Rocket from the Tomb

When the dead reach for the stars

The desert was endless. The sun blazed mercilessly, and the wind carried whispers of forgotten times. Deep beneath those sands, untouched for millennia, lay a tomb no one had dared to open. Legends spoke of a Pharaoh unlike any other—a ruler who did not dream of eternal rest underground, but of flight beyond the stars.

Dr. Adrian Cole, an archaeologist obsessed with uncovering the impossible, led the expedition. His peers had mocked him for chasing myths, but the strange symbols carved into unearthed tablets told him otherwise. The writings spoke of a “fire chariot buried with the king, built not to sail the Nile, but to pierce the heavens.”

After weeks of digging, his team uncovered a massive stone entrance, sealed with intricate locks of bronze and iron. Upon its face were hieroglyphs none could translate fully, but one warning was clear:

“Disturb not the vessel. Its fire is not for mortals.”

Adrian, however, was not one to be dissuaded.

The tomb’s doors were forced open, revealing a colossal chamber lit only by the flickering torches the team carried. Murals stretched across the walls—priests lifting offerings to the sky, constellations drawn with eerie precision, and, at the center, a towering shape that looked nothing like the barges of the Nile.

There it was.

A rocket.

Ancient, yet perfectly preserved, as if it had been crafted with knowledge lost to time. Its metallic body shimmered under the torchlight, and strange runes glowed faintly across its surface. At its base lay rows of sarcophagi, their lids carved with images of warriors gazing upward.

One of Adrian’s assistants whispered, “This isn’t possible. The ancients couldn’t build this.”

Adrian’s heart pounded. “And yet, here it is.”

Driven by awe, the team set about examining the tomb. But as the hours passed, the air grew heavier, oppressive. Some workers claimed they heard chanting—low, resonant voices echoing from nowhere. One by one, they abandoned their tools, muttering about curses.

Adrian remained. His obsession burned brighter than his fear. “If this rocket can be studied, it will change history forever.”

Late into the night, he climbed the stone steps that led to the rocket’s sealed hatch. His trembling fingers brushed against the surface, and at once, the runes blazed with light. A deep hum filled the chamber, vibrating through the walls like the pulse of something alive.

The sarcophagi cracked open.

From within emerged skeletal figures draped in tattered robes, their eyes glowing like embers. They were guardians—warriors who had sworn to protect the vessel for eternity. Their jaws moved, and though no flesh remained, a voice filled the chamber:

“The Pharaoh shall rise. The stars await him.”

Adrian stumbled back, terror clashing with exhilaration. The rocket roared, dust falling from the ceiling as flames burst beneath it. The guardians raised their arms, chanting in unison, and the rocket’s body shook as though awakening from a long slumber.

“Wait!” Adrian shouted, his voice drowned by the deafening hum. “You don’t understand—we’re not ready for this!”

But the rocket did not wait for permission.

The chamber split apart, ancient stone crumbling as the rocket tore free from its tomb. A blinding column of fire erupted, blasting upward through the desert sands. The ground quaked, dunes collapsing in waves as the rocket ascended into the night sky.

The team fled in panic, watching from a distance as the heavens split open. The rocket, shining like a second sun, rose higher and higher until it vanished among the stars.

All that remained was silence.

Adrian stood, covered in dust, his heart racing. He had witnessed the impossible—a Pharaoh’s tomb transforming into a launch pad, his guardians sending him to the afterlife among the constellations he worshiped.

The desert winds carried away the smoke, leaving only ruins where the tomb had been. Adrian fell to his knees, the truth sinking in: this was not just history—it was prophecy.

Humanity had always looked to the stars, but perhaps, long ago, one had already gone before them.

And somewhere, far above Earth, a rocket from the tomb blazed its path through eternity.