Read Online Return of the Mummy by R. L. Stine - Free Book Online Page A
Authors: R. L. Stine
Ads: Link
tomb? Is that where we would find Uncle Ben?
Questions, questions. I tried to stop them from coming. But they filled my mind, pestering me, repeating, echoing in my head as we followed the tunnel’s curves.
“Daddy? Daddy — where
are
you?” Sari’s cries became more frantic as we moved deeper and deeper into the pyramid.
The tunnel curved up steeply, then leveled off. Sari suddenly stopped. Startled, I bumped into her hard, nearly making her drop her flashlight. “Sorry,” I whispered.
“Gabe, look!” she cried, pointing her beam of light just ahead of her sneakers. “Footprints!”
I lowered my eyes to the small circle of light. I could see a set of boot prints in the dirt. A heel and spikey bumps. “Work boots,” I muttered.
She circled the floor with the light. There were several different prints in the dirt, heading in the same direction we were.
“Does this mean we’re going the right way?” she asked.
“Maybe,” I replied, studying the prints. “It’s hard to tell whether these are new or old.”
“Daddy?” Sari shouted eagerly. “Can you hear me?”
No reply.
She frowned and motioned for me to follow. Seeing the many sets of prints gave us new hope,and we moved faster, trailing our hands along the wall to steady ourselves as we made our way.
We both cried out happily when we realized we had reached the outer chamber to the tomb. Our lights played over the ancient hieroglyphs that covered the wall and the doorway.
“Daddy? Daddy?” Sari’s voice cut through the heavy silence.
We darted through the empty chamber, then slipped through the opening that led to the tomb. The prince’s burial chamber stretched out in front of us, dark and silent.
“Daddy? Daddy?” Sari tried again.
I shouted, too. “Uncle Ben? Are you here?”
Silence.
I swept my light over the room’s clutter of treasures, over the heavy chests, the chairs, the stone and clay jars piled in the corner.
“He isn’t here,” Sari choked out with a disappointed sob.
“Then where did Dr. Fielding bring Uncle Ben?” I asked, thinking out loud. “There’s nowhere else in the pyramid that they might come.”
Sari’s light came to rest on the large stone mummy case. Her eyes narrowed as she studied it.
“Uncle Ben!” I shouted frantically. “Are you in here somewhere?”
Sari grabbed my arm. “Gabe — look!” she cried. Her light remained on the mummy case.
I couldn’t figure out what she was trying to show me. “What about it?” I demanded.
“The lid,” Sari murmured.
I gazed at the lid. The heavy stone slab covered the case tightly.
“The lid is closed,” Sari continued, stepping away from me and toward the mummy case. Her light remained on the lid.
“Yeah. So?” I still didn’t understand.
“When we all left this afternoon,” Sari explained, “the lid was open. In fact, I remember Daddy telling the workers to leave the lid open for tonight.”
“You’re right!” I cried.
“Help me, Gabe,” Sari pleaded, setting her flashlight down at her feet. “We have to open the mummy case.”
I hesitated for a second, feeling a wave of cold fear run down my body. Then I took a deep breath and moved to help Sari.
She was already pushing the stone lid with both hands. I stepped up beside her and pushed, too. Pushed with all my might.
The stone slab slid more easily then I’d guessed.
Working together, Sari and I strained against the lid, pushing … pushing.
We moved it about a foot.
Then we both lowered our heads to peer into the mummy’s case — and gasped in horror.
20
“Daddy!” Sari shrieked.
Uncle Ben lay on his back, knees raised, hands at his sides, his eyes shut. Sari and I shoved the heavy stone lid open another foot.
“Is he — ? Is he — ?” Sari stammered.
I pressed my hand on his chest. His heart was thumping with a steady beat. “He’s breathing,” I told her.
I leaned into the mummy case. “Uncle Ben? Can you hear me? Uncle Ben?”
He didn’t
Questions, questions. I tried to stop them from coming. But they filled my mind, pestering me, repeating, echoing in my head as we followed the tunnel’s curves.
“Daddy? Daddy — where
are
you?” Sari’s cries became more frantic as we moved deeper and deeper into the pyramid.
The tunnel curved up steeply, then leveled off. Sari suddenly stopped. Startled, I bumped into her hard, nearly making her drop her flashlight. “Sorry,” I whispered.
“Gabe, look!” she cried, pointing her beam of light just ahead of her sneakers. “Footprints!”
I lowered my eyes to the small circle of light. I could see a set of boot prints in the dirt. A heel and spikey bumps. “Work boots,” I muttered.
She circled the floor with the light. There were several different prints in the dirt, heading in the same direction we were.
“Does this mean we’re going the right way?” she asked.
“Maybe,” I replied, studying the prints. “It’s hard to tell whether these are new or old.”
“Daddy?” Sari shouted eagerly. “Can you hear me?”
No reply.
She frowned and motioned for me to follow. Seeing the many sets of prints gave us new hope,and we moved faster, trailing our hands along the wall to steady ourselves as we made our way.
We both cried out happily when we realized we had reached the outer chamber to the tomb. Our lights played over the ancient hieroglyphs that covered the wall and the doorway.
“Daddy? Daddy?” Sari’s voice cut through the heavy silence.
We darted through the empty chamber, then slipped through the opening that led to the tomb. The prince’s burial chamber stretched out in front of us, dark and silent.
“Daddy? Daddy?” Sari tried again.
I shouted, too. “Uncle Ben? Are you here?”
Silence.
I swept my light over the room’s clutter of treasures, over the heavy chests, the chairs, the stone and clay jars piled in the corner.
“He isn’t here,” Sari choked out with a disappointed sob.
“Then where did Dr. Fielding bring Uncle Ben?” I asked, thinking out loud. “There’s nowhere else in the pyramid that they might come.”
Sari’s light came to rest on the large stone mummy case. Her eyes narrowed as she studied it.
“Uncle Ben!” I shouted frantically. “Are you in here somewhere?”
Sari grabbed my arm. “Gabe — look!” she cried. Her light remained on the mummy case.
I couldn’t figure out what she was trying to show me. “What about it?” I demanded.
“The lid,” Sari murmured.
I gazed at the lid. The heavy stone slab covered the case tightly.
“The lid is closed,” Sari continued, stepping away from me and toward the mummy case. Her light remained on the lid.
“Yeah. So?” I still didn’t understand.
“When we all left this afternoon,” Sari explained, “the lid was open. In fact, I remember Daddy telling the workers to leave the lid open for tonight.”
“You’re right!” I cried.
“Help me, Gabe,” Sari pleaded, setting her flashlight down at her feet. “We have to open the mummy case.”
I hesitated for a second, feeling a wave of cold fear run down my body. Then I took a deep breath and moved to help Sari.
She was already pushing the stone lid with both hands. I stepped up beside her and pushed, too. Pushed with all my might.
The stone slab slid more easily then I’d guessed.
Working together, Sari and I strained against the lid, pushing … pushing.
We moved it about a foot.
Then we both lowered our heads to peer into the mummy’s case — and gasped in horror.
20
“Daddy!” Sari shrieked.
Uncle Ben lay on his back, knees raised, hands at his sides, his eyes shut. Sari and I shoved the heavy stone lid open another foot.
“Is he — ? Is he — ?” Sari stammered.
I pressed my hand on his chest. His heart was thumping with a steady beat. “He’s breathing,” I told her.
I leaned into the mummy case. “Uncle Ben? Can you hear me? Uncle Ben?”
He didn’t
Similar Books
