Anna had been looking through the Egyptian gift shop for nearly an hour. She was looking for something exceptionaly special as a memento of her voyage.
"Anna! Let's go!!"
Her brother motioned to the exit. Anna smiled and nodded her head. She was just about to leave the shop when her eyes fell upon a black embroidered cloak.
"Wait Pierre." she said.
Walking towards the cloak her eyes remained rivited on the swirling embrodary that made up the image of The Eye of Ra.
She touched the fabric andd felt an electric jolt run through her body.
"I know this." she whispeared.
"What?"
Anna gathered the cloak up in her arms. a warmth spread over her as she held it.
"Not that old rag Anna! Couldn't you pick out a nice neckless or pair of earings?!"
Anna placed the cloak on the counter. The small man behind it smiled up at her.
"Ah miss. This is a great choice. Do you know what it is?"
"No, I just liked the design. I seem to recognize it."
"Well, it once belonged to the High Priest of Ramses III. He's name was Namh-Pah, and he was the most powerful High Priest Egypt ever knew."
"Really?" Pierre interupted. "If I'm not mistaken Ramses died around 900 BC, which would make this cloak how old?"
The man's eyes widened, "It is said that all that belonged to Namh-Pah would remaine intact for centuries until his return."
"Return?" Anna asked.
The man's voice became a whispear. "They who belive say that Namh-Pah loved and was loved by a woman the Pharoh himself wanted. When she was wed to Namh-Pah, but on their wedding night she was murdered by the Pharoh's assasins. Namh-Pah summoned a protective curse that he would live forever until she, his bride, was born again. Until that time, Egypt would never again know paradise. Since then, Egypt's wealth and power did slide. Many leave it to be Namh-Pah's curse."
Anna was fasinated, she looked down at the cloak.
"Wrap it up please."
^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
"God Anna! I can't belive you fell for that stupid story."
Anna smiled and took pity on her brother.
"Oh, I know its not really Namh-Pah's cloak. It was just the myth that captured me, Piere. Imagine living long ago, when Egypts wealth was so great, when the pytramids were built! Its so romantice!"
"Bah!!"
Pierre hailed a hackey to get back to their hotle.
"229 pounds for some dusty cloak that you'll never use. Just what we needed Anna!"
Pierre jumped into the hackey.
"And just what will you have brought back from Egypt, besides a tan and more gambeling winnings?"
Pierre laughed.
Anna smoothed a piece of the cloak. "There was just something that drew me to this cloak. Like it was waiting for me. Have you ever felt that way Pierre?"
"Yes. All the time. Well come on!!What's with the hold up!"
Anna realise Pierre wasn't paying attention to her. Mearly the congested traffic. She settled down into her seat.
^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
"Night Pierre."
"Nigh Anna. Sleep tight."
Anna shut and locked her bedroom door. She sighed and pulled out her poneytail. Her brown curls tumbled around her shoulders. She pulled off her shirt and dress. Then slipped into her long cotton night gown.
Through her window floated spicy sents adn the sound of Egyptian singers in the streets below.
She'd fallen in love with Egypt ever since she first visited it when she was nine.There was something timless and enchanting about it all. And, for some reason, she felt at home in Egypt more than any where else in the world.
She walked out onto the small terres by her bed. The sun had nearly set and the pink and golden rays shone on the buildings and streeked the sky. It was another beautiful night.
Something fell off her night table. She turned around to see it had been the cloak of Namh-Pah slipping off the corner, taking a book with it.
She picked up the cloak in her arms and again felt that shiver run up her arms like she was cold. She wrapped herself in the cloak and sat down on her bed.
It was huge on her, covering her from her chin to her feet. It felt soft and comforting adn smelt distinctly of musky sandlewood. She held a part of the cloak up to her face and breathed in the wonderful scent.
it was so wonderful wrapped insdie its warmth that she lay down and coconed herself inside, quickly driffting off to sleep.
^^^^^^^^^^^
Her dream formed fuzzy at first, touch coming before sight or sound. Her terres was open and a colling breeze came through the room. She felt the cloak still around her. Its musky scent filling the entire room.
She moved her hand and came in contact with flesh. Her eyes snapped open, looking to her hand she saw she was touching a chest. A strong bronze beautiful chest.
Yanking her hand back she looked up into the deepest black eyes, she'd ever seen. The cloak was wrapped around the both of them. Anna's eyes grew wide. The man's hair was brown and tied in a thick braid with golden claspses.
Just as she was about to touch his hair, on impulse, he spoke. A deep rumbeling sound.
"I have found you. Soon, I will fufill my promise."
He leaned forward. Anna stared at his lips which were lowering to hers. She'd never been kissed before! Even in a dream. A dream!! This wasn't real her mind screamed.
"No!" she said and scambled away from the man.
She fell to the floor and the dream shattred.
"Anna?!"
Pierre rushed into her room through the side door. "I heard a crash. Are you all right?"
Anna stood up from the floor.
"Fine. I'm fine. I just fell off the bed that's all. But I'm better, fine now. Just fine, thankyou Pierre. Just fine." Anna knew she was blubbering but she didn't care. Her mind felt strange and she felt dizzy.
Pierre looked doubtful but after much more blabbering and such stuff, he finally left her alone.
She pressed a hand to her forehead.
"What's wrong with me?"
Her dream was still vividly etched across her mind. Even the scent, still floaded her senses. The feel of the man's body so near to hers made her close her eyes.
He'd said he'd found her, and soon to fufill some sort of promise? Obsurd! She was Anna Kirckland of Kendall England, 19 years old and never married or in love in her life, so what sort of promise would any man make to her!?
She glanced to her bed and saw the black cloak was now crumpled on the floor.
"Oh." she moaned. She didn't want to ruin it. She picked it up and shock it out, trying to get the dust off.
Something fell to the ground, starteling her.
She looked down to see a small box the shape of a scarabe beetle. Placing the cloak on her bed she went back and picked up the box. It was the size of her palm and her fingers felt the surface for a latch or something.
Her fingers found two latches and pressed down. The beetles wings snapped open giving her a little scare.
Her heart pounding she looked insdie. Resting against a golden pillow was a neckless with a stone that resembled a cats eye.
She let the neckless fall into her hand and streched it out. It was beautiful. Golden trim around the ruby eye and golden clasps that made the riangular neckless become a choker in the end.
She couldn't resiste trying it on. She clasped it easly from behind and found it fit her as though it had been made for her.
"It was."
Anna clasped a hand over her mouth. She looked around her room, lowering her hand she spoke softly. "Who's there?"
No one answered her.
The single lamp that was on in the room shone dimly, showing more shadows then light. A wind blew through her room again.
"My love." the voice whispeared again.
"Who's-"
Anna heard a shuffle from behind. She slowly turned her head and her scream lodged in her throat.
The black cloak was floating on air and moving towards her as if someone was wearing it.
Her scream would not come even when the cloak flew against her and wrapped around her. Sucking her down into darkness.
^^^^^^^^^^^^^
The sound of lapping water woke Anna. She moaned and turned onto her side. Her body screamed in protest. Carefuly she opened her eyes, but the blinding sun light still made her cringe.
She found herself on the floor of a wooden ship. Inside a small cabin that held a small bed of silk pillows and sheets. She slowly stood up to her knees and found that she no longer wore her night gown. She now wore a cotton white skirt. It was connected to a hugging front shirt that left her arms bare and tied behind her neck. It stopped before her knees and was split up on one side nearly to her waist.
She lifted a hand to her hair. Her hair! Her curls were gone, instead, she had long hair, cut stright and finely around her shoulders.
Across the way was a mirror, or at lest a highly polished slab of bronze. She went across and gazed into the relfection of her own face. She was just a little different, with dark black eyeliner and a golden tan she was not used to having.
"Anipta!" someone called. "Anipta!!!"
Was that her?
Who was she? Where was she? What had happened? Was this another dream? She pinched herself, but nothing happened.
Someone knocked on the door. She felt her heart drop into her stomach.
"Anipta?"
Not knowing what to do, Anna stood still.
"I'm coming in daughter."
The door opened. A man in his late fourties came into the room. He wore a white linen dress, a plate of armor over his chest and a sword on his waist.
"Daughter? Why do you sleep the day away. You are missing the procession into Thebes!"
Anna's mind worked. She was this man's daughter? An Egyptian? On a boat? Heading towards Thebes? What was happening!?!
"Anipta? Are you ill?"
Anna snapped out of her revile. She turned a bright smile onto the man claiming to be her father.
"I am very well." she assured him.
"Good! Good. Then come up on deck." he held a hand out.
Anna clasped it and walked out onto the deck of an enormous sailing ship. The sun shome like anything, reflecting off the desert, the mountains and the clear river water.
"Thebes." her father pointed out. "City of Gods!"
Anna's breath caught. She'd seen Thebes only as a ruin of long ago. Now seeing it in its full glory, it was truly a city of the Gods.
Copyright 2000, Charmeye.
