Theodosia

c h a p t e r t h r e e

T H E  T A B L E T  O F  A H K M E N R A H

As it turned out, Larry was accompanied by the man on the horse.

Theodosia was surprised to see him not gawking at the beautiful woman behind the glass, but once she saw his tanned uniform and hat, she knew it was him. Why he was with Larry Daley, Theodosia had no idea. Last time she had seen him, he was too busy staring at the woman to do anything else.

The two men approached the rattling sarcophagus. As soon as Theodosia's voice disappeared, the Pharaoh had started screaming again.

"Yell all you want, Pharaoh! You've been in there for 54 years. You're not getting out tonight!" the man on the horse shouted.

Theodosia peeked out from behind the pillar to see Larry looking at the man beside him. The man on the horse, albeit ultimately boring and odd, seemed like a nice man. Theodosia couldn't understand why he was speaking to the Pharaoh so cruelly, like he was a criminal, keeping him caged when it clearly drove him mad. Taunting him as he cried out for liberation. He didn't treat the woman behind the glass like this.

"There's the source of all this commotion," the man continued, pointing a gloved finger at the golden tablet hanging on the wall. Theodosia quickly moved to the other side of the pillar to look at it again. She didn't get to the part of the plaque that explained it. "The Tablet of Ahkmenrah."

"Ahkmenrah," she mouthed to herself.

So that's how you say it.

"Arrived here in 1952 from the Nile expedition," he told Larry, keeping his voice low with mystery. "On that night everything in this museum came to life. And every night since."

Theodosia remembered that night well. It was like she awoke from a long dream. She knew who she was – her name, her home, her life. She was with her people, but she wasn't in Sparta. She didn't know where she was; the only familiar thing to her was the fight that broke out the minute the Athenians realized who was across the hall.

That night she fought alongside her people, unaware that there was so much to see and explore, and every night after that she regretted not leaving when she had the chance. None of the nightguards let them out. They always kept them apart, locked up, because they refused to get along.

She never had the chance to visit the Egyptian exhibit – she never knew it was this golden tablet that gave her life.

"So, everything in the museum comes to life – every night?" Larry asked, looking between his companion and the tablet that was hung on the wall in disbelief.

"Exactly."

"And I'm supposed to do what?"

"You're the night watchman, Lawrence – a venerable position in this institution."

The man with the horse allowed his statement to settle with Larry for a moment before he let out a shout, scaring Larry and Theodosia. Theodosia screamed – loudly – pressing herself deeper behind the pillar in her surprise. Larry screamed too – however she didn't think it wasn't loud enough to mask the sound of her scream – and jumped away from the man in surprise.

Theodosia slammed a hand over her mouth, peeking out from behind the stone, and prayed that somehow Larry hadn't heard her, but when a breathless Larry looked towards the pillar she was hiding behind and then her sword leaning against the wall behind him, Theodosia knew she was busted.