Theodosia

c h a p t e r t w o

T H E  T A S T E  O F  F R E E D O M

Theodosia was positive that the air was sweeter outside of her exhibit.

Being out, among the other exhibits, was exhilarating. Theodosia never wanted to go back. She wished the night could last forever, so she could spend eternity exploring every corner in the giant museum.

It had been some time since her escape, and she had seen no sign of Larry Daley anywhere. And she had been everywhere.

First, she met a kind – but plain – man on a horse who seemed to be obsessively watching a beautiful woman pace behind a wall of glass. The woman was the most interesting person Theodosia had seen so far. She was wearing tan animal skin decorated with colourful beads, and her dark hair was pulled back into long twin braids. Theodosia could understand why the man on the horse was staring, but she didn't understand why he wouldn't talk to the woman. It was like there was an invisible barrier at the entrance of her exhibit that he couldn't cross.

Theodosia had never been in love, but she always hoped she would be braver than the man on the horse. When Theodosia asked why he wouldn't talk to the mysterious woman behind the glass, he rambled until she decided to leave, confused and bored.

Then, Theodosia met some of the Chinese women from the Asian exhibit, who were not so nice. While she admired their splendor and fancy headdresses, they were horribly rude. They spoke fluent English, as Theodosia learned towards the end of their conversation, after they had spent a few minutes insulting her in ancient Chinese, giggling with each other behind their giant, embroidered sleeves.

They didn't have anything nice to say in English either. Really, Theodosia would have preferred they stuck to a language she couldn't understand since all they had to say was that her dress was plain and haggard – but personally, Theodosia didn't understand why they needed so many colours in their outfits – and that she resembled a poor spinster.

After that she steered clear of the rest of Asia, and instead chose to visit the African exhibits – both animal and human (including the strange masked men who danced whimsically). She liked the lions, and while they didn't like her at first, she eventually managed to gain their favour when the ceiling lights start reflecting off her sword.

Even with the giant teeth and claws, Theodosia couldn't help but find them charming.

She had also met a dinosaur, who was surprisingly friendly, a giant talking head who complimented her incessantly, and by far her favourite, the miniatures. She didn't really care for the ones with silly hats, and the ones with the pyramid had clearly already met Larry Daley. Personally, she liked the tiny Romans. She enjoyed seeing Rome – despite it being a descaled version – and all its tiny inhabitants. She had never been to Rome herself, being a museum exhibit and all.

Now, Theodosia had made it to the Egyptian exhibit where two giant stone statues (modelled after some animal she couldn't recognize) stood still, staring ahead. At the end of the hall, surrounded by walls covered in drawings, was a sarcophagus. It was made to look like a man, slightly exaggerated, but the most interesting thing about it was the very real man screaming inside. He was pounding on the lid like his survival depended on it.

Unlike Theodosia, who shared an exhibit with people who she considered her family, this man was locked up all alone inside a dark box.

And clearly, it was driving him insane.

Quietly, she crept past the statues, towards the sarcophagus and the strange golden tablet hanging above it. Theodosia stared at the walls in awe – she had seen so many unique markings today, but the Egyptian's were by far the strangest. The tiny men and symbols on the wall seemed to tell a story, but whatever that story was, it flew straight past Theodosia. She had never seen anything as unique as the Pharaoh's tomb.