The Emerald Ring

It was a moonless night in Egypt, and nothing but the dancing light of the flashlight illuminated the narrow, unlighted tunnel ahead. Sara unbuttoned the top two buttons of her polo t-shirt and took out the asthma inhaler, sucking a deep breath in. She slid her back down the wall, trying to stretch her legs, but her feet touching the base of the other wall. “This place is damn claustrophobic.”

“Of course it will be.” Mark lighted Sara’s face with his flashlight, making her green eyes twinkle like the emerald ring. “We are after all in the basement of the Chephren pyramid.”

“Thanks for letting me know. I didn’t even know that.” Her sarcastic voice was sharp as she inhaled in another audible breath. She flashed the light on the ceiling and then at Mark. If he’ll stand on his toe, he’ll ram the head into the ceiling, the last thing anyone wanted to do in the pyramid. “I so hate this place.”

“You mean the job?” Mark chuckled, walking ahead.

“That too.” Sara stood, wiping the back of her cargo pants, and dusted off her gloved hands. They both walked until they arrived at another gallery, staring at the fork ahead of them. “Now what way?”

“Hmm, let’s see.” Mark held the flashlight between his lips and unfolded the map. The crunch of paper echoed in Sara’s ears as she stood next to Mark. Both of them followed the finger that Mark moved over the map until it stopped at the centre. “I think this is it. The core of the pyramid. We gotta be finding something in this room.” He tapped his index finger on the red cross marked as the central room.

“I heard you last time and see, we were stuck in the damn labyrinth for over six hours.” She looked at her watch. “We should have been out by now.”

“C’mon Sara. See this as an adventure.” Mark draped his arm over her lean shoulder and gave a light squeeze. “At least we are closer to the gold and the jewels.”

“Or pharaohs.” Sara’s heartbeat somersaulted behind her ribs when she said that. She didn’t care about her job anymore. Discovering and digging out the mummy was the last thing she wanted to do. But when her boss gave her a promise of promotion and a twenty per cent bonus, she couldn’t refuse that.

She started fiddling with the evil eye pendant, the one her mum forced her to wear as a lucky charm. Not that she believed in superstitions and miracles, but in moments like this, she could share her mum’s faith.

“You see… this much-needed promotion will set both of us free.” Mark’s words resounded around her, “And our promotion lies in this very room.”

“Alright, alright!” Sara raised her hands in surrender. “We came this far. We can’t go back. Not now, at least. Let’s search for the mummy fast.” She muttered, walking to her left.

“Sara!” Mark barked from behind. “Don’t go over there.”

“My mind’s saying to go over here.” she darted the rays of flashlight between Mark’s face and the dark pathway.

“B-But… my heart’s saying not to go there.”

After a few seconds of pondering, Sara answered. “So, let’s do one thing. You take the centre room and I’ll take the left room.” She clutched her pendant tighter. “We can save time this way.”

“I don’t think it's right, Sara.”

She waved her hand dismissively, her heart stilling for a beat as she saw Mark’s shadow dancing against the wall from the flashlight she pointed at him. “I just want this to get finished, for once and for all.”

“As you say.” Mark still didn’t look convinced. “Half an hour. And we’ll meet here. OK?”

She nodded and walked ahead. Coughing to the musty smell and the dust that blocked her nose. She was sure her nose must be layered with dust, like Mark’s. How every inch of her finger wanted to wipe that black blotch from his aquiline nose. But he looked so adorable.

Sara and Mark were high school friends. They tried once to be more than that, but the kiss between them made them mutually decide that they weren’t meant to be lovers. Since then, Mark and Sara always had each other’s backs.

Her legs limped as she climbed the granite stairs, and when she pushed open the wooden door, another strong odour of a chemical used for preserving hit her nose and she almost sneezed. Clutching the flashlight tightly in her palm, she walked through and around. The spider webs, insects and the dust had made their settlement there. And there was nothing of interest on the walls, on the ceiling, or on the floor. She trudged the entire length, taking deep breaths in between using her inhaler pump.

“Whoa.” She jumped when her boots crushed the loose bones on the floor. They didn’t seem too big for a human. But then what animal would dare to enter this pyramid?

When she reached the end of the room, she didn’t find anything. Maybe Mark was right. Maybe there really wasn’t anything…

That’s when her flashlight paused on part of the wall which extruded from the main wall. Sara tiptoed, letting her hands feel the stone wall. Maybe this was a secret door that would open to the next room where she might find Mark and she would scare him. Like the way, he scared her in the other pyramid.

Damn, her heart skipped a beat, and she almost died that time.

She laughed to herself, to the monstrous idea in her mind. Her hands scanned the edges of the wall and gave it a light push. Nothing happened. Then she moved to the side and gave a side push. The wall moved.

Great. The wall moved horizontally.

With a bit more force, she dragged the stone until another inked shaft welcomed her. She coughed to the cloud of dust, forcing her mouth to taste the damp dust.

It wasn’t anything she had seen in the ten years of her experience as an archaeologist.

She neared to the inked shaft, and when the flashlight’s rays fell on a coffin, the light disappeared, turning everything to pitch dark.

“Aw shite.” Sara muttered under her breath, slapping the flashlight again. “come on. Come on!”

It was still dark.

Her hands slid into her pant’s pocket, only to find it empty. She cursed herself. The batteries. She gave her extras to Mark when his battery died.

Great. Just great.

“Mark?” she screamed at the top of her voice. “Mark! Could you please come over here? I think I found something.”

Except for her heavy breathing and her footsteps, no reply came. She didn’t dare to go back out in jet black path that made her feel blind. Not even her sixth sense came alive.

Taking baby steps, she stumbled upon something and fell face down on the floor. The sound of the flashlight rolling away from her hands made her curse again. After all, it was as useless as the blindfold here. Her knee felt a loud pain and when she touched it, it burned. Maybe she got a bruise.

But her gloved hands recognised the familiar face below her. She felt as if it was the sarcophagus. Did she hit a jackpot? She hoped so. Joyfully, she stretched her arms, admiring the breadth and length of it. It was almost nine feet long.

“Mark? You got to see this!”

Maybe she hit a jackpot this time. A promotion, recognition in the media and a new Pharoah for her team and then leaving her job for once and for all.

Her fingers paused on the slit separating the sealed coffin. She pushed it and it didn’t move.

Come on! She grabbed her trowel and started applying pressure, forcing the upper half to slide down a bit. The loud thud made her smile, but then a faint cry made her pause.

She glanced behind her shoulder, glaring at the raven darkness. “Mark, is that you?”

She turned around again, convincing herself she would hear his footsteps. After all, it was pin-drop silent. When another wail of a woman came, she shrieked.

“Mark, this isn’t funny!”

Another push of the trowel and then something hit on her cheek as if someone slapped her and damn, it hurt. Her trembling hands soothed her cheek once she was done opening the stone. Still crouching, she extended her arms below, letting her hands squeeze the space and soft bones covered in rough cloth. Was that linen? The strong rotten odour of bones and death smell made her conclude that she indeed discovered a mummy.

“One more step and you shall tend to the curse for disturbing the sleep of Pharoah.”

Sara stilled. But then laughed. “Mark I know it’s you. Stop with the jokes. Seriously it’s not funny anymore.”

When she heard nothing, she held the clothed bone; she was sure it once would be a hand. And in the sooty darkness, she couldn’t miss the big green emerald ring emitting its light against the dancing dust all around. She had found the Pharoah!

Thank God! All her dreams were going to come true.

She lunged to her left to grab the flashlight. In an attempt to give the final CPR, she gave a smack. And when she pushed the button, it blinked. It was a miracle.

Through the bright rays, she saw the hand studded with a big emerald ring that would cost millions, and through the bandages, she saw a skull, its hollow eyes wide open and staring at her.

A yelp escaped her mouth, and the flashlight dropped to the floor.

“Cursed be those who disturb the sleep of Pharoah!” the voice echoed in the room. “Didn’t I tell you that?”

Before Sara could react, the dead mummy sprang back to life, pushing her into the coffin, letting her wail swallow into the eternal darkness. Sara resisted with all her might and fought with the bandages and the bony, weak pile of dust. Damn, the curses were true. But it was now too late to believe in it.

When she jumped out of the coffin, she suddenly got the new adrenaline rush to run out of the maze. Maybe it was because it was now dawn, or maybe because she got to live another day. She didn’t look behind, nor waited for Mark in the gallery. Without a map and the flashlight, she scampered. And God knows how. She neither lost her way nor stumbled on the path.

The dark paths were now illuminated with light, and her small feet jumped over the stairs until she saw the golden sand outside. Until she was out of the spooky pyramid.

And when she glanced at the crimson sun, she bowed, muttering in the old Egyptian language, honouring the Sun.

“Hail to thee, Amun-Ra, Lord of the thrones of the earth, the oldest existence, ancient of heaven, maker of all things above and below; sleepless when all others sleep, adoration to thee, father of the fathers of the gods; we worship thy spirit which is in us.”

The sun's rays shone on her, the sweat pooled on the ground, making an orange puddle around her. And when she touched the palms of her hands, the bones clicked together among the mangled remains of the bandage.

And the big emerald ring sparkled on her left ring finger.

The mummy inhaled a deep breath, her eyes taking in the view as she walked in the direction opposite of the sun, admiring the shadow that formed on the sand.