Chapter 27 & 28 - The Child in the Museum

Chapter 27

Amelia tapped her foot impatiently, watching the boy talking to his mom and the staff member. They really didn’t have time to waste. She had spent the whole night training with the Philosopher, understanding as best she could the complexities of Egyptian magic, and everytime she asked a specific question about what to expect, he had answered, “You will know what to do.”

The last thing that the Philosopher said to her, at the end of the session, kept running through her mind. She couldn’t get it out of her head. He had said, cryptically, “Never think it will be easy, to continue to forget your parents or where you came from, there will come a time when you realize you have been pushing them away. And pushing away your destiny can be tiresome.”

“My parents?” she had asked, “From the time period of that portrait?”

He had thought for a moment, “Think bigger.”

He left her with that statement without any explanation, and Amelia had tried to think about it in every way she could imagine, but it felt like a riddle.

“The boy is standing up!” Sir Philip exclaimed, “They are all leaving the table.”

Amelia stood up quickly, hoping that Arthur would be able to come straight to them.

“So today, obviously we have to get the sword through the Egyptian section to make it to the front doors. But how does he even get through the front doors without being noticed? A seven-year-old kid, all by himself?”

Sir Philip looked unsure, “We’ll have to figure it out as we go. He’ll be much closer than I have ever been, at least. It’s our only hope.”

“I just worry. What could happen to him if he gets caught?”

Before Sir Philip could answer her, Arthur and his mom were close enough that they could hear them.

“So what’s this drawing you’ve been so desperate to do?” she asked.

“Um,” said Arthur, “I’m not sure yet. I have a lot of different ideas.”

“Alright, well I will be drawing in the Greek and Roman section today. Pat will be in the Medieval section obviously, but I imagine it might be quite busy there. You can go anywhere as long as you stay on the same floor as me, avoid the entrance, and avoid talking to strangers. Always keep a museum staff member in your line of sight!”

“I got it, I got it, I know.” Arthur said. Amelia was pretty sure his mom had told him similar rules every day, except she seemed to be more and more confident with him being further off by himself.

As Arthur’s mom walked out of view, he quickly moved toward them. “Hey, sorry that took so long, so what’s the plan?” he asked, breathlessly

“I’m not really sure there is much of a plan,” said Amelia, crossing her arms.

“Don’t be so negative!” scolded Sir Philip, “Honestly. We are on a very good track. Amelia spent last night in training to be able to get the sword through the Egyptian section. We’ve been mapping out the metal detectors and that is the only pathway out. The plan is this. First, retrieve the sword from upstairs. Amelia and Claudette will be on lookout from either side of the exhibit to make sure that no one sees you. Take the sword, in your bag, as swiftly as possible to the Egyptian section. Amelia can explain a bit more…”

“Right,” she said, “So basically we have to weave your way through the curse. I can see it in the air, and last night I learned what some of the symbols meant. We will avoid the streams of it to try to make sure the sword doesn’t get hit by it. To be honest, none of us are sure how the curse might affect the sword’s powers.”

“So it’s like we’re spies, avoiding laser beams?” said Arthur, excitedly.

“Um, sure!” Amelia wasn’t quite sure what he meant, but decided to agree if that’s what made sense to him.

“And then,” Sir Philip interjected, “Once you’re out of the section, you and I will leave the museum entirely. The park surrounding the museum is massive, with many areas of dense forest. I will help you find the perfect stone to insert the sword into.”

“This is the part with very little planning,” Amelia said with an eye roll toward Sir Philip. “How are we supposed to get you out of the front door?”

“I guess I’ll just move fast? Or pretend like I’m with some other people?” Arthur said thoughtfully. 

Amelia was also concerned about how he was supposed to get a dull sword, more than the height of half his body, into a stone which was, quite literally, as hard as a rock. She decided to ask Sir Philip that later, though, as there was so much to do before that moment, and she could tell that he was tired of her questioning the plan.

“Shall we?” Sir Philip said, “I will be waiting by the entrance, and I will keep an eye out for any changes.”

“Okay!” exclaimed Amelia, pulling herself together. “Let’s go.”

“Well…” Arthur said, “I’m really not supposed to go upstairs. Is there a way we can go again, avoiding the cameras?”

“It’s a crowded museum.” Amelia was feeling impatient, and wondered if it had to do with her little sleep. “Sneaking and crawling along the walls is going to look pretty suspicious, don’t you think? And do you really think your mom is going to be checking the cameras? Do you really think that will be her main concern when you have actually completely left the museum altogether?”

Arthur didn’t answer, he seemed frozen by all of the ways he was about to break the rules.

“Come on,” she said, trying to sound softer, “You said you wanted adventure, right? Well here it is.”

They headed up the stairs, as if it were something totally normal for him to be doing all along. They walked silently all the way to the French section. Amelia could tell that Arthur was focused, trying really hard to push back any fear. She figured that talking through anything before it happened might only make it worse. They had to take it moment by moment.

Claudette came into view at the end of the hallway, waving her feathered fan.

“I don’t know how you all convinced me to be a part of this!” she said, jokingly, “I suppose it means I must really love the knight. Ah, well. Here we are. What was my job again?”

“Well,” Amelia said, finding it amusing that she was so much younger, yet the one spouting out most of the instructions. “What’s going on in the section right now? Are there any guests?”

“No,” said Claudette, “It has been quite quiet today, actually.”

“Alright, then you can stay here on this side, and I will go to the other. Either one of us will shout out if we see anyone coming, okay?”

Claudette nodded, and sat gracefully on a bench, continuing to fan herself with her feathered fan. She still had a look about her as if she were barely there – one foot in this world and one foot in the next. Her thoughts had seemed to be more dreamlike and distant, Amelia had noticed as she spent time with her in the evenings. She really hoped that Claudette would be able to be focused and present enough to do this one simple task for them and keep guard and on alert.

“Arthur, do you remember how we got to the bed last time without the cameras seeing you?”

He closed his eyes for a moment, “Yes, I do.”

“Do we need to go through it again? It needs to be done perfectly.”

Arthur was silent a bit longer, deep in concentration, before he finally said “No, I’ve got it.”

“Okay then! Once we are in our positions, you can get the sword. And make sure it’s hidden really well in your bag!”

This part of the adventure seemed to go smoothly. After a few minutes, Arthur retrieved Amelia from the other side of the exhibit, with the sword tucked neatly into the canvas bag and hidden from view. They exited out of Claudette’s side to relieve her of her duties, but Claudette was already dancing in front of a painting, and checking herself out in a mirror nearby. Amelia rolled her eyes once again, grateful that no one had walked in while Claudette was being so absent-minded.

“See you around!” She shouted at her as they walked quickly toward the stairwell.

As they made their way to the Egyptian section, Amelia kept reminding Arthur to walk normally. “Look like you’re curiously looking at the art, or maybe looking for something specific. Not running. Definitely not running away from something, that would get people suspicious. Don’t look like you’re lost either! Have purpose, but calm.” Amelia hoped that she wasn’t coming across as too bossy.

When they reached the Egyptian section, they both took a deep breath. 

Amelia had spent so much time with the Philosopher the night before visualizing this moment and how she would be able to navigate it, but being in the presence of the curse felt completely different. The energy emanating from the entire section was palpable, like a sort of pulsing vibration. The Egyptian section was angry – it did not want them entering. Amelia thought fearfully of all of the ways that the curse had been able to destroy the lives of those who had stolen the treasures from the original tombs, all the way across the world, as the Philosopher had told her. She was worried about Arthur, she realized, in so many ways. So much depended on her getting this right.

Cautiously, she took the first step into the section. Arthur followed right behind her. Immediately, she saw the formations of the curse, streams of symbols made out of gold and pearl specks, appear in the air.

“I can see them.” she said to Arthur, definitively. Amelia wanted to appear as confident as possible, to put Arthur at ease and help him to feel empowered too. “We can do this. Just follow me closely.”

Amelia stepped around the first streams of symbols, ducked under the next, and then found a spot with very little activity to take a pause. She could feel the resistance in the air almost as easily as she could see it, but it seemed that if her own body, her own spirit, wasn’t touching the curse itself, she could move almost normally.

“The shadow hasn’t noticed us yet. How are you doing?” she asked.

“I’m doing fine!” Arthur said, “I can’t see or sense anything at all.”

“Does the sword feel fiery or anything? Like what Sir Philip described when his armor would get boiling hot?”

Arthur nonchalantly put his hand in his bag, so as to feel the sword but not expose it.

“No”, he said.

Well, that was a relief. “Okay, so try to follow me while acting as normal as possible. Got it? You’re still on camera. So, basically, what we were practicing before.”

Amelia began again, moving through the streams of the curse cautiously. She was also trying to be quiet, since she wasn’t sure exactly what would catch the attention of the shadow figure. They had started in the back of the section and had to get all the way to the front entrance. It seemed as though the quickest way had the most density of the curse floating in the air, so Amelia decided to take a different way. She studied the maps of the Egyptian section intensely the night before, as well as the symbols included in the curse. Right now, however, actually trying to decipher the curse seemed like it would be a waste of time. Knowing her way around, on the other hand, was incredibly useful. Especially since this was the section she had always known the least.

Finally, the doorway to the front entrance came into view. And so did Sir Philip. Amelia wondered how long he had been there, as he was supposed to be watching the front entrance.

Sir Philip was calling through the doorway. “They’ve put metal detectors on the front door as well! They are just more subtle, I didn’t realize until now! You have to find another way out!”

Amelia looked at Arthur with wide eyes. He looked back at her, panicked. For a brief moment, she imagined what would happen if Arthur were caught in this section with the sword in his bag.

Out of instinct, Amelia decided to move toward the other side of the section. Arthur followed her, and the weight of the fact that she had to make all of the decisions fell heavily onto her shoulders, as if she hadn’t fully realized the extent of her responsibility until now. She had no idea what to do next or how to proceed. 

She looked around wildly, trying to find a solution, willing there to be some sort of door or way out, even though she knew there was nothing on the map she had studied. She avoided Arthur’s eye contact because she didn’t want him to see her unsurety.

Just then, she saw a sculpture of a lion resting calmly on the ground, with the magnificent head of a woman: A Sphinx. It looked fierce, and there was something about it that captured her attention, some sort of aliveness.

The sphinx's eyes glowed a deep red color, then softened to a light yellow, still glowing brightly as she turned to look at Amelia.

“You are out of your element.” the Sphinx said, with a booming voice.

“I’m here on a mission.” Amelia said simply, not wanting to give too much away. Her eyes flicked over to Arthur and the bag with the sword, wondering if he was able to see the sight that she was seeing.

“What is it that you seek? I can give it to you, in exchange for a response to a riddle.”

Amelia thought carefully. She needed to choose her words with caution, to make sure the sphinx wasn’t trying to catch her in a word trap.

“I’m looking for a way out.” She paused for a moment, then quickly thought to add, “For Arthur and the sword. To get out of this place.” 

She crossed her fingers behind her back, really hoping that the sphinx wasn’t about to trick her in some way, or ask her something she didn’t know.

“Alright, then. What you seek is closer than you think. I will now ask a question specific to the inquirer. I know what it is you do not know, or you choose to not know, and that is what I’ll ask.”

Amelia scrunched up her face. “Was that the question?”

The sphinx's eyes glowed red once again.

“From what space does a seed sprout? What place does a wilted flower go? What exists between the stars?”

Chapter 28

Arthur hung back in the corner of the room. He was afraid to move with the sword. He wasn’t sure exactly what he was avoiding, as it seemed to be something that only the ghosts could see, but it also seemed to affect them greatly. He hadn’t fully processed yet what it was that Sir Philip just said. There were metal detectors at the front entrance, so they couldn’t get out that way? Was there another way out? He wondered if they should even be in the Egyptian section at all in that case, or if they needed to find the quickest way out.  

He watched as Amelia approached a statue very slowly and cautiously. He recognized it as a sphinx, but didn’t see anything about it that set it apart from anything else in the section. He wondered if there was something that Amelia could see that he could not. She seemed to be speaking to the sphinx in soft murmuring tones. He couldn’t make out what she said at such a distance.

Suddenly, the lights in the section started flickering, and went out. He looked around as quickly as he could, still afraid to leave his spot. Amelia hadn’t turned around. There was no sight of a shadow figure, at least to him, or whatever it was that the ghosts had described. In a nearby room, he could hear guests talking in panicked tones, and sounding like they were rushing out of the area. He could see some guests leaving out of the doorway toward the front entrance.

And some staff members talking hurriedly on the walkie talkies. He was in almost complete darkness. The museum really had little light without the strong gallery lighting when you were away from the windows. Arthur looked back at Amelia, who was still facing the wall with the sphinx.

He let out an audible gasp, then clapped his hand over his mouth with his free hand, as he watched the wall in front of them crumble. The wall panels seemed to be vibrating and moving to the side, revealing stone bricks behind them, which were crumbling and shifting. He saw light begin to flicker from the opening as torches turned themselves on, as if by magic. They were lining the walls and seemed to be going deeper into the ground.

“Arthur! This is supposed to be a way out. I will go tell Sir Philip to meet you outside, okay?”

“What? I can’t go down there — how will I even know if I'm safe from the curse?”

“I think we need to trust the sphinx!” Amelia exclaimed, “And this opening has also split the curse on either side. You can come this way without running into it. But hurry — we don’t want the staff to find the opening!”

Arthur walked forward toward the opening, and as he got closer, he saw that there were stairsteps going downward and leading to an underground tunnel.

“Good luck!” Amelia said anxiously as Arthur took a deep breath and stepped into the opening. He took a couple more steps down the staircase, then thought to pull out the sword. Something about doing that would make him feel more safe, and he was pretty sure that the museum cameras had gone off with the power outage.

He heard a rumbling behind him and whipped around to see the opening behind him close, the same way it had opened. Arthur shivered. He was alone. The tunnel was cool and damp. He reached the bottom of the stairs and could see that the passageway was lined with torches onwards. At least there was light!

Arthur realized that his hand was still just grasping the hilt of the sword, but he hadn’t fully pulled it out yet. He brought the sword out and pointed it in front of him as he continued walking down the passageway. It glinted in the candlelight and looked newer somehow, like the age and water damage had melted away. 

The sword felt so heavy with his arm stretched out in front of him, but Arthur could feel himself getting stronger and braver. It was as if the sword was replenishing any energy that was depleting from the weight of it, and it was giving him the confidence to keep going. He felt like he was getting more and more courageous with every step.

It really smelled like he could be deep underground. Arthur wondered if he was still underneath the museum. The firelight on the wall was flickering and revealed hieroglyphics lining the sides of the tunnel. Could this be where the curse lived? The curse didn’t seem to be present at all, actually, which was why Amelia seemed to feel safe sending him down the tunnel on his own. Could this be where the ghost of the Egyptian queen lived, the one who no one was sure existed in the museum at all? Could she be hiding here?

After a few minutes, Arthur noticed some sunlight mixing in with the light of the torches. The tunnel was getting lighter and lighter. As Arthur drew closer to the sunlight, he saw another set of stairs, leading up. He had a big sigh of relief. He hadn’t realized until this moment how much it was bothering him that if the torches went out, at any moment he could be plunged in total darkness underground. He ran toward the light and up the stairs, the sword swinging by his side. When he reached the ground above, he flung down his bag and crouched on his hands and knees, still grasping the sword, completely out of breath. He gasped for air for a few moments before looking up to see Sir Philip sitting on a tree stump, gazing at the trees around them. Arthur looked around. They were surrounded by trees in a much thicker forest than Arthur would have imagined would be in a park. 

“I’m taking a moment to really experience this,” said Sir Philip, in a state of reverence, “I haven’t been outdoors for hundreds of years. I haven’t seen trees, or sky, like this in so long.”

Arthur stood up and looked around. The park was massive. He could see the museum through the trees, and the city in the distance beyond that, but it almost felt like they were in real wilderness. He was glad that the trees would keep them hidden, as being caught with the sword was the last thing that Arthur wanted to happen.

“It’s all about to come to an end,” Sir Philip continued, “I have waited for so long to be able to complete this journey, to bring the sword back to safety.”

“How will we know that the sword will be safe here?” asked Arthur, curiously.

“It all comes down to the sword’s power,” he continued, “Only the most worthy knight, or person I suppose — whomever the sword deems to be part of its destiny can be the one to pull the sword out of the stone.”

Arthur nodded. Something about this story sounded, and felt, very familiar.

“Well, I have waited long enough, I daresay, to see this story come to a completion,” Sir Philip said, standing up. “Will you follow me?”

Arthur nodded, still holding the sword in his right hand. He could feel the buzzing sensation coming again from the cool metal against his skin. As far as he knew, he had never held a truly magical object before in his life, and he really felt like it had great powers. He wasn’t sure what the powers were, or how he could even use a sword if he found himself in the position of needing to. 

They continued walking through the trees for a moment until they made their way towards a small clearing. Arthur noticed that it was very far from any paths that people would be walking on. He wondered how often people left the paths in the park and wandered through the forest.

“I found this spot while I was waiting for you. It is perfect, like it was meant to be.”

As they got closer to the clearing, Arthur saw exactly what the knight must be talking about.

In the middle of a clearing, there was a large stone. It looked like it was very ancient, like it must have been part of the landscape before a city was built up around it. 

“This may sound strange,” Sir Philip began, “But would you be able to put your hands on that stone and tell me how it feels?”

Arthur walked up to the stone, not sure what it was he was supposed to be feeling, but he set his hands onto the stone. He felt the coolness of the rock soaking into his palms and focused for a moment. 

“I’m asking the stone if it will accept the sword. Will you tell me if you feel a change?” Sir Philip said.

Arthur was still not sure what to look for, but a noticeable feeling of calmness and peace spread over him. It almost felt as if the stone was accepting his hand into it, like he was able to press further, although he was sure it wouldn’t look to be the case if he opened his eyes.

“I think…” Arthur paused for a moment, not wanting to be wrong, “I think it says yes.”

“Alright, “Sir Philip said. His eyes were closed and he looked meditative. “Now, put one hand on your sword.”

Arthur found it very interesting that Sir Philip called it ‘his’ sword, but decided not to point it out. He put one hand on the sword, which was lying next to him in the grass. His other hand he kept on the stone.

“Tell me if they feel the same.” Sir Philip said.

This may have sounded crazy as one was metal and the other rock, but again, Arthur didn’t question it. He closed his eyes and thought very carefully about what he was feeling.

The vibrations that he had been feeling from the sword, the ones that he had attributed to its magic earlier, moved through his arm just as the rock seemed to match the vibrations of the sword, moving through his other arm. His arms, right through his heart, felt balanced.

“Yes,” Arthur said, this time more confident about what he was feeling, “They are the same.”

Sir Philip nodded reverently, “Perfect. You know, what you just did can often take many years of a knight’s training to master. It is a skill not often talked about or associated with knights anymore, but the ability to sense is very important. You are a natural — I can tell. Never lose that if you can help it.”

Arthur felt a warm sense of pride expand in his chest.

“And now for the next step. You will have to trust me on this one.” Sir Philip said, with a strong emphasis on the word trust, “Pick up the sword holding the hilt with both hands, point it down toward the stone, and plunge it into the rock.”

“I…” Arthur’s voice caught in his throat, “I’m not strong enough to do that.” He felt that warm pride and confidence dissolving, and his heart beating more quickly in his chest.

Sir Philip gave him a very sharp look. He didn’t repeat himself, but Arthur recalled what he had said about trust. He really didn’t want to let Sir Philip down.

Arthur knelt down and took the hilt into his hands, bringing the sword upwards as his hands went as far above his head as possible. Once again, a sense of ability, strength, and courage seemed to travel up the sword into his arms, and then into his whole body and heart itself. 

He continued to hold the sword about his head, feeling that strength growing and growing, until he felt confident enough to bring the sword down with full strength, point first, into the stone.

The sword went through as if he were plunging it into loose sand.

Shocked, Arthur let it go and stumbled backward. He stared at the sword, unsure of what he had just felt and experienced. How was that possible? He had touched the stone himself and knew that it was solid rock, through to the core. He also knew the sword was heavy and had grown far less sharp over time than it once must have been. How could he, a small seven-year-old boy, accomplish such an impossible task? He thought of approaching the sword again to see how solidly it was lodged into the stone, but he decided to look at Sir Philip instead.

Sir Philip’s face lit up with joy, and his entire body in his suit of armor seemed to glow. He almost looked as if he could float in the air. But Sir Philip didn’t budge, he looked at Arthur with a deep sense of calm and knowing.

“There will come a day, maybe in a few years, where you will not be able to see us anymore. And that will be alright. You may not even remember that you did this great deed. It may seem like something you read in a story, and that will be alright too — because our stories, our mythologies, are in many ways even more real, beyond our reality.” Sir Philip looked intently at the sword before turning away. “And forgetting might allow you to discover the sword again in the future.”

Arthur began to follow Sir Philip away from the clearing, as he continued, “If you want to discover it, your heart will lead you to it. And then,” he paused, winking at Arthur, “You get to have another adventure.”

Arthur took one last look at the sword behind them, realizing that they were leaving it behind for good, and then turned back to Sir Philip.

“This is where I will leave you, but my gratitude is so immense, you will never know the fullness of it.” the knight knelt down onto his knees, “You have freed me. I can go now.”

“Where will you go?” asked Arthur.

“I can go to the other side. But first, I have some unfinished business at the museum.”

They said their goodbyes at the place where they had met the moment Arthur had emerged from the Egyptian section, although now there was no more entrance to walk back into. Arthur watched as Sir Philip disappeared in the direction of the museum, which looked so massive in the distance. The cityscape framed the museum on either side, although the forest they had just left felt as secluded as if they were in the middle of deep wilderness. The museum was its own city and its own wilderness, Arthur thought wondrously.