Kids in the Museum

Fantastic Museum

Cameron finally caught his breath. "That wasn't the real Uncle Chris, was it?"

Melanie coughed and caught her breath as well. "Yeah, there's no way that's our Uncle Christoff."

"I wonder where this truck is going."

"Well, there's only one way to find out," Just as Melanie spoke, the door to the back of the truck opened. A delivery man was surprised to see the two teens in the back of his truck.

"Sorry, we'll be on our way," said Cameron.

"Yeah, we were escaping from a crazy old man we thought was our uncle," Melanie tried to explain as they left the truck.

"Yeah, he's actually our fake uncle, and kind of a villain," Cameron explained, but he could tell that the more they talked, the more confused the delivery man was.

"Well, best of luck, and thanks for saving us!" Melanie said.

They walked to the end of the loading dock and realized they were exactly where they wanted to be: the Metropolitan Museum! In front of the museum was the famous Archibald Square, a wide stone-paved plaza filled with fountains, statues and a few hundred people gathering. Archibald Square was a popular meeting place, with buskers, tourists and demonstrators, so Cameron and Melanie didnt stand out even in the slightest.

They walked around to the front of the museum and climbed up the wide marble stairs to the entrance. The Metropolitan Museum was made in a Neo-Classical style, with columns and a wide triangular shaped-pediment above the entrance. The pediment contained statues of famous artists, historical figures and even the founder of the city. They reached the top and entered the wide doors and came to the ticket desk. The museum was free for city residents, so they showed their student ID cards and were allowed into the museum.

Cameron and Melanie were looking at the Egyptian section and saw lots of mummified bodies. Melanie was more interested in the mummified cats. The objects were displayed behind the glass, and when Melanie looked into it, she could see her own reflection, but she saw something more than herself. She saw a black cat's tail!

Melanie gasped and turned around. The tail was moving gracefully, as if it was dancing.

"Cameron!" Melanie turned to her brother, who was staring at a coffin with a funny look on his face, as if he was trying to communicate with Egyptian spirits.

"Look!" Melanie pulled her brother over to the cat's tail, but it was gone.

"What?" Cameron said. "Did you see the fake uncle or something?"

Melanie didnt say anything. There was a little bit of golden glitter where the tail was. She nudged her brother with her elbow and pointed where the glitter was. She walked slowly, Cameron followed behind her. They went around an ancient Egyptian column and saw the tail again! It slipped behind a wall and they followed after it.

The cat tail led them into a corner where there was an emergency exit. There they spied the cat, but it wasn't really a normal cat at all. The cat was totally black, stood on two legs, and had a thick, gold-band necklace that covered most of its long neck. The cat carried a little bag, and had gold hoop earrings and a kind of headdress that covered most of the top of its head.

Melanie and Cameron were speechless.

"I am Imhotep," the cat finally said after several minutes. "I am a high priest of the Sun God, Ra, and I need your help."

"You mean like the Imhotep from ancient Egypt? Wasn't that almost five thousand years ago?" asked Cameron.

"Yes, I am from ancient Egypt, but, actually, I am older than the Imhotep you are thinking of. He was named after me, I am actually from 5500 years ago."

"Um, I normally wouldn't believe you, but something tells me that a talking cat person could be 5500 years old," Melanie said. "I mean, if we're doing impossible things, why not another?"

"Well, I am from 5500 years ago, but I am not 5500 years old. I mean, I haven't been on the planet for 5500 years," Imhotep explained. "I am a time traveler, and I am stuck at this time, and I need help getting home. Actually, I specifically need your help getting home."

"Our help?" asked Cameron.

"Yes, there are men looking for you, right? You got into some trouble with them earlier."

"Yeah, but how did you know about that?" Melanie asked.

"I was stuck in the trunk the same time you guys were in the car. When you escaped, I was able to escape as well. I heard you say you were coming to the museum, so I followed you here," Imhotep explained. "That man isn't Christoff, his name is 'Horatio', and he's actually your great, great, great, great, great grandfather."

"How could you even know that?" Melanie asked.

"He told me, he kidnapped me from my time and I have been showing him how to use the time rifts ever since," Imhotep explained. "Look, there's a lot to explain, but you guys have to listen to me, we need to get into a time rift and away from Horatio!"

"Time rift?" Cameron scratched his head. "I am so confused!"

"Look, there's no time! He's right on our tails!" They looked back and could see that Fake Uncle Christoff, or, really, Horatio, was coming up behind them.

Imhotep reached into his sack and pulled out two ankhs, symbols that look like a cross, but where the top part is a loop instead. Imhotep shoved an ankh into each kid's hand and then used his tail to touch an ankh symbol on his necklace. The kids felt a strange sensation and an exhilarating rush and then fell to the ground. When they woke up, they were standing in front of the ancient temple at Luxor, but it wasnt ancient, in fact, it was still being built! They had travelled back 3400 years to ancient Egypt!