Chapter 19 & 20 - The Child in the Museum

Chapter 19

Amelia perched on the upper level balcony, watching the comings and goings of the visitors in the entryway. The main hall was huge, with giant floral bouquets that got replaced every day with fresh flowers. After each guest got their sticker, depending on the direction they went in, they would either enter the Greek and Roman, Egyptian, or Medieval sections. Or, they could choose to climb the grand marble staircase to the next level.

Amelia often enjoyed people-watching from this spot, but especially when she had someone to be watching out for. Sure enough, coming from the back, she spotted two redheaded visitors, Arthur and his mom. She noticed his mom had many more tools tucked under her arm today, including a ruler and a compass. She wondered where they were headed, and watched them enter the Egyptian section.

Her breath caught in her throat for a moment. Amelia had completely forgotten about her experience in the Egyptian section. It had only been a couple days since then, but so much had happened. 

The shadow figure. Since seeing it, her understanding of the museum had changed. Who, and what, was that? He appeared much differently to her than Claudette had. He must be another ghost, and if that’s the case – considering her own condition – was there now no reason to be afraid?

Amelia left her post and darted down the stairs. She hadn’t bothered to get a sticker today, as no one who worked there was able to see her. She had so much less work to do now that she wasn’t constantly worried about hiding, but now she had to fill her time with much heavier matters. She entered the main hall, which was crowded and buzzing with excited people, as usual. Around this time, mid-morning, was when people really started arriving. She wove her way through them, carelessly, heading toward the entrance to the Egyptian section and hoping that she could catch up with Arthur without losing him in that maze of an exhibit. It wasn’t a section she knew by heart like most of the others, as she had recently learned.

On her way there, a woman with bright blue eyes locked eyes with hers, and for a moment, Amelia felt frozen in time. The woman had wispy gray hair and wore shawls of fabric in a few colors draped around her shoulders. She had jewelry of different metals with strange symbols in them.

“Be careful where you’re going.” the woman said intensely, then turned away as if she hadn’t seen Amelia at all.

Amelia was in shock! This was the first adult – a seemingly living, breathing adult – who was able to see her. She stood in the same spot for a while as she watched the woman get in line for a ticket, at the other side of the main hall. The person at the counter interacted with the woman normally, so Amelia had to assume she wasn’t a ghost.

Shaking off the experience, choosing to forget about it for now, Amelia headed into the Egyptian section.

She felt a shift in energy as soon as she entered, and it wasn’t necessarily pleasant. There were many guests at the front of this exhibit, looking down and sarcophagi through glass cases and exploring a stone structure filled with hieroglyphics. She knew the energy wasn’t coming from the people, and it felt heavy. It was as if she wasn’t supposed to be there. The air had a sort of glow, as if the sun was streaming through the windows and casting light on the particles of dust in the air, however there were no big windows or even ceiling lights that had that capability.

Amelia stayed frozen, unsure if she should move forward. She tried to focus her eyes on the particles of dust in the air, but what appeared to her seemed different. The tiny particles appeared to take shape, as tiny symbols, flowing across the space in rows. It was almost like a three dimensional grid of the space, made up of flowing, vibrating, barely-visible-to-the-eye symbols. Amelia squinted to try to determine if the symbols looked similar to the hieroglyphics she could see from a distance, but it was too difficult to tell.

As she squinted across the room, she saw Arthur appear from around the corner. He immediately noticed her as well, and waved excitedly. He moved toward her very quickly, obviously unaffected by the intensity that she felt. The air felt to her like soup, vibrating soup, that she’d have to almost swim through. She took a step toward him and the air symbols stung her arm with a sharp, burning sensation. “Ow!” she said audibly, looking down at her arm. When she looked up, she saw the shadow figure in the corner of the room, behind Arthur. His arms were crossed and he looked intimidatingly toward her, as if he was threatening her not to come closer. Arthur had reached her side.

“Hey! What’s up? Are you okay?”

Slightly shaking, Amelia pointed to the figure. “Do you see that? Him?”

Arthur looked around. He craned his neck to see over the other guests, on his tiptoes, then continued to look all around the room. “What? Where? I don’t see anything.”

The man, or whatever it was, was very clearly still there. He wasn’t transparent like the other ghosts. It was almost like he was made of smoke, but it wasn’t smoke. It looked like a substance Amelia had never seen before and would find it hard to describe. It was like flaky tree bark, but metallic and breathing. All of those elements seemed like they wouldn’t be able to go together, but they somehow did within this figure.

“He...It...I don’t know. I feel afraid. I think we should go.”

Arthur looked at her, stunned. “Well, my mom asked me to please stay in this section today, she doesn’t want me going out toward the entrance. She said there’s plenty to explore here. What if we go to a different room? What are you seeing?”

“Whatever it is doesn’t want me here.” she said, “I think I can talk to you from this exact spot for a few minutes longer but I don’t think it will let me go any further. There’s something weird in the air and he doesn’t look like the others. Not the French woman, not the Jester Poltergeist.”

Arthur was looking around frantically, panicked, but clearly unsure what to look for.

“The weird thing is I think I saw him before, but he didn’t affect me so much. That was before, you know...we figured things out.”

“Maybe now that you’re more in your ghost form you can sense these things more?”

“Maybe.” She said thoughtfully, “I have been noticing that some senses are heightened, while others are less so.”

Arthur looked at her, mouth agape and clearly fascinated.

“I don’t feel physical sensations much, but I do feel my intuition more. And, speaking of which, it’s strongly telling me to get out.”

“I wish I could go with you,” Arthur said, “But why don’t you go to Sir Philip? He seemed to know a lot about the museum. He seems to usually be in the large display of suits and armor on horses, you know what I’m talking about?”

“Yes,” Amelia said, slowly moving backward. The energy felt like it was literally pushing her out, like there were two warm hands, more hot than warm really, pushing her on her chest.

“I’ll see you soon okay!” She said as she left the room, with Arthur looking bewildered behind her.

Amelia felt free as soon as she was fully in that entrance hall again. It was as if she had been released from a suction cup and could finally gasp for air. She backed away as quickly as she could, turned, then sprinted in the direction of the Medieval section.

She thought she would feel safer in the museum after learning that no one was going to catch her and throw her out onto the streets, but now she felt much less safe. A whole world of the unknown had been exposed to her, a veil had been lifted, and she was afraid of what was beyond it. She felt it must be endless darkness, things she could never know or understand. She would much rather be safely secure on the other side of this reality, even if she was just ignorant to it, and live the life she once did. Now that she had seen the things she had seen, however, there was no turning back.

Panting, she reached the spot with the suits of armor. She realized that her body probably didn’t need to be breathing so heavily, that this was something she might be able to control. She held her breath for a moment and tried to calm the sensations in her form. The desire to take such breaths dissipated, and she stood up to look at the face of the knight. 

“Amelia, I’m so glad you have come.” he said with a booming voice.

At that moment, Claudette came bustling through the other doorway. Amelia giggled for a brief moment at how funny she looked navigating so many layers of fabric in her dress as she quickly moved toward her. Her corset seemed to make her out of breath as well, with far less speed than Amelia was taking.

“Dear, dear, there you are! I’ve been looking everywhere for you. I wanted to make sure you were doing alright today, I just had a hunch!”

“Claudette, is it?” the knight said with a dazzling smile, “I don’t believe we have officially met. I am Sir Philip. Enchanted, I must say!” He said as he bowed before her, taking her hand and kissing it.

Amelia could see a blush forming from under Claudette’s powder on her cheeks.

“Oh my.” she said with a curtsy, “It is so nice to meet you as well, Sir Philip. I see we are both looking after this young lady.”

Amelia felt a sort of comfort with both of them there in front of her, wanting to help.

“I just had a strong feeling,” Claudette continued, “When I was upstairs that something might not be right with you, dear, is everything fine?”

“Well,” Amelia said, “I just had a very frightening experience in the Egyptian section. Other than that, I think I am adjusting well.” She wanted to appear as mature and as strong as possible. She wondered if she would still be considered only nine-years-old if she had been nine for who knows how long. She hadn’t bothered to calculate the date yet as it still felt too raw.

The knight and the lady exchanged a knowing glance.

“Ahhh yes, the curse of the Egyptian section.”

Claudette fanned herself slightly, “No wonder I was getting such a strong feeling! I, myself, never go there. I’ve never seen the curse and I do not bother with it.”

“I, on the other hand,” said Sir Philip in a teasing tone, “Could never resist an adventure. I’ve been there many times and tried to face the curse head on, but, alas. What usually makes me strong in that case repels me even more – it seems the curse has an especially strong disdain for armor. I do not know if it is the metal, or what.”

“I wasn’t able to move at all!” Amelia exclaimed. “I could barely step into the section, although I could move freely through it just the other day.”

“Ahhh, I imagine he was exerting his control over you, trying to intimidate you. There are ways to get around him, but they aren’t easy. Earlier you were mostly immune to the curse in the way the visitors are. Although, it’s not so much that they are immune to the curse, but rather that they don’t have the sensitivity to recognize it, unless they have developed psychic abilities.”

Amelia immediately wondered about the woman who warned her. Maybe that was how she saw her too.

“Who is he?” she asked.

“It’s more like ‘What is he’,” Sir Philip said, darkly, “In reality, the person we are dealing with is a Queen, who reigned during the Ancient Egyptian times. She was a master of magic, as many of the priests and priestesses of Egypt were. They put curses on the tombs and on many of their belongings and knowledge. When the more modern archeologists uncovered and removed magical items from the sacred spaces in Egypt, many befell great miseries and tragedies. That was because of the curse. Many of those magical objects exist in this museum, which is why the curse has such a strong presence here.”

“I’m sorry, I’m confused. We are dealing with a Queen but you were saying ‘he’ earlier?”

“Apologies. Yes, the Queen created the curse. And although I call the Curse ‘he’, it really isn’t anything at all. The Curse is a compressing of the amount of energy behind him, but never lived as you or I. He isn’t someone who can be reasoned with or bribed. He shows no mercy, as a human might. He is bound to the rules upon which he was created, and in the case of the Egyptian artifacts, he must protect them at all costs. He is willing to exact revenge, to cause death and great illness, if that’s what it takes.

Amelia’s mind was spinning and she wasn’t sure what to ask next. Sir Phiip took a long pause, and then continued.

“No one is quite sure if the Queen still exists in the museum as a ghost. Sometimes it seems like the Curse is getting orders from somewhere. If she is here, she is deep in the maze that is the Egyptian section, and she is very well protected.”

Claudette looked faint, “Oh my goodness! I’ve never heard such an explanation of this phenomenon. To me, it was just a strange mystery.”

Sir Philip stood up straighter, “I have taken it upon myself to learn and discover all that I can about the Curse. One of my missions has been testing the limits to see what an actual threat this Curse is against ghosts. I suspect that he can only really do damage to the living, but if that is the case, he wants to do anything in his power to keep us from knowing it. Like I said before, though, the things that make me feel strong are especially repelled in that space. Any armor, swords, shields becomes very hot as if it has been sitting in the direct sun of midday in a desert. I suspect that a lot of the power that is harnessed through Egyptian magic is that of the fire of the very sun itself, or something like it. I cannot bear to be in there.”

“Have you ever tried going in without your armor on?” Amelia asked curiously.

“I...don’t go anywhere without my armor.” He said hesitantly.

“And since we don’t truly have a body, can we will ourselves to not be affected by heat?” she asked.

Sir Philip took a step back, “My, you are clever! I do not believe so, my dear. The heat itself is not physical, but magic in nature. I like how you think, though. I would love to include you on one of my missions.”

Chapter 20

Arthur had overheard enough. His mom had agreed to let him leave out of the back of the Egyptian section, so he was able to make it to Arms and Armor in time to overhear a reasonably sound explanation for whatever it was Amelia was seeing. And upon hearing Sir Philip suggest that Amelia could help with one of his missions, Arthur decided to step forward.

“I want to help you too.” he said, boldly. This wasn’t something that he had thought over much, but rather felt driven by a strong impulse that came somewhere from within. He wanted more than everything to help the knight get the sword back to where it belonged, in the stone.

Amelia whipped around, surprised.

“Arthur! You made it.”

“You were acting so strangely — you basically ran away. I had to find out if you were okay.”

Amelia looked from Arthur to Claudette and back to Arthur again, saying “I have never had so many people interested in my well-being, or anyone for that matter. This is a completely new experience for me. Thank you! I am okay. Although this curse seems really scary and I’m not sure if we should provoke it at all.”

Arthur had never seen anyone quite like the woman standing beside Sir Philip before. She looked at him and took a small curtsy with a sweet smile. Arthur realized his mouth was open and so he closed it. 

“My name is Claudette, and you must be Arthur, Amelia’s friend whom she has told me so much about. Amelia and I share a chamber, so to speak, in the French quarters.” She said graciously. Claudette had a shimmery quality about, and she was translucent in the same way as Sir Philip. It was quite a sight, as the draped fabric of her gown also had its own shimmer to it, and the combination was dazzling. 

“I’ve been meaning to ask you, “Amelia said suddenly, “Would you like me to find a new room? There are so many and I really wouldn’t mind now that I don’t have to dodge cameras.”

“Don’t be silly!” exclaimed Claudette. “I enjoy the company. I have been lonely for so long.” 

Sir Philip interjected, “Never let me hear of you being lonely again! Please know that you would be a guest of honor at any time you would like to pay a visit to these lands.” He gestured around the spaces lined with swords, daggers, shields, and various other weaponry, as well as the rooms filled with medieval artwork.

“I had never thought to spend much time in this land before!” She giggled.

There was a moment of silence as Sir Philip, who normally stood in a confident stance, was shifting his weight to either foot. He turned instead to Arthur.

“Well, back to the curse. I always have a reason behind my actions, even though I do love adventure for the sake of adventure. In this instance, I want the Curse to be gone from this place because of what it has done to mortals in the past. I do not know how safe the guests of the museum are. However, my weapons of choice seem to be unusable. Now, young Arthur, what is it you were saying? What do you want to help with?”

“Well,” Arthur said, “I don’t know about this problem with a curse. But I do want to help you with your mission…” he trailed off, unsure if Sir Philip would mind him mentioning it in front of the others.

“I have to say, I think this discussion is beyond my capabilities and interests!” Claudette said, apologetically, after an awkwardly quiet moment between all of them. “I will return upstairs to my domain, perhaps I will see you tonight, Amelia?”

Amelia nodded as Sir Philip took a deep bow, “As I said before – Enchanted, Madame. Thank you for your breathtaking presence.”

Claudette blushed deeply again with a twinkly laugh and turned to head toward the stairwell.

Sir Philip stood up and faced Arthur and Amelia squarely, thinking for a moment. Arthur didn’t turn away, he wanted Sir Philip to know that he was serious in his offer, and he wanted more than anything for the knight to see him as being capable and brave.

“Very interesting.” Sir Philip said, “I have never been approached with such an offer. It is my life’s mission,” he said, turning to Amelia, “to return a sword, a sword that is here in this museum, to its rightful place in a stone.” He turned back to Arthur, “You have the ability, as a child who is very real and very much alive, both to see and communicate to me as well as move objects and create change in the world. It is possible, and maybe with your help too, Amelia, that we could at least attempt to complete my mission once and for all.”

Arthur felt relieved that Amelia now knew about the mission too, that it wasn’t something he had to keep to himself.

“I would love to help,” Amelia said, smiling, “I would love some sort of purpose to focus on. I have been floating, literally and figuratively, the past few days, unable to figure out what I should be doing here.”

Arthur nodded seriously, and Sir Philip sized him up once more. “Alright then,” he said, “there is much planning to be done.”