disappear through a hole in the pyramid.
“Where did he go?” said Jack.
He and Annie peeked through the hole.
They saw a long hallway. Burning torches lit the walls. Dark shadows loomed.
“Let’s go in,” said Annie.
“Wait,” said Jack.
He pulled out the Egypt book and turned to the section on pyramids.
He read the caption aloud:
Pyramids were sometimes called Houses of the Dead. They were nearly all solid stone, except for the burial chambers deep inside.
“Wow. Let’s go there. To the burial chambers,” said Annie. “I bet a mummy’s there.”
Jack took a deep breath.
Then he stepped out of the hot, bright sunlight into the cool, dark pyramid.
The hallway was silent.
Floor, ceiling, walls—everything was stone.
The floor slanted up from where they stood.
“We have to go farther inside,” said Annie.
“Right,” said Jack. “But stay close behind me. Don’t talk. Don’t—”
“Go! Just go!” said Annie. She gave him a little push.
Jack started up the slanting floor of the hallway.
Where was the cat?
The hallway went on and on.
“Wait,” said Jack. “I want to look at the book.”
He opened the Egypt book again. He held it below a torch on the wall. The book showed a picture of the inside of the pyramid.
“The burial chamber is in the middle of the pyramid. See?” Jack said. He pointed to the picture. “It seems to be straight ahead.”
Jack tucked the book under his arm. Then they headed deeper into the pyramid.
Soon the floor became flat. The air felt different. Musty and stale.
Jack opened the book again. “I think we’re almost at the burial chamber. See the picture? The hallway slants up. Then it gets flat. Then you come to the chamber. See, look—”
“ Eee-eee !” A strange cry shot through the pyramid.
Jack dropped the Egypt book.
Out of the shadows flew a white figure.
It swooshed toward them!
A mummy!
“It’s alive!” Annie shouted.
Jack pulled Annie down.
The white figure moved swiftly past them. Then disappeared into the shadows.
“A mummy,” said Annie. “Back from the dead!”
“F-forget it,” stammered Jack. “Mummies aren’t alive.” He picked up the Egypt book.
“What’s this?” said Annie. She lifted something from the floor. “Look. The mummy dropped this thing.”
It was a gold stick. About a foot long. A dog’s head was carved on one end.
“It looks like a scepter,” said Jack.
“What’s that?” asked Annie.
“It’s a thing kings and queens carry,” said Jack. “It means they have power over the people.”
“Come back, mummy!” Annie called. “We found your scepter. Come back! We want to help you!”
“Shush!” said Jack. “Are you nuts?”
“But the mummy—”
“That was no mummy,” said Jack. “It was a person. A real person.”
“What kind of person would be inside a pyramid?” asked Annie.
“I don’t know,” said Jack. “Maybe the book can help us.”
He flipped through the book. At last he found a picture of a person in a pyramid. He read:
Tomb robbers often carried off the treasure buried with mummies. False passages were sometimes built to stop the robbers.
Jack closed the book.
“No live mummy,” he said. “Just a tomb robber.”
“Yikes. A tomb robber?” said Annie.
“Yeah, a robber who steals stuff from tombs.”
“But what if the robber comes back,” said Annie. “We’d better leave.”
“Right,” said Jack. “But first I want to write something down.”
He put the Egypt book into his pack. He pulled out his notebook and pencil.
He started writing in his notebook:
“Jack—” said Annie.
“Just a second,” said Jack. He kept writing:
“Jack! Look!” said Annie.
Jack felt a whoosh of cold air. He looked up. A wave of terror went through him.
Another figure was moving slowly toward them.
It wasn’t a tomb robber.
No. It was a lady. A beautiful Egyptian lady.
She wore flowers in her black hair. Her long white dress had many tiny pleats.
“Where did he go?” said Jack.
He and Annie peeked through the hole.
They saw a long hallway. Burning torches lit the walls. Dark shadows loomed.
“Let’s go in,” said Annie.
“Wait,” said Jack.
He pulled out the Egypt book and turned to the section on pyramids.
He read the caption aloud:
Pyramids were sometimes called Houses of the Dead. They were nearly all solid stone, except for the burial chambers deep inside.
“Wow. Let’s go there. To the burial chambers,” said Annie. “I bet a mummy’s there.”
Jack took a deep breath.
Then he stepped out of the hot, bright sunlight into the cool, dark pyramid.
The hallway was silent.
Floor, ceiling, walls—everything was stone.
The floor slanted up from where they stood.
“We have to go farther inside,” said Annie.
“Right,” said Jack. “But stay close behind me. Don’t talk. Don’t—”
“Go! Just go!” said Annie. She gave him a little push.
Jack started up the slanting floor of the hallway.
Where was the cat?
The hallway went on and on.
“Wait,” said Jack. “I want to look at the book.”
He opened the Egypt book again. He held it below a torch on the wall. The book showed a picture of the inside of the pyramid.
“The burial chamber is in the middle of the pyramid. See?” Jack said. He pointed to the picture. “It seems to be straight ahead.”
Jack tucked the book under his arm. Then they headed deeper into the pyramid.
Soon the floor became flat. The air felt different. Musty and stale.
Jack opened the book again. “I think we’re almost at the burial chamber. See the picture? The hallway slants up. Then it gets flat. Then you come to the chamber. See, look—”
“ Eee-eee !” A strange cry shot through the pyramid.
Jack dropped the Egypt book.
Out of the shadows flew a white figure.
It swooshed toward them!
A mummy!
“It’s alive!” Annie shouted.
Jack pulled Annie down.
The white figure moved swiftly past them. Then disappeared into the shadows.
“A mummy,” said Annie. “Back from the dead!”
“F-forget it,” stammered Jack. “Mummies aren’t alive.” He picked up the Egypt book.
“What’s this?” said Annie. She lifted something from the floor. “Look. The mummy dropped this thing.”
It was a gold stick. About a foot long. A dog’s head was carved on one end.
“It looks like a scepter,” said Jack.
“What’s that?” asked Annie.
“It’s a thing kings and queens carry,” said Jack. “It means they have power over the people.”
“Come back, mummy!” Annie called. “We found your scepter. Come back! We want to help you!”
“Shush!” said Jack. “Are you nuts?”
“But the mummy—”
“That was no mummy,” said Jack. “It was a person. A real person.”
“What kind of person would be inside a pyramid?” asked Annie.
“I don’t know,” said Jack. “Maybe the book can help us.”
He flipped through the book. At last he found a picture of a person in a pyramid. He read:
Tomb robbers often carried off the treasure buried with mummies. False passages were sometimes built to stop the robbers.
Jack closed the book.
“No live mummy,” he said. “Just a tomb robber.”
“Yikes. A tomb robber?” said Annie.
“Yeah, a robber who steals stuff from tombs.”
“But what if the robber comes back,” said Annie. “We’d better leave.”
“Right,” said Jack. “But first I want to write something down.”
He put the Egypt book into his pack. He pulled out his notebook and pencil.
He started writing in his notebook:
“Jack—” said Annie.
“Just a second,” said Jack. He kept writing:
“Jack! Look!” said Annie.
Jack felt a whoosh of cold air. He looked up. A wave of terror went through him.
Another figure was moving slowly toward them.
It wasn’t a tomb robber.
No. It was a lady. A beautiful Egyptian lady.
She wore flowers in her black hair. Her long white dress had many tiny pleats.
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