Within the room, was darkness. The windows were shaded by thick curtains against the bright morning, and Lady Bertram went to it and drew one of the curtains aside in a narrow slit, to give herself some illumination.

What the light of day revealed was no less than the innards of a burial chamber in the grandest pyramid of Egypt. In the center, upon a slab, lay a long sarcophagus, decorated with lapis and precious gold. All around stood various statuary of gods bearing the heads of crocodile, falcon, cat, ibis, and other unnamed creature-beasts; there were precious jars, vases, pots, chests and boxes, containing all the household goods of an unnamed pharaoh who had walked the earth three thousand years ago. Leaning in the corners were great gilded spears, bows and arrows, swords and axes of the guardians of the pharaoh, life-sized wooden figures who sat in stooped positions all around the perimeter, interspersed with occasional mummified baboons, cats and canines. Oh, and a crocodile—the long crocodile mummy lay in the deepest corner on top of a golden chest.

Lady Bertram took in the splendid and terrifying sight without batting an eyelash, and then took steps that drew her just at the foot of the sarcophagus. She slowly picked up a nearby small casket that spanned two arms at most, and removed a number of sacred amulets, including a forked dagger, a serpent-headed dagger and something that might have been a stunted crooked poker, but was instead a censer bearing the remote resemblance of a human hand and arm. In a momentary daze she stood, holding the items without comprehension. Then she laid them out on a small side table that appeared to be just for such a purpose, and already contained an unopened book scroll.

And only then did Lady Bertram use both hands to lift the heavy golden lid of the sarcophagus and drag it aside with a horrendous scrape.

Within, lay a human figure wrapped from head to foot in flimsy decaying fine linen the color of yellow and rust, and obscured with a layer of dust.

It was still, unmoving, dead to the world, as only a thing of three thousand years could be.

“The Opening of the Mouth Ceremony is started!” exclaimed Lady Bertram. She took up the hand-shaped crooked amulet and raised it before her, waving it through the air and then resting it gently on the area where would be the mummy’s lips. Then with the other hand she took up the book scroll—none other than the Book of the Dead—and began to read the words of awakening:

My lips are parted by bright Ptah,

My mouth is opened by the god who rules my birth.

Thoth defeats Seth to control my movement of lips.

Aten gives strength and motion to my—Achoo!

—my arms—

Lady Bertram sneezed, coughed delicately to clear her throat, then continued:

My mouth is bestowed by the ones who guard me.