Read Online The Amulet of Amon-Ra by Leslie Carmichael - Free Book Online

to get back to the game.”
    â€œIt was an honor to meet you, sir,” said Tetisheri, as she curtseyed. Jennifer awkwardly copied her.
    â€œI’m sure we will meet again sometime,” said Ka-Aper, saluting them with his wine cup.
    â€œWould you like to see my workshop now?” asked Ramose.
    As the girls climbed the stairs, Jennifer glanced at him, sure she would find Ka-Aper watching her. His attention was all on Ramose.
    â€œYes, of course,” said Ka-Aper. He followed Ramose and Neferhotep to the back of the main room. Meryt-Re was left to stack the dishes and carry them to the kitchen.
    â€œDoes your mother not have a servant yet?” asked Tetisheri.
    â€œUh…,” said Jennifer.
    â€œNo,” said Mentmose.
    â€œOh. Not even…”
    â€œYou know how she feels about slaves,” said Mentmose, shaking his head.
    â€œYes,” said Tetisheri, unusually terse.
    Mentmose retrieved a mattress from his parents’ room and unrolled it on the floor beside Jennifer’s, then topped it with a thin blanket and a crescent-shaped headrest. Tetisheri’s flow of chatter resumed as soon as he clattered down the stairs, taking the lamp with him.
    Jennifer only half-listened to Tetisheri as the two girls got ready for bed. Meryt-Re had provided them all with toothpicks after the meal, but she longed for her toothbrush. She copied Tetisheri, who lay on her back on the mattress with her head nestled in the crescent-shaped brick. As she pulled up the sheet, Jennifer glanced out the high window. She wondered if Dje-Nefer missed her stars.
    The little cat wandered into the room and stretched.
    â€œOh, there you are, Miw,” said Tetisheri, patting her mattress, which the cat ignored. “Where have you been all evening? Do you think he likes me?”
    â€œWho?” asked Jennifer, startled. “The cat?”
    â€œNo, silly! Mentmose,” said Tetisheri.
    â€œOh. Um, sure.”
    Tetisheri heaved a great sigh. “I don’t know. He just never seems very happy to see me. And I don’t know what I’ll do if he doesn’t like me when we’re married.”
    Jennifer was startled to see a tear on Tetisheri’s cheek, glistening in the starlight. She tried to think of something comforting to say.
    â€œI’m sure he’ll come around. Boys are like that. My mother says they mature later than girls.”
    â€œYes, that’s true,” said Tetisheri. “Even my mother says that.” She wiped her face and was off again, babbling about what their house would look like when they were together. If it all came true, her dream home would have more furniture and ornaments than Jennifer could imagine. Finally, Tetisheri wound down, sort of like a car running out of gas. She drifted off to sleep right in the middle of a sentence.
    Jennifer wriggled, trying to get comfortable on the silly headrest. Exasperated, she removed it completely and put her head down on the mattress. That was better, although she wished she had a pillow.
    Tetisheri was already snoring gently, but despite the long, tiring day, Jennifer couldn’t sleep. Trying not to wake the other girl, Jennifer crept from her bed into the other room. Meryt-Re’s wide bed creaked as she sat on it and stared out the doorway into the garden. So many stars! She could understand Dje-Nefer’s fascination. The only time Jennifer had seen so many was when she and her father had gone camping. Once, he’d taken his telescope and taught her the names of the constellations. She smiled, remembering, then swallowed. Would she ever see him or her mother again?
    The sky looked different from the one at home. There was Orion the Hunter, down by the horizon, but sideways. Cassiopeia’s ‘W’ was in the wrong place, too.
    At least they were there, even if they weren’t quite the way she remembered them. It was different here. Some of it strange, but some of it weirdly