With a reassuring click, Nick locked his office door and strode silently down the darkened hall. After spending most of the day studying the golden Tablet of Sekhmet in his office, his shift at the history museum was over, and he was ready to head home.
The tablet, discovered two years ago in the tomb of an ancient Egyptian king, was surrounded by myth and lore. Inscribed on it were prayers and spells to promote a safe passage to the afterlife, along with a warning: “Thieves beware, for this tablet is guarded by spirits powerful and mighty, which will destroy all who steal it for their own purposes. Yet it will protect its protector.” Typical nonsense from ancient times, but nonetheless, it was a priceless and legendary artifact, and Nick felt …show more content…
He caught a glimpse of a large, shiny gold tablet in one of the trespassers’ hands. The next moment, they were gone.
With a plummeting sensation in his stomach, Nick realized that the tablet was the Tablet of Sekhmet. Hadn’t he locked it away?
This was bad. If the manager found out that such an important artifact had been stolen while he, Nick, junior historian at the museum, had been on-site—
He sprinted after the burglars and out into the cool night air. He paused at the top of the steps. All was still. Except...
There! A dilapidated Indian food truck, illegally parked right in front of the museum’s front steps, revved its engine. Nick clambered down the steps, but the truck took off before he could reach …show more content…
In a few moments he reached it and was off, tearing after the food truck. Speeding through a red light, Nick kept his eyes trained on the truck ahead of him. Turning the corner onto Michael Street, he saw the words, “Freshly-cooked Dhansak” and “Delicious Lentil Dahl” printed on the vehicle in front of him. Police sirens sounded in the distance. Good. Nick hoped they would hurry up!
The advertisements for Indian food were suddenly bleached with a radiant light that was so bright that Nick had to shield his eyes. The light seemed to emerge from the truck itself! His hands grappled with the steering wheel. He tried to squint into the blinding light, but to no avail. He took his foot off the accelerator... but not fast enough.
The light ahead of him flared orange, and a splintering noise filled his ears just as the words “Dahl” and “Dhansak”, in a shower of sparks, were replaced by a gaping hole, from which a glowing slab rocketed towards him. Narrowly avoiding his windshield, it crashed through the roof of his car, plopping onto his lap just as he felt the jarring sensation of crashing into the truck ahead of him.
The tablet, discovered two years ago in the tomb of an ancient Egyptian king, was surrounded by myth and lore. Inscribed on it were prayers and spells to promote a safe passage to the afterlife, along with a warning: “Thieves beware, for this tablet is guarded by spirits powerful and mighty, which will destroy all who steal it for their own purposes. Yet it will protect its protector.” Typical nonsense from ancient times, but nonetheless, it was a priceless and legendary artifact, and Nick felt …show more content…
He caught a glimpse of a large, shiny gold tablet in one of the trespassers’ hands. The next moment, they were gone.
With a plummeting sensation in his stomach, Nick realized that the tablet was the Tablet of Sekhmet. Hadn’t he locked it away?
This was bad. If the manager found out that such an important artifact had been stolen while he, Nick, junior historian at the museum, had been on-site—
He sprinted after the burglars and out into the cool night air. He paused at the top of the steps. All was still. Except...
There! A dilapidated Indian food truck, illegally parked right in front of the museum’s front steps, revved its engine. Nick clambered down the steps, but the truck took off before he could reach …show more content…
In a few moments he reached it and was off, tearing after the food truck. Speeding through a red light, Nick kept his eyes trained on the truck ahead of him. Turning the corner onto Michael Street, he saw the words, “Freshly-cooked Dhansak” and “Delicious Lentil Dahl” printed on the vehicle in front of him. Police sirens sounded in the distance. Good. Nick hoped they would hurry up!
The advertisements for Indian food were suddenly bleached with a radiant light that was so bright that Nick had to shield his eyes. The light seemed to emerge from the truck itself! His hands grappled with the steering wheel. He tried to squint into the blinding light, but to no avail. He took his foot off the accelerator... but not fast enough.
The light ahead of him flared orange, and a splintering noise filled his ears just as the words “Dahl” and “Dhansak”, in a shower of sparks, were replaced by a gaping hole, from which a glowing slab rocketed towards him. Narrowly avoiding his windshield, it crashed through the roof of his car, plopping onto his lap just as he felt the jarring sensation of crashing into the truck ahead of him.