The Curious League of Detectives and Thieves 1: Egypt's Fire
you know how difficult it can be Living in the ceiling of any building is tricky but museums are perhaps the most challenging challenging even for expert ceiling dwellers John had discovered discovered that if he followed the same routine every day he could reduce the chance he’d be caught so he’d learned the schedules schedules of every janitor scientist and security guard involved in the running of the institution On the day in question John rushed up the museum steps He was late The sun was already setting and its golden rays bounced off the skyscrapers casting a maze of shadows around him He arrived at the top of the stairs and stopped to catch his breath pausing to rest beneath the giant stone words truth knowledge vision which were engraved high above the entrance of the building Watch your head a voice called from above him John looked up to see a man on a scaffolding John had been so busy being late he hadn’t realized they were changing the banners on the outside of the museum Look out below the man yelled as he let the banner fall John’s breath left his body as it unfurled The crimson seemed to glow in the golden light egypt’s fire and the secrets of an egyptian tomb it proclaimed in bold white letters Wow John said 2 TOM PHILLIPS
Are you coming in or what a security guard called to the boy Sup Al John smiled at the stocky guard Good evening John Al replied winking and tipping his hat I’m afraid the museum is about to close though I know but I have to give Ms Wingfield her book back How was school today Good John lied What did you learn Al had asked an innocent question but John didn’t have an answer The truth was John hadn’t been at school that day He hadn’t been to school in a very long time Looks like they’re finally about to open the new exhibit John said quickly changing the subject Yeah and in the nick of time if you ask me The security security guard laughed Rumor is they mixed up the exhibit pieces with props for that new show on Broadway Oh no That’s terrible Not as terrible as the play It’s called Asp Me Why I Love Her and it’s about a museum curator falling in love with a mummy Al shook his head I guess the big dance sequence was pretty interesting and Ms Wingfield enjoyed the production’s production’s dedication to historical accuracy It sounds awesome John liked musicals He’d thought about living in a theater but as everyone knows the only 3 EGYPT’S FIRE
worthwhile place to live in a theater is in the basement and they’re usually occupied by phantoms The old guard blushed You were right about the flowers She loved the purple roses John smiled I thought she would How did you know She has purple roses on her phone case John said with a shrug See ya later Al-ligator After a while John-a-dile Al saluted as the boy slipped through the doorway They say you never know how much you’ll miss something something until it’s gone John had found this to be true Once he’d moved into the museum he couldn’t return to school for fear of being caught and sent back to the orphanage another foster home or even worse to juvenile detention He missed his classes more than he’d ever expected to so he’d had to find ways to learn on his own And that’s where Ms Wingfield came in John entered the gift shop where a silver haired woman was locking up for the night He reached into his bag and pulled out a book entitled Egypt Not Just Another Pyramid Scheme Ms Wingfield the manager of the gift shop had developed a habit of lending him books about the exhibits in the museum She loved to learn too Hello Mr Boarhog From her voice you could tell 4 TOM PHILLIPS
that Ms Wingfield used to be either a librarian or a drill sergeant Hi Ms Wingfield Thanks for letting me borrow this Did you like it she asked taking the book John grinned I did Which parts Um I liked reading about how the Egyptians mummified mummified their dead how they built the pyramids and most of all how they created one of the first written languages Speaking of languages she pulled out another large book try this one on for size A Picture Is Worth a Thousand Words Hieroglyphics for Beginners was printed on the cover in gold along with some very strange drawings Hieroglyphics That’s the written language I was talking about Please make sure you bring it back in one piece Ms Wingfield touched his hand Oh and John thank you For what She blushed For telling Al I like purple roses I have no idea what you are talking about he replied with a knowing smile Aren’t you a rotten liar She winked Just then a bell rang throughout the museum Closing time a shop worker called out 5 EGYPT’S FIRE
