Chapter
3
Kevin’s point of view
I stood before this stranger draped in a long, black cloak, light
flickering and playing patterns of light over the folds. In one hand, it held a
wooden staff, obviously fashioned from an old branch. But it wasn’t a hand
really. It was more of a paw. It was covered in black fur and short black
nails, just likes claws, that protruded at least two inches from the
fingertips, tapped the wood of the staff patiently.
I eyed the figure nervously and tried to get a glimpse of the
face, curious to see what their features were like, if the paw was anything to
go by, but the face was well hidden behind the draping hood.
“Who are you?” I asked suspiciously.
The creature stepped forward, further into the light.
“I am one of the aliens your father spoke of,” his deep voice
replied.
It was eerie in this hall. Any voices or noise echoed and seemed
to come from everywhere.
“Where am I?” I continued to quiz.
“You are in the Hall of the Ancients. This is the gathering place
of my kind. Yet not on this plane of dimension. You are in the afterlife now.”
“So are you dead too?” I asked.
A gentle, rumbling laugh followed. “Not as such, Richardson. My
kind, the Ancients, evolved beyond the need of a physical body many millennia
ago. Like you, I consist of only my soul now.”
I felt awkward being called by my last name only, even a little
insulted, “You can just call me Kevin, you know.” I informed him.
“Thank you, Kevin.”
“What do I call you?” I queried. The least I could do was call him
by his name.
“I am called Anubis.”
A smile hovered about my mouth. “Anubis? Lord of the Underworld?”
I repeated the title of the Egyptian God from my history lessons.
“Let me explain, Kevin. Our culture when we existed as physical
beings was similar to that of the old Earth culture you call the Egyptians. We
observed this culture and took on the appearance of their Gods as our preferred
state. As souls, we can change into any form we like, but we once had many
debates as to what our normal state would be. We chose these forms.”
“Well, that explains this place. I thought I recognised it.” I
grinned.
Anubis paced forwards some more. “Enough of these trivial
questions!” he declared in a friendly manner. “You came here for your soul to
be taken back to the realm of living. Are you prepared to go back? As once you
are there, it will not be as simple to come back to the afterlife as a soul.”
My face became serious; “I’m prepared.”
Anubis tapped his staff off the stone floor three times, the noise
echoing eerily off the stonework around us in the hall.
I closed my eyes as a rushing sensation filled me, filling my
inner emptiness with energy and life. I felt weightless, as if I wasn’t
standing on the stone anymore. Just as the feeling reached every part of my
body, it stopped and my feet were planted firmly on the floor again.
My eyes opened to the brighter light, shining more than before,
filling the entire Hall of the Ancients with flickering light. Anubis took of
his hood and shook his head.
“Finally, we’re back!” he claimed triumphantly. “That afterlife is
dark and cold!”
Like I had imagined, his head was that of a jackal: black, with a
muzzle and two tall ears. It was actually a surprising sight. I never imagined
those static wall paintings in the Pyramids as moving, living creatures before.
He looked at me intently, studying me as I studied him. It was
obvious he had never seen a human in person before.
“Now, Kevin, now you are back. You are far different from the
creature you once were. Now it is time to learn.” Anubis claimed.
I nodded.
“I have been given the task of teaching you. It will take time,
obviously, but what you must learn is essential to survive and keep the
delicate balance between good and evil forces within you.”
He stepped back slightly.
“Now, Kevin, to learn, you must feel safe and comfortable. You
have to use your full concentration.” Anubis informed me. “Do not be alarmed….
But look at yourself.”
I frowned in confusion. I didn’t feel any different. Shrugging I
obeyed.
I gasped in shock as I looked down at my torso.
***
