Shadows of the Nile

by Jo Franklin

  “Wow,” she breathed. “How very authentic, almost as it was.”

  She wandered further in, amazed at the ornate furnishings and gold everywhere, and rich fabrics. Then she stopped. Something was wrong. Surely with all the wealth on display there would be someone guarding the artefacts. It suddenly didn’t make sense. And then she gasped. She saw him. He seemed so familiar, so familiar. Her heart suddenly ached for him. He had his back to her. He wore a long golden headdress which covered his hair, and a gold skirt which just came down to his thighs, and gold and jewelled sandals on his feet. He was certainly Egyptian, with a smooth, brown skin. He moved slightly; the muscles in his back and arms rippled sensuously, and then he moved his legs. She felt a terrific longing for him; it made her almost stop breathing. She wanted to reach out and touch him, and feel his body close to hers. She wanted to run her fingers along his neck and back, and smell his skin. “It’s been such a long time, such a long time,” she cried out. She tried to reach him.

  But at that moment there was a tremendous bang, as if the world was about to split open. She looked up and the walls began to shake. The floor started to rock and become unstable. The drapes and furniture began to disintegrate. The man turned, but there was so much dust she couldn’t see his face. He stretched out his arm and pointed towards the exit. He wanted her to go. The place was becoming dangerous. But she didn’t want to leave. She needed to be near him. It didn’t matter if she got hurt by anything as long as she was close to him. Then, as if he’d decided for her, a sudden gust of wind sprang up and pushed her towards the entrance. She tried to look back, but she couldn’t fight the power that gripped her so firmly and wouldn’t release her till she was safely outside the door.

  Achmed stood there. He had come to find her.

  “Aline. What has happened?”

  “I don’t know. I went to look inside,” she murmured. “I… I… it was all wrong. It had gold and jewels and chairs I’ve never seen the like of, and everything so richly decorated. I couldn’t stop myself walking further and further into what seemed unearthly.”

  She must go back. She looked at where she had gone in. There was still an entrance but it was securely boarded up. There was no way in.

  “Aline,” Achmed said gently. He took off his sunglasses. She stared into his dark eyes. “What else did you see?”

  She hesitated.

  “A place of colours and incredible beauty. I saw more gold in one place than I’ve ever seen before. I saw drapes of silk, and things richly embroidered with birds and stars, and many tiny animals. I wanted to stay but I couldn’t.”

  “Why couldn’t you stay?”

  “Everything started to break up. It was as if I was in a film, nothing was real, and then suddenly something broke the image.”

  “Are you certain?”

  “I… probably. I think so.”

  “There is nothing in there. It was the inner sanctum of the temple. It is no longer open to the public because it is no longer safe. There certainly wouldn’t have been anything in there apart from rubble.”

  “The inner sanctum? But there was a way in! I don’t understand all this,” Aline admitted. “I don’t know how it happened, but it did.”

  Achmed was sympathetic. “These places are very, very old,” he explained, and then, seeing her distress, he added gently, “Sometimes things happen which no one can understand. Some people are sensitive to atmospheres.”

  She stared at him, trying to understand what he was saying, realising her account might not have been convincing. She wanted to go back. If the way in reappeared she’d have been gone straightaway. Nothing would stop her. But it didn’t.

  “Did anything else happen?”

  She hesitated. She wouldn’t tell him about the person she’d seen – at least not for the moment.

  “There was a strong forceful wind which wouldn’t allow me to stay; it sent me back towards the door. I tried to fight it but it was impossible.”

  Achmed looked at her thoughtfully.

  “It might be best if you didn’t wander off on your own. Try to keep with the others when we are out.”

  They walked back to the coach, Aline busy with her thoughts. She didn’t understand why she’d been so instantly attracted to the man she’d just seen. It was unusual for her to feel so passionately on a first encounter with anyone of the opposite sex. And she knew she wouldn’t take Achmed’s advice to try and keep with the crowd. She’d want to be on her own as much as possible when they went out on trips – not only to do her research. She had to find out more about the Egyptian from another time.

  *

  They had nearly finished lunch when the cruise ship set sail, rocking gently as it left its moorings.

  “I can feel us moving,” Jan cried excitedly.

  “Quick, let’s go and take our drinks up to the top and see what’s happening,” Gerald said.

  Aline was one of the first to reach the deck, and she watched as the ship manoeuvred its way through the other big cruise ships, to take its place in the long line of them.

  Soon they had left Luxor and were going down the river.

  Aline sat at a table and was immediately joined by the others, including Peter who managed somehow to sit next to her.

  “So what did you think of the temple this morning?” he asked.

  “Very impressive.” Aline braced herself for his next remark.

  “So did you get all the facts down? Who it was used by? Which year it was built?”

  “I think so.”

  “And what about the romance. I’d think a lot of these old places had a lot of liaisons. Have you started your alternative book on intrigue?”

  “Maybe.”

  Aline smiled to herself. She was doing just that. One notebook recorded the cold facts, dressed up a little by the scenery and ambience, and another notebook was about the odd things which were happening to her. She pulled her shawl around her, as if to protect herself.

  “Who’s for a swim?” Mary called out. “We could try out the swimming pool. It’s not very big, but it does look inviting.”

  “Count me in,” Aline said. She’d had enough of Peter reading her mind. She needed to relax after the trauma of the morning.

  Only three of the ladies used the pool, in the end. The water was quite cold, and in spite of the warm day Aline soon left the water, and she lay with a towel over her, soaking up the sun in a quiet corner where no one else was around.

  She became very dreamy, watching the banks of the Nile rush past her – an unchanged scene for thousands of years. There were very few animals and people on the shore, but there were young lads in fishing boats trying out their techniques and landing one or two fish.

  Soon the voices started to fade, as she was lulled into sleep. It became very dark. The boat became bumpy, as if she was no longer on the cruise ship but in a much smaller one which rocked, and she was very uncomfortable and she dared not move. Something thick was covering her, and she couldn’t see, and she had difficulty breathing. If she didn’t get out soon she felt she might die.

  “Aline.”

  Someone was prodding her very gently. “Wake up. I think you’re having a bad dream.”

  She opened her eyes. Gerald stared at her in concern. “You were moaning and shaking your head. I thought it best to wake you.”

  “Yes, yes, thanks. It was awful. I’m cold now. I must go and shower. I’ll see you later.”

  She hurried off, noting that the young fishermen had gone, left far behind as the cruise ship journeyed on.

  *

  The cleaners had left her a present. It was a snake made out of towelling and it sat neatly on her bed. Aline picked it up. She held it gently for a moment, admiring its artistry, and then put it back on the bed. She went to shower, feeling so much better after the warm water had washed off the smell of the pool. She lay down on the bed relaxing.

  She fell into a drowsy state. Suddenly she realised with a start that the snake had disappeared
.

  “What!” she cried. She was almost certain no one could have got into her room whilst she was in the bathroom. The door was securely locked. So where was the snake? It couldn’t move – it was an inanimate object. She searched round the cabin. It was nowhere to be seen. Mystified, she decided to dress and go and see the people at reception to find out if anyone had been into her room.

  She opened the cupboard door and took out her shawl, which she wrapped around her to keep warm. Then, as she sorted through other things which were further back in the cupboard, she froze in horror. A big snake sat in the half-light, looking out at her. It was as if the towel snake had been taken over. This was a deadly cobra! Its eyes glittered at her, and its forked tongue flicked threateningly. She stood very still, fully aware of how vulnerable she was, alone, defenceless, completely at its mercy. But she faced it bravely, daring it to hurt her. She knew that in ancient Egypt snakes protected their own. It continued to stare at her. Then after a minute it suddenly made a move and slid towards her! It circled her neck. She momentarily stopped breathing, transfixed. Then it wrapped itself around her entire body. It stayed there for some minutes. Aline kept very still. Finally it moved off and settled itself on the bed, its bright calm eyes boring into hers. She stood quietly, not moving. But she began to feel its power.

  Yet she refused to give way to any feelings of fear. The snake had not attacked her. She’d not been bitten. Ordinarily it would have finished her off by now.

  “What do you want?” she asked. “Are you real, or just another of these dreams someone or something keeps sending me? If you’re trying to drive me insane or want me dead then I suggest you do it right now. I’ve become used to tricks of time turning back. I won’t have you dictating to me just because I’ve come here. I love this country; it has always felt like a part of me. So, my little cobra, tell me what you want – or leave me alone. Do you understand?”

  The air suddenly became very dark and very dusty. Aline still stood her ground. She could see nothing. She tried to wipe the dust from her eyes.

  “Kneel!”

  It was a woman’s voice.

  “Cover your head with my shawl and lower your eyes. Do not look up.”

  Her voice was so commanding that Aline did just as she was told.

  “Tadinanefer, you have always served me faithfully. Now I have to set you more tasks. I will leave you once again something which is more powerful than the sword, and I know you will use it wisely against all evil.”

  A soft breeze blew the dust away.

  Aline sat up on her bed. She had been asleep. Or had she?

  Tadinanefer, she mused. Who was she? Tasks? Her shawl? Why did she call it ‘her shawl’? What did it all mean?

  She looked at the snake. It was just towelling, a model.

  It was another nightmare, she concluded. She picked up her shawl which was lying next to her. Then she noticed something under it. It was a gold ring. ‘What!’ she thought. ‘That wasn’t there before! I would have seen it.’ It was a woman’s thin decorative ring but one with a wide gold band. She examined the outside; it was completely plain. But the inside was different. It was engraved all the way round with snakes, and the Ankh, which she knew to be the symbol of eternal life. She slipped it onto the middle finger of her left hand, thinking it was much too big for her and would come off easily. But she was wrong. As soon as the ring touched the base of her finger it mysteriously became instantly smaller and tightened. How could it do that? She tugged at it to get it off. But to no avail. Something had happened. She now wore something which looked suspiciously like an ancient ring. Ancient rings could have some sort of power, couldn’t they?

  Was it powerful? And where did it come from? What was its purpose? To protect her? If so, from what?

  ‘Should I talk to someone?’ she wondered. ‘Or keep it to myself for the moment?’

  *

  She went back to join the others. Jan waved to her.

  “Come and sit here,” she called. “You do look pale. You’re working far too hard. You need to relax a bit and enjoy yourself. We’re going to have tea and we’re about to dock at Esna. There’s another temple tonight.” She gave a little laugh. “Do you know, I’m already beginning to feel all ‘tombed out’. I could do with a gin and tonic rather than a cup of tea. All that’s safe to drink at the moment is water, water, water, water. It’s everywhere, under us, around us, bottles of it.” She laughed again. “Oh take no notice of me. I am enjoying my holiday. I love being here. My family think I’m very adventurous, you know.”

  “And, Aline, what does your family think of you coming out here all on your own?” Peter asked, still wearing his panama hat and white suit.

  Aline decided to relax and not worry too much about the ring.

  “Well, it’s my work, and my parents know I’m pretty independent.”

  “I’m sure you are. So where was it you said you came from? Surrey. Or was it Hampstead?”

  “My parents live in Kent.”

  “Very nice. Kent? I expect they’re very wealthy.”

  “They’re well off, yes. My dad is a solicitor, and still practises, and my mother acts as his secretary sometimes, when she isn’t organising various local clubs. They’re always busy.”

  “Mm,” Peter got out one of his cigars. “So where do you yourself live?”

  “I have a flat in Richmond, near where I work.”

  “You said you’d really have liked to paint as a career,” Gerald murmured. Why didn’t you do that?”

  “I was good at languages. My parents had, and still have, a villa in Minorca and we used to spend holidays there. I played with the Spanish children of our neighbours and learnt their language. So then because I was already proficient at two languages I went on to university to do languages, Spanish and French. I also speak German quite well… and,” she laughed, “just a few words of Egyptian.” She held up her hand. “But not enough to hold a conversation.”

  “Well, we are impressed,” Peter twinkled. “What about you, young Cheng? What have you got to say for yourself?”

  “Me!” Cheng said, slightly taken aback that the attention had suddenly focused on him.

  “Yes, you. You look as if you’ve led a very widely travelled existence.”

  Cheng giggled. “Do you mean because I look like an oriental. Well, I’m second-generation Chinese. I speak Chinese and English fluently, English being my first language and England my home country. I have never been to China. My parents run a shop, and I don’t suppose any of you can guess what sort of shop?” He gave an infectious grin.

  “Selling Chinese gifts,” Jan ventured politely.

  “I know what it is,” Peter puffed hard at his cigar. “It’s a Chinese takeaway.”

  “Got it in one,” Cheng smiled. “I did work in it for a while but then I went to the local college to study art. And I made a career of it. I do sometimes help out if they’re short-staffed but I have brothers who are much better at making oriental dishes than I am.”

  “We met at the college,” Gerald ventured. “It was love at first sight, and we married when we were both only eighteen, which wasn’t so long ago.”

  “People say we’re very good at our artistic work,” Cheng confided. “It’s also something we really enjoy.”

  “I saw you earlier with your eyes closed,” Peter ventured. “But I don’t think you were asleep. Were you thinking?”

  “I was meditating. I like to go deep within myself at times. My mind draws me pictures, sometimes of things gone by. It helps me with my creating techniques.”

  “Mm,” Peter murmured. “Have you been doing it long?”

  “Since childhood. And when I come to somewhere like this old country I find my meditation very rewarding.”

  “So you can link to the past?”

  “Oh, I wouldn’t say that. I just think deeply. That’s all.”

  There was a thoughtful silence.

  Then Jan suddenly spotted Aline’s ring.
/>   “Oh, I do love your ring,” she enthused. “Did you get it at the market this morning? They did have some nice things there. I got lots of bangles for my granddaughters, and they were so cheap.” She took Aline’s hand and looked closely at the ring. “It’s very pretty. And it does look nice on your finger. You obviously like those wide-banded rings. I think they’re lovely. I’ll look out for them at the next market.” She paused for breath. “Will you come shopping with me before we go to the temple? There’s a market on the way.”

  “I’d love to.”

  “Great. Let’s meet up an hour before the others go, and then we can catch up with them. I’ll see you in reception about five o’clock. I’m off for a rest now. Not as young as I used to be.”

  She leapt to her feet, all her jewellery tinkling like little bells.

  Peter leant back in his seat and lit his cigar. He grinned at Aline.

  “Be very careful what else you buy in the bazaar,” he said. “Rings and things have passed your way. What about a fine fellow with a fine chest.”

  Mary hit him with her book.

  *

  “This is a fantastic market,” Jan said. “It’s big, isn’t it, and they sell so much stuff. It’s all so colourful.”

  “Hey, lady, you buy a scarf,” a young lad called, rushing up to them, carrying an armful of thin scarves, all decorated with gold tassels.

  “Here, lady,” he thrust one at Jan. “I make you into a beautiful, mysterious lady with my beautiful scarf. No one will be able to resist you. Going very cheap, Asda cheap.”

  Aline laughed. “How do you know about Asda?”

  “Me? I go to England and I stay with my cousin and he take me to Asda. Asda best shop in the country. Here my shop best shop in the country. You buy two, buy four. I give you big discount. Take them home for your friends, for your family.”

  “Well, that’s a thought. Do you know, Aline, I think I have the most granddaughters in the world, eight in all. And I won’t mention my great-granddaughters. Okay, young man, you sell me six for five and give one to my friend here.”