Egyptian Tale

By Kateryna Voloshyna

Illustrated by Helena Domenic

Dark, starless night fell on Kira when she rolled out from a taxi in Dendera. How much time did it take for sun to fight all the darkness? Ra is somewhere there in the sky, fighting his everlasting enemy snake Apop. It was easy for Kira to imagine the ancient god in his golden chariot, striking the gigantic snake with his spear of pure light.

Kira’s long black hair, tied into a single braid, was swallowed by the lack of such light now, leaving only the creamy paleness of her skin and her brown eyes the opportunity to shine. It was not her first time in Egypt and not her first eclipse, but it still felt magical.

Her father was currently in Qena, trying to get permission for his new archeological project near the city. Although he promised to show her Dendera in a few days, Kira could not wait. She was tired of listening to the empty promises of one mad Egyptologist. When they had left their tiny apartment in Dnipro, Ukraine, it seemed as if he did not care much about her or anyone else. She knew it wasn’t true, but he was just elsewhere, deep in his thoughts, leading to ignorance and then Kira’s feelings of abandonment, having been ditched by both parents now instead of one.

Kira’s mother left them when she was three, so she did not even remember her. She was perfectly okay having been raised by her father, who had been around any time she needed it, except for the few months a year that they always spent in Egypt.

Not that Kira failed to understand him—oh no, she got him. She was also in love with an ancient civilization that many thousands of years ago spread across the lands of Upper and Lower Egypt. She was happy to spend days with her father discussing the pyramids of Giza, Saqqara, and Dahshur. They visited so many times that the first alphabet she learned was not English but hieroglyphics. She read texts within pyramids with such ease that many of her father’s fellows considered her the next legendary Egyptologist who, without a doubt, would make some gigantic discovery.

Her father said the same thing to her, but Kira found it rather annoying. She was fed up with the high hopes everyone had for her. She was fed up with her father’s absence. Yet, she had to confess that she loved Egypt as dearly as he did, and now, so close to Dendera (the temple she always wanted to explore but never did, mainly because it was too far from their original targets), she wouldn’t miss a thing. Yes, her father was busy at the moment, but not she. She had plenty of time to see the Temple of Hathor, her favorite deity in the ancient Egyptian pantheon.

Amazing Hathor! She was a goddess of love and passion, with the head of the cow. Yet she could easily change her lovely nature into something entirely horrible. The goddess could tell you your destiny in the shape of mystical Seven Hathors, who all were parts of one. They came to the child after they were born and predicted the future.

Kira had called in advance and asked a guard to meet her in exchange for baksheesh, the fee she was willing to pay for entry to the temple, and the standard price for everything you do in Egypt. Kira was accustomed to paying baksheesh anywhere, from the “free toilet” to the small favor she did not ask for, like someone opening a door in front of her. She was a stranger in this country and learned to obey the laws made for those like her.

She had $10, which was more than enough for all troubles this man could have by letting her in alone during the eclipse, which to be fair, totally got her by surprise. The guard was so kind to even turn on the lights in the hall of the temple.

Kira passed through the long dark park. She went to the light to see the ancient remains of the temple that was once covered in precious stones and overcrowded. The temple had survived thousands of years, and Kira would not miss it for the world, even if it meant getting in trouble with her dad. If she was lucky enough, he wouldn’t notice her absence until she came back. But now, she could not think about anything else except the temple and its hostess.

She said “Marhaban” to the old guy in the guard’s uniform. He smiled back at her and wished her a good day, while Kira paid the money and entered the temple.

It was not her first temple, for Pete’s sake, or her first solo trip, but the girl ran out of breath for a moment. She stood frozen, trying to memorize everything she saw around her. Everywhere there was a story that had to be told and read. On the walls, on the columns, on the floor, and on the ceiling; nothing could be missed. Kira started from the beginning, from the room where commoners could gather and pray to almighty Hathor, listening to the priests’ chanting. She moved from one wall to another, reading, watching, and analyzing. She could not stop since all the time in the world was not enough for this. Kira had to decide on the number of rooms she could visit, and it was far from the number she wanted to see. So, she could not stop even for a moment.

But the third column forced her to stop and turn her head around. Suddenly she noticed one thing. No, it could not be correct. And yet, it was. Kira moved back and forth, gaping at the columns. What could have gone wrong here? Possibly it was made on purpose, during some ancient times as well. And yet, all the deities from the columns that had to be there were missing, not just erased or vanished. No, their shadows still were printed on these columns. Kira could see the shadow of Hathor and her husband Horus perfectly. She could still see the dark shapes of Osiris, Isis, Nut, Geb, and other ancient gods. But there were empty spots instead of deities.

She turned around. The statues of gods were still there. They stood in the empty silence keeping their secrets. Kira quickly ran around one room and then went to another. She often saw the photos taken from this temple in her father’s books. She knew them by heart. And she knew precisely that eight deities were missing. Did vandals recently attack the temple? Why hasn’t she seen any reports in the news? It had to be a great deal after all!

Kira returned to the front gates, where the guard was silently sleeping. “Excuse me, can you tell me what happened with this column?” She pointed at the grey shadows.

“What?” The guard sluggishly stood up. “I don’t understand. Bad English.”

“Where are the paintings?” Kira stressed every word, pronouncing it loud and clear. She blamed herself for not being able to speak Arabic fluently to understand the answer. However, she could still ask him in his language. But that also meant that everyone began to answer in Arabic, and that is when they would lose each other in translation.

“Column?” He came closer to the column, studying it. Kira came closer too and pointed at the empty places.

“Was it vandalized?”

“Vandalized?” The guard looked worriedly at her.

“Cut?” Kira tried to mimic the movements, slicing the column with an imaginary knife in her hand.

“Oh.” He turned pale. “Not cut. Don’t worry. They come back.”

“What?” Now it was Kira’s turn to get lost in translations.

“Come back. Return.” The guard was desperately trying to remember English words. Yet, it still made no sense. So he began to shake his hands in the direction of the pictures on the walls. “After eclipse.” He pointed his finger towards the sun.

Did he mean that there will be a group of Egyptologists after the eclipse to restore paintings? How fast will they work? Kira thanked the guard and came back to the columns. She tried to remember the pictures in her books. All deities were in their places there. So, when did it happen? Who could do such a thing and for what reason?

She knew that this temple was damaged by generations of different vandals, whether they were Pagans, Christians, or Muslims. Kira looked at the images that were still black from the periods of Christian monks living there. They had ruined almost everything, erasing hieroglyphs and pictures to make their point crystal clear—the ancient gods would not punish them, so they don’t exist.

But have they managed to destroy even these columns? No, Kira would have known that. Only a few days ago, she held encyclopedias with Dendera’s temple images in her hands. She was looking at the beautifully restored images of deities in colors that were originally there.

Although her discovery shook her, there was not much time left and she had to start working. Kira reached for her backpack and put it on the ground. She did not come unprepared here. Kira wanted to see several spots in the temple and read all the hieroglyphs that she could not find in any books. It was like several walls were missing from every book she had.

So, she waved her hand at the guard and went further into the temple. Kira quickly found the walls she needed and started writing down the text. It was rather monotonous, and after a few hours, she felt utterly exhausted.

Kira climbed down from the old chair she found in the corner. It belonged to one of the museum workers who usually sat there watching tourists, asking for baksheesh. Kira searched her backpack and found the sandwich she bought in a supermarket in Qena. She then took the bottle of liquid that looked like her favorite soda but with the pieces of some exotic fruits inside.

She had this one day. Tomorrow they would be sleeping in tents, after all, if her father reached an agreement with Qena authorities.

Suddenly she heard the noise. It was not a gecko and it was not any type of animal. The noise was loud and belonged to not only one, but a group of people. She knew for sure there were no tourists in the temple. She suddenly remembered the thing the guard told her about Egyptologists. Could it be them? She did not want to meet the group of Egyptologists who may be familiar with her or her father here. Since they were usual guests in Egypt, she knew almost everyone involved in this “business”. Yet, she had no choice. Sooner or later, they would notice her, and it was better not to look suspicious.

Kira rushed towards the first room. She had her made-up story ready. Kira would tell them a beautiful tale of how she was helping her father day and night with his studies. Voices grew louder with every step. She could not understand a word. Was it a German group? She knew some basic German well enough to understand that was not it. There was no time left to guess as she approached the door. And there, she froze in horror.

Right in front of her stood the missing pieces of the columns in the flesh. There was a man with green skin, wrapped in white bandages, and he had a big white crown on his head. Near him stood an astonishing woman in a golden dress with golden wings behind her. Kira swore that these wings were trembling. Another man with a giant scarab mask was sitting under the column holding his head in his arms. And a woman with dark blue skin was there as well, almost completely naked, covered in stars from head to toe.

Still there were more, a man with smooth brown skin and a bird sitting on his head. It looked like both man and bird were laughing at something. A woman with giant horns on her head was playing with the feathers of a man with a falcon’s face. There was another man with an ibis head. He was the source of loudness. Everyone was listening to him and laughing. The weirdest thing is that Kira knew them all. Horus, Geb, Nut, Ra, Isis, Osiris, Hathor, and Thoth. All there.

Okay, so I’m asleep, Kira said to herself. She tried to wake up, but it was not that simple. She tried to move back, but suddenly, the laughter and noise stopped. She turned her head back to the deities and understood that they were all looking at her. Men, women, and two birds with their beady eyes. She slowly raised her hand in greeting. She did not know whether she was supposed to kneel; she was not raised to welcome the gods, especially ancient ones.

“Well, hello there,” said the man with a bird on his head, breaking the silence. She recognized him as Geb, the father of all gods. He spoke to her in perfect English, and Kira quickly understood there was some magic.

“Do we have to kill her?” asked the horned woman, her role model and hero. Kira knew that Hathor was one of the most dangerous gods whose temper could change in a second, turning her into a deadly beast. But part of her was still hoping to receive an autograph or a photo with her. Until, you know, she was shredded.

“I w—I would r-rather n-not,” Kira did not know she could stutter. Well, probably, you may never know until you meet ancient gods.

“Indeed.” Osiris came closer to her. Here is her salvation, the light of kindness. “How curious to see a human there who can see us and dare to talk to us. Are you dead?”

“No?” Kira thought about it for a minute.

Was she? Was this what the underworld looked like? She hoped she was not dead but could she say it with complete certainty? At least her death was painless, if she had truly passed away. She was always afraid of being bitten by a scorpion or a poisonous snake.

“Girl, don’t worry, you are not dead. But what a funny joke it could be!” The god with the ibis head tried to calm her down. Kira took a deep breath. But, Thoth, God of wisdom could not lie…or could he?

“Still, what is she doing here, and why is she seeing us?” Nut, the beautiful, almost naked goddess, was the first one to ask reasonable questions.

“Are you a magician?” An expected question from Isis, the goddess who was so obsessed with magic. She poisoned her father (who now stood by her side) just to extract his magic and became the most powerful magician of all the times. “Is she ill? Girl, hello!”

“S-sorry… I am not a magician,” mumbled Kira. “I am a high school student…and future Egyptologist.”

“Oh, so you are an admirer,” spoke Ra. He was the only one who was not surprised. “Nice to meet you then. I am a sun god, you can call me—”

“Ra,” Kira said before he could finish; she just could not hold it. She closed her mouth with her hands. It was always like this. Once she knew the answer, she could not keep her mouth shut.

“Is she a magician? Why does she know Dad’s name?” It was Isis again, who apparently had her thing with the names.

She was collecting them, writing somewhere in her magic book. The more names she knew, the more powerful she became. She thought she could control anyone by using their actual name given after their birth. This was the reason why many people in Ancient Egypt preferred to hide them, offering nicknames instead. Kira knew that, and still, she could not hold it.

“I am truly sorry. I know the name because I have studied you all my life. I know all the legends about you.”

“Yet, you don’t know how to hold your tongue,” noticed Osiris. Look who turns out to be the rude one. “And why does she see us if she is not dead?”

“Okay, girl, just give us a second here.” Ra called his family. The gods gathered around him and started whispering in the ancient language Kira did not know. Hieroglyphs were one thing, but everyone knew that the ancient Egyptian language was gone forever. Kira was unsure whether it was ancient Egyptian or some divine language.

It took them several minutes for sure, and Kira had a chance to relax and sit under the column with Horus’ depiction. How was it even possible? Kira could explain it only as a dream. She knew she was sleeping so she had to relax and act coolly. Yet, this dream was too realistic and even with colors. Was she going mad?

“Now, girl, come to us,” Ra called to her in a soothing voice. “We all decided not to kill you. So instead, you will tell us everything about this new world we see.”

“Tell us about the food you eat,” said Horus.

“Books you read,” added Thoth. Of course, it was him.

“Magic that brings all the lights on.” Was magic the only thing that Isis cared about? Her beloved husband was all wrapped in the bandages and was dead. But who cared?

“I will. But can I ask you why you are here?”

“Where? On Earth?” It was Geb who asked. “Or you mean why are we stepped out of the columns?”

“Yes.” Kira was too loud. “And why do you understand me and I understand you?”

“Isn’t it your language?” asked Thoth. “We speak the one you understand. It is only in your head. We don’t know which one it is. To us, it sounds the same.”

“But how do you understand me?”

“Oh, to us, you sound in our native language too, don’t worry,” explained Thoth. “If I were you, I would rather be curious about our look. Why did you recognize us?”

“Because I’ve learned you from childhood. Because you look the same as in any picture. You were here, in this temple, remember?”

“Ah, yeah,” agreed Ra. “Whose temple is it?”

“Mine, father,” Hathor was visibly angry. “You know it perfectly well!”

“Is it? I thought it was my temple first!” Isis smirked at her. “Did you forget, oh mighty Hathor?”

“I was there before you, before everyone.” Pissing off Hathor was never a good idea. Of course, everyone in the room knew it, but Isis was definitely a stubborn one.

“Goddesses, you have to behave yourselves in front of the human.” Horus tried to calm down his wife and mother. “Isis, your temple is just a few feet away, and you know it.”

“Isis, don’t make me angry. We discussed the thing with temples multiple times,” breathed Hathor.

“So what? Are you going to turn into Sekhmet again?” Never a good idea. Kira remembered the myth about crazy Hathor, who turned into a lioness and ate as many people as she could.

“Oh, dear sister, you wish!” Hathor smiled. “I want to speak to our little guest now. So, dear, tell us more about you.”

Kira forgot anything she wanted to say for a moment. Her favorite hero was alive and talking to her. And all she could do was sheepishly smile.

“Mighty Hathor, I am your biggest fan!”

“Yikes!” Isis wrinkled her perfect small nose. “From overpopulated Earth, we could be seen only by this tasteless mortal. What a pity!”

“Hush!” Ra exclaimed, smiling at Kira. “Do continue with the story you wanted to tell us. We are hungry for mundane stories. Besides, we have no idea of the modern world. See…we are locked here.”

“Why?” Kira could not imagine the shackles that could hold such power.

“We have to go back here, to this very temple before the eclipse ends. At least this is what we discovered so far,” Thoth told her.

“Still, we have only a few powers left,” complained Osiris. “Not that we could go back on our terms.”

“Would you please shut up?” Isis looked at her husband angrily. “This mortal does not have to know about it.”

“I will not tell anyone,” interrupted Kira. Seeing these two argue made her want to cry. Whether it was magic or not, Kira could not stand their quarrel. “I can help.”

“Oh no, girl, I am afraid you can’t help us.” Isis smiled bitterly. “But I trust you will keep our secret with you…unless you want to get killed terribly.” She opened her hand full of red and golden flame to prove her words. Kira hoped she did not scream too loud. It was a real fire. And Isis was holding it in her hand. Her first reaction was to cover it with something until the woman hurt herself. But Isis closed the fist, and the flame was gone.

“That…don’t worry about that.” Nut quickly came closer and hugged Isis by the shoulders. “We still have some of our powers here. We need them to help others.”

“So you are like superheroes?”

“Heroes? Why not villains?” Osiris smiled crookedly. “So many centuries past, and these mortals still think we come to rescue them.”

“But you…you just—” Kira froze. To be honest, she had never thought about the possibility that these gods can be evil, even though Hathor herself can drown humanity in their blood. But didn’t Isis say something a few moments ago about helping others?

“I see your mental struggles,” noted Thoth. “Can you just relax for a moment? We are not evil. Perhaps we just have a weird sense of humor…we are ancient after all…don’t you humans say something about dad jokes?”

“Yeah…my dad has terrible jokes,” agreed Kira.

“Don’t they all?” Isis smirked at Ra. Kira thought that it was her last words. Yet, after a really long second, the company began to laugh, including Ra himself. What a weird family? Kira could not help but laugh too.

She relaxed with this team of supernatural divine weirdos and began to talk about her dad and their home. She told them about her tiny rebellion against her dad. Surprisingly, no one was judging her except for older deities.

It looked like these gods were new to the modern world, coming from their own. What caused them to wake? Was it the eclipse? Thoth calculated that they had been waking up at this place several times. Still, Kira could not figure out which months he meant. It seemed like he named only three months in a year.

“I see the darkness is almost gone,” said Nut. “Child, will you come to talk to us soon?”

“Of course,” Kira promised before she could think about it. “I wish I could take you together with me.”

“We’ll see about it,” smiled Thoth. “It definitely looked like an interesting adventure to us. What do you think, Ra?”

“New land, new people who need our help,” nodded Ra. “Let us talk about it for a moment.”

Kira was left alone with her thoughts again. She yawned. Could she even yawn in her sleep or feel tired? The gods came close. Hathor held out her hand, and Kira hardly suppressed the urge to touch this beautiful hand.

“Take it, honey. Hold it.” Hathor smiled tenderly. “Don’t let it go. Then, when you need us, just rub the hieroglyphs.”

Kira opened her palm. There was a cartouche there with her name written in neat hieroglyphs. She choked. Kira knew this small piece of metal had to contain the royal title in the round frame. Yet, she was not royal.

“Take it and wear it.” Isis stroked her shoulder. “It suits you. It adds at least some magic to your mundane life.”

“Still not sure whether she is alive,” said Osiris with a wink. Was that a compliment? What just happened? Had Kira gotten the joke? Hopefully not, but she could not hold her poker face and smiled back. She would never see them again, so why not?

Kira said warm goodbyes, watching them disappear one by one as they touched their shadows on the columns. Then, finally, it was time to go. Kira went back to the room in which she worked. Tired, Kira closed her eyes for a moment.

Kira woke up to Elvis Presley’s rendition of “Sweet Caroline” on her phone. It was an alarm clock. She rubbed her eyes. What a weird dream she had. There was no time to waste. The girl quickly picked up her things and called a taxi. She gasped upon the cab’s arrival as she saw her reflection in the taxi’s mirror. The cartouche with neatly written hieroglyphs—featuring her own name—was still hanging down her neck.