Forever 21
5-The tombs
“Ah so you’re familiar with him?” Sean nodded as if he was impressed.
“More then I would like.” I declared as I stood up abruptly. “Thank you for the company, perhaps another time.” I bid him goodnight.
“Um okay.” He said the confusion evident in his voice as I walked out. “Good night Jennifer.” He called after me but I could barely hear him anymore.
The name was just swirling in my head. Nehesi…Nehesi…Oh great King Nehesi… He was nothing but a fraud…
I only found out about it two hundred years after his death, while I was still in Egypt. He assumed the throne through his self written proclamations of being the son of a pharaoh, yet the proof simply was not there. It was a weak yet successful attempt to fabricate his history and legitimize his rule over my people.
It was most likely why I was still alive. Perhaps the high priestess did follow the instructions exactly. Promised me as a bride to a true Pharaoh in the afterlife - that which he was simply was not… Nehesi and his deceptions is what trapped me here. Over three thousand years had passed and my bitterness towards him still hadn’t shown any signs of subsiding.
It was ironic in a way. How Sean would spend all night above me searching in old manuscripts and attempting to decipher tombs in grainy photographs looking for answers when I had them all two floors below…
Perhaps that was why Sean was on my mind so much? Since the first time I encountered him he had seemingly rooted his way into my subconscious and I didn’t know why. But my logic made enough sense to lull me into sleep that night. I was in no danger from Sean, and I had just set myself up here in Philadelphia and I was not ready to leave just yet…
The next morning I heard Sean coming down the stairs. His pace was rapid until he reached the bottom. Then there was a pause and I cringed a little at the thought of him possibly stopping at my door, but once more his footsteps picked back up and I heard him shut the outer door behind him.
A strange feeling passed over me and I know Ingrid felt it too cause I saw her shudder out of the corner of my eye. I opened the door to Mildreds apartment and looked down at the flowers on my doorstep. An obscenely large vase filled with a dozen red roses. His stench was all over them…
“Mortimer.” I called out his name as I lifted the flowers from the floor. He was still around I could sense him in the air. He better not dare make me repeat myself.
“They’re not quite as beautiful as you Nanu.” I heard his voice dance around me but I would not acknowledge him until he made himself visible. “But then again few things are.” He appeared over my shoulder and I spun around to face him.
“I will not accept them.” I told him and he faded quickly before my eyes appearing once more behind me, his breath practically on my neck.
“How was your night last night sweet Nanu?” He taunted me in my ear and I lowered my eyes down. He was watching me. I was going to have to cloak the building. Almost as if he was in my mind too he addressed my thoughts. “Now Nanu no need for drastic actions. I’ll leave you be.” He waved his hand as if all was forgiven but it wasn’t…
“Mortimer.” I said his name firmly locking his eyes on mine.
“I just cant help but wonder what you are doing.” He gave me the same hard stare back, I would not divert my gaze from him first.. “Perhaps play with him a few years and leave him broken hearted when you disappear?” He proposes his voice taking on the evil taunting nature he had perfected over the years “Or is he the "one"?” He was standing in front of me still but his voice was echoing around my ears in soft whispers now. “Are you prepared to watch him turn to dust before your very eyes?” And with that I lowered my gaze from him. “Nanu.” He pleaded with me.
“And what it would be different with you?” I regained my composure and tossed the words back at him. “Sixty years, five hundred years, a thousand years - it will all end the same.” I declared and a small smile formed on his lips.
“Perhaps not.” He replied and there was something about the way he said it. A glimmer in his eye that left me uneasy, and the feeling only grew as he continued to speak. “Im so close to something Nanu, something great… and I need you..”
Now I knew Mortimer… something great for him could mean hell for the rest of us and I wanted no part in it…
“More then I would like.” I declared as I stood up abruptly. “Thank you for the company, perhaps another time.” I bid him goodnight.
“Um okay.” He said the confusion evident in his voice as I walked out. “Good night Jennifer.” He called after me but I could barely hear him anymore.
The name was just swirling in my head. Nehesi…Nehesi…Oh great King Nehesi… He was nothing but a fraud…
I only found out about it two hundred years after his death, while I was still in Egypt. He assumed the throne through his self written proclamations of being the son of a pharaoh, yet the proof simply was not there. It was a weak yet successful attempt to fabricate his history and legitimize his rule over my people.
It was most likely why I was still alive. Perhaps the high priestess did follow the instructions exactly. Promised me as a bride to a true Pharaoh in the afterlife - that which he was simply was not… Nehesi and his deceptions is what trapped me here. Over three thousand years had passed and my bitterness towards him still hadn’t shown any signs of subsiding.
It was ironic in a way. How Sean would spend all night above me searching in old manuscripts and attempting to decipher tombs in grainy photographs looking for answers when I had them all two floors below…
Perhaps that was why Sean was on my mind so much? Since the first time I encountered him he had seemingly rooted his way into my subconscious and I didn’t know why. But my logic made enough sense to lull me into sleep that night. I was in no danger from Sean, and I had just set myself up here in Philadelphia and I was not ready to leave just yet…
The next morning I heard Sean coming down the stairs. His pace was rapid until he reached the bottom. Then there was a pause and I cringed a little at the thought of him possibly stopping at my door, but once more his footsteps picked back up and I heard him shut the outer door behind him.
A strange feeling passed over me and I know Ingrid felt it too cause I saw her shudder out of the corner of my eye. I opened the door to Mildreds apartment and looked down at the flowers on my doorstep. An obscenely large vase filled with a dozen red roses. His stench was all over them…
“Mortimer.” I called out his name as I lifted the flowers from the floor. He was still around I could sense him in the air. He better not dare make me repeat myself.
“They’re not quite as beautiful as you Nanu.” I heard his voice dance around me but I would not acknowledge him until he made himself visible. “But then again few things are.” He appeared over my shoulder and I spun around to face him.
“I will not accept them.” I told him and he faded quickly before my eyes appearing once more behind me, his breath practically on my neck.
“How was your night last night sweet Nanu?” He taunted me in my ear and I lowered my eyes down. He was watching me. I was going to have to cloak the building. Almost as if he was in my mind too he addressed my thoughts. “Now Nanu no need for drastic actions. I’ll leave you be.” He waved his hand as if all was forgiven but it wasn’t…
“Mortimer.” I said his name firmly locking his eyes on mine.
“I just cant help but wonder what you are doing.” He gave me the same hard stare back, I would not divert my gaze from him first.. “Perhaps play with him a few years and leave him broken hearted when you disappear?” He proposes his voice taking on the evil taunting nature he had perfected over the years “Or is he the "one"?” He was standing in front of me still but his voice was echoing around my ears in soft whispers now. “Are you prepared to watch him turn to dust before your very eyes?” And with that I lowered my gaze from him. “Nanu.” He pleaded with me.
“And what it would be different with you?” I regained my composure and tossed the words back at him. “Sixty years, five hundred years, a thousand years - it will all end the same.” I declared and a small smile formed on his lips.
“Perhaps not.” He replied and there was something about the way he said it. A glimmer in his eye that left me uneasy, and the feeling only grew as he continued to speak. “Im so close to something Nanu, something great… and I need you..”
Now I knew Mortimer… something great for him could mean hell for the rest of us and I wanted no part in it…