Shadows of the Nile

by Jo Franklin

  “I’m off to sketch some of the boats.” Cheng picked up his bag which he had next to him and wandered off.

  “I might sketch a bit later,” Gerald laughed. “We’re doing so many drawings this holiday we hardly spend a moment together during the day.”

  “Well, sometimes I’ve seen Aline with a faraway look in her eyes,” Peter said. “Sometimes I think she’s not completely with us.”

  “That’s not true!” Aline smiled. “I have to be very alert and alive to take you on, Peter, with all your banter.”

  “Here, give me your camera,” Jan said to Aline. “I’ll take a photograph of you against the Nile.” Aline had just been using it to take shots for the magazine. Jan seized it, and stood with a sunny expression on her face. “I know, let’s have the first one with you, Aline, in the middle and Peter and Gerald on either side. Then someone else can take one of me with the rest of us.” She took it and then returned the camera to Aline.

  “I’ll take some now,” Aline said.

  Peter posed, deliberately holding his cigar aloft and smiling broadly.

  “Natural, please.”

  “Oh, but my dear Aline, if we are to go in your magazine we must look our best.”

  “These are for me.”

  “Well in that case I’ll look my usual ordinary but charming self.”

  When they’d finished their photo session Jan leant over the wall.

  “Let’s go and look at the river. Be nice to have a swim.”

  Gerald slipped her arm through Aline’s.

  Aline felt the warmth of the sun on her face. All around the air was balmy. She loved being with her crowd from the cruise ship. They all got on so well. She turned to see where Jan had gone.

  Then she gasped. She couldn’t believe her eyes. There was the Egyptian standing on a balcony of the next floor of the restaurant, the man she had seen before. This time, at last, she could see his face. Utter shock hit her. He looked like Thoth! Surely not. It couldn’t be him. She stared at him even more. He was no ordinary person. His muscular build showed through his long striped shirt worn casually over skinny jeans. His dark hair and bronzed brown skin was that of the Egyptian. He wore sunglasses, which hid his eyes, but there was no mistaking his distinctive nose and his royal forehead. Aline stared and stared. It wasn’t… it couldn’t be… it must be someone who looked like him. She released herself from Gerald’s arm and rushed back into the restaurant. She found the stairs and ran up them, scattering people on their way down. But when she reached the balcony he’d gone. She rushed out again and searched but he was nowhere to be seen. She was quite certain who he was. Not only had she recognised him but she’d felt his warmth. She’d seen the Egyptian from the past!

  “Are you okay?” Gerald stood at the doorway. “You rushed off as if you’d seen a ghost.”

  “I thought I saw someone I knew. An Egyptian I’d met here.”

  “Did you bump into him?”

  “No. He’s gone.”

  “Oh, what a shame! But you might see him on the way back to the taxi. I think Peter wants to get back to play cards. Are you joining in?”

  “No, as much as I’d like to. I must do some work.”

  Aline couldn’t settle after that. She’d have liked to stay on to search for him. But she knew it was probably futile. He could have gone anywhere. The others were ready to leave anyway and were jostling her along. Back in the car she craned her neck out of the window, examining every man she saw, and quite determined to stop the car if she saw anyone like him. But she didn’t.

  *

  On returning to the boat they found several people congregating round the gangplank and when they looked they could see fresh blood on the stone walkway nearby.

  “Whatever has happened?” Aline asked.

  Achmed appeared. “Nothing to worry about, people,” he said reassuringly. “One of the crew members missed his footing after lunch and hit his arm on the ground. He’s had one or two stitches. He’ll be fine. Now come back on board, as carefully as you can. We don’t want any more accidents. I’ll see you all at dinner and we can talk about what we shall be doing tomorrow.”

  Aline held back. Blood from a man’s arm. She… she had used a knife. She’d plunged it into someone’s arm. Someone who was trying to hurt her. Who?

  “You look puzzled,” Achmed said. “Is everything all right?”

  “I think so. It’s reminded me of something.” Something really nasty, she thought.

  He didn’t question her further and she went straight to her cabin to try to resume her work. It was difficult after seeing the blood. And she thought of Thoth. Maybe she’d seen someone who just looked like him, but she didn’t think so.

  She found it difficult to concentrate. Perhaps she was trying too hard. She had enjoyed the meal and the laughs but her uppermost thought was of the handsome Egyptian she had seen at the restaurant. She shouldn’t have left with the others. That was stupid. She should have remained where she was and searched the entire place for him. He couldn’t have gone far.

  A thought came to her. She picked up the camera. Supposing… just supposing, she’d taken a photograph, and he was in the background. It was possible, wasn’t it? She switched it on and went backwards through the pictures. All were normal until she got to the very first one, which Jan had taken. She gasped. She was standing between Peter and Gerald, but all three of them looked very different. Peter and Gerald, in contrast to her, were of a different race and colour. They were Egyptians! Peter wore a short shift with gold round his neck, and Gerald a thick white dress. Then she stared at herself in the middle. Her white skin glowed in the sunlight. She looked younger, about fifteen, and her dress, unlike Gerald’s, was almost transparent. Peter and Gerald were very serious as they stared at the camera, but Aline was smiling at someone on the balcony above!

  She stared and stared. Something came back to her. Gerald… had loved her and been very gentle, teaching her to draw pictures and read. Peter too had been very kind, and had protected her when she was somewhere very unpleasant. This photograph was evidence indeed to show to someone straightaway, like Achmed. But even as she thought about it the picture started to fade and the camera went blank and switched itself off.

  “Oh no,” she cried, hastily putting it back on. All the other photos were there but the one she so wanted had gone, leaving nothing. She’d seen it, hadn’t she?

  So… Peter and Gerald had been in her past life, along with Nephthys, Ebony and Achmed. Were they all coming together in their different ways to help her find Thoth?

  She felt the ring, stroking it with her fingers. What if Thoth were alive now? Did this mean she no longer had to return to the past to find him? Her spirits lifted.

  Her energy restored, she worked until dinner. Then she joined the others. Peter was at his jolliest. He’d enjoyed the adventure at the restaurant and couldn’t stop talking about it, making the others laugh at his fish tales.

  Achmed joined them briefly.

  “We’re having an early start tomorrow,” he announced. Everyone groaned. “It’s best we get out at dawn and make our visit then, to avoid the crowds. It will get very busy later. We are going straight to the Valley of the Kings where we’ll see two of the tombs, and then on to the Valley of the Queens where we have one visit planned. Please bring your usual things like water and head coverings because it will be very hot even at that early hour.”

  Aline glanced at him quizzically. Did he mean by ‘head coverings’ her snake shawl? He needn’t worry. She’d every intention of covering herself in such a religious place, not just out of respect for the dead but also for the living. If she somehow met Thoth he might expect it. Her modern attitude began to merge with her feelings for him. She loved him and would become whatever he desired.

  She found it difficult to sleep. He could be here in her own world, alive and warm. She had to find him. She was certain he loved her still.

  *

  It was another hot day and she was
pleased they’d set out early. Even at eight o’clock the coaches were queuing up for parking and crowds were on their way through the gates.

  “You have your tickets,” Achmed said. “There are two named tombs on them and we’ll go to both. If any of you get lost please return to meet us by the coffee shop.”

  Aline streamed through with the others but she’d no intention of staying with the party. Once again she wanted to be completely alone so she could bring her thoughts together. It was quite a long walk just to the first tomb, and she had to wait to get in. She stood shielded from the hot sun by her shawl wrapped around her head and draped across her shoulders.

  ‘How many mourners have waited in the funeral procession in just this spot,’ she wondered. The artists would have left hours ago, leaving the walls filled with paintings portraying reminiscences of life. The stars and the sun would be depicted in all their glory. There’d be drawings of snakes to protect the journey of the departed into the next world. The women in his life would be featured elsewhere inside, ready to please. The gold ornaments and vessels would be waiting for him to use, and containers of precious jewels exhibited in an alcove near the final resting place. The Gods would be brought to life by fine paintings high on the walls, and the Pharaoh himself would feature, looking as in life, standing between Anubis and other powerful gods.

  Still she waited. The sarcophagus would be entering the valley. Priests would be surrounding it, walking slowly, their heads bent in prayer. They’d have brushed past her and gone into the narrow corridors down to the final chamber. More prayers would be said and more chanting. Then the doors would have closed one after another, until the one she stood in front of would have shut, with a resounding and final bang. The priests would have moved off, still chanting, with the women crying. The last and final act was the pouring of sand over the site, to hide it forever.

  It seemed very sad to her, and yet she knew it was the way the ancient Egyptians dealt with death. It was a celebration of life, depicted in the tomb, to take the Pharaoh forward to the afterlife, where he’d return to continue his fruitful existence.

  At last she and the next group of people were allowed in. She could see a long way down the first corridor. As she moved forward she was amazed at how well the paintings were preserved. She couldn’t resist tracing a tiny bird with her finger, just as if she’d been the artist who first drew it. She could see the blue heavens, and night stars, and figures of many gods. She saw the alcoves where the valuables had once been stored, removed many years before by tomb robbers or now in museums. She wandered with the other visitors, as in the funeral procession itself, down to the final resting place. There she found more beautiful paintings, and a sarcophagus. It became very hot and stuffy deep within the chamber and she found it difficult to breathe normally. She stayed as long as she could. Then she turned back. As she went up slowly towards the entrance she realised that, at the burial ceremony, she would have been taking the last living steps away from the dead. Was this where Anubis would have taken over with his book of spells?

  The next tomb was close by and locals were handing out fans for visitors to cool themselves. Glass covered some of the walls. It was much smaller than the first one and she soon reached the inner resting place. This also had a sarcophagus. It was opened by a guide who showed her the inside, but it was empty. Beyond that room there was just sand and rubble, yet to be excavated, and she realised how much work was still going on in all the tombs.

  She reached the outside. She couldn’t see any of her party. She had a little time to spare so she started to climb a narrow path up to one side. Soon she could look down and observe the hundreds of people below. It was surprising no one had followed her or that she’d met no one coming down. Undeterred, she carried on and rounding a corner she came across some steep steps down. She looked round for a ticket collector but no one was there so she descended and passed through the door. This tomb was magnificent, and yet in some strange way so much more intimate and meaningful than the other two she’d just seen. It was beautifully decorated, with vibrant paintings of life on either side of the narrow corridor. The slope still continued downwards and she guessed she was somewhere deep in the hillside. She expected to meet a guide, to be told off for going somewhere not allowed, but no one stopped her, no one shouted at her, so she just carried on. On either side, in niches, were caskets and gold ornaments, which looked authentic, and yet she knew they couldn’t be. She came to the outer sanctum where huge models of guards with spears challenged her. She at last stopped. She was approaching the resting place of whoever was buried there. And now her ring warned her. She mustn’t go any further. She must go back.

  She turned and started to run. She hadn’t realised how dark it was. She could just see the light way above her and although she stumbled once or twice she kept going. At last she staggered into the open air. Her heart was pounding. She’d been taken there by an unknown hand.

  She glanced back and started her descent.

  She could see Achmed and the others by the coffee shop.

  “Ah, Aline. You’re the last to join us.”

  “Yes, I’m sorry,” she murmured as they walked towards the coach and she had Achmed to herself. “I didn’t mean to keep you all waiting but I went to see the tomb at the top of the hill.”

  “Which top of the hill? There aren’t any tombs up there, at least none we know about. I should have stayed with you, Aline. I have a feeling you have once more put yourself in danger.”

  She didn’t reply. She hadn’t really been in any danger. She’d been learning more. For on the wall behind one of the guards leading into the final resting place, she’d seen the most exquisite drawing, of a white woman with curly brown hair. That undiscovered tomb was in some way related to her!

  Jan caught them up and slipped her arm through Aline’s.

  “I haven’t seen you all morning. Where’ve you been hiding yourself?”

  “I’ve been exploring!”

  “Oh, you should have waited for me. I didn’t find the tombs very exciting, a bit sad maybe. And there wasn’t much to buy, just a brochure. You can have it if you like, Aline. I’ve got far too many bits and pieces as it is.”

  “I hope you didn’t pay too much for it,” Achmed intervened.

  “Probably, but he did have the most beautiful dark eyes and such a twinkle in them.”

  Achmed smiled and shook his head.

  *

  They had driven on to the Valley of the Queens, made a visit to a tomb, and then, tired but satisfied, had returned to the cruise ship.

  “So what did we think of the trip?” They were sitting on the top deck, later, with Peter once again next to Aline, aiming the question more at her than the others.

  “There were very fine paintings and it was very atmospheric. I thought the tombs showed great beauty and sensitivity. The ancient Egyptians wanted to give their nobles a burial fit for the occasion. I’d imagine that by making it special for the person who’d died it also made the ones left behind feel as if they’d done everything possible, by giving a good sendoff. A bit like today, when someone dies and we have processions and religious services before we say goodbye to the departed. It helps to lessen the hurt a bit, doesn’t it?”

  Cheng spoke up from the back of the gathering. “I thought the drawings were inspirational. They were obviously done by very talented people. The figures seem to come to life, and the animals almost appear to move. Did anyone notice how the snakes curl round and are docile, and yet their eyes are alert and ready for anything. I could take a few lessons from those fine artists.”

  “Do you know what I felt?” It was Mary’s turn. “I thought they should have left the tombs untouched. It seems wrong to me to interfere with something which has lain undisturbed for thousands of years, and I know there were robbers but they didn’t get too far in, I think, not to the coffin. Those people were put to rest with great beliefs and religious ceremonies, and all that was disturbed when the light of d
ay got to them. I think they should finish any further excavations. Enough is enough.”

  “But don’t you think,” Gerald reasoned, “that we’ve found out a lot of knowledge about the ancient Egyptians through the tombs, and they’ve become highly important to our history. That wouldn’t have happened if they’d never been found.”

  “Do you think the tombs should be left untouched, Aline?” Peter asked.

  “It’s possible some of them are. It doesn’t seem quite right they’ve been disturbed, but as Gerald says we have learnt more about how the Pharaohs lived and died, and the people. I like to think some sort of prayer was said when they were opened. Maybe that would have appeased the ancient gods.”

  “Well, you know what I think?” Jan added her contribution. “These places do help the ordinary Egyptian living now to earn money and I don’t think any dead Egyptian would begrudge that. Even in ancient times they’d all have known about earning money in one way or another.”

  “So,” Peter said. “I can tell we all enjoyed our morning. It’s given us an insight into a time which none of us would know anything about if it hadn’t been for the extraordinary wealth of the noble Egyptians and their lavish funeral plans. May they rest in peace. Now, does anyone know when tea is coming?”

  He grinned happily, and lit up a huge cigar.

  As if the staff had heard him, afternoon tea duly arrived and was set out on a large table with teapots, cups, saucers and plates for the cakes, which were decorously placed on a tiered dish.

  “Quintessentially British,” murmured Peter as he took a large cup of tea and an even larger piece of cake. He seated himself in his favourite spot, not too far from the action. Mary sat down opposite him and Aline next to him. The spare seat was taken by Achmed, who’d been away for most of the afternoon, but had now put in an appearance.

  “Isn’t this nice?” Mary said. “We often do this at home, don’t we, Peter?”

  “Yet stands the clock at ten to three,” Peter announced dramatically.