Stars, Dust & Dreams

Seed

(Author's Note: My entry for the #UltimateSFSD Round 3. Prompts to include were a cat, a recipe and a B.D.O. (Big Dumb Object). Word count 2648 according to Word - not including this note)

The ancient necropolis of Saqqara sprawled before her in all its glory. Althea stopped, drinking it all in, overcome with the realization that she was finally here, in person, and not staring at the scene on her laptop. The guide was beckoning her onward, but she refused to be hurried. She felt as if she had been waiting for this moment her entire life. Although she was a specialist in deciphering ancient languages, Ancient Egyptian was not her only subject and this was her first opportunity to visit the country.

The sun was fierce, blazing down from a cloudless sky and radiating off the brown sand.

Althea took a long drink from her water bottle and removed her sweat soaked hat, waving it back and forth in a vain attempt to dry the band before replacing it firmly on her head. She smiled at her guide.
"Right, Ahmed, I'm ready. Lead the way!"

Pyramids loomed tantalizingly in the distance but Ahmed led her toward what appeared to be the ruins of a small village. Walls, now only a metre or so high, showed where buildings had once stood and trenches traversed the landscape. String marked off areas currently under investigation, with an occasional line of planks covering a protected area. All the signs of an archeological dig in action.

A small group of men was standing near what appeared to be a hole in the ground and one of them looked up and waved.

Dr Lewis, Althea presumed. She waved back, then looked down to concentrate on her footing. The ground was uneven and the last thing she wanted to do was twist her ankle when she was so close. As she approached the group, the man who had waved stepped forward with a welcoming smile. He looked to be in his forties, with a weatherworn face and dark stubble on his chin.

"Doctor Graham? I'm Grant Lewis, please call me Grant. It's a pleasure to meet you. How was your trip?"

"Fine, thank you," answered Althea, shaking his hand. "I can't tell you how thrilled I am to be here. I really appreciate this chance to see your discoveries in situ."

"Well, no time like the present," Grant beamed. "You'll need to wear this hardhat though," he added, handing one over to her. "Just as a precaution. The ceiling is quite low in places."

Althea put on the hat, her gaze drawn to the gaping hole behind him. She could just see the rails of a ladder resting against the lip.

"Ready? Follow me."

Althea watched, her heart drumming with excitement as Grant climbed down the ladder into the darkness. She followed a moment later, making sure she had a firm grip on the ladder. Lucky she didn't suffer from claustrophobia, she thought, as the light faded the further down the shaft she went.

About halfway down, the walls became honeycombed with large shelves.

"This was a burial shaft," Grant explained, his voice echoing. "Everything has been cleared out now, but we found all sorts of things tucked away in these shelves when we first entered. Amulets, small statues, even the mummy of a cat. When we finish here, I'll show you some of our finds which haven't been transferred to the museum."

Then Althea's feet found firm ground.

Grant handed her a large torch. "Eventually we will install better lighting but this will work well enough for the present."

Althea shone her torch around the space, discovering they were in a small alcove with a narrow passage leading away in the opposite direction.

"I'm sure I don't need to remind you not to touch anything, but sometimes people forget when they come face to face with the drawings." Grant was apologetic but Althea took no offence. She knew how damaging even the slightest grease from fingertips could be.