FELINE ONLINE AND THE MAZE OF THE MINOTAUR
CHAPTER TEN: INTO THE TOMB
“We are looking down into the tomb!”
In one voice, Mike and Emily proclaimed their excitement.
“I’m afraid there isn’t much room down there. I’ll go first,” Mike said as he shined this flashlight through the opening they had dug.
“Gosh, this is creepy!” Emily whispered.
She and Amanda held the ladder for Mike as he descended.
“I’m going down, too! I wouldn’t miss this for the world!” Emily said.
The two children shone their flashlights into corners as their feet touched the stone floor. Then they focused on the mummy’s tomb in front of them.
“Yes, the cat!” Mike exclaimed. “She looks perfect, except for some tears on her linen wrap. That must be the work of the beetles.”
“And the scattered gems.” Emily added. She pointed her flashlight at shiny objects that sparkled in the light.
“And here is the other side of the door that Wadjet couldn’t open. No wonder.”
Mike pointed his flashlight at two carvings of the cat-headed human figure of Bastet on either side of the stone door frame. Two golden stone arms ran across and beyond the width of the door, clearly making it impossible for the door to open.
“So no one could enter from outside, but how did anyone leave this tomb?” Emily wondered aloud. “It seems impossible.”
Just then Professor Robert dropped down into the small room.
“Absolutely fascinating,” he said quietly. Robert circled the small room with his own flashlight.
“Amanda,” he called up. “You must see this for yourself!”
“Hold the ladder, please, Robert.”
Minutes later, the four humans stood together, silently in awe of their discovery.
Taking short steps as she moved around the cramped space, Emily pointed out dusty debris on the floor. She then pointed her light upwards.
“And there they are! The minotaur beetles!”
Dozens of the insects scurried away from the light and back into their tunnels.
Emily giggled. “Look, some are pushing their dung balls with them!”
“Don’t worry, little guys, I don’t want your precious cargo!”
Emily waved her flashlight at the walls.
“Gosh, there are beautiful paintings! And, uh oh. Look at the cracks in the walls!”
Robert walked to one wall and ran his hand along a fairly wide crack.
“Yes, another mystery. Perhaps just a matter of the stone settling. We shall have to investigate further.”
“She is here,” Mike whispered. “Look!”
On the far side of the cat statue, Mike knelt down on the dank and dusty floor of stone. Next to his sandaled feet he shone his flashlight on an unusual carving under the cat’s mummy. His fingers caressed the figures within the stone oval.
“Friends, here is the proof of what we have found,” he whispered.
The others gathered around him as he knelt before the carving.
“Proof?” Robert asked. “What do you mean? Can you read these hieroglyphics?”
Mike looked up.
“I can. This is the sacred cartouche of Bastet. Her name is clearly written within the oval. Without her name she is nothing. Just another mortal cat. Not only is this the mummy of Bastet. Not only does this prove that Bastet, Cat Goddess of Upper and Lower Egypt is buried here. It means that Bastet must return to claim her whole self. Her feline spirit Ba has wandered the earth for centuries, inhabiting various cat bodies as she searches for her Ka that lies within her actual mummy. We can only wonder at the great events Bastet has witnessed throughout history, at the turmoil she has endured. Perhaps she will find her Ka in this very place.”
His friends were silent as they felt the impact of Mike’s words.
“What is your real name?” Emily asked.
Mike smiled in the dim light.
“I am Mihos, son of Bastet. In Egyptian mythology,” he quickly added. “I like to pretend I have secret powers. That’s why I taught myself how to read hieroglyphics.”
Emily giggled nervously.
“Don’t worry, friends. I wont cast a spell on you.”
“Well, aside from your amazing abilities to understand cat behaviors, your knowledge of history and language, I hope you will tell us more about this particular tomb,” Robert said.
“Yes, please,” Amanda added. “Since our first seeing that Cleopatra woman, then designing and sewing all those Egyptian costumes for the Pyramid Party, not to mention the behavior of my cat, Wadjet, around scarab beetle necklaces and now finding minotaur beetle treasure caves,” I must say I am overwhelmed!”
Flashlights turned to focus on the cat mummy before them. Her wrap was torn and dirty. Pieces of linen were scattered around nearby. A few jewels glowed in the wavering lights.
“Amanda, check out this linen,” Robert said. “How old do you think it is?”
Amanda gently touched the mummy and ran her fingers along the wraps.
“Well, I believe many layers were used to protect the cat’s body. And I smell a faint whiff of incense. As for age, I can’t tell, only that the linen is ready to fall off if we try to move her mummy.”
Mike, still kneeling, gently touched the ancient linen.
“The wraps are very brittle,” he observed. “It’s obvious that the beetles caused damage when they began to gather her linen and jewels for their lairs.”
For several minutes the humans did not speak. They could only stare at the mummy in awe.
“Well,” Robert finally spoke in a whisper. “Well,” he repeated, his voice hoarse. “We can only wonder if this cat was of special significance when she died and her body prepared for the After Life.”
“You mean was she buried as a goddess? Hmm, but I thought a goddess is, um, was, immortal?” Emily asked.
“Look!” Emily pointed at something on the other side of the cat mummy.
“There is a book on the floor!” She showed the book in the glow from her flashlight.
“Ah, yes, another treasure!” Mike exclaimed as he stood up. “This might be Sir David’s diary. Friends, we may now learn the answers to our little mystery!”
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FELINE ONLINE AND THE MAZE OF THE MINOTAUR continues with Chapter Eleven, scheduled for Friday, May 2. What will Sir David’s Diary reveal? What will the cats be planning this time?
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CREDITS: Cover Illustration: Tamara Clark
Book chapter illustrations: Tamara Clark and Rosetta Clark-Smith
Drawings of Bastet’s tomb, cartouche and Bastet: Tamara Clark
Hypnotizing Hoopoe Bird Blog and Brilliant Beetle Blog (and more) include ancient myths and nature lore: Tamara Clark