Full Circle, the Tale of the Ring (ATTN: Zeroki, Ava, Kotelinie!)

Those who do not learn from their history are doomed to repeat it. It's an old, well-worn saying, but no matter how often it is repeated, it remains the truth. It is wisdom best heeded, for the sake of the listener, and the ones he loves. Perhaps if the old histories had not been forgotten. Perhaps then I would not have touched those accursed markings. Perhaps my friends and I would not be in danger... but then, perhaps I would not have found out exactly who I am, and become the man I am today.

My name is Jacen Ames, thirty-eighth descendant of Amon-Rah, and this is my story.

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The "dog days of summer" didn't even begin to describe my latest vacation. The air was so dry I couldn't even open my mouth while outside for fear of grit in my teeth. The skies offered no rain, no clouds, not even a hint of shade. The wind was hot and carried a putrid smell upon it. All in all, it was a pretty typical Arizona summer.

To make matters worse, my parents had gotten on a stupid history kick of late, and now insisted on sending me halfway around the world to the desert of Egypt. I sat yawning as my mother eagerly flipped through the brochures, sharing all the... exciting events: lectures, digs, and a tour through a pyramid that probably smelled worse than a two thousand year-old pharaoh. There'd be none of the typical camp activities: swimming, archery contests, panty raids. In other words, it was going to be boring. Or so I thought.

It started out as the pretty typical transatlantic trip. Board a plane in Phoenix, over to Dallas, Texas, across the ocean to London England for a few more passengers and a connecting flight, and then a beautiful landing in the golden sands on the outskirts of Cairo Egypt. I made my way down the loading ramp of the plane, pausing just long enough to have a look around at the desolate, blank landscape around me. It appeared we'd touched down beyond the reach of any of the main highways. An old road jutted out from the distant city, but nearby, the only sign of civilization was the sight of pyramids older than the sands on which they sat. Sighing, I made my way down into the camp. I raised my arm to shield my eyes against the glaring sun and the stinging particles of sand whipped into my face by the scorching egyptian wind. Already my navy-blue tee shirt and blue jeans were covered in dust. So much for two weeks of clean clothes.

Through the dust devils I spotted the camp: a series of green pitched tents near the base of the largest pyramid. A number of people moved around the camp: two girls who seemed to be working on a dig of their own, and a boy off in a tent by himself, reading some book or other. Two other boys, lighter-skinned than he stood talking with a large, dark-skinned man dressed in a white shirt and black shorts. He wore a pair of knee-length white socks and a pair of brown, steel-toed shoes. His head was doffed with a dark brown, cowboy-style hat and he carried on his back a tan backpack filled with who-knew what but holstering a number of digging tools.

"Great," I muttered, slowly walking toward the camp, "My first day in paradise. And here I was hoping for pretty girls and the chance to leave fake vomit in the rival camp's cots one last time. Silly me."

Fiona scratched her head, adjusting the sunglasses that she was wearing. She was a girl granted, but she didn't seem to dress like one. A pair of baggy blue jeans, a black racerback tanktop, with a thin black sleeveless hoodie over it. Sniffing lightly, she slowly stood up from where she was kneeling on her "dig" if you could call it that. There was nothing but sand and rocks here.

Walking around a moment, she kicked a rock as she stretched her legs from squatting down so long. Fiona still couldn't believe it. She'd taken a small interest in ancient civilizations in Latin America and her parents couldn't have been more happy to ship her off to Egypt of all place to "immerse" herself in ancient history.

'At least the flight wasn't too horrible' Fiona thought to herself. Given she had flown from Dublin, Ireland with a layover in Rome, Italy and then to Egypt.

She was slight of build, with a long face, red hair, and hazel-green eyes. For a 12 year old girl, she was pretty. Her father had told her many times that he was going to have to beat the boys off with sticks when she was older.

Behind the sunglasses, she looked in the direction of the older boy that was walking toward the camp. Fiona muttered under her breathe, her irish accent easily heard.

"Oh this will be sooooo much fun."

Those two other boys at the desert camp, are the assistants of the big man. Helping him with arranging stuff and preparing todays activities, but also assisting the others when the big man is too busy. There was well a thing he had learned from the two boys, is that they are doing a study in archeology.

The ‘lone’ boy sat in a lotus position and seemed from a distance to be reading a book and not being really interested in what was happening around him. While in fact he was actually doing some research about a few artifacts he and girls had found a couple of hours ago in their small dig site. Those artifacts where lying next to him. That site was appointed to them by the big man, so they could use their time wisely till everyone arrived and then finally could really start the real program.

The kid, named Cato wore light beige jeans, a white t-shirt. White socks and a couple of firm brown shoes. Light red curling hair and looks like a year of thirteen – fourteen.
He came from Montreal, Quebec, Canada. With a transfer in Paris, France to arrive three and half hours later in Cairo, Egypt. The flight was somewhat interesting and also boring.
If you wonder how he would up to there. Well he filled in a quiz of Egypt, answering questions, followed by why he would want to go tot there. As you would know, it was a small chance to be picked out of the thousands others who filled it in. A month later an envelope dropped on the door, inside of it a letter that had won, A plane ticket to Cairo, Egypt to join an archaeological dig there, with a few others.
This briefly summarizes it how he got there, where he is now.

One of the assistants of the big man saw that Jacen made his way to the camp and walked towards the leader. “Excuse me sir, but our last guest had arrived. “ Spoke the boy kindly.

Meanwhile Cato, was just too focused in his book to find out something about the artifact, that he didn’t noticed that Jacen had arrived. Not to say that he is rude or ignoring everyone, or wanting to be left alone. He is just too concentrated in his thing.

Raina straightened from the bottom of the pit, bending and stretching to pop her lower back. Dressed in khaki shorts and a pale blue tank top, the white socks sticking up just over the tops of her work boots were beige with sand. Her semi-dark skin told of her mixed Asian-American heritage, but after six days in the sun, she was bronzing quite nicely. Her parents had been happy to let her do some traveling before college, and she left Tokyo to go to London for a few days, then caught a connecting flight into Cairo. Already, Raina was in love with the people and the culture of the place, and had taken to this dig with great glee.

Sweeping her hat back from her head, she stepped out of the hole and grabbed her canteen. Taking a few long drinks, she looked around, shoving her red and blue streaked black braid off of her shoulder. It bounced off of her mid back and swayed for a moment before settling down. It was so dusty and dry here, but she didn't mind. She loved this place. Wetting her hand, she splashed her face and neck with the water.

She leaned against one of the service vehicles and looked around. The younger girl was still in the pit, and the boy was nose deep in a book. She felt like a big sister everytime she looked around to find them. Twisting the cap back onto the canteen, she looked in another direction and spotted a new face. Raising an eyebrow, Raina tried to remember who was left to arrive for this little foray into the sands of Egypt.

As I reached the middle of the encampment, the pilot decided it would be a good time to take off. The twin turbines of his plane whipped up more dirt and dust than a mid-summer's sandstorm, and I winced, feeling the stinging grains striking the back of my neck. I rushed further into the camp.

I knew most of the carefree summer activities were out of the question. No soccer or baseball games, no riflery medals. No late night campfires or toasted s'mores. On the bright side, I doubted we'd have to deal with any corny campfire songs. Still, it would have been nice to get some kind of greeting but all the other kids seemed too preoccupied in their work. The youngest of the three boys appeared caught up in his book. The two girls were more concerned with their dig. Only one of the councilor's two pets noticed I had even arrived. The one reached up and got his attention.

The Councilor's name was almost as humorous as the concept for this so-called "camp." Dr. Elias Laiman was supposed to be the foremost expert in his field, a certified genius with a whole raft of letters after his name. Evidently with his Indiana Jones persona, he was trying to appeal to the teens of my generation. I didn't have the heart to tell him his getup was about ten years out of date.

When his assistant pointed me out, the big man nodded his head and turned around, raising his hands to call for a stop to the activities. "My young researchers," he called in his deep, husky voice, "Please gather here in the center of the camp. Now that Mr. Ames is here, we can finally begin, but we'll first need to make proper introductions." Great... not even five minutes in and he already planned to make me the center of everyone's attention. I could feel my skin turning beet red as first he, then the two boys, and finally the rest of the camp began to gather.

"Erm... hi..." I stuttered, "My name's Jacen." I reached up, unconsciously scratching the back of my head. In that moment, I hoped maybe a sand dune would move and bury us all... save me the humiliation.

"My young researchers,""Please gather here in the center of the camp."

As the oldest boy came towards the camp, Fiona climbed out of the pit to gather round the center of the camp at the request of Laiman. Her short red hair was agonizingly bright in the sun, making it easy for her to stand out among the four. She squinted her eyes even behind her sunglasses as a gust of wind brought more sand rushing towards the kids. Turning her head, she turned the hood inside out, dumping out more sand than she'd thought was in there initially.

"Now that Mr. Ames is here, we can finally begin, but we'll first need to make proper introductions."

Looking at the oldest boy up and down a moment as she moved her sunglasses to the top of her head; trying to size him up. Though to be honest, he looked about as thrilled to be here as she was. He looked nervous though, that she could read on his face like a book.

"Erm... hi...""My name's Jacen."

She looked around at the other people of the camp. The others didn't seem very forthcoming of their introductions. And here she thought the others would be less shy than she was.

"I'll be going next I suppose. My name is Fiona O'Conner. I'm from Dublin, Ireland."

Fiona's voice was rather quiet but her accent was very pronounced. She clearly did not like having to give introductions but the fact that was looking down most of the time towards the end, scuffing her shoes in the gritty sand...

While Cato was a bit isolated from the others, the deep husky voice of the Mr. Laiman got his attention. He looked up from his book and spotted the “newbie” making his way over to the camp. Cato placed the book open to the side, putted the piece of rock on top of it, so that he wouldn’t lose that page as he found some text over the symbol of it. Sadly he could not start to read it as Laiman had called for everyone’s attention.

The boy got up and made his way over to others, slightly against his own will as he was with his thoughts with that artifact and book page. The formal introducing to Jacen, was for Cato not needed and had preferred to an informal one, on which everyone could doing their thing, while the councilor walked with him to introduce everyone, so they wouldn’t taken away long from their doing. That way he could meet and talk to everyone in his own time of choosing.

After Fiona introduced herself, Cato suspected to be next. “ I’m Cato Brennard, from Montreal, Canada. Nice to meet you.“ His voice friendly without any sign of showing or hearing that he didn’t want to do this and looked to a fictional object behind Jacen.

Raina watched and listened from one side, twirling a bit of loose red hair in her fingers. She'd have to redo her braid, it seemed. Really, how unruly could her hair be? She gave Jacen a scrutinizing look, from the top of his head to the tip of his nose, all the way down to the shoes on his feet. She was so used to doing that in the big cities, it was hardly anything she was aware of doing. It was too soon to tell what kind of person this kid was, so she stowed her thoughts on him for later.

She smiled at the two younger kids, dropping her hands to her sides, propping her fists on her hips. Seriously? This lot of folks acted like it was a chore to even say their own names. Shy was one thing, but boring? Oh, that wouldn't do one bit.

"I'm Raina Terachi," she said when it was finally her turn, giving a slightly informal bow to the gathered group. "I came out here from Tokyo, and I'm really excited to be here. I hope we find something totally groundbreaking and amazing while we're at it."

She smiled warmly and openly around the group. If Raina had one shining fault, it was that she took to people a bit too quickly sometimes. But these three, and their research leaders, seemed an okay bunch to get to know. Even if they did act boring right now.

As the members of the friendship circle introduced themselves one-by-one, I remained silent.

One of Dr. Laiman's little stooges was next. "Tommy Wayneright," he said, just a little too cheerfully. He wasn't really what I'd expected of the kids I'd be meeting here. He looked to be around sixteen, and was nearly as thin as he was tall, a wiry stick of a boy who, between his long, gangly limbs and his wire-rimmed glasses appeared as if he might be more comfortable in front of a computer screen playing World of Warcraft than out here in the middle of nowhere, far from the nearest cell phone or Star Trek convention. His clothing was all wrong too. He wore a dome-shaped cap to shade himself from the hot sun, and a beige, button-up shirt. Around his neck he wore a red, flowery bandana soaked in moisture. From the lack of sweat around his brow and along his arms, I would have guessed most of that was water from his canteen. From the pale color of his skin, I guessed he didn't spend a lot of time out in the sun, even here.

Dr. Laiman's second assistant was next. He wasn't really what I'd call scholar material. He was probably the oldest of us, at around eighteen years old. His long, wavy brown hair formed a natural frame for his square, tan-skinned face. He wore a dark blue, short-sleeved shirt and a pair of black rubber wrist bands on each arm complete with white letters that appeared to spell something in Latin. He was better equipped than Tommy, wearing a pair of dirty jeans held around his waist... not that he needed them. He had the build of a jock... not someone you'd think to be playing in the world's largest sand box all day. A green backpack slung over one shoulder contained the usual assortment of archaeologist's tools, along with a couple pans for the cook fire we would be sharing later that night. He held out one meaty hand to whomever might shake it. "Tristan Padelecki," he offered.

I raised a brow on hearing the name, but reached out to shake his hand anyway. At least he offered.

Still, as I looked around at this group, I couldn't help but feel like the odd one out. Most of them had already immersed themselves in some way or another. Cato had his books. The girls had their dig. The boys had the good doctor... That left me. I didn't realize just how well I would be getting to know at least the first three... how much their friendship would come to mean to me, or how much we would grow to depend on one another.

Now that the introductions were done, Dr. Laiman cleared his throat in what was perhaps the most over-the-top manner I'd ever witnessed. "Alright everyone," he said, "Today is to be our first official day of camp. Everything most of you have done up until now has been to prepare you for the main event. Before we truly begin our exploration, we'll be journeying deep into the heart of the Great Pyramid to observe the work done, and some of the wonders uncovered by real life archaeologists."

"No," I muttered, "And I thought they were just trying to put in a new subway."

The doctor apparently didn't hear my remark. He continued on. "We'll meet up here in about twenty minutes, enough time for Mr. Ames to get settled. Cato, please show your new bunk buddy to your tent. The rest of you, make sure you have a flashlight, some snacks, and whatever other small supplies you might wish to have handy. Dismissed."

I turned away as everyone began to disperse. "Great," I mumbled, "First he talks to us like we're eight, and then he tries to drill us like we're in the army. Well... at least it can't get much worse than this."

"Alright everyone,""Today is to be our first official day of camp. Everything most of you have done up until now has been to prepare you for the main event. Before we truly begin our exploration, we'll be journeying deep into the heart of the Great Pyramid to observe the work done, and some of the wonders uncovered by real life archaeologists."

Fi listened at the other introduced themselves, nodding to them in turn.

"No,""And I thought they were just trying to put in a new subway."

She couldn't help the small, stifled giggle that escaped her mouth at Jacen's comment.

"We'll meet up here in about twenty minutes, enough time for Mr. Ames to get settled. Cato, please show your new bunk buddy to your tent. The rest of you, make sure you have a flashlight, some snacks, and whatever other small supplies you might wish to have handy. Dismissed."

Fiona shook her head slightly before she sprinted the tent that she shared with Raina. She didn't waste much time in gathering the few items that Laiman had told them to. Grabbing her red sling backpack, she quickly gathered from her already small luggage what she needed and a couple just in case items, including a small first aid kit, some granola and protein bars, a canteen of water, her blue Maglight flashlight, extra batteries, and a couple of extra shirts.

Finally satisfied that she had everything that she would need; Fiona left the tent and went to the specified gathering spot, plopping down in the sand and sitting with her legs stretched out before her....

Cato watched as the others introduced themselves, then turned around to Dr. Laiman as he took the word. The boy always wanted to see a pyramid from the inside, even that he had seen programs on the National Geographic Channel covering it. But to be there is a whole other experience; the feel, smell, touch and above all to see it with your own eyes, then through a camera on television.

Cato chuckled about the comment from Jacen, even it would be ridicules to actually do that, as that would ruin the whole pyramid.

At first twenty minutes sounded allot, but in fact when needing settle someone in and making yourself ready for the expedition, it is not much, just bearably enough. Cato gave a nod to the big man in acknowledgment and walked toward to Jacen after having being dismissed.
“This way Jacen.” Cato said and pointed to the tent where they stay during the expedition. “Looking forward to go inside a pyramid?”

An a short time they got to what was till then his own tent and made room for his tent-mate, while also making his backpack ready for the upcoming adventure. Lunch, water bottles, energy bars a silver led flashlight and a couple of extra batteries.

Raina made her way back to the tent, entering only a few steps behind Fiona. She pulled her two waist packs from her larger bag and started loading them. A bottle of water went into each of them, her LED maglite in the right, and her multitool on the left, beside her fully charged digital camera. She also grabbed her own snacks, mostly trail mix and granola, tossing in some peanut butter crackers as an afterthought for an energy boost. Strapping the packs to her waist and thighs, she rolled another tank top and stuck it in around her camera, just to be safe.

Redoing her braid, she stepped out of the tent and headed back across the camp toward their councilor. She watched the others milling about, dropping to crouch in the sand, her packs resting comfortably against her legs. Part of her wondered what they'd find down there inside the pyramid, and she all but wiggled with excitement.

Without further commentary, I followed after Cato. It wasn't that I didn't want to be friendly with everyone, but my mind was still elsewhere. If I'd wanted to spend time looking at endless desert I could have just stayed home. Camp was supposed to be in the woods, with rivers and lakes and... far less sand.

Still, despite my chagrin, I had to remind myself not to ruin the experience for the others. If only for them, I'd try to be cheerful. I never promised, however, not to have a smart mouth. Hearing Cato's question, I dropped a humorless laugh. "About as much fun as I had going down into Grandma's basement," I answered dryly, "Except there were a lot more ghosts there. I dunno' Cato... I've just got a bad feeling about all of this, y'know? This isn't really the kind of work for people our age... What if we broke something, or activated a trap, or get lost in the maze of tunnels? I'd get home, and all my parents would be able to do would be to yell at me about their skyrocketing medical insurance premiums."

Sighing, I pushed aside the flap of the dome-shaped tent that would serve as Cato's and my temporary home for the next couple weeks. I was surprised to see it was a lot bigger inside than it appeared from without. There was enough space for at least two more people to comfortably fit sleeping bags within, which meant there was plenty of room for Cato's and my things. A small, plastic window allowed just enough light inside to enable us to see without it getting too hot.

I slipped inside and let the bag fall from my shoulders, beginning to unpack my things. My bright red sleeping bag was rolled out first. Next I opened up my bag and pulled a smaller, folded shoulder bag from inside. It was a forest green color, with an ironed-on logo from Camp Mishimash, the first summer camp I'd ever attended back in Kindergarten. The bag was worn, but still plenty servicable. I grabbed a few things from the larger backpack: a large black flashlight, some extra D-Cell batteries, a few "milk and cereal" bars, a couple extra water bottles, and a book on Egyptian Hieroglyphs. Despite not having any true archaeological loves, I did enjoy studying other languages, and translating symbols. It was a test of logic, a way for me to keep my mind sharp and sane in this boring place, and I figured it might come in handy. Last, I threw in a couple digital walkie talkies. They probably wouldn't last for more than a day, and wouldn't have more than about a hundred yards' range, but they might come in handy.

Once everything was in the appropriate pocket, I pushed my way back out of the tent. "Alright... Let's get this over with," I said, making my way back toward the center of the camp.

Dr. Laiman and his two assistants already had everything prepared it seemed, and they made their way back to meet us. "Get a load of the parade," I muttered.

Fiona had stretched herself out fully on the sand in the time that it took Raina to leave their tent. She was wearing her sunglasses again as the sun beamed down. Turning her head she looked at the older girl, noticing her wiggled. Now it was either one of two reasons why she was wiggling and those were: 1: She needed to pee. 2: She was excited.

"Excited much, Raina?"

Not that Fiona wasn't somewhat excited about going into a pyramid, it seemed fun and would most likely prove educational. But Fiona would've much rather been in Latin America right now studying the Aztecs or the Mayans. Though, as a way to spend the summer it wasn't excessively horrible. There were worse fates.

She watched Cato and finally Jacen leave their tent too; watching him quietly. Smiling lightly at him, she leaned up, getting to her feet and brushing the sand off of herself. The 12 year old grabbed her red sling backpack and tossed it over her head; settling the strap over her chest and shoulder. Looking at Jacen again, she figured he definitely did not want to be here.

"Come on Jacen, it could be worse."

Fi laughed a little.

"You could always have summer school."

Hearing what Jacen said, it seemed for Cato that he wasn’t really looking forward to it. But what if this was a holiday trip with your parents? What then? Of course you would then have a tour guide with you when you enter one of the great pyramids of Giza. Yes Cato had been watching videos and done research about it. “Well, Jacen. If it isn’t safe for us to do go to there. I think Laiman would have made other plans. Like taking us to a site that has no dangerous obstacles at all. Besides I think that it is completely safe. So what could go wrong?” Cato replied, trying to keep the atmosphere up, then making it gloomily for everyone.

Perhaps that Cato had better not said that last part as it would change their lives, for better or worse.

Cato left as last the tent and closed it, to prevent any sand getting into it and trot with his orange backpack on his back after Jacen to the meeting point. The kid saw how Raina wiggled “Uhm are you okay Raina?” Cato asked her with a light smile on his face giving a nod to Fiona. He was unsure of telling her what Jacen told him, for that he had a bad feeling of this and that it was a mistake to send a couple of young teenagers to this place.

“Fiona, I think that Jacen just wanted to be in forest camp, then here.” He told her.

Raina only laughed when the two younger members inquired about her. She still felt odd about being the only one that looked excited about being there. Then again, Raina was excited about and by a lot of things. Standing, she stretched her back, arms over her head.

"I'm just ready to go go go," she said. "I can't wait."

She turned her attention to Jacen, studying him as unobtrusively as she could. It was beyond her to see why the boy looked so glum about being there. Oh well. He'd either perk up or he'd be a lump the whole time. Raina wasn't going to let that ruin her good time.

Tom and Tristan joined us in line while Dr. Laiman strolled from one end to the other, looking us over like a drill instructor trying to decide which recruit to smoke first. The two boys didn't help matters by standing in the most proper at-attention stance I'd ever seen. When the councilor was satisfied, he gave a nod and, with Tommy leading the group behind him, led us to the entrance of the pyramid.

As we stood there I couldn't help but gaze up at the massive structure. To think that ancient hands had built it, without electricity or modern conveniences was a wonder to be sure. I supposed this week would not be totally without its merits. Afterall, how many people can say they've been able to look with their own eyes upon one of the seven remaining wonders of the ancient world?

The good doctor, though, decided he would be a killjoy by opening his mouth. "Attention please everyone," he said, clearing his throat in that over-the-top manner again, "In a few moments we'll be entering the Great Pyramid. The inside is quite dark and the tunnels are like a labyrinth, meant to confuse those who wished to rob the tomb. You'll need to stay together at all times. You should all have flashlights, but so that you won't have to use them except in an emergency, Tom and Tristan will now pass out lanterns. to each of you." As if on cue the two stooges snapped to attention. They quickly moved to his side and opened a couple of the packs he'd brought a long, handing us each oil lanterns.

"Erm... Thanks," I said as Tommy handed me one that looked as though it had been left out in the rain for one too many camp-outs. I didn't want to seem ungrateful, but it looked as though it was barely working.

Tommy nodded though, offering a smile. "Not a problem," he grinned, showing off his braced teeth, "And hey... try to relax and have a good time."

Yeah... right... Once everyone had been issued their lanterns, Dr. Laiman led the way. We started into the pyramid, leaving the bright sunshine behind as we moved into the cold, damp caverns.

"Attention please everyone,""In a few moments we'll be entering the Great Pyramid. The inside is quite dark and the tunnels are like a labyrinth, meant to confuse those who wished to rob the tomb. You'll need to stay together at all times. You should all have flashlights, but so that you won't have to use them except in an emergency, Tom and Tristan will now pass out lanterns. to each of you."

The irish 12 year old quirked an eyebrow as Tristan handed her a red lantern, even going so far as to light it. She nevertheless smiled at the 18 year old despite her lack of enthusiasm like Reina's. "Thanks, Tristan."

Despite the fact that they were in the middle of the desert, Fiona was glad that she'd worn a hoodie. Sleeveless, true but it kept her core and neck warm as they descended into the colder pyramid.

"So how far into the pyramid are we going, Dr. Laiman?" Fi called from behind Jacen, looking around the older boy at the doctor ahead of them. Not that she was scared of the dark; she was just curious...

Cato was well a bit exited for that finally the expedition could get underway, but didn’t felt the need to show it. Or well not on the way how Raina showed it.

Cato had a bit of hard time to pay attention to what Dr. Laiman said, although he heard what he said of what to do. As he looked in an awe to one of the last known ancient wonder of all times still standing. For all that there are still speculations over it, for how those magnificent buildings where build. Was it with wooden cranes, one long ramp or a ramp around the pyramid? Even with the latest theory by a Frenchman named Jean-Pierre Houdin, who says that the answer is ‘an internal ramp.’ Only that the really hard core evidence to that is theory is hard to show. As there isn’t given yet any permission for him, or anyone else to, start removing stones from the pyramid to start looking for that hidden tunnel.

“Man fears time, but time fears the pyramids.” Muttered Cato the Arab proverb once Laiman was finished with his orders.

“Thank you.” Said Cato with a nod to Tristan after he got a dark gray oil lantern with scratches and dents in it, like someone had used it as a football. Anyway it was still working and that is all that matters.

As the boy got closer to the pyramid, he saw how immense the building blocks are and just had to touch it with his right hand. Too bad now that he didn’t had a digital camera with him, to make photo’s for later and to show them home for what he saw and has done.

“Mr. Laiman, how do you think that the Pyramids are build, as there are different theories about it.” Asked Cato to Dr. Laiman, and the others in the group, to hear what their thoughts about it are.

Raina took her lantern with a cute, but uninterested smile. She lifted the relic of a thing to look at it, pronounced it at least mildly serviceable, then followed the rest of the group. Voices echoed once they were inside, but Raina decided to keep most of her commentary to herself. She lit up her lantern, glad that it actually gave off SOME kind of light, and looked around as her eyes adjusted.

The air was cooler inside, as the others might have noticed, and her sun-warm skin goose-fleshed over her arms and legs. Lifting the lantern, she squinted into the shadows, trying to make out the walls and spaces around them as they moved along.

It was easy to tell once we'd left the desert behind. As the sunlight faded behind us, the air grew cooler. The smell of dust and mold hung heavy around us, almost suffocatingly thick. It was easy to imagine how the first ones to open this ancient tomb could have been poisoned. Now, a low, distant hum served as a reminder that clean air was constantly being cycled in.

"We'll be going about a half mile in," Dr. Laiman said, "It's not too far, but it'll give you an appreciation for how truly massive this entire structure is."

If I was going to appreciate anything, it would be turning around and seeing myself moving toward the sun. As soon as the light behind us was gone, Mr. Laiman instructed us to light our lanterns, while he himself lit a head-mounted flashlight. The unnatural white glow of the lamps played eery shadows over the already gloomy corridors. It also brought a sort of supernatural feel to the hieroglyphs. The eyes of the ancient figures of pharaohs and servants and slaves, and even the occasional cat almost seemed to follow us as we moved.

Dr. Laiman answered Cato's question as we moved into a narrower passage, forcing the good doctor, and then his assistants to take the lead. "No one really knows how these ancient structures came into being," he explained, "Nothing we know about the ancient Egyptians gives us any real clues. Some suggest that they had advanced knowledge of physics and mathematics and thus they were able to utilize a system of wheels, pullies, and levers to drag the limestone from their quarries to the pyramids and lay them in their proper places. Others suggest based on certain epics, such as the tale of Moses, and on the discovery what may have been early batteries based on clay, that they may have had advanced scientific knowledge, and thus used the earth's magnetic field in their efforts. And of course there are a few who think that ancient aliens helped them to build.

Whatever the case, we truly must appreciate just how little we know even in comparison to our ancient predecessors. We think ourselves the most advanced culture in the world, yet we don't even know a tenth of what these people must have discovered without previous civilizations to help guide them."

In a way, I had to feel sorry for the good doctor. It wasn't his material that was boring... but that voice... I felt like even if I drank an entire day's worth of energy drinks, hopped myself up on sodas and candybars, I STILL would have been unable to stay awake for his lecture... which is why toward the end, his voice began to quiet, and I found myself falling farther behind him, staring up at the markings on the cavern walls... focusing, trying to decipher...

That was when I saw it. It was a marking that didn't fit the rest... A sword, carved perfectly into the cavern wall. It didn't look like any sword from the era. I held my lantern up higher to examine it, not realizing that my three companions were still trapped behind me.

The blade was bright red, crimson, and it almost seemed to glimmer as the light hit it. The hilt guard was shaped like a pyramid, with the Eye of Ra staring out from it, directly toward me. The hilt, guard, and pommel appeared to be polished brass, and I thought I could hear a soft voice emanating from the picture, whispering in to my mind...

"Amazing..."

Fiona felt her eyes half close at the sound of Laiman's voice. The sound was like her language teacher back in Ireland. She could put the most excited student in the class to sleep (she had already done so.)

She had been looking at the hieroglyphics in lieu of listening to their guide. They were far more interesting than listening to his voice. By the lantern light, there was a sort of creepy feel to the inside of the pyramid. Again, Fiona was not scared. She refused to be. But this place was a bit on the creepy side for her.

When Jacen stopped to look at a particular marking, Fiona all but ran into the older boy; finding herself stopped in place.

"Jacen, what in the world are you looking at?!" she asked a bit roughly while her irish accent half muddling her words in her irritation at the older boy.

Following his eyes, she looked at the same marking, quirking an eyebrow. "What the...?"

Once entered the Great Pyramid of Giza , Cato felt direct a difference in temperature from the hot temperature of the desert sun to the cool darkness of the pyramid and smelled a somewhat dusty odor but it was breathable.

The kid ignited on command his lantern, the light bounced off the walls showing the hieroglyphs on the ancient limestones. Cato listened partly to the monotone voice of the dr. Laiman. For all how it echoed in the tunnel, as he looked to the symbols. What the dear doctor said, it was not giving him a real answer of what he thinks of how it is built as the theories he gave, he already knew from documentaries on NGC*. At least you had to give great recognition to the builders and their designers to pull this off with primitive tools, in their time.

If Cato could travel back in time, he would go to the time that the Great Pyramid is being constructed to observe how it is done. Just as he was thinking on that he wasn’t looking in front of him and bumped into Fiona “Sorry.” Said the young boy, “I didn’t knew we stopped.”
looking up to where Jacen and Fiona are looking at, he saw something, on the wall, but couldn’t see it too clearly. “What is it?”

In the distance Dr. Laiman and the two kids where just trotting on and did not even noticed that the ‘young researchers’ where getting behind.

*NGC = National Geographic Channel.

((A note, the pyramids where not build by slaves but by workers))