“What is it?” I asked.
“I once heard a story about weighted balls being used in the pyramids. A stone ball weighted just right was used to open secret passageways and doors. We were going in the right direction, but we did not have the weighted ball necessary to enter.”
“So the depression we found was like a lock and the ball was the key?”
“Yes. Exactly.”
The deadly box had opened up to a new passage. As we passed through the doorway, Amon leaned down and grabbed the ball he’d created, dropping the heavy item, which was about the size of a grapefruit but with the weight of a bowling ball, into my bag before placing the strap across his chest.
So I wasn’t going to die after all. Gratitude filled me and I smiled, vowing to remember that even in the most dire of circumstances, it was better to live, explore, and face possible danger than to cower for the rest of my life inside a pretty box. From that point forward, daredevil would be my middle name.
“I think we should just assume that there are going to be more booby traps ahead,” I said, still smiling.
“Yes. We should move cautiously,” Amon said as he peered at me quizzically, probably trying to understand why I was in such a good mood.
During our careful advance, Amon didn’t come across anything, and we passed through several corridors unharmed. After climbing a long series of stairs, we came upon another set of hieroglyphs. This time there was a clear indication that the secret tomb hiding the whereabouts of the sun god was close by. Amon decided that since we were so near to his last resting place, we should momentarily abandon the search for his brother and check out his tomb first to see if we could find his canopic jars.
We reached a stone wall with the symbol of the sun engraved upon it. Amon pushed a lever, causing a hiss, followed by an explosion of dust that blew over both of us.
A crack of light appeared. Undaunted, Amon shoved the wall, widening the gap, and we entered the tomb. The vacant room was filled with artificial light. We ducked into the next chamber and found it empty as well.
As Amon studied the hieroglyphs covering the walls, I stayed where I was and pulled out the map I’d been given earlier. “Amon, do you realize where we are?”
“We are near my burial chamber.”
“Yes, but this is no ordinary tomb. This is KV63. As in, the tomb of King Tut!” Amon stared at me as if waiting for the punch line. I sputtered, “The point is, this is the most famous tomb here and we aren’t likely to be alone for long, so we have to hurry.”
Amon nodded and turned back to the carvings while I perused the map. Mumbling to myself, I said, “We came in through the treasury, so this must be the burial chamber. To the left is the antechamber, and just beyond that, the annex. The passageway out is over there.” I pointed in the general direction of the exit.
Amon turned to me, ducked his head, and whispered, “If I was indeed buried here, I would not have been found near the pharaoh or in the annex or the antechamber. My tomb would have been near the treasury room. We were always hidden behind the great treasures so that marauders would stop and not search any farther.”
“Well, apparently someone found you.”
“Yes. But where? There is no indication that another mummy was discovered in this area.”
“Maybe you were moved?” I suggested.
“Perhaps.”
“Then maybe your canopic jars are still here.”
“They may be.” We searched all the walls and found nothing indicating a hidden chamber or canopic jars.
Starving, I pulled out an apple from my bag and felt grateful that Amon had forced me to bring some food along. As I searched for another water bottle, an orange fell out and bounced along the ground until it came to a stop in a corner.
When I picked it up, I found it had rolled right into a spherical depression, similar to the one we’d found before.