The Three Mummies 2

Thanks to everyone who E-mailed me with their very kind comments about the first three parts of this story, it really made me feel good reading them!  Here is the final part of the story.  Be forewarned that this story contains some death (unseen, but implied).  I do not advocate violence against women in any form.  Remember that this is a fantasy story, not a real story.  Please E-mail with any thoughts you have about the story.

Part 4 

When we last left our story, the villanous advisor Targonamey had succeeded in his plan to capture all three royal princesses of Egypt's ruling family.  One day has passed, and we turn now to him as he prepares for, and carries out, the final phase of his plan.  

Targoanmey looked at the room that he was in.  "Just the right height."  He thought.  "And just the right depth."  He looked backwards and saw what he was hoping to see.  His henchmen were carrying in three mummy cases into the room.  "Set them on the table over there."  Targonamey says.  His henchmen quickly rush to obey his orders.
 
The three mummy cases are placed on the table.  "Tilt the table down."  Targonamey says.  The table is slanted at a 45-degree angle.  "Good."  Targonamey says, rubbing his fingers with anticipation.  "Take the lids off."  His henchmen take off the coffin lids, revealing three tightly bound and immobilized female forms, bound head to toe in skin-tight wrapping.  "Uncover their eyes."  Targonamey whispers, obviously enticed by the forms in front of him.  Taking small knives, the bandages covering the eyes of each princess is cut away.  The princesses blink, their eyes adjusting to the sudden light.  They then look around and focus on their captor in front of them.
 
"Hello everyone."  Targonamey grins.  "I hope you all slept well."  The women struggle as much as the bandages will allow them, squirming back and forth.  "Tisk tisk tisk!"  Targonamey says, waving his finger.  "I'm afraid that won't get you out of your current predicament."  The three princesses finally settle down, knowing that their struggles are useless.
 
"Now, whether or not you are going to get out of here depends on what you say to the questions I am about to ask you."  Although the bandages deny them the ability to express their feelings directly, the princesses' eyes tell Targonamey that they are afraid of whatever it is he is going to ask them.  "Good."  He thinks to himself.  "Let them be worried."
 
"I will ask each of you a question.  And all of you will see what happens if you answer poorly."  Targonamey's gaze drifts over to Anakamum.  "I think I'll start with you."  He grins.  Anakamum lets out a small moan of despair.
 
Targonamey walks up to the bandaged princess.  "All right my sweet."  He says, caressing her cheek.  "Do you want out of that nasty cocoon you're in?"  Anakamum does not answer, but her eyes subtly say "Yes."  Leaning in, Targonamey says, "All you have to do to get out, is say that you will marry me."  
 
Anakamum's eyes go wide.  "So what will it be?"  Targonamey asks.  "Answer quickly!"  But Anakamum already has her answer.  He eyes narrow and she glares at him.  "So that's it then?"  He asks sadly.  He sighs.  "Very well."  He turns towards his henchmen.  "Move the other two, so they can watch their sister."
 
Salalo and Demetriery's coffins are carried to a table across from Anakamum.  Targonamey turns and faces them.  "Your sister answered poorly."  He shakes his head.  "I am afraid I cannot let her live."  He turns to his guards.  "Begin."  
 
Four henchmen walk over to Anakamum's coffin and pick it up.  They turn and walk towards a wall, towards a coffin-sized hole in the ground.  
 
The henchmen place the coffin at the edge of the hole.  Targonamey walks over and kneels by the coffin.  "Well my dear, I am afraid that this is the end of the road for you."  He says.  Anakamum looks up at him, fear beginning to fill her, sweat beginning to dampen the bandages.  "You are probably wondering what is going to happen to you."  Targonamey says.  "Well, there's no easy way to say this, so.You're going to be buried alive."

Anakamum was frantic upon hearing her fate.  She began to buckle back and forth within the coffin, letting out screams that were muffled completely by the wrappings surrounding her mouth.  Targonamey nodded to a guard, who walked up to the helpless princess with a bandage in his hands, heading for the princesses' eyes.  "Mmmmpphhh!"  Anakamum screamed.  "Too late now."  Targonamey said.  Anakamum's head was lifted up and the bandages wound around her eyes, making them vanish under the wrappings.  

Anakamum was mmmpphhhing and struggling within her cocoon, but it was too late.  The coffin lid was placed on and nailed shut, encasing the princess inside for all eternity.  The coffin was lifted and placed within the hole in the ground.  When it was six feet down, the guards began shoveling dirt and sand onto the hole.  The coffin caught the dirt, and within a minute, it vanished under the debris falling onto it.  

For several minutes, sand and dirt was poured into the hole, until it finally was filled up to the top.  The site was smoothed out and flattened.  Targonamey shook his head.  "What a waste."  He wondered if someone would ever find the buried princess.

Targonamey turned to Salalo and Demetriery, who were doing their best to scream in anger at him from within their coffins.  "Don't be mad at me."  Targonamey said.  "She refused my offer, and now she has to be punished.  She'll last a day or two at most, then she will die, and lie there for all eternity, which is the fate you'll face if you don't answer my questions correctly."  

Targonamey looks at Demetriery.  "You next."  Demetriery glares at him as he approaches her.  "I can't blame you for what has happened to your sister, but it was her choice.  Now you must answer the question that she was asked.  Perhaps you will do better."  

Demetriery struggled again against her bandages that swathed her, but it was a futile effort.  "It's a very simple question."  Targonamey said.  "Will you marry me?" Demetriery glared at him, convinced that the man was out of his mind.

Targonamey reached down and held one of her mummified breasts. Demetriery squirmed, trying to get away from his touch.  "I can be a loving man."  He said.  "If you give me the chance." Demetriery glared at him defiantly.  "Is that your answer?"  He asked.  Her piercing gaze stayed the same. 

He sighed and shook his head.  "So be it."  He snapped his fingers and three men came over.  They picked up the mummified princess and carried her struggling form towards the wall.  "I gave you the chance to be my bride."  Targonamey said casually.  "But you refused.  Now you'll have to pay the consequences."  The guards stopped.

Targonamey walked up to the wall.  He tapped a brick, which slid aside to reveal a small switch.  He pulled it, and a panel on the wall began to move.  The princess squirmed and thrashed in the hands of her captors, dreading to see what her fate was going to be.  

The thick panel slid aside completely, revealing a small room with a pillar inside.  "I'm afraid that you will be entombed within the wall, where you will lie forever."  Targonamey said. 

Targoanmey thrashed frantically, but the bandages that mummified her denied her any movement outside of a wiggle.  Her handlers carried her into the small alcove and propped her against the pillar so she was standing, so to speak, straight up.

One man reached into the ceiling and brought down a metal chain with a steel collar the width of a human neck.  Despite the princesses' best efforts, the metal collar was clasped around her throat and permanently locked in place with a loud click.  Demetriey struggled furiously, but the collar embraced her neck tightly in an unyielding grip.  Several leather straps were produced by the henchmen, who proceeded to bind the mummified woman to the pillar.  The straps went around the mummy and the pillar, then were tightly buckled to secure Demetriery in place.  After two minutes, the princess was held tightly against the pillar.  

Targonamey walked up to Demetriery and looked into her eyes.  "Goodbye my sweet."  He said.  She lunged at him, but the collar around her neck clinked and held her back.  He stepped back and walked over to the small switch.  With a final push, the door began to close very slowly, sliding over the entrance to the tomb. 

Inside, Demetriery struggled for all she was worth, knowing that if that door shut, she would be entombed forever inside this room.  But it was useless.  With her body wrapped head to toe in bandages, bound by several leather straps that held her tightly to a pillar, and a metal collar embracing her neck, there was no chance of escape.  She screamed and sobbed at everything that was happening, tugging uselessly at her restraints, which would hold her for eternity.  As the door finally closed, and the eternal darkness of her tomb enveloped her, Demetriery let out one final mmmmphhhh of despair.

From the outside, Targonamey watched the door close solidly over the restrained form of princess Demetriery.  Her eyes were the last things he watched.  They were full of fear and terror.  He thought he heard one final muffled scream, and then the door slammed shut.  A click.  The door was sealed.  Six feet of solid stone separated the still living mummy from the outside world.   

With Demetriery finished, Targonamey turned and walked over to Salalo, the last princess.  She tried to squirm away as he approached her.  "Well."  He said, stroking her bandaged belly.  "Looks like you're the last one.  Now I'll ask you the same questions that I asked your now entombed sisters.  Will you be my bride, to rule with me over Egypt and all it's lands?  But I ask you to think carefully before making your decision, otherwise you will join your sisters in a tomb."

Salalo thought.  If she married this madman, she would live, but at what cost?  She would be betraying her family, her sisters, and everything she knew.  But the fear of being entombed alive was too strong for her to resist.

Salalo looked at Targonamey, and managed to nod her head in acceptance.  "Oh good!"  Targonamey said, obviously delighted at Salalo's answer.  He turned towards his henchmen.  "Take her out of there and take her to my quarters."  

Salalo was picked up by several henchmen and placed on a stretcher.  Three leather straps went around her bandaged body and around the stretcher, securing her to it.    "Take her to my chamber."  He said.  

As Salalo was taken away to her new life, Targonamey turned to three men in dark clothing.  "You know when to carry out the assassination?"  He asked.  The men nod.  "Very well.  Go and may your task be successful.  By this time tomorrow, I will be the new Pharaoh of Egypt!"

2 days later

Targonamey sat on the throne in the royal palace, dressed in fine linen and wearing the crown of Egypt upon his head.  He turned and looked at his wife next to him.  "So my sweet, how do you like your new position as queen of Egypt?"  

Still wrapped head to toe in bandages, and placed on a throne, Queen Salalo replied as best she could.  "Mppphrhhhrrrffff."  

"That's good."  Targonamey said, sipping a glass of wine.  Salalo watched him, jealous of his freedom of movement, a freedom that she no longer had.  "You know my dear wife, your current predicament has given me an idea.  I think I like you the way you are.  I know I told you I would let you out after our marriage, but I think I'll keep you like this for the rest of your life.  How does that sound?"

"Mfffffhhhfffffffff!"   Salalo protested, squirming frantically.  "Now, now my wife, that's no way for a queen to behave.  I think you need some time to relax."  

Targonamey lifted Salalo over his shoulder and easily carried her away.  She tried to get out of his grip, but he held her easily.  Salalo gave up, knowing that there was no way to escape.

Inside the royal bedchamber, Targonamey went up to a golden cage that was dangling from the ceiling.  He opened the door and put Salalo inside, then closed the door and locked it tightly, sealing her inside.  "Now you stay here, and contemplate your new life.  You'll have to get used to it, because you're never getting out of that lovely covering you're in."  Salalo managed to push herself up to the cage bars, her eyes pleading with Targonamey.  "Now, now."  Targonamey said, stroking her mummified cheek.  "You might come to enjoy it in time."  With that, the new pharaoh of Egypt placed the key in his pocket and walked out of the room.

Inside her cage, Salalo watched Targonamey leave the room.  She cried silently, tears streaming down her cheeks and being absorbed by the white bandages.  She couldn't believe it.  She was going to be mummified like this for the rest of her natural life.  She would have to get used to being encased in this second skin, which would cling to her for life.  Still crying, Salalo slowly slumped on the floor of the cage.  

After a while, she stopped crying.  Maybe she would get to enjoy it in time.       
   

Please E-mail me with any thoughts about this story.  I would love to hear from you, if the comments are good or bad.  Simply getting them makes my day!
 

 

This is my first attempt at a story, so if you would E-mail me and let me know what you think, I would greatly appreciate it. .
20.12.04