Imentet
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"What is wrong with you?"

Ada's furious tone only made him feel worse. Her voice was louder than it ever has been in years. He had finally driven her over the edge.

"You threatened our little girl and aimed an arrow to her skull?" Hearing her recall his actions into perspective made it impossible to respond. "I know she's not making this up. She loves you too much to lie about you. But an arrow? Right against her forehead?"

Maalik didn't answer. He just leaned against the indoor walls of his home with his head lowered, a crestfallen look plaguing his face. Only a single wicked candle softly illuminated the room in an orange glow.

"Did our visit to Amun's temple teach you nothing? How could you conceive of committing such a despicable and vile act against her?"

"I didn't mean to." His excuse was finally heard.

"You snatched the bow from her hands, talked down on her and threatened to murder her! Look me in the eyes and tell me that you didn't mean to abuse our young daughter and traumatize her."

Maalik wouldn't dare to look at her, he can't stand seeing her this enraged. He knows what happened, even if most of it is clouded by his unstable memories. The empowering and dominating feeling he experienced pleasured him, but also disgusted him by just how far he had taken it unintentionally. 

"Only a sick, twisted snake would do something like this." She continued to degrade him. "Where is the man I love, the man our daughter relies on?"

"Ada, I'm sorry." The moment he said it, he was slapped harshly across the face. He nearly fell over as a result, but he kept his balance and leaned back on the wall. There's no use in fighting back, he already knew he deserved it.

"Why?" Her voice was beginning to crack. "I want to understand why this happened. Are you sick? Are you possessed? You love Aisha, sometimes I think you love her more than you do me."

Maalik wished he knew why, but this was beyond his control. "This is not me. Everything I am being accused of, I would never willingly act this way."

"That little girl was in tears, sobbing because of what you did. Are you denying it?"

"Never in Amun's name would I ever dare to threaten my daughter!" It was happening again. His voice had risen, and his tone only worsened. "Do you believe that I am capable of harming a child, let alone my own girl? Who do you take me for? I am telling you, I don't know why this happened! I can barely remember what was said and done, but I know that I had no authority over myself. Perhaps I could have been possessed, but you need to get it through your head that I would never willingly commit such a heinous atrocity!" 

"You told her to kill herself." Ada said it without hesitation.

She silenced him for good, causing his eyes to widen. It took a moment for him to process it, his head lowering once more and his lips sealing itself shut. 

"She told me everything. You told her to stab herself with her own arrow, those were your own words. She would never lie about this."

The nearby crickets added to the quiet scene, reminding them just how still the world was around them. They avoided eye-contact, listening as even the candle was flickering from the cool breeze that surrounded them.

He didn't know what to think of it. Something was terribly wrong with him. This isn't something he'd ever do in his life, yet it happened. He knows he did it, and yet he doesn't know why.

Finally, Ada made the first move. She pointed towards the doorway. "I want you to leave. I don't know what's wrong with you, but this isn't right. Whether you want to return to Amun's temple and seek help or take your frustration out on someone else, just do it alone."

"Please don't do this, I can fix this. Give me a chance, I can't lose my only child over a solitary moment of misjudgement!"

"And I hope you will fix this, but I don't trust you anymore. If you snapped and threatened to murder our little girl, what's stopping you from trying it again? I don't want to take that risk, and I don't want you here until you can prove that it will never happen again."

"Ada-"

"Don't say another word." Maalik could sense there was a heavy tone of disappointment in her voice, almost as if she felt defeated. She didn't shout or cry, she only frowned. "Just walk away and help yourself. We'll be fine."

With nothing left to say, Maalik was took a few steps back until he reached the exit. Brushing himself against the hanging leaves of their doorway, he took one last sorrowful look at the woman he thought he would spend the rest of his life with. They shared one final moment, staring at one another before Maalik finally turned around and walked forward.

It was dark out, as the moon had recently just risen into the night sky. So many stars and constellations were visible. But he didn't care to look at any of them. Instead, he walked to his side, just around the house.

There was the ladder. It led to the roof, the one spot he just had to see before leaving. He had to be fast and quiet before Ada would notice. It doesn't matter what she said, he can't leave everything like this.

Climbing to the roof, he saw her holding on to the miniature pyramid he sculptured for her. Aisha hadn't seen him just yet, rather she stood at the edge and looked out onto the actual magnificent pyramids of Kemet.

But when his quiet footsteps alerted her, she turned her head only to gasp. She scrambled back in fear, his menacing figure in the dark continuing to slowly approach her. He had his hands up, trying his best to calm her down.

Putting a finger down in front of his lips, he used his other hand to signal her to take it easy and sit. She began whimpering, and it seemed like she was about to scream. Yet she never did, and it presented the right opportunity for him. 

He kneeled beside her, keeping his hands to himself to show he won't harm her. Despite wanting to speak everything on his mind, he didn't even know how or where to begin.

Instead, he slowly extended a hand towards her. She was trapped on the roof with nowhere she could possibly go besides falling off behind her. Maalik waited for her to trust him, even if that meant sitting up here all night. But if Ada were to see him now, the situation would only escalate.

Aisha continued to look at him with those frail innocent eyes. Her voice emitted a quiet and fragile question. "Are you going to kill me?"

His heart crumbled. This was the worst experience of his life, and hearing her say those words only made him feel more miserable. It's his own fault that she's so scared of him. While she maintained eye-contact with him, he resorted to looking away from her and focusing on the floor beneath them.

Without giving it another second, he jolted towards her. There was a sudden struggle, but it quickly settled. He didn't hurt her at all, rather he hugged her tightly.

He held her close in his arms, holding one hand to the back of her head. His eyes had already begun to tear up. He cried out of regret, and in fear of what his future now awaits him away from his family.

"You know I'd never hurt you, right?" He whispered to her as his tear dropped onto her back. "Baba loves you, he loves you more than anything in all of Kemet. He just gets a little angry, but he would never hurt you."

Aisha never responded, and she never hugged him back. She stayed entirely still as he continued to clench his grip around her.

"I only wanted you to be strong, and to understand just how important you are to us. I don't know what came over me, but I'm sorry. I'm sorry seni."

He closed his eyes as he felt himself pour it all out of his system. It was at that moment that Aisha finally placed a hand around his back.

Moonlight shined bright above them, preventing the dark abyss of the night from consuming them. Maalik could see it from so far away. He watched the stars sparkle above the looming pyramids, but it also could have been as a result of his watery eyes.

With the hug concluded, he wiped the last of his tears away and smiled back at her. She still held the miniature pyramid in her other hand.

He gently reached for it, but instead of grabbing the pyramid, he took a hold of her whole hand. "One more thing before I go."

Behind them was a large mudbrick that was used as a table. Maalik carefully held Aisha's pyramid and gently set it atop the brick. Then, he gestured her to sit in front of it.

She sat on the floor, facing north. He seated himself beside her, leaning in closer to the pyramid.

"Look at it up close, then pay attention to the horizon behind it." He tested it first, following his own instructions as the pyramid took up most of his vision. Then, his eyes darted to the right ever so slightly.

He could spot the real pyramids in the back, the two of them lined directly with Aisha's miniature sculpture. They made it appear as a third tall pyramid beside them.

When he leaned back, he allowed her to try it herself. He watched her carefully, noticing the look in her eyes when she viewed the pyramids.

"You wanted a pyramid, and I gave you one. I want you to remember that, always."

Slowly, he stood up and edged his way towards the ladder. It was time for him to leave. He waited for her to look at him, and when she did, he raised one hand to bid her farewell.

A small sense of relief washed over him when Aisha responded by raising her hand for him. At least he did something right.

Maalik made the descent back towards the ground, and marched onto the awaiting desert. There was no destination on his mind, but he'll need to think of a plan for finding food and shelter.

In the meantime, he took one final look at his home. Atop the roof, his daughter's silhouette lingered against the starry night sky.

A deep breath entered his lungs, and his back turned towards her, signalling the start of his new life.

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Historical Notes:

Many homes in Ancient Egypt were formed using mudbricks. Due to annual floods in the country bringing forth lots of mud, construction was made easier. Mudbricks were shaped into large singular stones that had to be dried in the sun.

Low-class homes were made with one-brick thick walls, whereas higher-class homes had double-thick walls for added security.

Low-class home

Some houses didn't have doors as wood was scarce in Ancient Egypt and could mainly be obtained through imports. Therefore, houses resorted to hanging leaves or one large single leaf, and larger doors were secured with bolts.

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