ABACUS (15 page)

Chapter 25: Future Shock

I'm worried about Kate,” said Samantha Littleton as she and her husband drove to the supermarket. “She has such mood swings. Do you think she's got some sort of…problem?”

Ken Littleton smiled. “Sure, it's called growing up.”

“Yes, I know all about that, but she flips from one extreme to the other. Look at the way she was yesterday, and again today. After that pointless discussion last night about knowledge, she stormed off to her room for the rest of the evening.”

“We got lucky!”

Mrs. Littleton wasn't smiling. “She was unbearable this morning, and even worse when she came home from school.”

“But AP braved the lioness in her den!”

“Yes he did, and that's my point. When they came downstairs for supper, she wasn't the same person. She and AP were chatting away like the best of friends, the way they were in England.”

“And they're probably still at it.”

* * *

“So we know the abacus can't be reactivated until after a lunar month,” said Kate.

AP nodded. “Let's do this systematically.” He reached for a sheet of paper. “I'll write down everything we know about our thin man.”

“One. The hooded man in England and the thin man in Montana are the same person.”

“Right,” said Kate. “But let's give him a name, we can't keep calling him the thin man.”

They sat pondering. Then Kate yelled, “I've got it! The perfect name—Snakebite!”

“Awesome!” said AP.

“Back to business. What else do we know?”

“He's tall and thin,” said AP and wrote this down as point number two. “How old is he?”

“About Dad's age,” Kate suggested. “Early forties.”

“Any accent?”

“Nope. Regular North American.”

“Features?

“Thin face. Sharp pointy nose. Fair hair.”

AP scribbled furiously.

“And he's strong—the way he pinned my arms down. He must be fit as well, to recover from a rattlesnake bite.”

“Most people survive,” said AP, “if they've no medical problems, like a weak heart.”

“He's got a strong heart! He kept tracking us even though he'd been bitten—that must have been hard.”

“I'll write that down as tough and determined.”

Kate nodded. “He was a klutz on a horse though. And he stumbled right into Laughing Jack's camp. I'd put him down as inexperienced with outdoor life.”

“Anything else?”

“No, aside from disliking us.”

“He's smart,” said AP, “the way he flattened Laughing Jack—probably slugged him while he was squatting in the bushes!”

“So we've got a tall thin guy, about Dad's age,” said Kate, reading from AP's list, “fair hair, sharp features, from somewhere in North America. He's fit and strong, determined, not the outdoors type, dislikes us, and he's smart.”

“Now for the really interesting stuff,” said AP. “The things he said.”

“First, he had a special name for the abacus, a krono-something.”

“Chronoverser I think,” said AP.

“What sort of a name is that?”

“Well, the chrono part is Greek, it means time.

“Whatever,” said Kate. “So where does that get us?”

“Not far!”

“Okay, second, he says he's the real owner. Third, he thinks we got it from some guy named Mordax.”

“Not so fast, Kate, I'm trying to write this down remember.”

“Sorry.”

“Okay, the next point is that Mordax works for some outfit called Multicorp.”

“So all we've got to do is look them up on the Internet,” said Kate, turning on her laptop.

“Look at that,” she groaned. “Hundreds of Multicorps. Everything from computer parts to baby clothes. How do we find the right one? It's impossible!”

“Maybe that's the idea.”

“You think Mordax and Multicorp are crooks?” asked Kate.

“They could be.”

“Now for the last thing,” said Kate. “Snakebite said he'd traveled back 180 years.”

“Let's see,” said AP, doing a quick calculation.

“That can't be right.” He rechecked his figures. “Wow! He traveled back from the year 2056. That means he hasn't even been born!”

Chapter 26: Anyone for the Sun?

February began cold and gray and everyone in the Littleton family was suffering from the winter blahs. “How about a trip to Florida during March Break?” suggested Mr. Littleton one suppertime. “We haven't done that in a while.”

“Sounds good to me,” said AP.

“How about you, Kate?” asked her father.

“I'm not sure.” She hesitated. “I'll probably be doing stuff with my friends.”

“So much for that idea. I just thought it'd be good to have a family holiday, especially since Mum and I are taking that Egyptian trip in the spring.”

“The journey down the Nile will be really neat,” said AP. “Will you visit the Valley of the Kings?”

“Absolutely!” replied his father. “And the Valley of the Queens, aren't we Sam?”

Samantha Littleton just nodded. She was less enthusiastic about the trip. Her main concern was money. Mr. Littleton was attending a conference in Egypt, and had decided to stay an extra week, to take his wife on holiday. “We can afford it,” he'd assured her.

“The Valley of the Kings is where the pharaohs' tombs were cut into the cliffs, isn't it?” asked AP.

“Yes. Complete with secret corridors to fool the robbers. Some were huge—as big as a supermarket. Imagine hammering that out with hand tools!” Mr. Littleton had been reading up on Egyptology. “We'll see the statues at Abu Simbel too,” he continued, “they're six-storeys high!”

Kate sighed. How could anyone get excited about a bunch of old ruins? “I've got an assignment due,” she said, excusing herself from the table.

When AP went to bed that night, he noticed Kate's light was still on.

“Can I come in?” he said, tapping on the door. “I need to talk.”

“Can't it wait until tomorrow?”

“Not really, it's important.”

“That's important?” said Kate a few minutes later.

“Well I think so. It'd be the most mind-boggling time-trip.”

“Why would I want to go and look at a lot of boring ruins? It's bad enough listening to you and Dad talking about them.”

“They won't be ruins, they'll be complete buildings. And they're the most unbelievable ones ever. Look at this.” He flipped open the book he'd been reading. “Isn't that amazing?”

The illustration showed a massive temple, with people dwarfed by colossal statues. “And check out these tomb carvings.” One depicted a pharaoh, wearing the traditional cobra headdress, surrounded by mystical figures with animal faces.

“And if you want gold and jewelry, here are some treasures from Tutankhamun's tomb.”

The pictures were impressive, but Kate concealed her curiosity.

“The Egyptians had this fantastic lifestyle because the land around the Nile was so rich,” he raced on. “Everything grew like crazy—melons, grapes, dates—”

“You sound like a travel ad.”

“Ancient Egypt was big on festivals and parties—your kind of place, Kate!”

“You're making it sound too good.”

“Well, I guess there were some bad thing—like building tombs and hacking up rocks.”

“Suppose we had to do that?”

“You wouldn't. Only men and boys did stonework.”

“That sounds better!”

“When shall we go then?”

“Hey, not so fast. I didn't say we would.”

“But it does sound amazing, doesn't it?”

“Possibly…”

Although Kate decided to go on the trip before he left her room, she didn't tell him for several days—it was fun watching her brother squirm!

AP became preoccupied with planning the trip. Choosing the right time period was the most difficult part.

“What does it matter?” Kate said one night. “Ancient Egypt is ancient Egypt.”

“The pharaohs ruled for nearly 3,000 years. Think of all the changes in that time.” He started explaining about the Old, Middle and New Kingdoms, but she wasn't listening.

“I've chosen the reign of Ramesses II,” AP continued. “He was an important pharaoh from the middle of the New Kingdom.”

“Whatever.”

“I don't suppose you care why I've chosen the area around Luxor either.”

“Not in the least.”

AP left her room shaking his head.

* * *

“We'll be back soon after 10,” Mrs. Littleton called out from the hallway. She was pulling on her heavy coat while her husband warmed up the car. “It's not a long movie.”

“Sure, Mum,” said Kate. “Have fun.”

“See you later,” called AP from the dining room. He had books spread all over the table.

“Make sure you clear up all your mess before we get back.”

“Will do,” he sang out.

As soon as their parents drove off, AP and Kate hurried upstairs to his room.

“All done,” he said, moments later. “I've set the time for minus 3289 years. That'll take us back to the year 1280 BC—about the tenth year of Ramesses's reign. And the red dot is set over Luxor.” He held out the abacus so she could double-check the settings.

“Ready?”

Kate grabbed his arm and nodded.

* * *

“Wow,” said AP, squinting against the glare, “that sun's so bright. How do you feel?”

“A bit dizzy,” said Kate, trying hard to focus her eyes, “but it was much easier this time.”

Then she caught sight of her brother. “I don't believe it,” she gasped. “What's happened to your hair? And what are you wearing?”

AP was as bald as an egg and wearing nothing but a short kilt. Made from the coarsest linen, the straw-colored garment reached to just above his knees. Kate, in contrast, wore a white ankle-length dress of the finest pleated linen. High at the neck, with sleeves that stopped at the elbows, it was complemented by a stunning gold necklace. And while AP stood barefoot on the hot sand, she had the luxury of sandals—not the common variety woven from reeds, but leather ones.

“You're tanned, from the tip of your bald head to your toes! I've never seen you looking so brown.” Then she glanced down and saw she was the same. “How does the abacus do all this?”

AP shook his head in wonder.

Kate's black shoulder-length wig was the height of fashion. But when she explored underneath she was horrified to find she was as bald as her brother. “And what's this thing I'm carrying?” The unfamiliar object had a handle like a hairbrush, with an oval strip of metal supporting three horizontal rows of buttons on wires.

“Some kind of rattle,” suggested AP.

“What am I supposed to do with it?”

“You could shake it.” He grinned.

“I'm more inclined to pitch it.”

“Not a good idea—there must be some reason for having it.”

They found themselves standing opposite a maze of narrow streets, with small houses crammed tightly together. The town was bustling.

“There are so many people,” said Kate, “and most of them are headed this way. What's going on?”

Before AP could reply there was a loud explosion immediately behind them. They felt the pressure wave slam into their backs and ring through their chests. More blows followed, in rapid succession. Spinning around, they were astonished to see a band of drummers, in flowing robes, frantically beating their instruments. Kate and AP never knew drums could be so loud.

The band's leader was an impish man with a snake-charmer's pipe, which he wielded like a conductor's baton. Prancing before the crowd like the Pied Piper, he led the way across a broad avenue. A massive wall stretched before the crowd and he was heading for the huge doorway.

“I think that might be a walled city,” AP said, nodding toward the wall, which was as high as a house. “Maybe there's an emergency and the townspeople are seeking safety.”

“But there's no panic,” reasoned Kate. “Everyone's in a party mood. Look at the way they're laughing and singing.” Then she noticed how people were beginning to stare. “We shouldn't stand here attracting attention. Let's go over and check it out.”

As they mingled with the crowds, AP had the distinct feeling they were being watched. Glancing around he saw nobody suspicious, but the feeling remained.

“What's wrong?” asked Kate.

“Probably nothing,” he said, not wanting to alarm her. “Just the feeling someone's out there—watching.”

“Snakebite?” she asked, looking around anxiously.

“The abacus!” AP suddenly realized it was dangling against his bare chest, for everyone to see. In one swift move he slipped the cord over his head and tucked the device into the waistband of his kilt.

Crossing the avenue, they headed left, following the crowds toward the main entrance. The wall, now on their right, towered high above them.

“Impressive, eh?” said AP glancing up. “See what it's made of?” He paused to take a closer look. “Mud brick. They mix mud with chopped-up straw, press it into a brick-shaped mould, and bake it in the sun.”

“The wall's made of mud?”

“Yep.”

“That's crazy. Wouldn't it become a mud pie when it rained?”

AP smiled knowingly. “But it hardly ever rains.”

“No rain. Right!” Now she was convinced he was joking. “So how do you explain all these palm trees? And you said the other day how the land was so rich.”

“Palm trees have spreading roots and can find underground water. As for the farmland, all that water comes from the Nile.”

“End of lecture?”

AP nodded. “By the way, I never complimented you on your amazing makeup.” Like almost everyone else, men and women alike, Kate's eyes were highlighted with thick black lines. These extended beyond the outer corners of her eyes, giving them an exaggerated almond shape.

“That's humongous,” marveled Kate as they stood dwarfed before the entrance. “The opening itself is enormous but it looks tiny compared to the surrounding stonework.”

“It's called a pylon,” AP explained, “built from stone blocks. So this entrance leads to a temple, not to a walled city.”

“Look at those wild carvings!” said Kate. “Who's the guy in the chariot with the bow and arrow?”

“That's the Pharaoh, slaying his enemies. And the one on the other side of the entrance, with the falcon's face, is the god Horus.”

Stepping through the opening was like arriving at a small town—there were buildings, a garden, even an arti
ficial lake. But the central feature was the temple, a colossal structure set well back from the wall. Kate and AP stared in disbelief. Its pylon was even grander than the one they'd just passed through, and on either side was a colossal statue of a seated pharaoh.

“Are these like the ones at Abo Sabo that you and Dad were talking about?”

“Abu Simbel,” AP corrected. “Yes, they're similar, but way bigger than these.”

“Bigger? How can statues come any larger than these guys? If I stretched on tiptoe I could only reach their ankles!”

“The other ones are twice as tall.”

“Unreal!”

“So is hacking them out of solid rock. Then the workers had to drag them all the way across the desert from the quarries.”

“How about those tall pointed things?” Kate nodded toward a pair of stone columns twice the height of a house flanking the statues. “They're like the thing we saw in London last summer, beside the river Thames.”

“Cleopatra's Needle,” confirmed AP. “They're called obelisks—they were carved as gifts for the gods.”

Walking over for a closer look, they saw that all four sides of the obelisk were carved with hieroglyphs.

“Do they stand for letters of the alphabet or for actual things?” asked Kate.

“Both,” said AP. “I don't know much about them, but there's an alphabet of 24 letters—sounds really—plus lots of other hieroglyphs that stand for certain things.” He ran his eye up and down the obelisk. “See that one—the loop sitting on top of the letter T?”

Kate nodded.

“That's the sign for life.”

“What about those groups of hieroglyphs inside oval borders?”

“They're called cartouches. Each cartouche represents the name of a particular pharaoh.”

Kate reached out and traced one of the hieroglyphs with her fingers.

“You're really getting into this, aren't you?”

“It's so cool. All this stuff.” She gazed around in wonder. “And everything's so huge. I've never seen anything like it.”

“Shall we go inside the temple?” asked AP.

They walked through the opening in the middle of the pylon and out into a great courtyard dotted with statues and crowded with people.

“They're not as big as the statues outside,” said Kate. “Hey, look at that one over there, the little guy sitting cross-legged. He's as small as you!”

“Thanks!”

“I'm baking,” said Kate, glancing up at the noonday sun. Let's go over there in the shade.” She nodded toward the roofed area that ran along either side of the courtyard.

Both were surprised at how much cooler it felt there. “What's with all these stone pillars?” she asked, looking at the close rows of columns.

“They're holding up the roof. Egyptians didn't have steel girders for the horizontal supports, just stone. That's much weaker, so they needed more pillars.”

“How do you know all this stuff?” asked Kate. “No, don't tell me, you read some book.”

They strolled toward the far end of the temple, and as they stopped to admire a carved column, the abacus slipped from AP's kilt. Fortunately, there were few people around, so when he made a grab between his legs, nobody noticed.

“Here,” he said handing it over. “You can take it now.”

Quickly slipping the cord over her head, Kate tucked the abacus out of sight.

“Are those gravestones?” asked Kate, looking at some rectangular slabs carved with mystical signs.