Fairytale retellings & Myths Reimagined

The sand of a mummy

                   The sand of a mummy

So this is how it goes. I am a mummy. With the rags, the bandages which lay down to the floor, making me always, always trip on the ground. Many would think of the dude on the movie but no. I wish I could be such a good looking. Not that I hadn’t been a good looking in my lifetime, but that’s another story.

In fact the job I am currently doing is quite disappointing. Not only I didn’t travel to the Valley of the Pharaohs, when I died, but I was sent back to life, trapped into my rotting excuse of a body, with only one condition; I had to put children to sleep as also showing them nice dreams, if they were goods kids, or bad ones, if they were not. It was a punishment for not being merciful with my closest people.

After I managed to escape my pyramid, which was really shiny, the deserts sand engulfed my body, making me look more…solid, like a sculpture of sand but under it the dying body, wrapped in linen white scraps of cloth remained. That night I realized what I had become. So I played a little trick, revenge if you could call it. All the children in Egypt screamed as I threw soft sand dust in their eyes, making them sleep, and showed them the worst of their fears.

I know, I was wrong but it helped to calm my nerves.

And then, my journey began. I traveled all over the world! I saw how people and Kings changed and how the Gods of the past were forgotten and new ones were born. But I knew, I knew that at some point I had to get free from the creepy curse. Night after night I had to slip into houses, careful not to be noticed, and pour some of my golden shining dust on the children’s eyelids, making them see the dreams they wanted to.

But currently, I am hanging around the land called Great Britain. Since I can travel with light speed, a term I myself came up with, there is no rush to go to work early. The living have also appointed years and so in their rules, it’s currently 1853.

Flying above London, with my only companions the night and the moon, I get this eerie feeling. People tend to be close to each other, yet their hearts stray away from each other. How much the world has changed! Although I saw many wonders, I also witnessed how cruel people can be, ruled many times by their tempers and not by their minds or hearts.

As the time for the children to fall asleep was drawing near, I decided to fly to the closest mansion that was on my way. A mansion, white marble and decorated with vast gardens on the perimeter around it.

“Flashy decoration.” I murmured and headed towards one of the windows.

I didn’t need to search for the child who lived in this home; I already knew where it stayed, like jackal knows where to find its prey.

Slowly, I flew with the help of the sand and leaned closer to the window. The light was still on; the child hadn’t fallen asleep.

“But Mom!”

“No buts Rose. You will sleep, now.” A stern voice was heard which was followed by a complaining groan.

I moved a little closer, trying to peek through the curtains. One part of the window was not entirely covered from it, so it was easy to see.

A little girl was lying on her bed with her white fluffy sleeves of her night gown making her look like a cotton candy. Her hair was golden like the sand which covered me, while her hazel eyes reminded me of the jewelry my royal crown used to be decorated with.

An older woman, who resembled the girl a lot was sitting to her bed’s edge holding book on her hands.

“Please Mom, just one more story! I promise I will go to sleep after that.”