The Last Chapter of the Book of the Dead

It was sweltering in the small tomb. Every inch of her skin was coated with sand and sweat. She still felt herself lucky to have obtained a spot-on Dr. Becker’s team. He had assigned her to a small tomb on the outskirts of his larger dig.

It was the burial place of a young child. And from the hieroglyphs he was called, Menes, roughly translated as, he who endures. The tomb had collapsed shortly after the original burial and formed a tight pocket under a more modern crypt. After the debris was removed the uniqueness, of the burial became apparent. It was completely undecorated with no paintings or hieroglyphics coloring its bare walls. An odd plain wooden sarcophagus made from highly polished cedar dominated the small chamber. When she finally opened the lid, the mummy was in pristine condition, with the strong odor of the fragrant wood drifting from the opening. It hadn’t breathed the air for over 2000 years. Before she slid the lid back down she noticed that the linen wrappings weren’t plain. They were decorated with colorful hieroglyphics. This child must have been someone very special.

The newly minted PhD, Elizabeth Chester Banes, quickly resealed the sarcophagus and placed it into an airtight specimen bag. This find would be all hers to analyze back in the lab.

The lab was a maze of tunnels and stainless-steel rooms, under the National Egyptian Museum of Antiquities in Cairo. She swept her card and entered the basement level. Going quickly to the restoration lab’s climate-controlled vault, she logged in her prize. She wanted to study the hieroglyphics on the linen wrappings, without destroying the mummy. While checking her familiar surroundings she spotted the solution to her problem. The giant MRI machine in the corner almost jumped out at her. The machine was capable of making millions of virtual cuts in an object and combining the picture into a 3d image of the whole. With some manipulation and reprograming, it could display the hieroglyphics on the wrappings.

The writing on the wrappings scrolled out on the computer screen in hieroglyphics followed by the translation. It read:

This is the final chapter of the Book of the Dead. I Osiris, trust these prayers to this blessed child through my high priest, Shemay. He has given me his son so that I may restore the sons of man.

Elizabeth felt sick at the sacrificed of a child, but the discovery of the last chapter of the Book of the Dead was just too compelling to let her emotions reduce the wonder.

As the linen was scanned an elaborate depiction of the river Nile bordered the text. Its edges were drawn with graceful palms blowing in the wind. Crocodiles and hippopotamus played in the reeds at the water’s edge. It was beautiful.

The computer listed the ingredients and their amounts for the reanimation potion.

myrrh from the commiphora tree

palm oil

lotus root and flower

water from the Faiyum oasis

honey

etcetera…

And then the last ingredient.

A small amount of cobra venom, for the pain

She read the last ingredient, cobra venom for the pain. How did they know the process would be painful? Did they try it before? She stared at the printout and realized this was not some random prayer but an established procedure. One that had been used before and hidden from history because it worked.

The find contained only a few artifacts. There was a large canopic jar with the cryptic label water of life. That must contain the remnants of the potion. She took a sample of the residual from the bottom and placed it in the auto analyzer which spit out the components and proportions of all of the ingredients. She thought this is doable. I can get all these things, some from the local market, with a side trip to the Faiyum oasis.

The re-animating potion had taken her three weeks to develop. And it was expensive, who knew that myrrh was $56.00/ounce. Lotus was cheaper, she just stole some from one of the museums ponds. But the cobra venom cost almost more than she was willing to give. She went on a date with creepy, Peter, from herpetology lab. The thought almost made her blush. But she got the venom.

She found the cat mummy stored clumsily behind a group of random objects deep in the bowels of storage room 31. It looked to be in good condition. It had been logged in 1982. It wouldn’t be missed. She placed it on a cart and pushed it to her lab.

Tonight was the night; she just hoped that Peter wasn’t working late. She honestly didn’t believe that she could reanimate the mummy cat, but she wanted to go through the procedure. It was academic curiosity, nothing more.

The potion was mixed with the muddy waters of the Faiyum oasis in the large iron tub from Menes’ tomb. The unwrapped mummy cat was submerged in the solution. And then the 3 days of waiting commenced. She set up the video recorder and observed for a few hours. The night wore on and she became sleepy. Her office couch proved too comfortable to avoid.

Elizabeth awoke to a banging on the locked door. It was morning and Peter was trying to talk to her. She placed her mouth close to the door jamb and started to send him away, but then…

She looked into the tub. The tawny brown cat lay on its side. Its fur thick and rich with a soft purr coming from its mouth. The breathing was shallow but regular. It moved as if in a dream or a nightmare. The small thin body rolled on its stomach and looked at her. It bolted and headed for the back storage area. It had only taken a day and a half. Elizabeth yelled; Peter came in just in time to see the cat enter the back storage area.

“Elizabeth, are you alright? He grasped her hand. “It’s only a cat. I’ll catch it for you. How did it get in here?”

“Peter, yes, catch him. He’s my cat be careful. He’s a little wild.”

Peter shifted into hunter mode and trailed the cat into the room. He emerged with the squirming animal in his gloved hands. “I always carry a pair of snake gloves, just in case.”

He presented the hissing mass to Elizabeth. “What’s his name?”

Without thinking she said, “Anubis, I found him on the way to work.”

“Thank you so much for your assistance. We’ll talk later.” She pushed him toward the door.

“Do you have a cage? How are you going to get him home?”

“Oh yes, I need a cage.”

“No problem I’ll be right back.”

Peter returned with a medium size glass aquarium with a mesh cover. “You can use this for the transport. I’d be glad to drive you home when you’re ready. You’ll need to get supplies, cat food, litter pan.”

“I had not thought of that.” She hadn’t thought the experiment would work now here she was with a cat. “I’ll call you when I’m about ready to leave. Thank you.”

Anubis settled into her arms and decided this must be home. The transport went smoothly with Peter’s assistance. They stopped at a vet for a checkup and shots. He pronounced Anubis a healthy one year old. He couldn’t place the exact breed, so he settled on an Abyssinian mix.

When Peter left the full burden of what she had done settled onto her shoulders. The enormity of the find. The power to raise the dead. The last chapter of the Book of the Dead held in her laptop. The responsibility. It had been a long day. She fed the little cat and went to bed.

She awoke to a new day, one with endless possibilities, and her small cat sleeping nestled at her side. The cat followed her everywhere. She bought a small harness and took him to the lab as she analyzed the data from his birth. She poured her heart into her research for the next three months. Her tenure was rapidly coming to an end. She had to make a decision about her discoveries. What would she do with Menes? Who should have the power to reanimate the dead?

The customs agent asked for her passport.

“Your passport, Madam. She shifted the cat carrier to the back of the stroller and presented her passport to the man.

“And the passport for the child?”

She handed him the illegally obtained papers.

“Menes, what an unusual name. Are you going home to America?” He asked pleasantly, as he handed back the documents.

“Yes.” she said, “My son and I are going home.”