"You idiot brother! You and your stupid pranks—you almost gave me a heart attack!" shouted Evelyn, raising her hand to smack Jonathan across the head.
But Jonathan, who knew his sister's temper all too well, quickly fumbled in his pocket and pulled out a small, ornate metal box—its surface engraved with ancient Egyptian symbols.
Daniel's eyes widened slightly the moment he saw it.
Oh, he knew that thing... that's the damn key. The one that starts everything.
Jonathan grinned, trying to look innocent. "Now, now, Evy—no need for violence. Look! I brought you a gift!"
Evelyn blinked, her anger melting into curiosity the instant she laid eyes on the object. "Jonathan... where did you get this?"
"Oh, you know me," Jonathan said with that familiar roguish grin. "A little adventure here, a little tomb there... nothing illegal, of course."
Daniel arched an eyebrow. "Sure. And I'm the Pharaoh of Giza."
Jonathan ignored him and handed the box to Evelyn with a flourish. "Go on, you'll love this."
Evelyn hesitated only for a moment before curiosity won. She carefully turned the box over in her hands, tracing the symbols with a scholar's precision. Then, with a faint click, the mechanism shifted—
and the box unfolded, revealing a map.
Evelyn's eyes lit up. "Jonathan, do you have any idea what this is?"
Jonathan smirked. "Well, considering I risked my life for it—no. But I figured you would."
Daniel stared. And there it is... the legendary map to Hamunaptra. The City of the Dead. The beginning of every cursed adventure ever.
Evelyn gasped softly, eyes wide with excitement. "Jonathan... this map—this is genuine! It shows the location of Hamunaptra!"
***
The Curator's office was cluttered with ancient scrolls, cracked pottery. Sunlight streamed through the dusty windows, catching on the golden edges of old papyrus.
At the center of it all sat Dr. Bey, the museum's curator. Evelyn hovered behind him, practically vibrating with excitement, while Daniel leaned lazily against a bookshelf, arms folded.
"See the cartouche there?" Evelyn said eagerly, pointing at the map. "It's the official royal seal of Seti the First — I'm sure of it."
Dr. Bey only hummed, unimpressed. "Perhaps."
Jonathan frowned, utterly lost. "Two questions. Who the hell is Seti the First? And was he rich?"
Evelyn sighed. "He was the last Pharaoh of the Old Kingdom — said to be the wealthiest ruler of them all."
Jonathan's eyes lit up. "Ah! Good man, I like him already."
"I've already dated the papyrus," Evelyn continued. "This map is nearly four thousand years old. And the hieratics here…" she inhaled sharply. "They reference… Hamunaptra."
For the first time, Dr. Bey poker face wavered. His eyes flicked toward Evelyn. Then, just as quickly, he regained his composure.
"My dear girl," he said, forcing a thin smile, "don't be ridiculous. We are scholars, not treasure hunters. Hamunaptra is a myth."
Evelyn's eyes widened. "No! It's the City of the Dead!"
Jonathan grinned. "Right, right! The big underground treasure chamber. Whole place rigged to disappear beneath the sand. Pull a lever, whoosh, gone! Everybody knows that story."
Daniel gave him a sideways look. "You only remember it because it involves gold."
Jonathan shrugged. "You say that like it's a bad thing."
Evelyn ignored them both, her eyes gleaming with scholarly fascination. "All we know is the city mysteriously vanished around 2,134 B.C. No record of what happened, no trace of its location—"
Dr. Bey cut her off with a scoff. "As the Americans would say, fairy tales. Stories for children, nothing more."
He lifted the map higher, holding it above a candle as if to study it in the light.
But Daniel knew exactly what the old man was up to — just like in the movie. He wasn't "examining" anything; he was trying to burn the map before Evelyn got herself wrapped up in a Hamunaptra mess.
A sly grin tugged at Daniel's lips. Not this time, old man.
He leaned forward and blew out the candle with a soft puff , the tiny flame vanishing in a wisp of smoke before it could even lick the edge of the map.
Dr. Bey froze mid-motion, his glare sharp enough to cut through steel.
Daniel, unfazed, casually looked away and started whistling like he had done absolutely nothing wrong.
The curator exhaled heavily, clearly annoyed. "Ignore this map and focus on your work. Hamunaptra is nothing but a myth — a place that never existed. And everyone foolish enough to search for it has never returned."
He slammed his hands on the desk. "Now, get out of my office!"
***
Moments later, the three were standing in the hallway, the heavy door shut behind them.
Jonathan crossed his arms. "So… we're not going to Hamunaptra, then?"
Evelyn's eyes still gleamed with excitement. "Oh, we're going," she said firmly.
"Hamunaptra is a treasure trove of ancient knowledge, artifacts, and history just waiting to be unearthed."
Daniel couldn't help but smile at her enthusiasm. "You realize this is a terrible idea, right?"
"Of course," Evelyn said, beaming. "That's what makes it exciting."
Jonathan groaned. "You're really going through with this? Great. And you, Daniel? You tagging along for the ride?"
Daniel shrugged. "Obviously. Someone has to make sure she doesn't get eaten by a mummy while you're busy picking up gold."
Jonathan snorted. "Mummies aren't real, mate. And for the record, I prefer the term treasure enthusiast."
Evelyn crossed her arms, giving both of them a look. "Mummies are real — they're just not alive. And we're going there to study history, not to chase gold like a pair of grave robbers."
Daniel chuckled under his breath. She says that now, he thought, but wait until the undead start walking.
*****
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*****