Chapter 5
Charlotte
“I don’t understand?” I murmur to myself.
Stone? Why would someone shove stone into this jewelry box? No wonder it is so heavy to carry around even when empty.
Very carefully, I take tongs and start to wiggle and slide the stone out of the cavity of the secret compartment. Once the stone is about halfway out of the opening, an ancient looking piece of folded papyrus drops out onto the table.
I carefully maneuver the stone the rest of the way out of the compartment and set it to the side. After sliding on gloves, I bring the ancient papyrus into the light with utmost care and start to unfold it.
“What is this?” I mutter in disbelief.
The papyrus has a mixed lettering of Egyptian glyphs and Greek lettering. I will be able to translate most of the Greek letters, but I am at a loss when it comes to Egyptian hieroglyphs which is why I had selected Dr. Mariam Newton as my Egyptian advisor for my thesis. We both went through our undergraduate studies together, and she is brilliant when it comes to glyphs and their meanings.
Minutes turn into hours as I start working on the meanings of the Greek portions of the papyrus. When I finally glance at the clock, I realize it is already half past six in the evening. I’ve spent most of the day translating, and I still have no answers for the hieroglyph portions.
“It’s too late to bother Dr. Peribsen,” I mutter. “Might as well send this off to Marium.” She is always up at odd hours, and she would be fascinated to solve this puzzle with me. I’ll just inform Dr. Peribsen tomorrow for a second opinion.
Wanting to get to the bottom of this riddle, I snap a few photos of the papyrus and email them off to Marium using my personal email from my phone. She always answers if she sees it’s from me.
Less than ten minutes later, I get a phone call.
“This is incredible, Charlotte!” Marium excitedly yells on the other end of the line. “I’m a bit rubbish when it comes to Greek, but I can stumble my way through it if I need to. You said you found this in a jewelry box? It’s incredibly preserved.”
“Yes! It was in a secretly sealed compartment that I opened just hours ago. I have already done a rough translation of the Greek portions. I can send over what I have if that will help?”
“Please do. Some of these glyphs will need context before I can figure a definitive translation. Was there anything else in the compartment?”
“Yes, there was a broken portion of a stone slab but I have not had time to analyze that yet.”
“If you could send me any pictures of that slab, it would be most helpful. Any glyphs will be useful when deciphering,” she said excitedly. I could already hear her pen and paper scratching away at ideas and translations.
“Please don’t feel rushed, Marium. If you have any questions just ask, and I can’t thank you enough for helping me with this! It could be the find of the decade!”
“You don’t have to tempt me with a good time! This will keep me up for hours. I’ll hopefully have a rough translation in about a day or so.”
“Thank you again. Happy translating!” I say before I hang up my cell phone with a smile on my face.
It looks like that will keep Marium busy for a while. So, there isn’t much left to do for the day other than to send her my portion of the translation and a picture of the stone slab.
I’ve been so focused on the papyrus that I haven’t given the stone piece much thought. As I pick up the encyclopedia sized stone, I realize that I had the front side lying face down. Once I turn the stone over, I get a proper look at this ancient piece. It has four large hieroglyphs in the center of the stone with smaller glyphs lining two of the four sides. Some are cut off where the piece was clearly broken.
I snap a quick picture and send it off to Marium. She should have a heyday with all that I have sent her in the past hour. I need to remember to send her some chocolates and tea as a thank you.
Since the hour is growing late, it’s best that I get home. Last thing I need is to be on the tube when the late night crazies come out.
I place the papyrus in a sealed bag to protect it from the elements and slide it back into the jewelry box. I walk those items back to the temperature controlled storage room. The stone should be fine in the research room for the night so that I don’t have to haul it back and forth.
Once I am back in room #4, I turn off the LED lamp, put the tools back in their respective locations, and start to gather my belongings in my bag to head out.
Without warning, the dim overhead lights black out and I hear the click of the only door to the room open.