Faiyūm

1,240 years since initial death
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It's so cold.

His lungs were on the verge of collapse due to the sudden and immense pressure.

Maalik prolonged the same scream he let loose in the desert, only this time, it was cut short. He couldn't see nor breathe in this dark and rippling environment. His feet weren't touching anything solid, and he thrashed around in desperation before he slowly became motionless.

Upon opening his eyes a second time, he found himself in the same predicament; only this time, there was light in the equation. Surrounding him was the deep sea, and panic immediately overtook him.

He kicked and struggled until he reached the surface. In between gasping for air, he coughed violently and splashed his arms around. He couldn't make out anything in the distance aside from the water.

A colossal wooden ship startled him from behind as he turned his head. He called out for help, but they had already sailed away. Nobody appeared to be on board.

Fortunately, not all hope was yet lost. A small fishing boat was approaching him from the side, allowing him to grab a hold of it and climb aboard. Out of the water, he was able to inspect himself. He was entirely nude, and old wet scraps of linen were stuck to parts of his body. 

"What has happened to you? Are you alright?" The fisherman asked, staring at him as he still coughed some water out. By the time he remembered the question, he turned and faced the fisherman with a shocked expression. Suddenly, he remembered everything.

"Kher Neter." He stuttered. "I demand passage to Kher Neter now!"

The fisherman responded. "Kher Neter? We are in Sumenu, a district of Faiyum. Do you mean Giza perhaps?" 

This didn't make any sense. Faiyum was around seventeen hours away from his home by walking. But he's never heard of such a place called Sumenu nor Giza. The fisherman must be insane to speak of such nonsense.

"Sumenu? I don't understand what you mean, just get me to shore! Kher Neter is north of Faiyum, I know of it. Yet I have never heard of Sumenu in my time traveling the Kemet. And what is a Giza?" He was not only confused, but angry. All he could think about was returning home, his family must be worried. Wasting time arguing with an insane man was already frustrating enough.

The fisherman simply raised an eyebrow. "Silly man, you speak of the Old Kingdom. Are you sure you didn't hit your head before falling into the water?"

"You're wasting my time, damn you!" Maalik became enraged and lunged at the fisherman. Once he grabbed him, he forcefully shoved him off the boat. The fisherman yelled back at him, but Maalik didn't listen. Instead, he grabbed a piece of cloth by one of the food baskets and hastily wrapped it around his waist.

Before the fisherman could climb back up, Maalik had already grabbed the boat's oar and started to row away. The adrenaline had gotten to him, and he never looked back. He crashed the boat into the shore, and he jumped onto land.

Turning around, he could see one of the bigger ships had stopped beside the drowning fisherman. Although he had committed theft and assault, his conscience could rest easier knowing the fisherman was being rescued.

His attention then turned towards the sky. Just by looking at the sun, he knew which direction to begin heading towards. Oddly enough, he glanced back at his hand in curiosity. The hieroglyphics were gone, the word 'ira' was no longer visible as if it was all a dream. But that couldn't be the case. He knew it wasn't a dream, that's not possible. 

Reverting his focus on the task at hand, he noticed it was only shortly after sunrise. He still had enough time to reach the pyramids before sunset. But the journey would require transportation, as he was in no condition to travel directly on foot. However, it didn't take long for him to discover strange creatures in the busy city of Faiyum, along with the usual donkeys.

They slightly resembled a donkey in its form, but were far larger, had shorter ears, and oddly shaped faces. They even sounded differently, neighing in a way that made Maalik jump back in shock.

The strange fact was that nobody seemed to be alert of it. Everybody casually walked without paying any attention. Even a few others rode on top of these creatures, as if they were donkeys.

But now that he could survey his surroundings, he noticed even the whole area itself looked different. Most of the homes were made of stone, had staircases to upper levels, and they actually had doors as opposed to hanging leaves. A few of the roads were made of cobble, some tents lined the paths for added ambiance. In the distance was a larger temple towering above the other structures.

Before he had time to comprehend everything, a commotion began and people began to step away from the main road. Within moments, more of those strange beasts appeared, this time they were strapped to a wooden platform as they carried what looked to be a pharaoh.

As luck would have it, it was indeed a pharaoh, but not one that Maalik could recognize. Behind him, a whole platoon of guards carrying spears and shields marched behind him. Their clothing was peculiar, but after everything he had seen recently, it somehow didn't surprise him.

During the parade, some of the civilians started calling out to the young pharaoh, calling him King Ramesses. It was a name he had never heard of before.

The glowing hieroglyphics, awakening in the sea, spotting new animals and structures, and now a new young pharaoh. It was like he entered another world. Nothing was right, rather something was terribly wrong.

All he can remember from before was that he had been injured during a fight and he passed out by the pyramids. But all he can think of now was how long has he been unconscious for? He's known of others that would remain unconscious for days, even weeks. But everything here couldn't have been accomplished in that amount of time.

Was he dead? Perhaps this was a vision of the afterlife. Although it made no sense, nothing else did. As a lost child left all alone or hiding from a rabid beast in a dark cave, he felt scared and horrified. But he couldn't be dead, this was not the afterlife he was promised. There were no gods to meet him, no field of reeds nor the dark abyss of the Duat.

He had been to Faiyum just months before his incident in the desert. It was simply impossible for it to change in such little time, and to introduce new buildings and even animals. The mere idea of this land evolving this way was astronomical, and he refused to believe it.

He had enough, his head already began to hurt from all the thoughts. Leaving the parade early, he ran north, only knowing his home would be north of this region.

Along the way, he found a shop owner by the city's border. No donkeys were nearby but those strange animals from before were tied to a fence beside him. Giving them a quick glance, his curiosity got the better of him and he spoke. "Kind neb, I am in need of transport across the desert. Have you any mounts?"

The shop owner shook his head and pointed to the animals. "All I may offer is a fine horse from my stable."

"Horse? A horse, you say? What is a horse?" Maalik asked. While he figured it was the creature the owner had pointed at, he still needed confirmation of it.

"The animals beside me. How could you not know?" The shop owner laughed, but Maalik didn't. His limit has already been reached, and he had enough of it. He was in no mood for games.

Looking back at the owner, he responded. "My wisdom is clouded and my day has been all but short. Just answer my question and tell me; can it be ridden as a donkey?"

While the shop owner nodded, his eyes paid close attention to Maalik's appearance. "I have just noticed, you're not carrying any gold, nor are you even dressed. You speak, look and act like a child. Can you even afford such a purchase?"

Maalik glared at him, hoping his facial expressions would be enough to convey his message. The owner looked uneasy all of a sudden, flinching and narrowly sliding his feet back to maintain his posture. Both men had a standoff, unwilling to break the immediate silence.

But just before the shop vendor could blink, Maalik had already begun to sprint towards the horse. Ignoring the yelling from behind, he tried to untie the untamed animal. It was however, far more difficult than he had anticipated.

The horse neighed and caught him by surprise, causing him to startle back. A sharp tug was felt on his arm, it was the shop owner retaliating. Maalik didn't want to fight him back, but his patience ran thin. He was willing to abandon his principles to get what he wanted. Therefore, he formed a fist and swung it directly into the man's face behind him, followed by an upward kick against his groin.

The owner let out an audible scream that was sure to alert any bystanders if they weren't aware already. Maalik grabbed his head and pummeled him against the shopstand's edge. He watched his body fall to the ground, further gritting his own teeth together.

"I will not tolerate your insults!" Maalik raised his voice, maintaining a deep and threatening assertion. "My whole sense of reality is poisoned. A new pharaoh rules these strange lands while riding beasts that emerged from the Duat! You have no conception of what I have possibly gone through to be here, so don't you dare lecture me!"

He took a few steps back, nearing himself towards the horses. A few civilians were staring at him from across the road. He looked back at the owner, lying motionless on the floor. Was he dead or merely unconscious? Maalik felt anxious suddenly, focusing his attention back on the horses as he knew it was time to leave.

First the fisherman, now the shop owner. They didn't deserve this harsh treatment, even he knows it. What's happening to me?

Ridding the thoughts away, he worked on untying the horse. Once he got it, he attempted to mount it. Grabbing the rope along the horse's bit, the animal had already begun to move. Yanking the rein finally gave him a result, but not in the way he had expected. Surprising him yet again, the horse neighed loudly as it stood on its two hind legs. Maalik lost his grip and tumbled backwards to the ground with a heavy thud.

He groaned and rubbed his head, cursing the damn beast. What sort of animal behaves like this? But he wasn't giving up. He stood up and tried again, climbing atop the horse and whipping the rein. 

Finally, it galloped forward. It felt just as fast as a donkey, allowing him to easily adjust to its momentum. He breathed a sigh of relief, realizing none of the locals had the willpower to stop him. But as he followed the road, he felt uneasy. This was too easy of a crime to commit in front of so many people.

Turning his head around, his anxiety proved him right. Just behind him was what appeared to be a pharaoh's guard aiming a bow atop a chariot. Maalik was given no time to gasp as he lowered his head and barely dodged the arrow that whipped past him.

Maalik was beginning to panic. Yanking the horse's lead, he became desperate. But just as he did, it seemed the animal finally understood the dilemma.

His previous thought of the horse's speed matching a donkey was shattered to pieces as it suddenly galloped faster than he ever could have imagined.

The swift change in the horse's movement caused him to hang on tighter, feeling every single step accelerate accompanied by the strengthening winds keeping up with the mount's sprint. Every so often, the horse would turn and gallop down an alleyway before stumbling back onto a public road and nearly trampling over a passer-by. 

Maalik continued to look behind him, losing sight of the chariot. One more turn led him towards the vast open desert. The horse seemed capable of navigating through the sands, proving his thoughts wrong that a donkey would have sufficed better in this environment.

However, the guard was back on his track, emerging from the west where the main road had stopped. Another arrow was fired, narrowly missing him.

"Stop firing!" Maalik screamed back as a third arrow closely soared by. "My actions surely can't be punishable by death! Are they?"

When he turned his head back, he noticed the guard was beginning to slow down. His bow was lowered, and suddenly, the chariot was turned around. The pursuit was over.

As Maalik wondered why, he looked ahead of him and paid closer attention to the horizon. He wished he knew how to maneuver this animal, but he was out of luck. As he stared at the carnage unfolding in front of him, he took a deep breath.

They were headed towards an oncoming sandstorm.

"Turn!" Maalik had already reached peak anger when steering his mount, becoming more visibly frustrated when it refused his demands. "Turn you vile beast! How can you be this fast but so resistant?!"

His horse neighed, continuing its approach. With his fate sealed, he was left with no other choice than to brace for impact. One more second was all it took before his world turned into a blurry scene of vibrant destruction. His surroundings turned into a thick and intense orange fog, as sand was blown directly into his uncovered face.

It was dangerous to traverse through a sandstorm even with a full set of clothes. All he wore was cloth around his waist, leaving a majority of his body exposed to the wrath of nature. His eyes were forced shut as he put his hands up to shield himself. His horse on the other hand stopped and turned its head away.

All he could do was twist his back towards the storm and keep his face covered with his hands. He was bombarded with howling winds, flying debris and an endless assault of sand.

Keeping his eyes closed, he could see the figments of his own imagination. He saw his home and the marketplace. It's where he wants to be. But his eyes suddenly parted open when the horse neighed again and raised its front hooves into the air. Maalik lost control again, tumbling down and crashing against the sand.

He stayed in a curled position, covering his entire self as best he could from the gods' wrath. All the while, he cursed the damn horse. Darkening his vision again, he returned to dreaming of the place he desperately wished he could return to.

Fortunately, the sandstorm came to an end before long. His surroundings became calm as the howling of the wind softened. His sight returned, allowing him to see clearly and spot his horse nearby. It was slowly trodding in a random direction.

He slowly stood as he began to walk forward. At first, he walked past the animal as he planned to continue on foot. But he found himself stopping, staring at the horizon. His glare returned, focusing on what lay ahead. The two pyramids were far, but he could see them. Only one of them was visible, as half of the second one was covered by an elevated dune he had to cross.

Then, he flinched. His hair was attacked by a wet embrace, sloshing it around and forcing him to grunt as he turned around. The horse had its tongue stuck out, looking directly into his eyes. 

As annoyed as he was, he sighed and decided to mount the creature. It proved to be a worthy method of transport. So he climbed atop it, gaining some higher ground to scan the distance.

But upon doing so, he was left dumbstruck. Now viewing the pyramids from above the dunes, he could see everything. It's when reality finally struck him, and he felt a sudden shock enter his system that left him sick to the core.

"No." The word audibly escaped his lips followed by a gasp. His breathing became heavy, and his grip on the horse's rein tightened. He whipped it, forcing the animal to gallop forward. Upon reaching the high ground and gaining a clearer view, there was no doubt about it.

Instead of two pyramids, there were three.

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Historical Notes:

Much of the language spoken by the ancient Egyptians remained similar through the years.

Larger trade ships were constructed that sailed down the Nile and surrounding seas throughout Egypt. Before this time, the majority of their naval ships were tiny rafts and small rowboats, some of which contained sails. Solar boats were also made for royalty, ranging back to Khufu's reign.

Khufu's Solar Boat.

Horses were introduced to Egypt during the Second Intermediate Period, ranging from 1700 - 1550 BCE.

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