to find the source of the lights. Reluctantly, the little mouse followed.
Cali neared the obelisk, stretching her neck to allow her nose to come close to the monument. It had very little scent. Studying the hieroglyphs with her mechanical eye, she traced the outline of each one.
“The lights appear to be on the surface,” she said.
Emmit crossed his arms. “Umm, yeah, I know.”
Cali turned to him and frowned. “What I meant is, the lights aren’t originating from inside the obelisk.”
“It’s solid inside, isn’t it?” the mouse asked, already knowing the answer.
“Of course it is,” she replied, growing impatient. “But we don’t know what’s causing the lights.” She shook her head. “We have to eliminate every possibility to get to the truth.”
“That amulet was a fake,” Emmit said. “Maybe the obelisk is too?”
Cali considered the idea. Anyone could have carved these hieroglyphs. “You might be onto something.” She wished she could ask Porchester for a more thorough explanation of the obelisk’s origins, but alas, the Egyptologist could not understand the language of animals. She’d have to find out on her own.
Luckily, Emmit was already on it. “Over here,” he said, waving his paw.
Bounding to the mouse’s side, she noticed a sign for the exhibit. “One of a pair standing in front of an ancient temple to Ra in Cairo,” she read from the plaque. Apparently the twin obelisk had been destroyed by time, but this one had been well-preserved. The plaque went on to describe the enormous effort involved in removing this obelisk and bringing it to Ticswyk. “If they truly dug this stone from the ground, I doubt it’s a fake,” she said. “Someone had to go to a lot of trouble.”
“Then there must be a light projector in the courtyard somewhere,” Emmit suggested.
“Or inside the museum.” She pointed a paw toward an upper museum window.
“Ahh,” Emmit said. “Let’s go inside.”
Only two steps from the obelisk, they were rattled by a crash of thunder. Now the humans began to panic, some grasping their companions, others fleeing in terror. Cries of fear echoed through the courtyard. Cali and Emmit dodged feet as the humans ran past. Glancing up at the sky, they counted only three clouds amid a darkening blue. Cali turned to look at the obelisk, but Emmit covered his eyes.
An intense flash of white light burst from the ancient monument, the remaining onlookers shielding their eyes and trembling. Cali didn’t even flinch. How were the lights now emanating from the stone? She raced back to investigate, leaving Emmit crouched in fear.
Once again she made use of her mechanical eye, scanning the surface of the stone. What she hadn’t noticed before were the reflective qualities of the stone. Microscopic flecks of mineral enhanced the lights, likely the source of the emanating light. “It’s just a reflection,” she called to Emmit, hoping to soothe his nerves.
He padded toward her, still shaken. “What about the thunder?” Stone couldn’t cause such a noise without crashing to the ground, and the obelisk was still standing unmoved.
Cali shook her head. “I don’t know yet.”
The blue-gray mouse squinted at the stone, hoping to see what Cali had seen. He saw no evidence of reflective minerals, but his eyes were nowhere near as keen as hers. “Are you sure this isn’t some sort of Egyptian magic?”
“Magic?” she repeated. “There’s no such thing.”
“Think about it, Cali,” Emmit said. “If the Egyptians saw you or any of Lionel’s inventions, they would think of them as magic. What if we just don’t understand how they managed to do this?”
“Good point,” Cali said. Despite his fears, he was still able to maintain some level of objectivity. The mouse had a good head on his shoulders. “I won’t rule out that the Egyptians might have done something to cause this. But what’s made it start up all of a sudden? It can’t be a coincidence.”
“Maybe it was doing this when they dug it out and brought it here,” Emmit suggested.
Shaking her head, Cali replied, “I think that would have been worth mentioning on that plaque, don’t you?”
Emmit had no choice but to agree.
“Let’s go inside,” Cali said.
En route to the door, they passed the hapless Carter Porchester. He sat defeated upon the museum steps, his head in his hands.
“I’m ruined,” he muttered as the duo ran past.
Cali felt a twinge of sympathy for the Egyptologist. He was a passionate man, dedicated to his research. All he wanted was to teach others about the culture he loved in hopes they would come to love it too. Poor man couldn’t catch a break. Sadly, there was no time for Cali to comfort him. The best she could do was figure out the cause of all this trouble an
d put things to right.
“Porchester seems upset,” Emmit said.
Cali nodded. “I imagine he would be.”
“But why sit outside and mope?” he wondered. “He should be searching for the source like we are.”
True, Cali thought. But humans dealt with stressful situations differently. Some took initiative, while others were left defeated and broken. It didn’t seem like Porchester had much fight in him.
Leaping at the door, Cali used her hind legs for leverage against the wall as she tugged at the handle. It was a heavy door, but it opened enough for her and Emmit to squeeze through. As it clanged shut behind them, they heard a second crash of thunder. The museum’s interior rumbled in response, and the citizens still inside shrieked with fright.
From the row of windows, Cali could see into the courtyard, where even the bravest of onlookers were now fleeing. Porchester waved his hands high in the air, shouting, “Please, don’t panic!” His words fell on deaf ears. The museum, both inside and out, was soon cleared of any and all human visitors. Only Cali and Emmit remained.
“I wonder where Porchester’s going,” Emmit commented. As he watched through the windows, the Egyptologist walked away, his shoulders slumped.
“Probably to try to explain this to the newspapers,” Cali replied. “Let’s get to work finding the source of those lights.” The obelisk still reflected the strange lights, a rainbow of colors illuminating the museum’s interior, highlighting some of the exhibit’s main attractions. When the lights reflected off the golden sarcophagus, Cali said, “Let’s have a look at that.”
Moving to the pharaoh’s coffin, Emmit said, “I wonder why he left this on display.”
Cali shrugged. “He removed the amulet, but the sarcophagus is probably too big and heavy. Not to mention it’s the grandest item on display.”
Emmit looked around the room. He thought the massive statues were the most impressive, or at least the most imposing. But to human eyes, the golden sarcophagus was probably the most fascinating. “I guess he didn’t tell anyone that this was a fake.”
“He doesn’t want anyone to know he was duped,” Cali said. “I can understand that, but letting people think this coffin contained a mummy that’s now on the loose, well that’s inexcusable.” If Porchester had had any sense, he would have told the press the coffin was empty, and that would have been the end of it. Now with the rumors of mummies, combined with the strange lights, the citizens of Ticswyk were in a panic. Clearly Porchester had no control over the situation. The more he talked, the more out of hand things would get. Cali would prefer it if he would stick to digging up artifacts and leave the press alone.
“So where do we look?” Emmit asked.
“Along the walls, all the way to the ceiling,” Cali said, looking up. The projector could be anywhere. “Maybe on the balconies. Do you know where the stairs are?”
Emmit shook his head. “No, but I bet I can find them.” Affixed to the wall was a small map, showing visitors their current location and the path to take for other exhibits. The little mouse hopped on top of a glass case to take a closer look.
Cali scanned along the walls, hoping she would find something. She didn’t. Of course it wouldn’t be that simple.
“This way,” Emmit said, leaping down from the glass case. When he stretched his back legs to peer inside the case, he couldn’t believe his eyes. “Here it is!” he shouted.
Bounding to his side, Cali asked, “You found the source of the lights?”
“Not that,” Emmit replied. “But look!”
Eyeing over every item in the case, Cali had no idea what the mouse was talking about. “What am I looking for?” she asked.
Pointing with his tiny paw, Emmit indicated a small, dark blue statue. Its body was that of a human, but its head was that of an animal. Cali couldn’t quite make out what creature it was supposed to be with its long, skinny snout and tall ears. She tilted her head sideways, wondering why Emmit found it so intriguing.
“Set,” Emmit read on the small plaque in front of the statue. “God of the desert and storms.” Turning to Cali, he asked, “Can you believe it?”
“Believe what?” She tapped an impatient paw against the floor.
“It’s a mouse! The Egyptians had a mouse god after all!” A broad smile spread across his face. He’d almost given up hope of finding such a prize. “Mice were as revered as cats!”
Looking back at the statue, Cali tried her best to see it as a mouse. She supposed it bore a slight resemblance to a rat with its protruding snout, but the ears had clearly been broken and should have been taller. They weren’t exactly rounded either, but the hopeful gleam in Emmit’s eyes convinced her to agree. “That’s a mouse all right,” she said, patting him on the shoulder. “The Egyptians worshipped mice as well as cats.”
Emmit’s heart filled with pride at her declaration. A society that didn’t think of a mouse as a pest, but rather as a superbeing, was the most impressive society of all. Never again would he be disheartened by modern humans’ disdain for his kind. They could never take away the fact that mice were once revered.
Holding his head high, he said, “Follow me.”
Cali held back a laugh and ran along beside the mouse. She wouldn’t spoil his moment in the sun for anything. The pair stopped at the first balcony overlooking the courtyard.
“The door is sealed shut,” Emmit announced. There was no handle on the door, and it had been secured with large metal screws.
Seeing it as no more than a challenge to be overcome, Cali said, “I’ll find a way to open it.” She could always throw a statue through the glass. The opening created would easily be wide enough for a cat. But it was best not to cause any damage to the museum. People would think the mummy had done it, and she couldn’t stand the thought of furthering this supernatural nonsense.
Examining the screws, Cali wished she had some of Lionel’s steam-powered tools. He had crafted his own engine to give power to screwdrivers, hammers, and chisels. Any one of those would be quite useful right now. Instead she settled for the tools she possessed on her body. Extending an enhanced claw, she sliced at the glass between herself and the courtyard. The glass was no match for her superior metal claws, and she carved through it like a hot knife through butter. Making sure to trace the glass exactly where it met with the wooden frame, she ensured that it could easily be replaced without anyone knowing she’d been there. Once she was finished tracing its outline, the rectangular piece of glass fell away with a gentle tap of her paw.
“After you,” she said to Emmit.
As the mouse stepped through the hole, the museum’s security system blinked on. Metal bars descended, covering every window and door. Cali rushed through a split second before the bars covered her opening. The lights inside dimmed, only a handful of spotlights illuminating the museum’s façade.
“I guess it’s closing time,” Emmit remarked.
“Indeed,” Cali replied. One look at the corner of the balcony revealed a small camera, currently pointing out to the courtyard. Ducking low, Cali remained perfectly still. The camera panned in her direction and then looked away.
“We’ll have to avoid that,” she said.
“Do you think it will react to a mouse?” Emmit wondered.
“I doubt it,” she replied. “But several inventors, including Lionel, installed security systems here. The variety was designed to keep thieves guessing. I can’t say for sure how any of the various security devices might work.”
It went without saying that they would have to move with extreme caution. Cali was well-aware of Lionel’s portion of the security system, and it would deliver a powerful punch to any intruder, holding him in place until the police could arrive. She’d seen him test the prototype, and she didn’t want to be on the receiving end of its powerful clamp mechanism. It was designed to hold an average-size human regardless of how hard he struggled. She couldn’t imagine what it might do to a cat, let alone a mouse.
&nb
sp; Taking great care to stay out of the camera’s sight, Cali crept along the balcony. With her mechanical eye, she examined every inch. Nothing. “We’ll have to go on the roof,” she said.
Emmit gave a reluctant nod and grabbed onto the brass enhancements running along her backbone. “Ready,” he said.
Shifting power to her haunches, Cali leapt for the roof. It was high, far higher than an average cat could jump, but not too much for Cali. Midway she gave herself a push by kicking off a conveniently placed gargoyle. Once she landed on the roof, she scanned the area for any sign of a light projector. Again she saw nothing.
Emmit released his grip and plodded along the roof, looking down on the courtyard. The obelisk gleamed as before, its hieroglyphs each lighting in turn. From this angle, he could see three sides at once. “Look at this,” he said, nodding toward the obelisk.
With a gasp, Cali noticed the pattern Emmit was seeing. The lights appeared to be random when one looked at a single side of the obelisk. But looking from above, she could see that three hieroglyphs were always lighted at the same time: the falcon, the dung beetle, and that menacing, staring eye. What did it mean? Was it a message? “We should find a way to interpret those hieroglyphs,” she said.
“But how?” Emmit asked. Finding out would involve going back inside the museum, and they didn’t know where to look for a translation. It also meant dodging the various security systems until they found what they needed.
“We’re going back inside,” Cali announced. Waiting for the camera to look away, she grabbed Emmit and dropped back down to the balcony. Letting the mouse loose, she squeezed herself between the bars. Emmit sighed and followed after her.
With gentle paws, Cali carefully replaced the section of glass she had sliced from the door. “Good as new,” she announced. “Let’s get back to the Egyptian display,” she said. Any information about the hieroglyphs would be found there.
Cautiously they crept toward the exhibit’s main room while staying close to the walls. Constantly checking the position of the many cameras, Cali started and stopped as necessary. The cameras didn’t appear to be following a set pattern. Rather they appeared to adjust randomly, making stealth far more difficult. At any time one of the cameras could change position and spot her. Despite the danger, she kept her paws steady and ignored the pounding of her heart.
