Shadows of the Nile

by Jo Franklin

  “It isn’t fair,” she cried, looking at the ring. “You won’t let me stay, but bring me back against my wishes. Well, maybe I don’t want the safety of the here and now; perhaps I want to stay there and die in his arms. I should have the choice.”

  “No choice, not any more.”

  She didn’t see who spoke the words, but she knew it was Anubis.

  “Then let it go on.” There were tears still running down her cheeks. “Let it continue, until I find out what I have to do. Please don’t ever cut me off from him. I have to see him again. I have to hope. He’s everything to me. He’s my life.”

  “You will see him again.”

  The darkness of the night started to fade as the morning light filtered through. Taking comfort from Anubis’s promise, she fell into a deep and dreamless sleep.

  *

  She was woken by the shrill ringing of the internal phone. It was the tour operator reminding her it was time to get up and then off to visit the dams.

  They were all greatly impressed by everything they saw. Just as they were about to leave, Achmed gathered them together and peered intensely at the water. Suddenly he pointed keenly at something.

  “Look, people,” he said. “See that big shape coming out of the water over there? It’s a crocodile, and if you’re very quick you can take photographs of it. Crocodiles were sacred in ancient times. Remember the temple at Kom Ombo which was dedicated to the two crocodiles? They were always left alone, and I think everyone will forever hold great respect for them, as they are very dangerous.”

  “Mm,” Jan said. “I’m not sure if I’d want to go for a swim in there.”

  Everyone laughed.

  They returned to the coach and to the cruise ship.

  As soon as they rejoined it, it made a wide sweeping turn as it headed back up the Nile.

  Aline once more felt the powerful surge of water beneath her, this time carrying her closer and closer towards her destiny.

  *

  Much later they reached Edfu and stopped to visit the magnificent Temple of Horus, as dusk began to fall. Aline wandered round quietly making notes and trying to concentrate on her work. But she had to admit to herself that now she was really looking forward to going to the places near Luxor of paramount importance to her, namely Karnak and the Valley of the Kings.

  *

  Next morning, Aline was awake long before the phone rang for breakfast and another early start. She was ready to be off as soon as possible because she knew that before long she would be in Karnak.

  “I don’t know, it’s all a bit too much for me,” Jan murmured quietly at breakfast. “All this getting up early, and off to visit tombs and temples in the heat. You know, Aline, I’m all ‘tombed out’, and all this drinking of water all the time to keep us hydrated has made me hate the sight of water. I’m all ‘watered out’ as well.” She suddenly gave a merry laugh. “I’m really moaning today. Ignore me. I get like this after being away for a bit. I want to get home, see my grandchildren, do my washing, and sort my stuff out.”

  “And then come back,” chuckled Gerald.

  “Absolutely.”

  “Do you know, Karnak is somewhere I’ve always wanted to visit,” Peter said. “For me, it’s the highlight of the tour. I shall sit and look at those huge round columns, puff at my cigar, if I’m allowed to, and think of all those people who’ve passed that way. I know for some folk it’s the Pyramids they want to see, but for me it’s that huge religious complex where people have worshipped, and had their own hopes and beliefs. What do you think about it, young Aline, sitting there looking so innocent, with the whole of your life stretched out in front of you, not like some of us older folk who don’t know what’s round the corner.”

  “I don’t think anyone knows how long they’ve got,” Aline answered. “Like you, Peter, I’ve always wanted to see Karnak, and I think anyone who’s studied Egypt at all must be curious about it. I’m sure I’ll find great inspiration for my articles there, and I too will find a quiet spot, to sit and make notes.”

  “Cheng and I will be sketching,” Gerald said. “We find a lot of interesting things to draw at Karnak.”

  “Also,” Cheng said, “it’s a very mysterious and thought-provoking site, and not only will I be drawing but I’ll be meditating too.”

  “You make me feel very guilty,” Jan murmured. “I feel as if I should do something profound and clever, but I’ve no idea what.”

  “Just be there to keep us company, and keep us in order,” Mary grinned. “You never know, we might find a market; bound to be one!”

  Everyone laughed and headed off for the coach.

  *

  When they’d settled in their seats, Achmed began to speak in detailed and clear tones about the impending visit. Aline realised once more just how informed he was.

  “Firstly,” he announced, “we are going to the Temple of Luxor, which is very close to Karnak, and was at one time joined to it. Even now there are plans to demolish some of the modern buildings and reconstruct the avenue of sphinxes which led to the temples. I’ll tell you more about Karnak when we come back on the coach.” After a few minutes the coach stopped. “People, we have arrived. We are to have just a short visit here. Please be careful how you alight.”

  As they walked towards the entrance Aline felt the heat. It seemed even warmer than the day before. She pulled her shawl over her head to shade herself from the sun. She wandered away from the main group, taking in the surroundings and remembering things for her articles. As she sat down on a wall, looking up at the temple, three youngsters approached her.

  “You have lovely ring,” one of them said to her. “It flashes like gold in the sunlight.”

  There was something different about the boys. They weren’t the usual type with their laughing banter, trying to sell trinkets. They looked sulky and threatening. She glanced round, nervously, not wanting any trouble. She could see Peter a little way off.

  “It’s worthless, not worth any money.”

  “I think you’re wrong, lady.” Two of them sat on either side of her in a very threatening way. The third just looked down at her.

  She covered the ring. She could feel how small it was becoming.

  “Tell you what, lady. You give us your ring.”

  “Why would I do that?”

  “Because we think you’d like to help our children.”

  “I help your children in other ways.”

  “Take it off.”

  The lad standing in front of her moved towards her in a dangerous way. The other two pushed closely into her so she couldn’t move. One seized her hand and the other tried to yank the ring off her finger.

  “Don’t do this,” she said angrily.

  Suddenly without warning something slithered over the wall. It quickly wound its way to the ground, placing itself between Aline and the kid standing over her. It made very little noise, unlike the three youngsters who saw it; they shrieked, abandoned their thieving, and ran off shouting. The cobra didn’t go after them but slid back the way it had come.

  “What’s going on here,” Peter came hurrying up. “What were those kids doing?”

  “Oh, just playing. You know what kids are like.”

  “They didn’t look as if they were playing. They looked most unpleasant, as if they meant trouble. Well, anyway, I suppose they’ve gone now and no harm done.” Peter peered over the wall. “Funny, I thought I saw what they call an Egyptian cobra. Did you see it, Aline? Did you see a snake?”

  “I’m not sure. I think they’re around a lot. But I think they’re quite harmless if you don’t threaten them.”

  “Yes, yes. Quite so. Quite so. Well, shall we go and find the others? I think it’s nearly time to go.”

  *

  “As you can see,” Achmed was saying, on the coach drive towards Karnak, “the avenue is already being reconstructed so people can eventually walk down the same route as the ancient Egyptians did, Luxor to Karnak, and the other way of
course. As I told you, there are plans to demolish all the buildings in the way and it will take some time to be finished. Now I will tell you just a little bit about Karnak. It is described as the largest ancient religious site in the world and more than thirty Pharaohs contributed various buildings to the site. Some of these were temples or statues. The further you go in the older it is. The most important part to the visitor is the Hypostyle Hall, which has 134 columns; yes, a very large number indeed. It once had a roof but that has long since gone. Now, any questions? I will be telling you more later.”

  He glanced round.

  “No? Okay. When we get to Karnak, after leaving the coach we’ll have a short tour, and then you’ll all be left to wander as you wish.”

  He was as good as his word. The Hall with its columns was far larger than Aline expected. She felt dwarfed by them. They were so tall and so wide. She spent some time examining them and jotting down her observations before allowing herself to wander further into the complex.

  “Perhaps I could join you for a while?”

  Achmed smiled at her. “It’s a wonderful place, isn’t it?” he continued. “Many different temples have been built here and many deeply religious ceremonies have taken place. The faith of the priests was unfathomable. See the lake,” he pointed towards the water. “That was the holy water; it was used for many deep and significant occasions.”

  She glanced across. The water would be icy cold. She shivered. The water didn’t look special now, but she could sense how important it must have been.

  “There’s such a peaceful atmosphere,” she murmured. “Although I suppose like everywhere else there must have been upsets, particularly in the building of the different sections.”

  “Change always brings hurt,” Achmed answered thoughtfully. “However, we do learn. See the model of the huge scarab beetle sitting on top of the plinth? It is said that if you walk round it a few times it’s supposed to bring you luck. I haven’t tried it yet so I don’t know if it works.”

  “I had a real scarab beetle in my hotel room in Cairo. Someone told me they used to protect the dead?”

  “I believe so.” He looked at her keenly. “Peter said there was a snake near you at the Luxor temple?”

  “I did see something, but I wasn’t sure. I was being bothered by kids, and didn’t take much notice. Snakes won’t strike unless threatened, I’ve heard.”

  “Maybe not, but best to be wary of them. They can kill. Come this way. We can see some of the other ruins the ordinary visitor sometimes misses. There is a lovely old room just on the other side of these walls which is still in good condition, and the paintwork is still good in places.”

  He led her to it, and indicated the drawings.

  “They tell me you can draw.”

  She looked at him in surprise. “Not really. I did art at school but I wasn’t brilliant.”

  “Someone said you could draw birds and snakes.”

  “Who told you that?”

  Achmed shrugged his shoulders. “I can’t remember. It must have been someone in the party, but I don’t know who it was right now.”

  “Nephthys?”

  “Might have been her. Do stand for a moment, Aline, and feel the beauty of this little room. I don’t know what it was used for but there is something really special about it.”

  He moved away from her and she quietly bowed her head. Once more she drew the shawl over her head and this time it wasn’t to keep out the sun. He was right. The only sounds were of the tourists in the distance and the song of a bird. Within the confines of the walls they were isolated and time was motionless.

  She was glad Achmed was with her. He was at that moment her protector. She suddenly felt drained after her emotions of yesterday morning, and once more losing her Egyptian. But there was hope because she knew she’d see him again. It had been promised to her.

  Achmed didn’t move. He too stood with his head slightly bowed, deep in meditation. She waited, not moving.

  A breeze drifted through the old walls. Aline glanced around her. A hand took hers and then was gone. The touch was firm and gentle, and she knew it was Thoth. She did nothing, merely lowered her eyes.

  *

  It was some minutes before Achmed spoke.

  “Perhaps we should go back to where the others might be, to the columns. I expect you’ll want to have time to yourself there before we go, just as some of the others are doing, I would imagine.”

  They spotted Cheng first; he was sketching one of the columns. Jan was taking photographs, saying her grandchildren would never believe how big each column was. Peter stood in front of another, carefully examining it. Gerald was in the distance with the sun shining on her strange ears, trying to measure the width of one column with her arms. When she saw them she smiled and waved.

  Other members of the party were gathered in small groups, talking.

  “I’ll go and make sure our coach has arrived.” Achmed departed, leaving Aline alone.

  She wandered amongst the huge columns. Once again she marvelled at their colossal structure. She was completely dwarfed by them. If she hadn’t seen them for herself she’d never have believed how magnificent they were. And on the protected underside of some of the architraves she could see vibrant colours, pictures and symbols, including the Ankh. She wrote more notes. When she’d finished she remembered Achmed mentioning her drawings, and wondered what exactly Nephthys had said to him. She wouldn’t have told him the truth, that much was certain. Aline wished she could remember everything when she went back to the past, rather than just snatches. It was frustrating. But for the moment it was being kept from her. There had to be a reason and she had to accept it.

  *

  “We’re going to have a knees-up, tonight.” Jan caught up with Aline as they went towards their cabins.

  Aline laughed. “What does that mean?”

  “Well,” Jan looked very mysterious, “we’ve been joined by a small crowd of Americans, just for a couple of days. So we’re going to have a cocktail party and a belly dancer.”

  “What!”

  “Yes! I think we should look our best. I’ll wear my pink dress and you wear your backless turquoise one. What do you say?”

  “Sounds good to me!”

  “I could do with a bit of fun. I might do a bit of belly dancing myself. With my clothes on, of course! See you later.”

  Aline knew she should have said no, that she didn’t have time to do anything after dinner. She had a lot of work. She had notes she needed to transcribe onto her laptop and she was getting behind. She’d have to leave the party early and work far into the night until she got it all done.

  The Americans weren’t at dinner. They were having something extra special at an upmarket hotel nearby.

  “They aren’t just an ordinary crowd,” Peter announced, having obtained information from Achmed. “There are twenty of them, and they are business people, some with their wives or husbands or partners or whatever you call them these days. I hope you’ve all noticed that I’ve put my very best suit on for the occasion and I might – I’m not saying I will – offer them some of my best cigars!”

  *

  The bar was full of people when they arrived. The Americans had already settled themselves and were cosily chatting, but they looked up when they saw they were being joined by another group, and one or two of them got up with big smiles.

  “Look,” one of them said, “we’ve got our name badges on so you can see just who we are.”

  “What a good idea,” Aline said. “Maybe we should have done the same. I’m Aline.” The others proceeded to call out their names.

  Everyone then got up and started to mingle. Aline found herself next to a very attractive black woman, with hair that reminded her of the night sky just before morning. Her cream dress made her skin look even blacker.

  Aline was puzzled. She was certain she’d seen her somewhere.

  “I’m sorry, but you do seem familiar,” she said. “Do you think
I could have met you before?”

  “Oh, I’ve never been to the UK,” she answered, smiling. “I’m called Ebony.” She indicated her badge.

  “Ebony?” Ebony… Eboni. Somehow familiar?

  “Yes. My mom said I was so black I should be called after the notes on the piano!” She laughed.

  Aline smiled. There was something about her. Where had she seen her? There was a recollection of her singing and playing something… the lyre?

  “Do you sing?” Aline asked.

  “A bit. I play the guitar and sing country. I’ve done one or two shows on TV so maybe that’s where you’ve seen me. I hasten to add, though, I’m not at all famous. I’m a married mid-thirties mom, with three lovely kids, all left at home being minded by my nanny. That’s my husband over there, the tall one with glasses; he runs a very successful computer company in the States. But that’s enough about me; do tell me all about yourself.”

  She took Aline’s hand and the two sat down together. As Aline talked to her it was as if they’d known each other for ages.

  “So you write. That’s very interesting. Do you illustrate your work?” Ebony asked.

  “No. I can draw a bit. I’ve sketched a few of the animals here, like some of the birds, and snakes. But I don’t think the magazine will use them.”

  Ebony smiled. “I’d like to see them,” she said warmly.

  Jan suddenly joined them. “I think the belly dancer is coming on,” she said excitedly.

  Aline only half-watched the girl gyrating. She knew Ebony from before and yet Ebony hadn’t recognised her. Why?

  She turned her attention back to the belly dancer. She was very good, with a big tummy, and a jewel in her navel. She wandered round the men and drew her scarf across their heads.