The Cursed Traveller - Chapter 1
7th February 2018, 10.25 AM.
It is a normal day in London. Wet, cold and most of all, grey and gloomy. That does not stop visitors from visiting one of the biggest museums in the world, the British museum. As usual, the Egyptian department is full of curious humans, diving into the mystery of its ancient civilization.
A lady is staring at one coffin, listening to the audio guide.
“The coffin of an unidentified mummy, discovered in 1988 in Amarna has sparked a significant interest among Egyptologists due to the absence of records on the identity of the mummy. Most Egyptologists believe that this unidentified mummy, was an intruder, captured, killed, mummified and buried beneath the building of Amarna. The theory is further supported due to the fact that this coffin was the only coffin buried there. The mummy’s mystery deepens when a scientist claims that the Mummy still has flesh, as if he is still alive. Unlike other mummies, his organs such as his brain are not removed too, indicating that he did not go through a proper process of mummification. In 2017, a group of scientists from Egypt explained that the mummy might be exposed to a special chemical that prevents his mummy from decomposing, a new theory that supports the scientific advances of ancient Egyptian civilizations.”
Struck with the mystery, the lady starts to have wild imaginations. She sees the coffin starts to move. She hears a voice coming from the coffin. She can feel as if the coffin’s door seems to slowly fall forward.
“Wow. What an imagination I have!” She whispers.
“PANG!” The coffin’s door falls and breaks the exhibition glass.
Terrified, the lady screams and runs frantically. Everyone else in the room is shocked and trying to find out why the lady is screaming. Upon seeing what the lady saw, they all run and scream, trying to get out of the museum as quickly as possible, to save their own lives.
The security guards are alerted by the chaos and try to find out what is happening but as they try to calm down the visitors, the visitors push them down the stairs as the run towards the main door. Screams of women and the cries of little kids can be heard. The museum manager panics, having no idea what is actually happening, pushes the fire alarm and orders all emergency exit doors to be opened. The security guards quickly crawl to the corner of the museum lobby to avoid being stepped on and look cluelessly at the terrified visitors as they rush out from the museum.
………
1.25 pm. Three hours after the immediate evacuation of the British museum. The cause of the panic among the crowds is still unknown.
“Did you hear that?” A security named Steven says to his colleague, Howie while they are carefully checking every department.
“Hear what?” Howie replies.
“I think I heard a voice…”
“Aaa…aaa…I….” A sound of a suffering man can be heard.
Howie: “I heard it! Sounds like a man’s voice!”
Steven: “Where do you think the voice comes from?”
Howie: “From the Egyptian department… Maybe someone got hurt! Let’s go there!”
The two carefully walk into Egyptian department and they see the coffin’s door on the floor with the pieces of the broken exhibition glass.
Howie: “Bloody hell! Who did this?? Is this why people were panicking just now?”
Howie reaches for his walkie-talkie and reaches for their manager.
Howie: “Sir, one of the Egyptian coffin’s door fell and broke the glass.”
Manager:”What? Oh no. What happened?”
Howie: “I don’t know. Maybe the coffin’s door was not properly shut when the mummy was examined by that group of scientists from Egypt last month.”
Manager: “How about the mummy? Did it fall too?”
Howie: “I can’t see it on the floor. Hang on a second. Hey Steven, go check on the mummy.”
Steven is pale. He cannot move, frozen by fear. His eyes are dilated, can’t even blink.
Howie: “Hey? What’s going on?” Steven points to the door.
A figure wrapped with old dirty white linen wrap is seen dragging his feet walking through the door trying to get closer to both of them. The figure extends his right hand, as if he is trying to grab them.
Howie: “Holy Sh*t! What the hell are you?!”
Steven: “Monster! Ghost! Zombie! No! It’s the mummy!”
Both of them take out their clubs, ready to hit the figure.
Howie: “Come any closer mate! We’ll beat the sh*t out of you!”
“I…III….M…” The mummy continues walking and trying to reach them.
Howie: “Steven, let’s knock him over!”
Steven: “What?? What if he is a zombie mummy?? I don’t want to be bitten!”
Howie: “You stupid! Just stand behind me and help me subdue him. Hey you! Stop fooling around dumbass! This isn’t funny!”
Steven: “This is crazy man!”
Howie gets ready in his position while the mummy keeps walking forward. His eyes are getting bigger looking at both of them. His body is shaking and he walks faster towards Howie.
“III…MMM…TTTTTTHHI…”
Steven: “Is he… trying to say something?”
Howie: “No time! Arrghhhhh!!” Howie charges forward and tackles the mummy down to the ground.
Steven follows the action and he strains the mummy’s legs while the mummy is struggling.
Howie: “Who are you??” Howie then takes the cloth covering the mummy’s face and he suddenly stops and stares at the mummy.
Howie: “Jeff… Jeffrey?”
Steven: “Hey what the hell?? You know this retard?? What the hell are you doing man?”
The mummy, now identified as Jeffrey, gets up in a sitting position and looks at both of them, severely exhausted.
Howie: “Jeffrey, if this is some sort of a stupid prank, you are in a big trouble! Look at all this mess you have caused. What the hell were you thinking??”
Jeffrey stares at both of them, gathering his energy for a while. Howie and Steven are getting impatient to wait for his response.
Steven: “Get up!”
“I’m…I’m thirsty. Can.. I get a glass of… water?” Jeffrey says with a weak voice.
Howie is a bit shocked with Jeffrey’s response. “What? Jeffrey, this is serious!”
Jeffrey: “Look, I’ve been trying to ask for a glass of water for 4,000 years. Please! I am very thirsty!”
Howie and Steven look at each other, confused.
–FOUR HOURS AGO, 9.25 AM–
Jeffrey, 30 years old, working as a travel blogger and videographer for Radnor Travel Agency, is finishing his current travel videos project in Paris. His phone suddenly rings and it’s his friend, Fuad. Jeffrey answers the call.
Jeffrey: “Hey Fuad. Ever heard of WhatsApp? What is it? I’m busy.”
Fuad (through phone): “Hey Jeffrey! Come to my house now! I have something to show you.”
Jeffrey: “No. I’m busy. My deadline for Paris trip is due on Friday. What do you want?”
Fuad: “Uhh remember that crazy theory you told me about a pharaoh named Tun-come-on?”
Jeffrey: “Tutankhamun! It’s not crazy! My theory was supported by latest archaeological findings!”
Fuad: “Yeah yeah, that’s it. What’s the theory about?”
Jeffrey: “I think Tutankhamun, or in short, King Tut, was killed in a ritual where he was trying to become immortal. Evidence suggests that he was killed by a huge stone smashing him when he was carrying out the immortality ritual.”
Fuad: “Evidence? Or that was just your blind assumption?”
Jeffrey: “Shut up. I will find that evidence, just wait and see.”
Fuad: “Well, wait no more. I have a way for you to prove that. Come to my house now! Hurry up!”
Fuad hangs up.
Jeffrey: “Hello? Hey! I’m busy! What an idiot. This better be worth it!” Jeffrey shuts down his laptop, packs his backpack and leaves the house. He arrives at Fuad’s house and rings the bell. Linda, 30 years old, Fuad’s wife, a bio-chemical researcher in Oxford University opens the door.
Jeffrey: “Hi Linda. Fuad called me and…”
Linda: “You’re here! Come! We’ve been waiting for you!”
Linda brings Jeffrey to their basement.
Jeffrey: “Hey, slow down Linda! What’s the hurr… Ohhh.. What is that thing??”
Fuad, 32 years old, a genius scientist who has been secretly doing illegal experiments using materials he takes from a scientific research lab facility he’s working with, standing next to a 5 feet tall machine made of shiny materials. The machine has a chamber inside it, with seemingly control panel.
Fuad and Linda: “Ta daa!”
Jeffrey: “Hmmm… What’s this?”
Fuad: “Jeffrey, this is the answer to all your questions. It’s a time machine! I just finished building a frigging time machine!”
“Wait, what? For real?? How is that possible?”
Linda: “Well, remember when we told you that we are building a time machine using Albert Einstein’s theory of wormholes? We managed to break the theory’s code by building a machine that can go faster than the speed of light, powered by uranium…”
Jeffrey: “Uranium?? Linda! How did you even get it?”
Fuad: “She happens to know someone who can grant her access to uranium, and she was able to get justttt enough amount to power this machine, to move really fast within the wormhole, projecting ourselves to the past. You see, inside this machine, we built a vacuum like environment, with oxygen, to enable us to stay inside and turning relativism into practical, and hence, we will stay put while the machine does its work, moving faster than the speed of light, going back to the past!”
Linda: “Honey, please. Layman term. Jeffrey, in short, we can go back in time as far as 4,000 years!”
Fuad: “And according to your theory, that was the time your favorite Pharaoh…Tun…”
Jeffrey: “Tutankhamun!”
Fuad: “Right, Tuncome on, trying that immortal ritual! And you my friend, are so lucky to come with me, to visit him!”
Silence. Linda and Fuad are waiting anxiously for Jeffrey’s answer.
Jeffrey: “I.. I don’t know Fuad. Is this serious?”
Fuad: “It is serious!”
“I mean, how do you even know your time machine will work? And don’t you think that if we do go to the past, there is a risk of changing history? And what will that lead to?”
“Well, sounds to me like we both just need to hop in this machine… Anddd find out if it works. And if it does work, your theory is true, we don’t touch anything, just enjoy the ritual quietly, then we go back. How does that plan sound?”
Jeffrey stares at Linda and Fuad while they give a smile of excitements, still waiting for an answer.
Jeffrey: “Sounds like a good plan to me.”
“YES! Now let me power it up!” Linda goes to a huge computer next to the time machine, switching its power on.
“Wait, we are going now? I have work to do!”
Fuad: “Don’t worry! The time now is 10.25 AM. This machine’s power has been set to make a return trip to the original time we leave. For the people here, for example Linda, it would be as if we never leave.”
“Wow that’s cool. Okay then. Let’s go!”
Fuad and Jeffrey get into the time machine’s chamber. Fuad starts to fix the control panel to input their destination data.
Fuad: “I’ll put the year of destination as -4,000 years, which is circa 1982 BC. How about the location? Should I put Thebes?”
Jeffrey: “Put Amarna, in Akhetaten city. I believe the ritual took place there.”
“Alright! We are all set! Honey, we are ready! We are closing the door now.”
Linda: “Okay! I’ll start counting from ten to one!”
The time machine starts to emit very bright red light and produces a lot of kinetic energy.
“Ten! Nine! Eight! Seven!”
Jeffrey and Fuad’s bodies start to vibrate and showing signs to disappear into small molecules.
Fuad: “This will tickle a bit!” Jeffrey: “Hahaha! It does!”
Five! Four! Three! Two! ONE! Bright red light becomes brighter while the time machine becomes molecular and then it suddenly compresses in size.
“ZSSSSSSSSPPPPPPPPSSSSSSS~~!”
The time machine disappears and suddenly appears again.
Silence. For a few seconds.
The time machine is smoky. “Pssssssssssss~” It makes sounds as if it has exhausted its energy.
Linda looks at the time machine, wondering if it works. “Hello? Does it work or not?” Linda walks closer to the time machine and she tries to open the door. The door is stuck. She tries again with stronger force. Suddenly, the door is pushed hard from within and it hits Linda causing her to fall on the ground.
“OUCH! Hey that hurts! What are you guys doing?”
The door is opened wide and Fuad jumps out of the chamber. He looks terrified, sweating, his shirt is torn and dirty, while his face is covered with sand dirt. Linda is shocked. “Honey? Is everything okay? Does the time machine work?” Fuad stands still, with no reactions, breathing heavily. He looks like he just finished a 100-meter sprint.
Linda stands up and holds Fuad’s hand, trying to get him to talk. “Hey! What’s going on??”
Fuad comes to his senses and looks at Linda, pale and terrified.
“Linda! We need more uranium! Now! Call your friends! Colleagues! The government! Whoever!!! We need to go back!”
“Hey hey. Calm down! Wait, where’s Jeffrey?” Linda walks to the time machine’s chamber, trying to look for Jeffrey, but the chamber is empty. Fuad tries to reboot the time machine, pushing all buttons he can reach.
“This is not happening! This is NOT HAPPENING! We need uranium! Linda! We need Uranium! We should have never gone back to the past! This is a mistake! A very horrible horrible mistake!”
Linda, now petrified, looks at Fuad. “Ho..Honey… You are scaring me…. What is happening? Where’s… Where’s Jeffrey?? Please don’t scare me!”
Fuad: “Jeffrey… He… He was captured by… Tutankhamun the wicked…..!”
Tutankhamun is a pharaoh famous for his curse named Tutankhamun’s Curse. A few actually died when they excavated his tomb.
