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Early afternoon sunlight shown down on San Fansciso. Presley Carnovan sat in his classroom, trying and failing to pay attention to the English lesson. Instead the twelve (nearly thirteen!) year old fumed over the radio broadcast called “Show Me the Mummy.” It wasn’t that the intent was to prove the Mummies’ existence, although that was annoying too. No, it was what some of the callers were saying about his undead friends.
Presley did have to admit, though, that the four Ancient Egyptians weren’t nearly as discrete as they thought themselves. The radio program only confirmed it. This brought the reborn prince to a conundrum – vent to the Mummies and have them go to even crazier lengths to blend in (haha) or keep it to himself. Or Presley could call the radio guy himself and plead for everyone to leave the Mummies alone.
School let out, and Presley still hadn’t come to a decision. He kept to his regular schedule, chatting with Walter and Elaine before they parted to go their separate ways. The green-eyed boy’s house was in the general direction of the museum, while the other two lived in the opposite direction. Presley cut through a small park, skirted near a reconstructions site (thanks, Scarab), and impatiently tapped his foot while waiting for the crosswalk signal.
At last the Sphinx was in sight. Unfortunately the young boy was still unsure if he should tell his guardians about the broadcast program. After inserting the talisman to open the hidden door, he shrugged and decided to be quiet about it for now. Tutoring from the Mummies went like normal, even if Ja’Kal did seem a bit distracted. They had recently faced off against Arahk, Ja’Kal’s brother, and were aided by Kimas, Arahk’s son and Ja’Kal’s nephew. Presley assumed the Falcon Guardian was distracted by thoughts of his family.
What Presley didn’t know was that Ja’Kal was thinking of something else entirely.
Nefertina and Armon took the reborn prince home for dinner. Rath was tinkering with yet another experiment which may or may not necessitate the scholar needing fresh gauze. The hunter decided to disguise himself and find a place to listen to the radio. They didn’t have a radio at the Sphinx, and the program he wanted didn’t come on the Magic Box. Ja’kal made sure to inform Rath, and that he had his attention while doing so, before donning modern garments.
Holey jeans, worn out sneakes, a moth-eaten sweater, and knitted cap over his wraps and kilt. Fortunately, the jeans were just a little large, allowing him to tuck in his kilt much more easily. Ja’Kal remined Rath of his excursion before setting off on foot. The hunter knew where he wanted to go, more or less, so he didn’t simply wander the city.
He picked up loose change as he walked. It slowed his progress, but he had plenty of time before the broadcast. Still, Ja’Kal kept a steady pace into downtown San Francisco, his hunter’s gate quickly covering the distance. He kept his head down when he passed the two officers who were involved in the ‘FBI abducted Rath’ fiasco, Joe and Bob. That was certainly an event to remember. Unless he was much mistaken, Ja’Kal recognized the lanky officer as the one that pursued the Mummies out of the subway at the end of a very troublesome night. Come to think of it, Ja’Kal pretending to be an alien weakened by the atmosphere probably had inspired Joe the policeman to declare Rath an alien and call in the government men. Oops.
Turning a corner, Ja’Kal spotted a line of shabbily dressed men and women in line for a food truck. The Mummy spied the four homeless people Rath had befriended for the brief time he had lost his memory. Nodding to himself, Ja’Kal joined the end of the line for what looked to be sandwiches and apple juice. Keen blue eyes followed Rosey, Max, Theo, and Wilcox as they received their food and moved aside. The hunter was gladdened to see the group kept Wilcox in the middle, as the unfortunate man had been aged prematurely by Scarab.
Ja’Kal’s turn at the food window was upon him, and the woman within the truck gasped at the sight of him. A common reaction, really, with his gaunt face and old wrappings. The Magic that awakened the Mummies was to thank for the four of them resembling moldy raisins. However, instead of the horror he half-expected, the Mummy saw sympathy shining in her brown eyes. She discreetly passed two sandwiches instead of one along with the cup of juice. Ja’Kal sincerely thanked the woman, then set off to follow Rath’s acquaintances.
The four had not traveled far, only a few blocks from the food trucks. Ja’Kal approached then, taking care to exude calm like hunting something that was particularly dangerous when frightened. Their eyes landed on him when the Mummy was still half a block away, showing their raised defenses.
Ja’Kal kept a steady pace in their direction. Max, he noted, had the most suspicious stare under his yellow bandana. “May I join you?” the hunter politely asked.
“Why would we want a spy among us?” Max fired off.
A slight smile tugged at gray lips. “Rath says hello. Or he would, had he known I sought you. I am Ja’Kal.”
Recognition lit three faces, although Wilcox seemed more interested in his sandwich. Theo spoke next, “How’s Ace, I mean, Rath doin’? No more memory troubles?”
“His memory has fully returned. His experience with you seems to have reinvigorated his desire to learn more about this modern era…and has curbed his haughtier tendencies for now.”
Rosey spoke up. “So, you’re lookin’ for us? Why?”
Ja’Kal scratched his cheek. “There is a radio broadcast called ‘Show Me the Mummy’ that has witnesses call in to share their stories. I seek a radio that plays this broadcast, preferably near a phone booth so that I may call myself. I sought you in hopes that you would know of such a place and be willing to keep eavesdroppers away. I don’t have much to offer in exchange for your services, just this from the food truck and change picked up on my way here.”
Theo waved the ancient guardian closer to their group. “Let’s see what you got, friend. You’re gonna need at least enough to make that phone call.”
Rosey relieved Ja’Kal of the sandwiches and juice cup and observed as he dug into his pockets. She had to admit, there was a bit more than she expected. The ancient man had collected a dollar and fifty-five cents, three arcade tokens, and a few plastic coins meant to teach children. Considering the man barely understood how indoor plumbing worked, the young woman was surprised there wasn’t more junk.
After a brief discussion, the homeless group decided to help Ja’Kal. Theo pocketed the two proffered sandwiches to be split amongst them later. Max led the way to a newsstand that sometimes played the radio. Again, the gray-headed Wilcox was sheltered in the middle of the group; Max at the front, Rosey and Theo on either side, and Ja’Kal bringing up the rear. Some petty thugs tried to harass the group but soon came to regret it, as Ja’Kal took on the three men alone and easily won.
Unknown to the falcon guardian, these three were part of the group Kamas fought before being rescued by Nefertina and Armon.
Some blocks later, the rag-tag bunch made it to the intended newsstand. A middle-aged man occupied the center of the cart, disinterestedly flipping through a tabloid magazine. Rosey approached the cart with the collected pennies, and that cart attendant exchanged it with silver change. The man humored her request to tune in on the ‘Show Me the Mummy’ broadcast in exchange for the arcade tokens.
Ja’Kal sat against the clutter-free backside of the cart with his head bowed and arms crossed. Wilcox settled next to the Mummy while the others milled about.
Tale after tale from callers, each recounting their experience with the Mummies. Many stories Ja’Kal recognized the event they spoke of. Some, however, he had no clue what they were talking about. The homeless four snickered at the absurdity.
When it seemed the broadcast was winding down, the hunter rose to his feet. Max made a quick inquiry to a payphone and the clerk pointed across the street. Ja’Kal nodded his thanks then glanced at each of his current companions in turn. At the understood signal, they casually crossed the road. Theo handled the coins and punched in the number before passing the receiver to the disguised dead man.
“Hello, caller,” Joe the policeman greeted over the line, “Show me the Mummy!”
Ja’Kal glanced at the four humans, only to find they’d made a loose circle to give him privacy. “Hello. Many of your callers reported seeing walking mummies. I have heard a number of them saying they witnessed these mummies fighting.”
“Quite a few, yep,” confirmed Joe. “You have something to add?”
Ja’Kal gulped. Now or never. Say his piece or hang up. “The mummies were awakened after thirty-five hundred years to battle an ancient sorcerer called Scarab, who had killed their child prince before they themselves. The spirit of the child prince has been reborn in a modern boy, and Scarab seeks to claim this spirit to reach new and terrible heights in his magic. The mummies guard this boy and try to thwart Scarab’s evil schemes. Those who have seen the mummies fighting have witnessed this clash.”
Joe sounded unconvinced. “And how would you know this stuff, mister? You close to the mummies or somethin’?”
“I am he wears the falcon sacred armor. I am one who fought to protect my prince and died in the effort. I am one of four who awakened in this modern time with its magic boxes, horseless chariots, and electric lights. I am one who prevents Scarab from stealing the prince’s soul as he had his very life thirty-five hundred years ago. Myself and my fellow guardians mean no harm to the mortal citizens of this city. We strive to understand these modern times to better protect our young charge, but the differences are staggering. We have tried to remain hidden and inconspicuous when we must be in the public…obviously, our efforts are not enough.”
“Maybe you can explain some things our callers have been talking about, Mister Mummy,” Joe prompted.
“Such as?” Ja’Kal sighed.
The officer replied, “The ice rink!”
“Scarab summoned the Water Spirit Nuhn from Beyond the Western Gate. Think of it as a Spirit Realm. We had to lure Nuhn to the ice rink to freeze him. Otherwise, he would have drowned our charge and destroyed the city.” Ja’Kal tapped his chin. “The second time we faced Nuhn, Scarab had summoned him again, and thus, causing the city-wide water shortage. Scarab had Nuhn steal the city’s water, bottle it, then Scarab sold the water outlandish prices. We discovered his foul play, and in the end, lured Nuhn out into Death Valley where he evaporated.”
“Oh, well. That explains that,” Joe conceded. “What about those earthquakes? Ya got an explanation for that too?”
“Scarab had called the Earth Spirit Geb from Beyond the Western Gate. Geb is generally a peaceful spirit but greatly dislikes being disturbed. Scarab had told him that our young charge had called Geb forth. Some wise thinking on the child’s part had Scarab admit to he called Geb in the spirit’s presence. The earthquakes a few months later were also Geb, but this time he was arguing with his wife, the Air Spirit Net – which is why the weather was so strange as well. Ultimately, we helped the two spirits come to an understanding, and they returned to the Western Gate.”
“Huh, marital problems even happen to spirits,” came Joe’s reply. “Sorry, Mister Mummy, not sure I believe that one, but okay. How about the ghosts at the fish market?”
The dead man sighed. “Chontra, a sorceress, laid a trap with the phantoms acting as bait to catch our attention. They were harmless, even if her intensions were not.”
“The subway sighting?” the policeman pressed.
Ja’Kal let his head thud against the glass side of the payphone. “We…were having a bad night. We confronted Scarab on a boat, and the craft was damaged in the fight. It sank, we swam to shore, and our own vehicle was on the other side of the bay. The ensuing chaos of that night was simply us trying to return home. To be fair, we did insert money into the machine, but it had snagged the Snake Guardian’s loose wrapping as well. The machine took the money and did not give us coins. So, we, ah, hopped over the turning mechanism an boarded the train, where you found and followed us off.”
“So are you mummies, space aliens, or mummified space aliens?”
“We were human in life, if that is what you are asking. Except for the Sacred Cat, obviously, but she was once an ordinary cat as well. The Ram Guardian had been a warrior in Pharoh’s army, the Snake Guardian a scribe and wizard, the Cat Guardian had been a royal charioteer, and I had been the Captain of the Hunt. We four impressed our Pharoh enough that he appointed us as guardians and tutors to his only son. This duty we continue in this modern age, although our prince reborn teaches us of the world just as much.”
“I noticed you’re not using names except for this Scarab guy and the spirits,” Joe observed.
“Scarab does not know our charge’s modern identity. I have avoided speaking our names as a precaution,” the Mummy confirmed.
“So, this Scarab, he’s chasing your reincarnated prince. Why?” asked the off-duty officer.
Ja’Kal fully leaned against the wall of the phonebooth. “I told you earlier, but I will repeat it. Scarab seeks to steal the boy’s very soul to increase his own power and regain the appearance of his youth. He wants to murder a child for own selfish gain, and he has done so before.”
Joe let out a long whistle. “So, you four mummies and mummified cat are all that stands between a kid and a murderous crazy wizard.”
“Yes. Also, Scarab is responsible for the sudden aging of the San Francisco transients, which we destroyed the contraption used for this nefarious deed.”
“The homeless people who claimed to be young when they looked so old? That was him, too?”
“Many, yes. There may have been some with mental impairment, but only thorough investigation will prove it.”
“Mister Mummy,” Joe awkwardly cleared his throat, “presuming this is all true…how can we help? The death of child is always a tragedy, and it sounds like Scarab isn’t shy about collateral damage.”
The Falcon Guardian slumped a little. “I humbly ask that people do not record us. That if they witness a clash of we guardians against Scarab’s forces, please flee for he does not care who gets hurt. I ask that we be allowed to protect our prince and continue to learn of this era. We are not a threat to the citizens of this city. Our young prince reborn, this city is his home, and so we will not allow Scarab and others from Beyond the Western Gate to threaten it.”
“Mister Mummy,” Joe seemed to consider something. “Are you familiar with modern firearms? Guns, I mean. Could a bullet work to incapacitate or even kill this wizard?”
Ja’Kal frowned. “I do not know enough of these guns to say with any certainty. If he sees the attack coming, he will defend in some way – whether by spellcraft or commanding a clay warrior called a Shabti. It would be best if the citizens avoided Scarab’s notice as much as possible.”
“Was there anything else you want to tell the public, Mister Mummy?”
“That was all at this time,” the undead man replied.
“Thanks for calling!”
And the earpiece issued a droning tone that signaled the disconnected call. Ja’Kal replaced the receiver on its cradle and exited the phonebooth to face the curious transients. “I thank you for your assistance.”
A bit of small talk later, Ja’Kal separated from the four live people. He wandered the back alleys, ever in the direction of the Sphinx. Another group of thugs were defeated, but ultimately, the Falcon Guardian returned home unharmed.