Chapter 25 & 26 - The Child in the Museum

Chapter 25

Amelia sat on a bench near to the statue of Mother Mary, her typical place of calm, which happened to be the same statue that Arthur’s mom had decided to draw that day — although she had abandoned the drawing during all of the commotion. Amelia watched as staff members were still cleaning up fragments of broken ornaments, and talking amongst themselves. It seemed to be a huge mystery to them how the tree was able to move so violently, who was moving it, and how the ornaments flew off with such force. The entire area was roped off so that only staff could be in it, and no one had yet noticed the missing sword. It seemed that it was possible for the museum to turn off all of the alarms at once, so no one had yet gone into the individual areas to investigate. This was a good sign, Amelia thought: the more time that passed before the sword was noticed as missing, the wider the range of possible suspects and scenarios.

Arthur and his mom were calming down in the nearby museum cafe, and Amelia thought that her time would be best spent watching the staff members to listen in to as much as possible. Sir Philip had posted himself near the room with the swords to make sure he would be there when they discovered it missing. Sir Foolish was nowhere to be found, and Amelia suspected that his helpfulness had run out.

A couple of the staff members stood in the corner with their arms crossed, talking quietly in serious tones. Most of them had turned down the volume on their walkie-talkies, or turned them off completely, as messages and pages were going off every few seconds.

“They’ve been reviewing the footage. They can’t see anything at all. At least, that’s what Ed says.”

“But how is that possible?”

“Billie thinks it’s some sort of protest. Hannah is convinced the museum is haunted. I don’t know, maybe it’s a prank?

“Maybe it’s a stunt for some magician trying to get publicity for a show.”

The theories were getting wilder and wilder.

“I bet there will be charges.”

Amelia turned away from the staff members. She wasn’t learning anything of use from them, and their mutterings were distracting her train of thought.

Before, she had assumed that actually stealing the sword would be the hardest part. Now, she felt that it might be getting it out of the museum itself. She knew that Sir Philip wanted it in some sort of rock, but she wasn’t going to bother herself with that. For all she knew, she was bound to the museum itself. And even if she could leave, she had no interest in doing so. Where would she go?

For a couple hours, Amelia remained, frozen in her position, watching and waiting. There had still been no sign of Sir Foolish. A few times, Amelia had played with the thought that it would be so easy for Sir Foolish to get the sword out of the museum himself, since he could both pick up objects and be invisible –  a skill that no one else she knew of had. But, she couldn’t think of why he would want to, what could be in it for him, or what she could potentially bribe him with. She also didn’t know if he was also bound to the museum or how far outside of it he could go.

Sir Philip entered the room.

“Amelia, they discovered that the sword is missing. They are being quiet about it for now because the museum staff members are all suspects. A security guard came first to check out the room of swords because they noticed that the camera had gone totally black. Sir Foolish was right: putting the staff t-shirt over the camera is causing quite an alarm.”

“What’s going to happen next?” Asked Amelia, shifting in her seat nervously.

Police officers entered the room and breezed right past the barriers. A few of the staff members looked at the officers curiously as they passed right by the Christmas tree without looking at it.

“They are going to put up metal detectors around this area and the staff area. They are going to try to do it as swiftly and quietly as possible. I don’t know how long it will take.”

“Do you think the sword is safe upstairs?”

“I’m not sure, I would think so, but we might have to take it out a different way.”

Amelia didn’t even bother to ask him how they were going to get it out. The only way would be Arthur, she thought, in his canvas bag.

Throughout the day, Amelia and Sir Philip watched carefully, noting every location that a metal detector was placed. They hadn’t had the time to check in with Arthur, but Amelia hoped he was just carrying on with the day as normal. Perhaps she would be able to speak to him before he and his mom left for the day. It was about mid-afternoon, and the police officers appeared to be done with placing the metal detectors. They were in process with interviewing witnesses, both guests and staff members. 

Sir Philip and Amelia met back again, this time at the balcony overlooking the front entrance. This was the place where you could see the most amount of the museum at one time. There was also a framed map of the museum with a ‘you are here’ marker on the view of the second floor, and they were studying it carefully. It was complex, with a different map entirely for each floor, and a different color for each section. You could only really tell how they connected through the codes on each stairwell.

“Every which way I look at it, the only way to get the sword out is through the Egyptian section.” said Amelia, “You can’t go down any of the stairs unless you go all the way to this far side. You can take this stairwell, but it leads to the corridor in between the Egyptian section and the portraits. There’s the auditorium, but no matter how you go, the only way to get to the entrance is through the Egyptian section. There’s a side exit out of the museum in the staff area, but the metal detectors are there, too.”

“No, it isn’t possible. It just isn’t. I have tried so many times to enter the Egyptian section, and have failed every time. The defenses against any kind of metallic weaponry are too strong,” said Sir Philip, defeatedly.

“We’ve come so close, how can you give up now?” Amelia was feeling annoyed.

“Who says we are giving up?” Sir Philip puffed his chest out with pride, “We just need to do some more thinking. I will go and connect with Arthur. I will see if he knows whether or not he will be here tomorrow. How about I meet you in the Greek and Roman section?”

“Why there?” asked Amelia, feeling exhausted.

“Ahhh. You don’t know, yet, I see. The Philosopher is there.”

“The Philosopher?”

“Yes,” continued Sir Philip, “That’s what we all call him. He is the wisest one in the museum, and possibly the oldest — that is if you don’t count the curse. The Egyptian queen, if she is here, would be older as well, but her presence is just a rumor. He knows the most about the museum, and  is usually the one with an answer for any problem. He spends all of his time contemplating, thinking, and prefers to be by himself, so we only ever bother him if it’s something serious. He is kind, though – no one to be afraid of.”

Amelia’s nervousness seemed to show on her face. There was so much to take in, and she still hadn’t fully grasped how many spirits lived in the museum, much less the dynamics and expectations between them.

Sir Philip began walking toward a side door. “I will leave you now and go find the boy. Will you meet me at the Greek and Roman section?”

Amelia nodded. She took a moment alone at the top of the balcony. She saw more clusters of staff members whispering. She wondered if the news of the robbery had gotten out. It seemed like everyone, including the guests, were moving around the space cautiously.

For a moment, she thought of trying to fly. She wondered if she could travel around the spaces like Sir Foolish did, if she could launch off of the top balcony and zoom into the entrance of the Greek and Roman section, which was exactly to the right of the front doors on the floor below her. But, she decided instead to save the exploration of her abilities for another day, and headed toward the stairwell in the opposite direction that Sir Philip had left in.

When she reached the Greek and Roman section, she wandered for a bit aimlessly. It was much less crowded than usual, since so many people were focused on the areas where the big events had happened. There seemed to be about half of the staff members than usual in their usual posts, and the guests were elsewhere, probably trying to see as much of the investigation as they could as curious onlookers.

Amelia looked up at the massive sculptures, impressive with their smooth textures, massive scale, and lifelike details. She remembered reading that they were originally painted many colors, but now they were only ever seen as the classic white and cream, the striking visuals that they were.

Amelia felt herself drawn to a sculpture of a man.

There was a certain intensity to this sculpture, almost as if it were vibrating, or a soft light was emanating from it. Amelia leaned in curiously, studying the way the fabric of the sculpture’s robe fell so perfectly, as if there were a real person beneath them. She was amazed by how someone could possibly sculpt such realistic looking fabric out of such hard stone.

Amelia’s eyes grew wide as the vibrations of the statue seemed to get wider and more vigorous, until a soft glowing version of the statue separated completely from the physical stone. A much more lifelike figure, although much less solid, sat up straight, as if waking from a slumber, and turned toward her.

She stepped back and blinked a couple times. It was an odd sight to see the transparent man still somewhat merged and overlapping with the stone version of himself.

“I sense that you came to see me. Hello.” He said with a booming, but gentle voice.

“Are you the Philosopher?” She asked.

He nodded, simply. “What’s on your mind?”

“Well,” Amelia began, slowly at first but then before she knew it, the words started tumbling out, “I’m trying to complete a mission for Sir Philip, and we have the help of a seven-year-old boy. I don’t know if you noticed what’s been going on today, but the poltergeist caused a huge disturbance in the Medieval section with the Christmas tree, which was really a distraction for us. I think he was just having fun, though, I don’t think he cares about our mission at all — he probably doesn’t even want it to succeed actually when I think about how he and Sir Philip talk to each other, so I don’t think we can count on him helping us anymore at all. I only just found out my true nature, so it’s a bit overwhelming.”

He nodded, as if he understood perfectly what she meant by that.

“I’m sorry, I’m getting ahead of myself,” she said, trying to take a breath before she continued. “Our mission is to get a certain sword, a special magical sword, out of the museum and into its rightful place, which I think is in some stone. I don’t know what stone, or if it matters what stone, but just getting it out of the museum is challenging enough.”

“Ah yes,” he said thoughtfully, “I know the sword of which you speak. I know of its great power, and the work you are doing is very important. It is more important than you realize, too, because in accomplishing this task, you are also freeing a man from what has plagued him for hundreds of years. Noble work.”

Amelia paused, taking in his statement. It made her think of Claudette, and how she seemed to feel finally being free. Would this free Sir Philip too? She didn’t have time to think about that, though, and continued: “They noticed it’s gone, the police or the museum or whoever — and now there are metal detectors everywhere. We think the only way to get the sword out is through the Egyptian section, but I think we need to work quickly, just in case they put detectors on the front door or something. But Sir Philip says we can’t bring the sword through the Egyptian section.”

“That would be because of the Curse. It’s more so that he himself is not able to enter the section. You see, the Curse seems to have a different effect on things that are beyond our world than are of this world. He cannot go through the section, but it is possible that you can, as you do not wear armor. His armor cannot go through it, but it is possible that the sword can, because it is physical, not just a supernatural object. Let me ask you this, Amelia. Although you are a ghost, you are still a child, and children can see more clearly than adults can. What do you see when you are in the Egyptian section?

Amelia thought carefully.

“I see a dark figure.”

“More than that, though.”

“Yes,” she scrunched up her eyes in trying to remember exactly, “I see...symbols, in the air. Like dust floating. Like glowing streams of light.”

The Philosopher let out a breath of admiration. “Incredible. You can see the curse itself. You can see how it is locked together with ancient symbols and words, you can see where it goes and what it touches. This is what I hoped.”

Amelia let the words sink in. She had realized that she could see more of the supernatural after she had come to terms with being a ghost herself, but she didn’t realize she had any more special ability to see than the other spirits did. As far as she knew, she was the only ghost of a child in the museum.

“It may be that you can help us overcome the curse once and for all in the future, but let us not concern ourselves with that right now,” he continued, “This will be your first opportunity to move around the curse, so to speak.”

The Philosopher paused, as if waiting for something. At that moment, Amelia noticed Sir Philip coming around the corner, walking briskly, his voice already booming toward her, “I caught the boy just as he was leaving with his mom. He wasn’t able to reply to me but I said it was very important that they return tomorrow. That will have to be the day that we get the sword out of the museum.” he then said with a quick bow, “Oh, and hello. I hope that Amelia has filled you in on all of the goings on?”

The Philosopher nodded calmly.

“Sir Philip…” Amelia began, “What’s to happen to this sword after we get it out?”

“I plan to guide Arthur from there,” said Sir Philip, “If I’m not mistaken, since I am bound to the sword, I will be able to follow it out of the museum. Is that correct?” He directed his question to the Philosopher, who nodded.

“That is correct.”

“May I ask another question?” Amelia was beginning to feel more bold, and her curiosity was getting the better of her. They both looked back at her, listening. She looked into the eyes of the Philosopher, “What’s binding you here?”

The Philosopher took a long pause. Sir Philip startled a little bit, as if she had asked something forbidden. 

“You are the first to ask me this, but I don’t mind,” the Philosopher said, “I choose to be here. I have not yet finished... thinking.”

Amelia looked at him curiously.

 Sir Philip, still seeming uncomfortable, changed the subject, “So is there a way to get the sword through the Egyptian section? I myself have not been able to get very far into it, and I’ve tried many different strategies…”

“All strategies except leaving behind your armor.” said the Philosopher with a wink.

“Well...I…” Sir Philip stumbled over his words, “My defenses…”

“It’s alright,” the Philosopher said kindly, “It can be very difficult to leave some things behind, as we all know.” He took a deep breath, “To answer your question, yes. I believe that Amelia, being both a child and in our realm, is able to see more than what we can. She has greater vision for the curse. She is able to see what it is made out of, to see exactly where and how it moves through the air.”

Sir Philip looked at her aghast.

“And so,” The Philosopher continued, “I believe she can help the boy navigate through the section, avoiding the curse hitting the sword at all. We must also remember that the sword has great power itself, perhaps power that matches or overpowers the curse of the Egyptian Queen herself.”

“But...how?” asked Amelia, feeling unsure about her own abilities.

“I will teach you the possible things you will encounter with this curse. I have enough of an understanding of magic, I believe, and magic of the time period that the curse was created specifically, to hopefully be of some help for you. Luckily, we have all night to train. Let’s begin.”

Chapter 26

The next morning, Arthur and his mom were approaching the museum, as usual, but it didn’t feel usual. Arthur had barely noticed their typical trip to the coffee shop as his mind had been elsewhere. He felt tired because he had barely been able to sleep the night before. The museum itself also didn’t feel the same. As they approached it, there were crowds of people and news reporters on camera, positioned so that the front of the museum would be in the background.

“And here we are in front of the museum itself. Yesterday, after a strange performance happening in the traditional Christmas tree display, which set off many alarms in the museum and caused damage that will cost the museum an upwards of tens of thousands of dollars, a very old and very valuable sword was stolen from a different part of the area. We are still gathering footage from the incident, as we so far only have cell phone videos from those present of the commotion around the tree itself. We hope to be able to see the security footage, but the museum head of security has announced that it is currently under investigation and cannot be released to the public at this time.”

 Arthur tried to listen to everything he could as they passed by.

“No official suspects have been named. A sword from this particular time period is very rare.”

Arthur and his mom had talked at length yesterday after the incident. He had told her that he ran straight to the bathrooms to hide because he was so scared. She questioned why he hadn’t run to her instead, but he claimed that it would have meant running towards the chaos, which did make perfect sense after all. She didn’t question him any further and didn’t seem to suspect that anything was off. That morning she asked him if he was sure that he wanted to go back to the same museum today, and he strongly insisted that he did.

Arthur recognized a woman with her husband who had been present the day before speaking with one of the reporters. His mom seemed to be looking at the same cluster of people when she pushed him along, “Quick, let’s get inside and find some peace and quiet before anyone recognizes us and asks for an interview.”

It was all a blur once of crowds of people and roped off areas until they were seated in the museum café. Arthur never questioned why it was that they went to two different coffee shops every morning, when his mom only drank green tea anyway — but today he appreciated the ritual, the sense of familiarity, and the chance to rest.

He only had a moment in the peace and quiet however, before Pat was rushing over to them.

“I didn’t get a chance to speak with you yesterday! Crazy right?” She had pulled up a chair and started flicking through her phone. “There are so many rumors and suspects. Did you know that the camera in the sword room was covered up by an employee’s shirt? A manager’s, no less?”

Arthur watched his mom lean forward, “Really?”

“Yes!” Pat continued, excited, “Now, that doesn’t necessarily mean that one of our managers did it. But it does mean that the thief at least had access to the staff break room, or,” Pat lowered her voice, “a manager’s laundry hamper.”

Arthur’s mom snorted with laughter, “We have a proper mystery on our hands!”

Pat leaned back triumphantly, “Yes, and it is the perfect opportunity for me. I am determined to be the one to solve this case. I think it would put me in very good standing with the museum, get my name out there, you know...I think it’s the extra boost I need in my career.”

Arthur guiltily tapped his foot on the canvas bag under the table with the same easel and paper pad from yesterday. He asked his mom if he could bring it with him today since he hadn’t gotten to draw the day before, but the true reason was that he suspected he’d have to somehow lug the sword through the museum again today. And he had no idea how he would accomplish this now that everyone was on such high alert.

“The perpetrator always returns to the scene of the crime, am I right?” Pat continued, enthusiastically, not really asking it as a question, “So I requested to be posted in the Arms and Armor section today. I will be watching everyone like a hawk for any unusual behavior.”

“You would think that they’d close that section off?” Arthur’s mom asked.

“Yes, they have. But there are still parts of it open, and a few staff members have to be there anyway to make sure no one crosses those lines.”

Arthur was glad that they had taken the sword to a completely different area, and floor, of the museum. As soon as he had that thought, however, he remembered that it was also very far from the entrance.

Coming into his view from the other side of the very large area with the cafe in it were Sir Philip and Amelia. He noticed how small Amelia was next to him, and realized that he, himself, was also so small. It was a wonder that such an important task had fallen to two children.

Amelia was shifting her leg from foot to foot and Sir Philip anxiously had his arms crossed. Arthur knew that they would be eager to get going, but he had to act as calmly and normally as possible.

“Well, you’ll have to let us know what you see or find!” said Arthur’s mom to Pat, “ When does your shift start?”

Pat checked her watch, “In 20 minutes.”

So long. Arthur looked back at Amelia and Sir Philip, although he didn’t move to acknowledge them. He really hoped they had a plan.

“So,” Arthur’s mom was munching on a small back of nuts, looking like she was settling in for some gossip, “What do you think happened? What does your gut tell you?”

“I think,” said Pat quietly, “It was an inside job of some kind. Who else would think to steal a random old Medieval sword? Of all the things? I mean, sure, it wasn’t behind some locked case and it would be easier to conceal in broad daylight than, for instance, a huge painting, but come on? What are you gonna do with that? It must be someone who knows something about it. Or has an in — to another collector or museum for example, that wants something specific.”

“Another museum? But wouldn’t that be pretty obvious?” his mom asked curiously.

“Maybe if it’s in another country they could get away with it, but I think it’s more likely if it’s some wealthy collector. So someone who works here must have some connection, and I bet it’s someone higher up!”

Arthur was glad that the guests present weren’t all being arrested or interrogated. He wasn’t sure how it worked, but he was grateful if the focus was being placed on the museum employees themselves.

“Now, do I think it was a manager? Um, no. How obvious can you get? Using your own management t-shirt? Come on.”  Arthur giggled at the statement, hoping to appear engaged. Pat smiled at him, “It’s gotta be a set up! But do I think it was a random guest? No. Also, someone who works here would have better knowledge and be able to make a better plan.”

“We have barely touched on the real mystery to me,” his mom said, “I would like to know how that tree, standing there by itself as I saw with my own two eyes, could move in such a way. I want to know how those ornaments could fly off of it and so perfectly trigger each and every alarm in its vicinity.”

“It is curious.” Pat trailed off in wonder of the possibilities, “You know, the police, detectives, and security stayed late into the night examining that tree. There is no explanation so far. It seems like a totally normal tree! Needless to say, it isn’t up any more. I thought they might have to keep everything as is, but who knows. They must be examining it somewhere or something.”

“So if you want to solve this case to help your career, what if it is an inside job? What if by exposing someone above you, you’d actually be jeopardizing your career?” Arthur’s mom asked.

“Very interesting!” said Pat, “I hadn’t thought of that! Well, we’ll see when I solve it.”

“Will you tell us when you do?” Arthur hoped his voice sounded genuine and not sarcastic or snarky.

Pat raised an eyebrow. “I’m sure it will be all over the news!”