The Dig

Journal of Evan Marshall III
March 9th, 1926 - East of Cairo, Egypt

If it weren't for men like myself, and Carter before me, the mysteries of these ancient lands would be lost to the ages. Even though I'm just starting out, I feel that I'm destined for great things. My guide, Mahmud, assures me that we'll find something in this barren wasteland besides scorpions and sand fleas. Supposedly, it was his father that led Carter to Tut. We shall see.

March 16th, 1926
We've been digging at this site for days now, I'm getting a bit discouraged. The weather here is unbearable, the insects a plague, and not a single one of the men can make a decent cup of tea. It's not at all how I imagined it. Still, I won't give up yet. That's just what father expects me to do.

March 23, 1926
Mahmud brought me some pieces of pottery this morning. Despite his great excitement, I only date them a few hundred years old. Nothing interesting at all.

March 30, 1926
I can't wait to get home and out of this pervasive sand. I'm sure father will welcome me back with open arms now that I've been gone this long. Besides, I have some lovely bits of broken pottery to show for all my time here. Maybe I can buy something at the bazaar in Cairo.

March 31st, 1926
Mahmud rushed into my tent today claiming that he had found something. It's a crudely made goblet that clearly does not belong in Egypt. Parts of it are gold, and there's a large silver coin inset into the base. This is a great find... I'll be famous!

April 1st, 1926
Considering today's date, I am a fool indeed. Mahmud wants to turn the cup over to the museum. It'll sit there for decades untouched, and I'll come away with nothing. What can I do?

April 2nd, 1926
I've booked my passage for three days hence.

April 5th, 1926 - Cairo
At least I won't be leaving here empty handed. After Mahmud packed the goblet away, I snuck in and pried off the silver coin. It looks Roman in origin.
__________

Evan could feel the weight of the coin in his pocket. It was similar in size to the rest of his coins, and that was what he was counting on in his efforts to smuggle it out of the country. He waited nervously for the call to board the ship.

A commotion at the other end of the dock drew Evan's attention. He could see soldiers rushing his way and, blast it, Mahmud was leading them. He had to get rid of the coin! Reaching into his pocket he hastily scanned the cargo still left on the dock, and stuffed the coin into a crate that was about to be hoisted aboard the ship. Pleased with himself and confident that he'd be able to retrieve the coin later, he stepped forward and awaited the arrival of the soldiers.

An ominous creaking sound and shouting caused Evan to look up. He was just in time to witness the means of his own demise, as the rope hoisting the crate onto the barge snapped, sending it plummeting downwards.

As the dust settled, a tall, thin man approached the scene. To any casual observer, it would appear that he was standing in shadow, but in the unrelenting Egyptian sun, there was no shade to be had. A glint of silver caught the thin man's eye, and, cat fast, he scooped up the missing coin. He opened a small leather pouch on his hip and dropped it in, where it clinked against others of its kind.

With a voice like a freshly opened tomb, the thin man said, "Ten to go."