zodiac-tiger Thu Mar 15, 2012 2:22 pmPROLOGUE
I never thought of what it would feel like to die. You walk around in the streets, just minding your own business, and then, KABLAM!! A car smashes into you and stops everything. Death wasn't as painful as I thought, though. It was just like... falling asleep. I guess I was just ''lucky'' to die quickly.
1. DEAD
I opened my eyes slowly. They felt as heavy as cars. Cars! Now I remembered what had happened. I had walked home from school, thinking about regular problems for a fourteen year old boy, like 'how do I get that girl to like me' or 'what will I tell my parents when they find out I got a detention?' I was about to cross the street, when a car hit me right in my stomach.
''I'm... dead,'' I whispered. It was both a shock and a relief to say it out loud.
I looked around. I was surrounded by walls, painted over with weird signs and drawings of mythical creatures. The room was about 5x5 meters. I couldn't see the roof. It was too high up. The room was lit with a dull, orange light, a bit like from a torch. I couldn't see any light source though.
Suddenly I heard a door close behind me. Don't ask me how the door came there, it just did. I turned around... and lost my breath.
I looked up. I had to look up, to see its face. And by 'its' I mean 'his'. I just didn't know he was male when I first saw him. He missed an eye. There was just a bare patch of skin where it should have been. He slowly opened his beak to talk.
''Are you Daniel?'' His voice was deep and he pronounced every syllable very carefully as if he was afraid I didn't understand. I barely managed to do a nod.
''Yes. We have been expecting you. I am Horus, your... guide, if you may.'' The hawk headed god waved a 'follow-me' sign and turned around. I did as he said.
We entered a great hall. It was the bigger than any room I have ever been in, at least half a kilometer length and over a hundred meters wide. There were seats all over the wall as in a stadium and most of them were filled with gods - resembling both normal humans and animal headed ones.
In the middle of the hall, stood a big, old-style weight with a feather in one of the plates and a little jar in the other. Everyone was silent. The only thing I could hear was the sound of my own feet, pounding on the marble floor. Not even Horus made a sound. All eyes were pointed at me.
2. THE JUDGE
Someone raised his voice: ''Daniel. I am Anubis, the God of the Dead. We have brought you here so you can be judged. We will make it simple and fair.''
I looked around to find the one who spoke. I didn't need to seach for him long.
A dark skinned male figure walked down a few steps. His head was like that of a wolf or dog or a... a... what the heck was its name?
''Are you ready to be judged worthy and pass on to the Land of the Dead or being found unworthy and have your soul eaten by Ammit the Devourer of the Dead?''
I was about to answer, but the next second, two young men dragged in a ferocious beast. I didn't need to ask who the creature was. Were they really going to give my soul to that beast if I wasn't worthy?!
Of course I would be worthy. I mean what had I done in my life that was so terrible? I couldn't think of anything.
''Daniel. step forward,'' the dog or wolf or... jackal! That's what he was. A jackal. The god with the jackalhead asked me to step up right in front of him. I didn't dare oppose him.
''Daniel. I need to take your heart so I can weigh it.''
''My what?!'' It was the first thing I had said since I came there.
''You heard me,'' the jackal god said, ''now stand still it won’t hurt... much''
I couldn't speak. I just stood there and watched as he pulled his arm back and stuck a big, clawed hand into my chest. I winced a bit, but it didn't hurt much. I guess the lack of pain had something to do with the fact that I was dead.
He pulled the heart out of my chest very slowly. It was disgusting to watch. It was covered in some weird, white slime and had stopped pumping blood through my veins. Anubis raised his right hand - the one that wasn't holding my heart - and quickly slid through my veins. It hurt as h*ll, to put it light, when he seperated my heart from my body. I fell to the floor, screaming my pain out, while all the gods sitting around me and Anubis watched. None of them reacted though.
''And now - let's weigh it, '' Anubis said and smiled wickedly as if he knew what was coming.
I laid on the floor and cried silently. I was still the only one making noises, in the hall.
''Rise, Daniel. You need to watch when the weight judges you. If there is balance, you are worthy. If not...''
He didn't finish the sentence. I sat up. It hurt even more. My vision blackened but then reappeared. I had to watch what they did to my heart.
A tiny baboon that had sat at the top of the weight all the time ran down to the plate with the jar and raised his hands to receive the heart – MY heart. Anubis gave it to him. The little monkey opened the jar and tossed my heart in. The weight rocked a bit, but remained horizontal. I tried to calm myself down and repeated inside my head:
''I haven’t committed any sins. I'm a good person. I have never done anything wrong.''
It didn't help. This was the most nerve-racking thing I had ever witnessed.
A slim male with the head of a bird - some kind of stork I guess - stepped out of the shadows. He was carrying a scroll of papyrus and a white pen, made of a feather. His black head shone in all possible colors.
''Let the weight judge him, '' he said. His voice was not quite as deep as the others'. The tiny baboon fiddled with the weight and it slowly began rocking. It was time to confess my sins.
''Have you ever lied, Daniel, '' the bird headed writer said.
''Uum... no, '' I said in the fragile hope that I could get through this. The weight tipped slightly to the side where my heart was laying.
''I... I mean yes. Yes I have.'' The writer nodded and wrote something down on a papyrus scroll.
''Have you ever committed violence of any kind, Daniel? ''
''No!'' I said determined.
''Our records say you have.'' For everything I had done, the weight tipped a bit more. Some of the gods in the crowd looked worried. Anubis smiled. After what felt like hours, the bird headed god stopped his questions and stepped up in front of the weight.
''He has been judged and found unworthy. His soul and heart will be left for Ammit.''
3. A WAY OUT
''Isn't there anything I can do to save my soul? There must be something, '' I said.
''No, '' Anubis shouted, ''When your fate has been written down by Thoth - he was referring to the bird headed writer - nothing can change it. As simple as that.''
I looked around at the crowd. Some looked disappointed, but most were just neutral or didn't pay attention at all. I guess they were just there to be polite. Ammit smirked happily. She looked hungry. I couldn't see Horus anywhere. ''But... there must be... '' '
'NO! Don't you get it silly human? It's over! Your stupid little mortal life has come to an end,'' Anubis yelled.
''Wait. There might be a way to spare the boys soul.''
I looked around to see who had spoken. A half mummified man with green skin stepped out of the shadows.
''Osiris,'' Anubis whispered and kneeled. The other gods followed his example.
''Osiris is the god of the underworld. Right second to Ra, he is the most respected and honored of all gods,'' Anubis almost whispered, without looking at me.
''It would be a good idea to kneel before him. He is good and fair but can be unpredictable.''
I was about to kneel when Osiris said: ''No. Stand Daniel. Everyone rise.'' His voice was old and dry as paper but clear and loud. A voice you would obey, no matter what.
''Horus, my son. Come down here,'' he said without even bothering back look at the falcon headed god, now coming.
''Tell of your son.''
''Father... I...'' Horus stammered. ''When my firstborn came to our world, I was fearing for his life. My uncle, Set, has always aspired the throne. He killed Osiris, his own brother and scattered the pieces of his body all over Egypt. If it wasn't for Isis, my mother and aunt, the 14 pieces of his body would still be spread all over the country. Set is the god of chaos as you can almost tell. When my son was born, I hid him at earth where no one could find him. Seth couldn't find him but there was one drawback. If I had to hide him well, no one should know where it was. I had to hide him from myself too.'' I could see the sadness in the god’s single eye.
''What's that got to do with me,'' I finally asked.
''You are the one boy who can find him,'' Osiris said almost before I had said a single word. I was about to ask how he knew but, again, he answered without listening to my question:
''I saw it in a vision. I can see who will live and who will die, and you will both. Not truly alive, not actually dead. Down on earth, searching for Horus's lost son.''
4. ANHUR, THE PROTECTOR
''However, you cannot go alone. There are too many people who will try to destroy you.''
''D... Destroy?'' I whined.
''You will never be in real danger if you have a protector with you. Do not argue with him though. It could be fatal.''
Fatal?! I didn’t bother asking asking what he meant with that; I could almost guess it.
''Your protector will be Anhur.''
''Anhur? Are you sure he is the right?'' Anubis asked.
''You couldn't find a better guardian. I have asked him and he wants to rectify his misdeeds.''
'Wait, this is about my life,'' I said. ''I want to know who and what this Anhur is and what he or she has done wrong.''
''He hasn't done anything wrong. The Higher Gods are just too illiberal to see it.''
I turned around to see who had speaken. The gods talked so fine and perfectly that it was a blessing to hear someone talking like a normal person. His voce was comletely normal. Not abnomally deep and loud as most of the gods'. When I looked at him, I was about to shout: ''Is this a joke,'' but, luckily, stopped myself from doing it.
''What's wrong kid,'' Anhur asked me. I stared at him as if he had just fallen down from the moon.
''Is he... a cat?!'' I finally asked Anubis.
''No! Ofcourse I'm not a cat. Have you ever heard of anything as ridicolous as a talking cat? I'm a lower god,'' Anhur answered solemnly and acted as if I had offended him greatly. I already liked him.
''And you are going to protect me from maniac gods and creatures who wants me dead,'' I asked, trying hard not to sound sarcastic.
''I am much more powerfull than I look and could easily blast you to pieces if wanted to.''
That agument was all that needed for me to shut up.
5. THE UNDERWORLD
Before I went down on earth, Horus told me to stay some time in the Underworld.
''You need to rest a lot before you go back to earth. It will be very tough for your body to suddently be exposed to earth air. Especially when you have no heart anymore.''
I sat on a bench made of some kind of metal. It looked like gold. Horus stood in front of me me with his arms crossed over his chest. The sky (I guess it was some kind of sky) was black, with not even a single star shining on it. There wasn't any sounds beside the ones Horus and I made.
''Why did I only get my soul back and not my heart,'' I asked him.
''Down on earth, the tecnology is very advanced. Some parts of a heart can be replaced and small machines can make it beat properly. That is not the way it works in our world. When it has first been cut out and seperated from your body, the heart itself is dead and is not more useful then a steak would be. But the air of the Underworld, contains special chemicals, gasses, so your body does not die, and the longer you breath it, the stronger your body gets. In a few days, you will be able to stand the air of the earth. If you went back now, you would collapse and die in a few minutes.
''That's... tough,''I said and looked away.
''The world is a tough place.''
''Yeah, and in a few days were going to that ''tough place''.''
I looked to my right where the voice had come from.
''Oh. It's just you,'' I said as Anhur jumped up on the bench beside me.
''I will leave you two alone,'' Horus said and walked away.
Anhur and I sat side by side and stared at the clayhouses. The people who were almost ready to pass on to the next place lived here. I was just an exception. Only three or four of the houses were occupied and and all of them were old people. Said with other words: No one to talk to, besides a hairless cat, a bird and a dog who wanted me dead.
(More will come later. I'm just too lazy to finish the chapter right now)
I never thought of what it would feel like to die. You walk around in the streets, just minding your own business, and then, KABLAM!! A car smashes into you and stops everything. Death wasn't as painful as I thought, though. It was just like... falling asleep. I guess I was just ''lucky'' to die quickly.
1. DEAD
I opened my eyes slowly. They felt as heavy as cars. Cars! Now I remembered what had happened. I had walked home from school, thinking about regular problems for a fourteen year old boy, like 'how do I get that girl to like me' or 'what will I tell my parents when they find out I got a detention?' I was about to cross the street, when a car hit me right in my stomach.
''I'm... dead,'' I whispered. It was both a shock and a relief to say it out loud.
I looked around. I was surrounded by walls, painted over with weird signs and drawings of mythical creatures. The room was about 5x5 meters. I couldn't see the roof. It was too high up. The room was lit with a dull, orange light, a bit like from a torch. I couldn't see any light source though.
Suddenly I heard a door close behind me. Don't ask me how the door came there, it just did. I turned around... and lost my breath.
I looked up. I had to look up, to see its face. And by 'its' I mean 'his'. I just didn't know he was male when I first saw him. He missed an eye. There was just a bare patch of skin where it should have been. He slowly opened his beak to talk.
''Are you Daniel?'' His voice was deep and he pronounced every syllable very carefully as if he was afraid I didn't understand. I barely managed to do a nod.
''Yes. We have been expecting you. I am Horus, your... guide, if you may.'' The hawk headed god waved a 'follow-me' sign and turned around. I did as he said.
We entered a great hall. It was the bigger than any room I have ever been in, at least half a kilometer length and over a hundred meters wide. There were seats all over the wall as in a stadium and most of them were filled with gods - resembling both normal humans and animal headed ones.
In the middle of the hall, stood a big, old-style weight with a feather in one of the plates and a little jar in the other. Everyone was silent. The only thing I could hear was the sound of my own feet, pounding on the marble floor. Not even Horus made a sound. All eyes were pointed at me.
2. THE JUDGE
Someone raised his voice: ''Daniel. I am Anubis, the God of the Dead. We have brought you here so you can be judged. We will make it simple and fair.''
I looked around to find the one who spoke. I didn't need to seach for him long.
A dark skinned male figure walked down a few steps. His head was like that of a wolf or dog or a... a... what the heck was its name?
''Are you ready to be judged worthy and pass on to the Land of the Dead or being found unworthy and have your soul eaten by Ammit the Devourer of the Dead?''
I was about to answer, but the next second, two young men dragged in a ferocious beast. I didn't need to ask who the creature was. Were they really going to give my soul to that beast if I wasn't worthy?!
Of course I would be worthy. I mean what had I done in my life that was so terrible? I couldn't think of anything.
''Daniel. step forward,'' the dog or wolf or... jackal! That's what he was. A jackal. The god with the jackalhead asked me to step up right in front of him. I didn't dare oppose him.
''Daniel. I need to take your heart so I can weigh it.''
''My what?!'' It was the first thing I had said since I came there.
''You heard me,'' the jackal god said, ''now stand still it won’t hurt... much''
I couldn't speak. I just stood there and watched as he pulled his arm back and stuck a big, clawed hand into my chest. I winced a bit, but it didn't hurt much. I guess the lack of pain had something to do with the fact that I was dead.
He pulled the heart out of my chest very slowly. It was disgusting to watch. It was covered in some weird, white slime and had stopped pumping blood through my veins. Anubis raised his right hand - the one that wasn't holding my heart - and quickly slid through my veins. It hurt as h*ll, to put it light, when he seperated my heart from my body. I fell to the floor, screaming my pain out, while all the gods sitting around me and Anubis watched. None of them reacted though.
''And now - let's weigh it, '' Anubis said and smiled wickedly as if he knew what was coming.
I laid on the floor and cried silently. I was still the only one making noises, in the hall.
''Rise, Daniel. You need to watch when the weight judges you. If there is balance, you are worthy. If not...''
He didn't finish the sentence. I sat up. It hurt even more. My vision blackened but then reappeared. I had to watch what they did to my heart.
A tiny baboon that had sat at the top of the weight all the time ran down to the plate with the jar and raised his hands to receive the heart – MY heart. Anubis gave it to him. The little monkey opened the jar and tossed my heart in. The weight rocked a bit, but remained horizontal. I tried to calm myself down and repeated inside my head:
''I haven’t committed any sins. I'm a good person. I have never done anything wrong.''
It didn't help. This was the most nerve-racking thing I had ever witnessed.
A slim male with the head of a bird - some kind of stork I guess - stepped out of the shadows. He was carrying a scroll of papyrus and a white pen, made of a feather. His black head shone in all possible colors.
''Let the weight judge him, '' he said. His voice was not quite as deep as the others'. The tiny baboon fiddled with the weight and it slowly began rocking. It was time to confess my sins.
''Have you ever lied, Daniel, '' the bird headed writer said.
''Uum... no, '' I said in the fragile hope that I could get through this. The weight tipped slightly to the side where my heart was laying.
''I... I mean yes. Yes I have.'' The writer nodded and wrote something down on a papyrus scroll.
''Have you ever committed violence of any kind, Daniel? ''
''No!'' I said determined.
''Our records say you have.'' For everything I had done, the weight tipped a bit more. Some of the gods in the crowd looked worried. Anubis smiled. After what felt like hours, the bird headed god stopped his questions and stepped up in front of the weight.
''He has been judged and found unworthy. His soul and heart will be left for Ammit.''
3. A WAY OUT
''Isn't there anything I can do to save my soul? There must be something, '' I said.
''No, '' Anubis shouted, ''When your fate has been written down by Thoth - he was referring to the bird headed writer - nothing can change it. As simple as that.''
I looked around at the crowd. Some looked disappointed, but most were just neutral or didn't pay attention at all. I guess they were just there to be polite. Ammit smirked happily. She looked hungry. I couldn't see Horus anywhere. ''But... there must be... '' '
'NO! Don't you get it silly human? It's over! Your stupid little mortal life has come to an end,'' Anubis yelled.
''Wait. There might be a way to spare the boys soul.''
I looked around to see who had spoken. A half mummified man with green skin stepped out of the shadows.
''Osiris,'' Anubis whispered and kneeled. The other gods followed his example.
''Osiris is the god of the underworld. Right second to Ra, he is the most respected and honored of all gods,'' Anubis almost whispered, without looking at me.
''It would be a good idea to kneel before him. He is good and fair but can be unpredictable.''
I was about to kneel when Osiris said: ''No. Stand Daniel. Everyone rise.'' His voice was old and dry as paper but clear and loud. A voice you would obey, no matter what.
''Horus, my son. Come down here,'' he said without even bothering back look at the falcon headed god, now coming.
''Tell of your son.''
''Father... I...'' Horus stammered. ''When my firstborn came to our world, I was fearing for his life. My uncle, Set, has always aspired the throne. He killed Osiris, his own brother and scattered the pieces of his body all over Egypt. If it wasn't for Isis, my mother and aunt, the 14 pieces of his body would still be spread all over the country. Set is the god of chaos as you can almost tell. When my son was born, I hid him at earth where no one could find him. Seth couldn't find him but there was one drawback. If I had to hide him well, no one should know where it was. I had to hide him from myself too.'' I could see the sadness in the god’s single eye.
''What's that got to do with me,'' I finally asked.
''You are the one boy who can find him,'' Osiris said almost before I had said a single word. I was about to ask how he knew but, again, he answered without listening to my question:
''I saw it in a vision. I can see who will live and who will die, and you will both. Not truly alive, not actually dead. Down on earth, searching for Horus's lost son.''
4. ANHUR, THE PROTECTOR
''However, you cannot go alone. There are too many people who will try to destroy you.''
''D... Destroy?'' I whined.
''You will never be in real danger if you have a protector with you. Do not argue with him though. It could be fatal.''
Fatal?! I didn’t bother asking asking what he meant with that; I could almost guess it.
''Your protector will be Anhur.''
''Anhur? Are you sure he is the right?'' Anubis asked.
''You couldn't find a better guardian. I have asked him and he wants to rectify his misdeeds.''
'Wait, this is about my life,'' I said. ''I want to know who and what this Anhur is and what he or she has done wrong.''
''He hasn't done anything wrong. The Higher Gods are just too illiberal to see it.''
I turned around to see who had speaken. The gods talked so fine and perfectly that it was a blessing to hear someone talking like a normal person. His voce was comletely normal. Not abnomally deep and loud as most of the gods'. When I looked at him, I was about to shout: ''Is this a joke,'' but, luckily, stopped myself from doing it.
''What's wrong kid,'' Anhur asked me. I stared at him as if he had just fallen down from the moon.
''Is he... a cat?!'' I finally asked Anubis.
''No! Ofcourse I'm not a cat. Have you ever heard of anything as ridicolous as a talking cat? I'm a lower god,'' Anhur answered solemnly and acted as if I had offended him greatly. I already liked him.
''And you are going to protect me from maniac gods and creatures who wants me dead,'' I asked, trying hard not to sound sarcastic.
''I am much more powerfull than I look and could easily blast you to pieces if wanted to.''
That agument was all that needed for me to shut up.
5. THE UNDERWORLD
Before I went down on earth, Horus told me to stay some time in the Underworld.
''You need to rest a lot before you go back to earth. It will be very tough for your body to suddently be exposed to earth air. Especially when you have no heart anymore.''
I sat on a bench made of some kind of metal. It looked like gold. Horus stood in front of me me with his arms crossed over his chest. The sky (I guess it was some kind of sky) was black, with not even a single star shining on it. There wasn't any sounds beside the ones Horus and I made.
''Why did I only get my soul back and not my heart,'' I asked him.
''Down on earth, the tecnology is very advanced. Some parts of a heart can be replaced and small machines can make it beat properly. That is not the way it works in our world. When it has first been cut out and seperated from your body, the heart itself is dead and is not more useful then a steak would be. But the air of the Underworld, contains special chemicals, gasses, so your body does not die, and the longer you breath it, the stronger your body gets. In a few days, you will be able to stand the air of the earth. If you went back now, you would collapse and die in a few minutes.
''That's... tough,''I said and looked away.
''The world is a tough place.''
''Yeah, and in a few days were going to that ''tough place''.''
I looked to my right where the voice had come from.
''Oh. It's just you,'' I said as Anhur jumped up on the bench beside me.
''I will leave you two alone,'' Horus said and walked away.
Anhur and I sat side by side and stared at the clayhouses. The people who were almost ready to pass on to the next place lived here. I was just an exception. Only three or four of the houses were occupied and and all of them were old people. Said with other words: No one to talk to, besides a hairless cat, a bird and a dog who wanted me dead.
(More will come later. I'm just too lazy to finish the chapter right now)
Last edited by zodiac-tiger on Wed Apr 11, 2012 2:08 pm; edited 13 times in total
