DREAMS IN SCRIBBLES

I recently had the strangest experience of my life. I interviewed a mummy (not my mom, I already keep her on her toes!) but a preserved body made by the Ancient Egyptians!

It happened one quiet afternoon in our old library. I was studying Egyptian history. I was buried behind a stack of old books, reading with rapt attention, when he suddenly popped. I couldn’t believe my eyes but there he was, wrapped from head to toe in crumbling bandages, standing and staring at me and the open books scattered on my desk.

How could I let this chance go? I had so many questions and who would know about Egyptian history better than a mummy! I immediately asked if I could ask him a few questions. He nodded and seated himself (with great difficulty) at my table and declined my offer of tea.

I asked him, “How was your life before death?”

The mummy gave a wistful sigh. “I still remember a lot about my life. Turns out, bandages carry more than bodies,” he said wistfully, gesturing at himself.

“I was an embalmer. Do you know what an embalmer means? It’s a type of doctor specializing in mummification. I was highly respected and best one in my field. Pharoah Tutankhamun himself was mummified by me. I had a large house, almost a palace, and was rolling in luxury and gold. I was so happy. Sadly, that all ended when I was killed, murdered in my bed,” his voice rose, “by a jealous rival. He was my sworn enemy. The last thing I ever saw on earth was his depraved, evil face sneering at me as he raised sword.”

I shuddered. “That sounds terrifying. Where you scared?’

The mummy continued, his eyes narrowing, ‘’What scared me the most, though, came after death. We were always told that our afterlife would be spent in paradise. Alas! It wasn’t so. I was sent to hell. We all feared Osiris, ruler of the afterlife, and lived in terror. Most of us became slaves or servants, forced to obey cruel orders. Our bandages were ripped off, and we were given rough cloth garments to wear. Osiris was as cruel as could be.”

 “I’m guessing he didn’t give you any pay?” I asked hesitantly.

“Pay? Far from it, he never even gave us any food! We were reduced to eating the weeds in the garden!”

“How AWFUL!” I exclaimed, shocked.

“Very,” he agreed. “I cried so much my bandages got sodden. The one night, when I wept so much, my bandages almost peeled off, I realized bandages could heal everything except a torn heart.”

I grew quiet and solemnly asked “And what happens after the afterlife? How did you end up here?”

“We float down to Earth and get the choice of either sleeping in our graves, forever resting, or living on Earth as a mortal. The reason I’m the first mummy to choose the second path is because we are tired and exhausted in fact, after our lives and afterlives. But I wished to see what the modern world was like, after 1000 years in hell. Literally!”

‘You’ve spent so many centuries in hell and archaic Egypt. Do you find it difficult to cope with this new modern world, with cars, air conditioners, smartphones, and such?’ I questioned him.

‘Frankly? I do. I do miss my old world and my old life, but I love being here, in a new world, with different people. I’ve learned so much about change and growth, and how humans evolve over millennia, and yet inside we’re all still the same.’

‘ I’ve never heard truer words,’ I remarked, smiling. ‘So, Testam, this last question is something that has aroused my own curiosity. Don’t you ever get fed up of those bandages?’

‘Well, I’ve never really thought of it. I have worn them for around 10 centuries and I’ve got used to it. One thing that irks me though is the blistering heat. It’s unendurable in these!’ he grinned, tugging at his wrapping.

Not even mummies can escape global warming, I thought with a smile.

More people deserved to hear Testam’s beautiful story.

 I then paused. I had an epiphany. I asked hopefully, ‘Would you like to write a book with me about your experiences in life and afterlife?’”

Testam’s eyes grew wide. His eyebrows, hidden beneath the bandages, seemed to rise. “Yes,” he whispered. Great, I grinned, trying to conceal my delight. Who would have thought I would write a book with a mummy!

Epilogue

Two Years Later

I jumped with excitement. Our book had come out yesterday and it had already sold a million copies! It was 250 pages long and was titled A Mummy’s Life, and we were already working on the sequel, A Mummy’s Afterlife.

To celebrate, we visited Egypt, where Testam proudly pointed at Tutankhamun’s mummy and declared to the press, “I mummified him!” Everyone laughed, including Testam himself.

And though his words carried pain, I knew they were true. And that truth was all that mattered.