The Misplaced Mummy

by Thomas Troupe

  Flo ran as fast as she could, but she was still no match for a werewolf. “I’m not as fast as you!” she hollered.

  “Aw, that’s right,” Furry groaned. He doubled back and snatched Flo up, carrying her in his furry arms like a football.

  “Don’t drop me,” Flo begged.

  “Don’t worry, I won’t,” Furry promised as he darted up a set of stairs.

  Flo noticed her hairy friend was panting again. “And try not to slobber on me, either,” she said.

  “That I can’t promise,” Furry said. He plunked the lunchbox into Flo’s hands. “Hold that, okay?”

  Flo clutched her lunchbox tightly as Furry picked up speed. Ornate statues and wall hangings went by in a blur as he raced down another hallway. He darted between startled guards, whipped around a corner, and blasted through a wooden door. They finally came to a halt in a large room.

  “I think we’ll be safe here for a few minutes,” Furry said, setting Flo on her feet. He closed the door behind him and started dragging a huge statue of Bastet across the room.

  “Isn’t that thing heavy?” Flo asked. She couldn’t believe how easy the little werewolf made it look.

  Furry shrugged as he moved the statue easily. “I guess,” he said. “But that’s where my werewolf strength comes in handy. Too bad this fur is so stinking hot.”

  Once the door was blocked, Flo relaxed a moment. At least we’re safe for a couple minutes, she thought. But we still need to find another way out.

  Suddenly Furry’s nose perked up, and he sniffed the air curiously. “Do you smell that?” he asked.

  Flo took a deep breath, and for the second time that day, immediately wished that she hadn’t. It smelled like an animal had had an accident somewhere. She turned around and noticed a large stone square on the floor at the other end of the room. It appeared to be filled with dark sand.

  A small servant stood at one end of the sand pool. He wore a mask that resembled a lion’s head, but the face was more human than the others. A rectangular stone beard hung from his chin.

  The servant picked up a rake and began raking clumps of something from the sand. “What brings you to this place?” he asked. Unlike everyone else they’d met, he didn’t sound angry or scared to find two strangers in the palace.

  “We’re trying to get out of here,” Furry said. “This place stinks.”

  Hearing the word stinks jogged Flo’s memory, and she suddenly realized why the servant’s face looked familiar. She’d seen it in the ancient Egypt exhibit at the museum back home.

  “You’re the Sphinx!” Flo exclaimed with a gasp.

  “How do you know my name?” Sphinx asked, sounding surprised.

  “There’s a giant statue of you where I come from,” Flo said. “My world has all sorts of stuff from this place!”

  Furry covered his nose with a paw. He looked at the Sphinx with his rake and seemed to realize what the servant’s job was. “Are you raking kitty litter?” he asked.

  Sphinx looked down at the sand pool before him. “My job is to clean the goddess’s fragrant sand.”

  “Yeah . . . we call that a litter box back home,” Flo said.

  “Alas,” Sphinx said, sighing. “It is not a fitting task for someone of my wisdom.”

  Suddenly Flo remembered something else from her trip to the museum. “Aren’t you good at riddles?” she asked.

  Sphinx nodded. “It’s one of my gifts.”

  Just then, something big and heavy struck the door. It sounded like the guards were trying to batter down the door.

  “Uh, Flo?” Furry said, looking around. “We should probably go.”

  Flo scanned the room, trying to find a different way out. There was the door they’d come in, but with the guards waiting on the other side, it was hardly an option at all. Other than that, there was only one window.

  Flo ran to the window and stuck her head out. A rope with large tapestries ran from the palace to a shorter building across the courtyard. It whipped back and forth in the desert wind. Flo glanced down. It was way too far for them to jump. Even worse, the sun had sunk far lower in the sky, casting an orange glow on the rest of the sand city.

  “I think we’re trapped,” Flo said.

  CHAPTER 9

  The door rattled again as the guards tried to get in. With every strike, it seemed to weaken. Not even the heavy statue Furry had dragged in front of it would slow them for long.

  “Why are they after you?” Sphinx asked, leaning on his rake. He didn’t seem bothered by the giant guards slamming against the door.

  “Because we took this back from Bastet!” Flo said, holding her lunchbox up. “Bastet thinks it’s some kind of treasure. And it is, but only to me. Now her soldiers are coming to get us.”

  “And throw us in the pits,” Furry added. He was back down on all fours and ran around in circles like a dog that needed to be let outside. “Whatever that is.”

  Sphinx nodded. “That is unfortunate,” he said. “Well, I must finish raking the fragrant sands if I’m to get my day’s meal. It is miserable work, but I do as the goddess bids. We all must.”

  Sphinx went back to dragging his rake through the sand, kicking up a stink.

  Just then, Flo remembered the turkey sandwich in her lunchbox. She never left home without one. “If you help us out, I’ll give you a meal right now,” she offered.

  “I have a better idea,” Sphinx said. “I’ll speak a riddle to you. If you can tell me the answer, I’ll give you my rake.”

  Furry stopped. “What good is a rake going to do us?” he snapped. “We just need to get back home.”

  Just then, the door rattled again loudly.

  “It’s better than nothing,” Flo said. “We’ll take it. Hit us with your best riddle. And make it fast.”

  Sphinx set the rake down and clapped his hands excitedly. “What can be seen everywhere, makes up our land, yet slips between the fingers of your hand?” Sphinx asked. He crossed his arms, awaiting their answer.

  Seen everywhere, but slips between the fingers of your hand? Flo thought, pacing the floor. She tried to concentrate, but it was hard with the guards determined to bang down the door.

  Flo looked around the room. What can I see everywhere? Cats? She saw them everywhere, at least in the palace, but it didn’t sound right.

  BOOM! The door splintered, and an animal-headed guard peered through the jagged hole. There was no time left!

  Flo unlatched her lunchbox and pulled out one of her famous turkey sandwiches. “Are you sure you don’t just want a sand—”

  “You’ve guessed it!” Sphinx shouted, interrupting her.

  “I did?” Flo asked, trying to figure out exactly what she’d said. Then it hit her — sand! She meant to say “sandwich,” but it was good enough for Sphinx. “I mean, yes. Sand is the answer!”

  “Perfect!” Furry shouted. “So you’ll help us?”

  “You’ve won my rake,” Sphinx announced. He tossed the rake to Flo.

  “Oh,” Furry said. “Perfect.”

  The wind outside kicked up, whipping the tapestries back and forth against the room’s open window. Suddenly Flo had an idea. She picked up the rake, tossed the sandwich to Sphinx, and ran to the window. This could work, she thought.

  “Furry!” she shouted, “get over here!”

  The werewolf ran to the window. “What’s the plan?” he asked.

  “We’re going to make a zip line,” Flo said. “If we hook the rake over the top of the rope, we can zip across to the other building. We’ll be closer to the ground, and then we can make a run for it.”

  Furry grabbed the rake and stepped into the window’s opening. With a grunt, he hooked the end of the rake over the rope and held on with both paws.

  Just then the door exploded open behind them. The Bastet statue toppled over and hit th
e stone floor, shattering into a thousand pieces.

  “Let’s go!” Flo cried. As the guards raced to grab them, she wrapped her arms around Furry and they leapt out the window.

  The ride along the rope was quick and more than a little scary. Flo clutched her lunchbox tightly as they soared across the stone courtyard. The wind kicked up again, catching the tapestries they zipped past. The heavy fabric bunched up ahead of them as they slid.

  I hope Furry has a good grip on that rake, Flo thought nervously.

  In seconds, they were approaching the wall of the shorter structure.

  “Hang on tight,” Furry said. “I’m going to let go. Then we’d better run like our lives depend on it.”

  “Um . . . they kind of do,” Flo said.

  Furry let go of the rake and they dropped to the ground. Furry landed solidly on his feet and caught Flo in his arms. Before the rake could clatter to the ground, they were off, racing toward the desert.

  From the palace window above, Flo heard Sphinx shout. “This sand itch . . . it’s delicious!”

  CHAPTER 10

  “Whatever you do, don’t let go of that lunchbox,” Furry warned her as they ran. “That portal shard is the only way out of here!”

  Flo gulped. She definitely didn’t want to be trapped in Furry’s world forever. They raced through the walkways of the city, avoiding any guards they spotted. They snuck behind walls and ducked into shadowy corners created by the rapidly setting sun.

  They finally reached the stone platform at the edge of the desert. Furry glanced up at the looming pyramids. “We have to hurry if we’re going to make it back to the portal before the sun sets.”

  Behind them, they heard the roar of the guards. Flo turned to see a swarm of animal-headed soldiers headed their way.

  “Let’s go,” Furry cried. “They’re coming!”

  Flo raced after Furry into the desert. The werewolf was down on all fours, sniffing the ground. She hoped he’d be able to pick up their scent and lead them back to the portal again — fast.

  As they ran, the winds started to pick up, throwing more sand across the sky than ever before. Flo’s hair whipped across her face so much that she could barely see a thing.

  Just then, Furry stopped. “Something isn’t right,” he said. He backed up a few feet, and Flo nearly ran into him before she stopped too.

  The sun dipped lower on the horizon. In minutes, they’d be in complete darkness, and their way home would disappear.

  “What?” Flo asked, glancing back over her shoulder nervously. She expected the guards to be right behind them.

  But the animal-headed soldiers were no longer chasing after them. They’d stopped at the edge of the desert and were watching from a distance.

  It’s almost like they’re scared to come out here, Flo thought. But why?

  Suddenly a rag-covered hand reached up from the sand and swiped at Flo’s ankle. A moment later, another one emerged. Then another and another. A few feet away, an entire head popped up. The swatches of cloth around the face clued Furry and Flo in.

  “You have to be kidding me,” Flo shouted. “The desert is filled with mummies!”

  “Yep,” Furry cried. “They’re all over the desert. No wonder one fell through the crack!”

  Everywhere they turned, more and more mummies were pulling themselves out of the sand. Flo suddenly understood why the guards stayed back on the stone platform.

  “They’re not going to want us to leave again,” Furry warned. “Especially if it means taking the shard with us. Run!”

  As the twisted hands and rotten mouths swiped at them, Flo and Furry raced through the sandstorm. The sky grew darker with every step they took. The mummies groaned and lumbered clumsily after them.

  Flo opened her mouth to shout, but it was quickly coated with sand. “Ugh,” she grumbled, spitting sand. “Are we close?”

  “Yeah,” Furry shouted. He growled at a mummy who grabbed one of his legs. “It should be right here!”

  They both stopped to look around. The stone circle they’d come through was gone. Flo panicked. Not only had the way home disappeared, but hundreds of stinky, rotten mummies were headed their way. As if to prove her point, a hand shot up through the sand near her foot.

  “Let’s start digging,” Furry cried.

  “Are you nuts?” Flo said. “We might dig up more mummies!”

  “We don’t have a choice!” Furry yelled. “Either we find the portal or we’re stuck here!”

  Furry immediately started pawing through the sand. Sand shot past either side of him, rivaling the growing sand storm in the desert.

  Since Furry could dig so much faster, Flo focused on keeping the approaching mummies away. More and more of the creepy beings had caught up to them, and even more were emerging from the sand. In moments, they’d be surrounded.

  In the dark, she thought. With no way home. With mummies closing in on us.

  The last sliver of sunlight was burning above a far-off sand dune when Furry let out a happy bark. “Found it!” he yelled, frantically clearing the sand away from the circular stone. “Quick, hand me the shard!”

  Flo smacked a mummy with her lunchbox, knocking the tattered monster back a step or two. She shook another one off her ankle and opened the lunchbox. It was almost completely dark, and she could only hope everything else inside wouldn’t tumble out.

  With quick fingers, she found the blue shard. “Here!” she cried. She slapped it into Furry’s outstretched paw and quickly snapped her Dyno-Katz lunchbox shut again.

  Furry held the shard between his fingers and scratched a thin line across the width of the stone circle.

  Nothing happened.

  “Uh-oh,” Furry said. “I thought it —”

  There was a sudden flash of light and the seal glowed, opening into a familiar blue portal. The mummies staggered backward, and Furry and Flo dove through the crack.

  CHAPTER 11

  Flo’s stomach churned, and in a flash, she felt something cold against her face. She heard water sloshing in the background, and for a second she worried they’d ended up somewhere else. But with one deep whiff of fabric softener, Flo knew.

  We’re home, she thought gratefully.

  Furry sat up next to her, still in his werewolf state, and groaned. “Oh, my head hurts,” he mumbled.

  “Is someone back there?” a woman’s voice called. “Hello?”

  Flo’s eyes widened. “It’s my mom,” she whispered.

  The footsteps came closer, and Flo quickly popped open her lunchbox and tossed a juice box to Furry. The little werewolf ignored the straw, popping the entire juice box into his mouth. His sharp teeth sliced the juice container to pieces, and Furry let out a loud BURP! He immediately changed back into his human form.

  “Flo?” her mom called, raising her voice. “Is that you?” A moment later, she poked her head over the top of a dryer. “What in the world are you two doing back here? I’ve been looking everywhere for you! You’re both filthy. And full of sand . . . again.”

  “Oh, you know, just got back from the desert,” Flo joked, quickly getting to her feet. Furry hopped up too and they stood side by side to hide the dimly glowing blue crack from view.

  Flo’s mom just sighed and shook her head at them. “You two and your imaginations,” she said.

  “Yeah,” Furry said. “Deserts are pretty sandy.”

  “Well, go out front and dump the desert outside, would you?” Flo’s mom said. “Then come upstairs to eat your cold dinner, Flo. Maybe when school starts next week you two will stay out of trouble.”

  Doubtful, Flo thought. But she breathed a sigh of relief all the same.

  * * *

  On the sidewalk in front of Corman Towers, Flo pulled off her shoes and dumped the sand into some nearby bushes. “I never want to see sand again,” she grum
bled. She shook her shoe one last time for good measure.

  Furry stood in his tattered swim shorts and pulled his pockets inside out. A bit of sand sifted out onto the pavement. “Me neither,” he admitted.

  Flo knew she needed to get back upstairs, but she sat down for a moment. Furry plopped down next to her, and they stared for a few minutes at the traffic honking its way past their building.

  Eventually Flo spoke up. “I don’t get why we can’t just toss the shard into the crack and be done with it,” she said. “I mean, if that’s what’s keeping the crack open, we’d be safer without it, right? No more crack, no more monsters. Problem solved.”

  Furry was quiet as he stared at the park. “It’s not that easy,” he finally said. “If I ever want to go back home, I have to hold on to it.”

  “Go back home?” Flo repeated. “You mean you’d really leave? For good?” She couldn’t imagine Corman Towers without her best friend.

  Furry shrugged. “I get homesick sometimes,” he admitted. “And my parents must miss me. I mean, they sent the goblins after me, right?”

  Flo nodded. “Sure seems like it,” she said.

  “I know me being here is dangerous, but I like it here,” Furry said. He gave Flo a small smile. “Especially now that I have a friend like you. It’s hard to think about leaving, but it’s hard to think about not being able to. It’s just hard to let go.”

  Flo was quiet for a moment. “Yeah, I know what you mean,” she said. “I’m going to show you something.”

  She took a deep breath and opened the lunchbox. Inside were an uneaten sandwich, another juice box, and a small photo. Flo picked up the photo carefully and held it out to Furry. “Look at this,” she said.

  Furry looked at the picture and frowned. “It’s some guy at a drawing table with a little kid sitting on his lap. So?”