Chapter one ( Pretty Egypt)

Chapter One

Sara held her breath, as her face flushed from the contained excitement. Her fingertips tingled and her heart skipped a beat. The eyes of the crowd behind her were locked at the huge, lonely figures residing the eternal dark. No one dared to break the diaphanous silver hush that was cast upon them almost like a spell. Whispers were silenced, and people of different nationalities and cultures waited in anticipation. She could almost feel the spirits of the ancients strumming the strings of her heart the way they did with their harps.

Today was the day. Today, the majestic Sun would walk in her dainty gait between the lofty hills of Mashed and Mchakil on the eastern side of the Nile. She would unhurriedly cross the corridor between them, until she reaches the entrance of the Temple Of Million Years. Today the sun would walk between the four rocky colossi sitting amidst the large pylons, to cross the massive doorway crowned with bas-reliefs depicting Ramses worshipping Amun. She would leave behind the façade of twenty two baboons raising their hands in worship and adoration and move forward into the triangular entrances. She would walk past Maat, Amun and Ra, those long forgotten gods, existing only on the walls of the temple. She would trail between the chambers, illuminating the scenes of the great king slaying and capturing the Hitties in the battle of Kadish, and pass between the eight Osiris pillars, that were arranged four on each side, bearing the features of Ramses the great with their arms crossed holding a scepter and a flail. The statues on the left side donned the crown of Upper Egypt and those on the right wore the double crown, with the great vulture goddess painted on the ceiling above them. She would reach the small hypostyle hall, and from it she would walk into a vestibule, until she finally reaches the small sacred sanctuary. Only now could she reach her destination. Today Ramses waits for her; today he awaits the gentle caress of her luminous fingers. Today she crosses the threshold to the entrance of the Holy of Holies, until she finally finds him, sitting there with Ra Hor, Amun and Ptah. They were all waiting, except for Ptah, who favors the eternal darkness of the underworld. Only now could she bestow the gold of her color and the warmth of her rays on her favorite's face. She finds him sitting in silence with his hands to his sides. Her light shimmers on his face. She lingered for a moment to take in his smiling countenance. She glimpses at his peers, Amun and Ra Hor and decides to lavish on them some of her bliss.

Cheers and applause roared from the crowd, as they took in the awaited moment. They watched as the sun fell perpendicularly on the face of Ramses II, and then the other two statues of Amun-Ra, god of Thebes, and Ra-Horkhaty.

Sara shielded her eyes, as she emerged from the temple along with the enthusiastic masses. It took her a couple of moments to adjust to the light. She leafed through the faces in search of him. He promised to be there, to witness the event with her. Her worried blue eyes, switched to the vast blue of the sky.  There was something unavoidable in the clarity of the air. Not a single cloud dared to appear on this glorious day. The longer she looked at the sky, the more its blueness surrounded her, washed over her, penetrated her. The desert plateau looked bare, yet intoxicating in the morning light, with Abu Simbel towering high from the shrubby rocks. Standing in the shadow of the great temple, she felt the great, stretching heroic past forcing her to live in the present. Sara watched couples as they marveled at the temple and its beauty. She heard their laughter, and felt their excitement. She breathed in deeply and then let out a disappointed sigh. She had to quiet the tumultuous, stormy thoughts that brewed in her mind. So what if he didn't show up? She had to focus on her job.

Sara's eyes searched the crowd one more time before she started talking, and still he was no where in site, but something caught her attention.

"Ok everyone. That was magnificent, wasn't it? The Temple was originally carved out of the mountainside during the reign of Pharaoh Ramses II in the 13th century BC, as a lasting monument to himself and his queen Nefertari, to commemorate his victory at the Battle of Kadish, and to intimidate his Nubian neighbors. However, the complex was relocated in its entirety in 1968, on this artificial hill made from a domed structure, high above the Aswan High Dam reservoir." Sara stopped to look at the curious visages that regarded her with great respect and intensity, and then resumed talking.

"It is believed that the axis of the temple was positioned by the ancient Egyptian architects in such a way that on October 21 and February 21 (61 days before and 61 days after the Winter Solstice), the rays of the sun would penetrate the sanctuary and illuminate the sculptures on the back wall, except for the statue of Ptah, the god connected with the Underworld, who always remained in the dark. These dates are allegedly the king's birthday and coronation day respectively, but there is no evidence to support this. During the relocation, careful consideration was given to the positions of the temple of Abu Simbel and the Nefertari temple in relation to each other and to the sun. Each temple was cut into large blocks, moved 65 meters higher and 200 meters back and then reassembled and fixed together with concrete. So now the sun penetrates the temple, illuminating Ramses' face on October 22 and February 22."

Sara stopped for a moment, her searching eyes again filtered through the bustling crowd. Jan still didn't show up but this strange man with the huge sunglasses lurked behind her with every step. She could feel his shielded eyes on her. Perhaps he was just another obsessive tourist who wanted to grab every single piece of information about this magnificent ancient civilization.

"It is time now to move to the temple of Hathor and Nefertari, also known as the Small Temple..."

By the time the tour was over, Sara felt exhausted and anxious to go back to the cruise ship. She was thankful for the distraction her job offered. She felt proud as she showed the American and the British Tourists around the great monuments of Egypt. She enjoyed the look of bewilderment and awe on their faces, as she watched their soaring eyes taking in the massive colossi of the ancient temples. She felt like a queen who showed visitors of other civilization the marvels and beauty of her kingdom.

Sara's reverie was interrupted, as she heard a familiar voice call out her name. She turned her body to find Jan standing next to her. Her gave her an apologetic smile, shrugged, and then waved his hands to her, inviting her to berate him.

Sara's wide eyes stared at him in a kind of stupor, and after a bare moment of hesitation, she smiled, but said nothing.

"Aren’t you going to say anything?"  Jan's intense green eyes fixed on her face. The filtering sun rays outlined his face, highlighting the few silver strands amid the dark brown of his hair.

"What's there to say? It's your loss not mine. I enjoyed myself, witnessed an event that happens only twice a year." 

Sara gave him her back and walked forward to the ship. She was angry at him, yet she thought he looked adorable. She loved how his face turns beet red when he panics. The new Steve Tyler haircut suited him well, but the blue and white stripped flare trousers made him look funny. He followed her until they climbed the stairs to the entrance of the tiny lobby.

"Sara please, don't do this to me!"

Sara sank in the deep chair opposite Jan and her gaze followed the stream of tourists in miniskirts, wide collars, and flared jeans. thoughts twirled in her head as she pursed her lips in wonder.

This new era of the seventies has unleashed some really weird styles. Mom would never approve of this.

She smiled at the sight of a young man with the giant Afro-hairstyle, only when the guy disappeared did she swivel her head towards Jan, but then another man caught her attention. It was the same man with the large glasses. He was standing close to the reception desk, his head turned in her direction. Sara looked at him directly and watched as he shifted his face to the receptionist. He spoke a few words and then turned his broad shoulder and tall figure towards the stairs.

"Sarah, are you even listening?"

"What are you talking about?"

"You're ignoring me, you have the right to be angry, but I thought I should give you some space, and time to think."

Sara smiled as her memory traced back two weeks ago. Jan had surprised her with his proposal. She remembered his glowing face, all bent on one knee, asking her to marry him in front of the tourists, right in the middle of  the corridor of sphinxes at the Karnak temple in Luxor. She could still hear the cheers and whispers of the supportive tourists. She was so bewildered, and taken by surprise. For a moment she didn't know if she should jump and dance like a butterfly high on nectar, or weep and cry like a child who lost his mother. Yes it was all about her mother. She remembered his pleading face as he stood up crushed with disappointment when she asked him to give her time to think.

"Jan, I can't marry you." Her voice came out coarse and damaged by the tears that had not yet materialized. 

"Why not? Because I'm British and you're Egyptian. I'm a Muslim like you, and I work in Egypt. Is there someone else?"

Sara averted her eyes, and lowered her head to hide her unstoppable hot tears.

"No Jan, there's no other man. You wouldn't understand. It's my mother. I don't want to break her heart. She'll be shocked. I can't go on and tell her that I'm marrying a Brit. She hated the English and my father fought them all his life. I can't do this to her."

"Sara you can't be serious! It's 1973. Your country is free now, and the British occupation is ancient history. You can't just reject me because of where I come from!"

"I'm not rejecting you Jan. It's just that I don't want to upset my mother. She's everything to me. She gave up a lot after my dad died. She could've remarried, but she didn't. She dedicated her whole life, just for me!"  Her ribs heaved up and down and her words ceased. She watched his slender neck with the prominent Adam's apple as he started speaking.

"Sara, that's what mothers do."

"No! That's not what all mothers do! Please understand this Jan, my mother means the world to me and I just can't upset her, she's too old for this!"

Jan's childish features transformed with his determination. Nothing could shake away his confidence and conviction. He ran his hands through his tousled brown hair, straightened his back, he looked her squarely in the eye.

"I don't care. I'll do whatever it takes to prove whatever it is that I should prove to her. Sara, I love you, and I won't let you go without a fight."