Chapter II. The Crypt

-Do not be afraid; muster the confidence to enter seeing as the rope is sturdy.

-Please, Dad, I’m terrified

 -I told you, do not be afraid, Mustafa, come in and do not get me furious with you, my son.

His features grew harsher than before; his eyebrows were thick, his eyes were narrow and greedy, his skin was dark, his lips were black, and he bit with yellow, separated teeth on them. He pushed the boy inside while his eyes welled up with tears and his forehead began to perspire.

-Coward, show some courage. Do enter.

In a last-ditch effort to awaken at least part of his father’s remains—or at least, the remains of a human being—in his heart, he clutched to his father’s cloak and embraced his feet.

-Why me? My brother Haridi should be sent in my place.

-Since you are small, the time is now for your thin, malnourished body. There is no room for anyone else in this confined corridor. Do not worry; nothing awful will occur, I assure you.

He begs his mother for assistance while sitting in the corner of the room, hugging his sister Zainab close, while Fatima is standing next to her, sobbing quietly for her terrified brother.

Mustafa, proceed. Hold onto the lamp. What do you observe on the walls? Please describe. Specify every detail.

Many residents in Assiut’s villages are fascinated by the Pharaonic tombs and the valuables they contain, and they believe that by finding something in one of these tombs, they can instantly transform their condition from poverty to wealth.

Strangely enough, some people devote their entire life to searching for treasures that are actually just under their feet.

Eight-year-old Mustafa was playing calmly on the ground with a small wooden horse an hour ago at noon on April 19, 1910, while Zainab and Fatima were engaged in a common game called, “The Seven Stones” involving a few stones with Zainab.

While the father smokes a hookah and the mother clasps a shirt that has been torn ten times, Haridi checks the cow enclosure in the back room.

He then abruptly said, “Dad, Dad,” in an excited voice.

-What’s wrong with you?

-Come soon.

Only a wooden door and a wall separated the chamber from the barn when the father entered there, and an eerie silence soon descended.

Haredi: This is what? A cave, perhaps?

-When did you show up?

-Unexpectedly, the ground close to the wall collapsed, revealing this pit beneath it.

He asked his father with a bewildered expression, “Is this…”

-Keep quiet while I check first.

He brought a pick and began hammering away at the wall while trying not to make any noise. Suddenly, Fatima’s screams could be heard coming from the adjacent space.

They sped over to her only to discover that a bigger hole had collapsed at the opposite end of the wall, exposing the curtain of a small, dim crypt. This crypt in Upper Egypt might represent much more than just the hidden treasure at its end.

-Keep quiet; no one should hear you.

The mother covered Zainab’s mouth with her hand while Fatima covered her own with hers. Absolute secrecy is required. The authorities may seize the father’s home and the homes nearby if the neighbors found out and the information got out. These crypts could represent old tombs in this location, which is the state’s right as a historical relic.

The father decided right away. Only just enough room exists for Mustafa in the crypt. We’ll rope-tie his feet and give him a lamp so he can crawl inside and tell us what he sees. There can be no question if there are inscriptions there. It is a Pharaonic burial, or it could be a desert cemetery. In both situations, we shall permanently wave goodbye to poverty.

Mother: Shouldn’t you seek advice from the Council of Elders, Saleh? They are the guardians of the burial’s secret and will treat you fairly when it comes to your share of the treasure.

The father: Hold on, let’s first check what’s within.

-Suppose this tomb is a cursed one. Only they are capable of dealing with old curses so that we don’t suffer under their curse

-If there is a tomb, we won’t go into it. I’m solely interested in the writing on the inner crypt and what’s at the very end.

As he spoke, Mustafa caught his attention and said, “Listen, son, describe to me everything you see. If you come to a dead wall or a door, you must memorize the drawings on it.”

The father pushes the terrified child firmly into the crypt while he cries out in terror and trembles on his hands and feet.

-Dad, here, here, here, and there… He started to crouch down a small corridor while struggling for breath.

-All right, son, come in a bit more.

He squinted, unable to move, his sight blurred, the dust covering everything, and he was just about 20 meters away. His lips uttered the word “Pull me,” and he gasped loudly, crying and screaming with trembling, “Pull me, pull me.”

The rope soon slipped from his grasp as a shriek rang out. The child collapsed suddenly.

 Aiming to steady him: Haridi, please help.

He is being yanked by them.

Later, a cry that was louder than the first one erupted. Backpedaling quickly, the two hit the floor.

The father stood up and began pulling the rope, which was light and weightless. The pulling soon came to a stop, and the child plummeted down a deep well or something alike.

The entire crypt then fell, leaving only a hole and debris above it.

As Zainab raced to Fatima after she collapsed, the sobbing mother was slapping her face with her hands, flinging dirt on her head, and yelling at the top of her lungs with a bloody burn, “Mustafa… Mustafa… my son.”

When the neighbors realized what had happened, they hurried to help them and exclaimed, “What a fool you are, Hajj Salih, how can you send your son inside like this?” What’s going on, man? We must swiftly summon a member of the Council of Elders so that we can save the child, someone cried out.

The wise man, a man in his seventies, arrived after 30 minutes. He gave a strong instruction as he stared at the women and the man, “Get out all of you. Only those who were present at the incident will stay. Make sure not to say a single letter or it will cost you your life.

Father: We need them, all men, to save Mustafa; let’s keep digging.

-Did you hear his voice after it fell, the wise man asked as he regarded the crumbling wall.

-Not at all; everything fell on top of him.

-Has he remarked on what he saw?

-Yes, he confirmed, observing weird inscriptions.

-Did he describe anything?

-No, just that. He then began shouting out, “Pull me.” Just as I started to retrieve him, the rope snapped, making it appear as though he had fallen into a deep well. Following that, the ground eclipsed and the wall fell.

-No other words, right?

The father held back a statement he wanted to make because he was uncertain or fearful of something.

With a dubious expression, the wise man lowered his eyes. Speak up, Saleh, he said. Avoid being terrified. What transpired following the wall’s collapse?

-I’m not sure what it was, but we heard a strange cry that didn’t sound like Mustafa’s voice. Abruptly I felt air coming out of the crypt, and suddenly…

The old man’s eyes sparkled: Continue.

-Fatima’s head was resting on her mother’s shoulder, and she was fully unconscious as the father turned to face her. She wasn’t conscious for a time. My daughter then collapsed to the floor, he claimed.

The old man: Did she get unconscious?

-Yes.

 He commanded firmly, “Don’t say a word, and don’t tell the people of the village about this, keep it secret until I investigate the matter.”

The father is perplexed and is afraid of something. What about Mustafa, he asked. What is going to happen to him?

-Your suffering is severe; he won’t survive when everything fell on him, and only God knows where he landed. The fact that the administration is currently in the dark about what took place is crucial; you need to be saved.

Take a look at Fatima, and don’t forget about your daughter right away!

Mom: Don’t leave my son, please.

May God have pity on your son, mother, the wise man reiterated in a stern voice to the father. You need to consider your family at this point, especially your daughter.

While the father relinquished control, Fatima held closer to her mother out of dread for what she did not understand. The family must be preserved, may God have mercy on Mustafa.

Within this part of the world, the wise men know everything. They possess information that no one else has, and while you may not think that these secrets are anything more than ridiculous, illogical drivel, they nevertheless give them a sense of dignity and a level of wealth and power that no one else possesses.

No one will ever argue with them about something they request, especially considering that only they are familiar with dealing with the ancient curses that were used to protect treasures and burials from thieves. One of the most potent curses requires them to slaughter an animal during special ceremonies and rituals. the most dangerous and irrational of these is the curse that you should not attempt to approach, no matter what the temptations may convey. It is a curse that was discovered following a person being killed outside the cemetery’s entrance.

Both the mother and the father were aware of this, and they both had their reservations regarding the existence of a long-forgotten curse. The curse could only be broken in one of two ways if this occurred, and she had just emerged from the crypt to settle in Fatima.

The first technique is through a wise person who has the strength and knowledge to free the girl from the curse.

The “oven” is the second technique….