Museum Nights: Ahkmenrah and Elizabeth

Chapter 3

"What the hell?" I asked aloud, observing the scene before me.

It was as if history had come alive.

A gigantic mountain of fossils ran toward me with a ferocity that instigated an overwhelming sense of fear. I quickly ducked behind Nick, who laughed at my response.

"This is Rexy. He's cool, don't worry. He just wants to play," Nick explained. I slowly crept out from behind Nick, eyeing the gigantic pile of bones panting and wagging its tail like a dog.

As I moved to Nick's side, the dinosaur cocked its head out of curiosity. I gave it a small smile and a wave. The dinosaur—Rexy— nudged me with its head, causing me to fall over.

I let out a shaky laugh as I hesitantly reached out to pet it. The dinosaur dropped a bone in front of me, startling me.

"He wants to play fetch," Tilly said, picking up the bone and holding it out to me.

I took the bone from her slowly, watching as the dinosaur eyed it playfully. With all the strength I could muster, I tossed the bone far away from me. The Tyrannosaurus immediately chased it down, dropping it in front of me.

I repeated the motions again, before I decided I'd had enough. I wanted answers.

"So, what exactly is all this?" I asked, waving my hands around to emphasise my question.

"Larry, why don't you explain? I've got work to do," Dr McPhee said, bowing out. I turned to Uncle Larry.

"Okay, so that tablet Tilly had is the Tablet of Ahkmenrah. With the use of Egyptian moon magic from Khonsu himself, the tablet brings the museum to life. Don't ask me any specifics. You'll meet the man himself later, and you can ask him anything you want," Larry explained. Nick, at this point, had gone off somewhere, so it was Larry, Tilly, and I on this tour.

"I have some last minute things to do. You've got this, Larry," Tilly said, giving him a thumbs up as she backed away.

Uncle Larry turned to me with a sigh.

"Alright. Judging by your reaction to Rexy, I don't think you'd want to meet Trixie, so we'll move onto Teddy," Uncle Larry said, leading me toward a man on a horse. Bewildered by the names, I simply followed him.

"Hey, Teddy, I've got someone I'd like you to meet," Uncle Larry says, tapping the man on his shoulder. When he turns around, I know it's Theodore Roosevelt, the 26th President of the United States.

"Hello, Lawrence! It's good to see you again! And who is this young lady you've brought with you? She's quite a looker," Teddy said, winking at me. I gave him a small smile.

"I'm Liz," I said meekly. Teddy chuckled.

"It's wonderful to meet you," he said, holding out his hand for a shake. I shook his hand, unprepared for him to kiss my hand. Shocked but impressed, I slowly pulled my hand from his.

"I'm sorry to go, but it seems I must. My lady is awaiting me," Teddy said. He gave Uncle Larry a pat on the back.

"Good to see you, Lawrence!" He exclaimed, riding away.

Still stunned by the museum's nightly allure, I followed Larry around as he introduced me to a huge Easter Island head, to which he threw a large ball of "gum-gum" inside its mouth. It thanked him appreciatively.

We went on our way, narrowly running into the Attila and his huns. Uncle Larry briefly introduced me to them, before leading me into a large room in which three separate dioramas of mini civilisations were kept.

The Mayans were behind a glass due to their irritating fire-balls and incessant war-cries.

The Romans and Manifest Destiny models were allowed to reign free. And so, hundreds of little men were walking all over the floor. I was sure to be careful of where I stepped.

Finally, Uncle Larry and I managed to get through the men without casualty, and we stood in front of a bench, on which a Roman and a cowboy were speaking in loud voices of a cat video they had seen online.

"Hey, guys," Uncle Larry interjected, causing the two men to pause their conversation and stare at him in shock.

"Well looky what the cat dragged in. If it isn't our old pal, Gigantor," The cowboy said, crossing his arms over his chest.

"Hey, Jed. You know how I feel about—"

"I'm just pullin' yer leg, man! Hey, it's good to see ya! And you brought a friend too!" The cowboy known as Jed exclaimed with a grin as he tucked his hands into his pockets.

"Oh, Larry! How on Earth have you been?" The Roman asked.

"Hey guys, this is my niece, Liz, and I'm good, Octavius," Uncle Larry responded to both of them.

"Terrific! You know, a certain Capuchin misses you," Octavius said. Larry nodded.

"Yeah, well, I miss the little guy too. He's our next stop," Larry said.

We said our goodbyes to the mini men and went directly to the African mammal exhibit, where a Knight was conversing with a small monkey.

"Oh, hi, Lancelot. I didn't know you were here," Larry said. The Knight turned to him with a grin.

"Ah, 'tis you! I suppose you didn't come here to see me. Pity. Oh well—and who is this lovely creature?"

The Knight finally glanced at me, stunned by my presence.

"I'm Liz, Larry's niece," I said. The Knight smirked.

"Well, hello Liz. You are a beautiful woman. Your beauty rivals that of only Lady Guinevere herself! I, my lady, am the noble Sir Lancelot at your service," Lancelot said, bowing to me. A bit stunned myself, I looked to Larry, who rolled his eyes and shook his head.

"She's off limits, Lancelot."

The Knight in question rose from the ground.

"And still, I cannot admire her beauty?" He asked, looking between Larry and I. Larry shook his head.

"Perhaps another time. I bid you adieu," Lancelot said, leaving the room.

Suddenly, I felt something on my shoulder.

"Hey, Dex, what's up?" Uncle Larry asked the monkey. Dexter screeched in response, jumping onto Larry's face as if he were giving the man a hug. Larry laughed awkwardly, patting the small mammal on his back.

Dexter then climbed on top of Larry's head, seating himself there. I let out a quiet laugh.

"Okay, so Dexter's going on the tour with us, so let's make a pit stop at the Neanderthals, then book it to Egypt," Larry said. I nodded.

Oh, joy. Neanderthals.

After our pit stop at the Neanderthal exhibit, our trio became a quartet. Larry's "son" tagged along as we made our way to the Egyptian wing.

The Egyptian wing was a bit unsettling to me. The feeling of immense power loomed over me as we walked past the tall Jackals guarding the exhibit.

I could hear voices echoing inside. A woman and two males were conversing in the Ancient Egyptian tongue.

Unfortunately, I didn't understand what they were saying, but they seemed to be speaking sharply, as if they were debating.

La began to make his Neanderthal noises and their conversation stopped. The three turned toward Dexter, Larry, La, and I, confusion and fear on their faces.

"Hey, guys," Larry said awkwardly, giving the royal family a meek wave.

"Ah! Larry, Guardian of Brooklyn! It is an honour to see you!" The youngest Egyptian said, giving Larry a quick hug. He nodded toward our small and obnoxious companions, before meeting eyes with me.

Time froze as soon as I saw his irises. They were so lovely. He was lovely. Really, I was speechless. The power that emanated from him was raw and real. He was quite a picture. A marvellous picture. His gaze was captivating. He was captivating.

I felt tingles erupt in the pit of my stomach. The butterflies were rustling from their long slumber.