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Authors: The Egypt Game [txt]
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“Your hair looks terrific, April. You ought to wear it that way all the time.”
Mrs. Hall reminded them that they better hurry so they wouldn’t keep the other Trick-or-Treaters waiting and then she went out and left them alone. April shut the door of her room behind her grandmother and then she turned around very slowly and dramatically to face the rest of the Egypt gang. One look at her face and Melanie had a strong feeling that downright disobedient and even deadly dangerous weren’t going to be enough. She felt herself slipping before she was even sure of the direction in which they were moving.
April put her arms down stiffly along her sides and with her eyes closed she tilted her Egyptian face upward raptly. To Melanie she looked like a miniature monolith, glowing with mystery. “We have received a message,” April whispered with her eyes still closed. “We are summoned by the mighty ones, the mighty ones of Egypt”
“The mighty ones?” Elizabeth’s voice quavered a little.
April snapped back into life and snatched up something from her dresser. It was a little velvet pincushion box that she kept special things on. “It’s in here,” she said, holding the box out dramatically until they had all gathered around.
“The summons from Set and Isis,” Melanie said. It was a statement instead of a question; and with a last lingering dismay she realized that she was already using her high priestess voice. April nodded and her eyes flicked across Melanie’s in the way they always did when their imaginations were tuned in. The gods of Egypt struggled with the gods of conscience, and Egypt won. “The mighty ones have summoned us,” Melanie chanted and dropped to her knees.
Following Melanie’s lead, April was on her knees almost as quickly and Elizabeth and Marshall weren’t far behind. Slowly and with drama April opened the box. There, on a cushion of paper handkerchiefs was a single shiny feather. “Just a few minutes ago/’ April whispered, “I heard something-a strange sound -outside my window. I’d been expecting something.
I’d had a weird feeling all day long. Hadn’t you?” They all nodded and Melanie didn’t even remember what kind of feelings she’d really been having all day. “So I ran to the window and threw it open and there it was-right on the sill. A token-from the mighty ones.”
“Evil Set and Beautiful Isis have sent us a token,” Melanie chanted. She nudged Elizabeth with her elbow and whispered, “You say, ‘The mighty ones have summoned us to their temple.’ “
“The mighty ones have summoned us to their temple,” Elizabeth imitated Melanie’s singing chant.
April poked Marshall, “You say, ‘We have received your summons, O mighty ones.’ “
“We have received your summons, O mighty ones,” Marshall chanted and then ad-libbed, “and it’s nothing but an old pigeon feather.” He scanned the girls’ faces expectantly, but they chose to ignore him.
While they were getting into their costumes, Elizabeth asked a few worried questions about what they were going to do, but April only said, “I don’t know. We’ll have to stick close together and look for a sign.”
“What sort of a sign?” Elizabeth wanted to know.
“A secret omen,” Melanie said.
“Will it be a pigeon feather?” Marshall asked.
“We don’t know what it will be,” April told him.
“But we will know it when it appears.” She clasped her hands and struck a wonder-and-amazement pose. “The very air will smell of mystery,” she breathed.
Marshall sniffed thoughtfully as April got him into his crown and robe and tried to make his baby-round eyes look long and mysterious with the eyebrow pencil. She was more successful with Elizabeth’s and Melanie’s eyes. They both had beautiful eyes anyway-Elizabeth’s were exotic, long and tilted, and Melanie’s were luxurious, velvet and ivory, fringed with black silk. With the Egyptian make-up they both looked fantastic.
By the
Mrs. Hall reminded them that they better hurry so they wouldn’t keep the other Trick-or-Treaters waiting and then she went out and left them alone. April shut the door of her room behind her grandmother and then she turned around very slowly and dramatically to face the rest of the Egypt gang. One look at her face and Melanie had a strong feeling that downright disobedient and even deadly dangerous weren’t going to be enough. She felt herself slipping before she was even sure of the direction in which they were moving.
April put her arms down stiffly along her sides and with her eyes closed she tilted her Egyptian face upward raptly. To Melanie she looked like a miniature monolith, glowing with mystery. “We have received a message,” April whispered with her eyes still closed. “We are summoned by the mighty ones, the mighty ones of Egypt”
“The mighty ones?” Elizabeth’s voice quavered a little.
April snapped back into life and snatched up something from her dresser. It was a little velvet pincushion box that she kept special things on. “It’s in here,” she said, holding the box out dramatically until they had all gathered around.
“The summons from Set and Isis,” Melanie said. It was a statement instead of a question; and with a last lingering dismay she realized that she was already using her high priestess voice. April nodded and her eyes flicked across Melanie’s in the way they always did when their imaginations were tuned in. The gods of Egypt struggled with the gods of conscience, and Egypt won. “The mighty ones have summoned us,” Melanie chanted and dropped to her knees.
Following Melanie’s lead, April was on her knees almost as quickly and Elizabeth and Marshall weren’t far behind. Slowly and with drama April opened the box. There, on a cushion of paper handkerchiefs was a single shiny feather. “Just a few minutes ago/’ April whispered, “I heard something-a strange sound -outside my window. I’d been expecting something.
I’d had a weird feeling all day long. Hadn’t you?” They all nodded and Melanie didn’t even remember what kind of feelings she’d really been having all day. “So I ran to the window and threw it open and there it was-right on the sill. A token-from the mighty ones.”
“Evil Set and Beautiful Isis have sent us a token,” Melanie chanted. She nudged Elizabeth with her elbow and whispered, “You say, ‘The mighty ones have summoned us to their temple.’ “
“The mighty ones have summoned us to their temple,” Elizabeth imitated Melanie’s singing chant.
April poked Marshall, “You say, ‘We have received your summons, O mighty ones.’ “
“We have received your summons, O mighty ones,” Marshall chanted and then ad-libbed, “and it’s nothing but an old pigeon feather.” He scanned the girls’ faces expectantly, but they chose to ignore him.
While they were getting into their costumes, Elizabeth asked a few worried questions about what they were going to do, but April only said, “I don’t know. We’ll have to stick close together and look for a sign.”
“What sort of a sign?” Elizabeth wanted to know.
“A secret omen,” Melanie said.
“Will it be a pigeon feather?” Marshall asked.
“We don’t know what it will be,” April told him.
“But we will know it when it appears.” She clasped her hands and struck a wonder-and-amazement pose. “The very air will smell of mystery,” she breathed.
Marshall sniffed thoughtfully as April got him into his crown and robe and tried to make his baby-round eyes look long and mysterious with the eyebrow pencil. She was more successful with Elizabeth’s and Melanie’s eyes. They both had beautiful eyes anyway-Elizabeth’s were exotic, long and tilted, and Melanie’s were luxurious, velvet and ivory, fringed with black silk. With the Egyptian make-up they both looked fantastic.
By the
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