Sunset on the Nile

The light was fading. The big red ball had almost sunk beneath the horizon. Ian stood up and stretched. His back ached from spending most of the day bent over in the trench, removing layers of dirt a few grains at a time.

As he stretched, he focused in on a slender woman standing in the remnants of the day's sunlight. He could almost see through the light gauzy material of her garment. It seemed like it was loosely wrapped around her. Her eyes locked on his and he felt his pulse race. Ian felt mesmerized by those eyes. Blue as blue could get. Her dark hair hung down to her shoulders and framed that perfect face.

A sudden crash of breaking glass caused Ian to turn his head in the direction of the noise. Someone had dropped one of the large glass mirrors that were used to redirect the sunlight into dark chambers.

He turned his head back to find the girl. She was gone. He scanned the entire area but there was no sign of her. "Bloody hell!" he said to no one in particular. "Where in blazes could she have gone?"

Disappointed, he gathered up his tools and packed them into a battered black leather case. He slung the case over his shoulder and began to walk over to a cluster of white tents. In his mind, he stared at the eyes that he had seen.

---

This was the dream of Ian Grove's life, to actually excavate in Egypt. He had graduated from Oxford in the class of nineteen-fourteen. World War I had interrupted his life when like so many young men of his generation, he volunteered for military service.

He had spent four years witnessing man's inhumanity against their fellow man — four years of hell on earth in the mud and the gore of the trenches of France. He had been wounded once, and had a slight limp now as a result of a shell fragment injuring his left knee.

After the war had ended, he had been lucky enough to obtain a position at the British Museum in the Egyptology department. He had jumped at the chance to go into the field and take part in a dig.

Ian had been in Egypt for three weeks now and the novelty of living and working in a foreign land still hadn't worn off. He loved the sights, sounds, and the smells of Egypt. He especially found the people especially intriguing. He had met Coptic priests, Mohammedans, Jews, and members of the Orthodox Church.

The work wasn't quite what he had expected. Somehow, he had envisioned just walking up to a previously undiscovered tomb and to just begin exploration. The work, for the most part, was slow and methodical. Brushing away the centuries a little at a time with a trowel and a brush was painstaking work. He soon learned to take joy in small discoveries— a shard of pottery, a polished stone—evidence that they just might be on the right track.

---

Ian walked up to one of the tents where a half-dozen chairs set outside around a large round table.

"Ian! Fancy a gin before dinner?"

Ian dropped his bag to the ground. He removed his pith helmet and wiped the sweat from his forehead. "God, yes! I would love one. Thanks, Bertie."

Bertie chuckled. He was the official "unofficial bartender of the camp." "One gin coming right up."

Ian looked around. "Where is everyone else?"

"Dr. Somerset ran into Cairo earlier. Some cock-up with one of the permits I would imagine. Halliday went with him. Samuels was here a minute ago, and Pepper... I haven't seen Pepper all day. Probably off trying to have a snog some local girl."

"He'll have all of the fathers in the town upon us," Ian laughed as he took a drink from the tumbler that Bertie had handed him.

Both men sat in the chairs around the table and looked at the orange glow of the fading light shimmering on the water of the Nile. Ian felt a strong sense of history as he looked at the river. Moses had been here, and all the great Pharaohs. Julius Caesar, and Cleopatra. They all had probably at one time looked at this very scene thousands of years ago.

Bertie interrupted Ian's thoughts. "How did it go for you today? Find anything?"

"No." Ian shook his head. "I haven't seen anything all week long. I'm beginning to wonder if Dr. Somerset has us in the right spot."

Bertie brushed off Ian's comments with a wave of his hand. "Don't despair, old boy. Somerset and Halliday both know what they are up to. This is my second time with the both of them. They play their cards pretty close to the vest and don't give away much. I did hear Halliday say to Somerset that he thinks we are still a good thousand years above the level that they are looking for."

Ian watched as one of the Egyptian workers lit the lamps around the camp. He switched his gaze to Bertie. "What do you think Baruti has cooked up for us tonight? Lamb and rice, or kabobs?"

"Bloody hell!" Bertie almost choked on his drink. "I wish that man would learn to cook something else. A nice roast of beef with Yorkshire pudding would be nice. I'd even settle for a good steak and kidney pie right now."

"Or an order of fish and chips," added Ian. "I'm not bloody fussy, I'd take anything right now."

Nigel Pepper strolled into the camp whistling a merry tune. As he approached where Ian and Bertie were seated, he called out, "Hello fellow dirt miners! How goes the battle?" He dropped into one of the vacant chairs and looked at Bertie. "Be a good chap and get me a whiskey."

"Where the blazes were you all day?" Ian directed his question at Nigel.

He grinned as he looked back at Ian. "I was doing a little..." Nigel paused for a moment as his brows furrowed. "Foreign relations."

Bertie handed Nigel his drink. "Were your diplomatic efforts successful?"

Nigel took a healthy swallow of his drink. "Sadly, no. The regent of the house came home before my efforts were to be rewarded."

Ian grinned. "So, you're telling us you had to bail out of another second story window."

"Oh, no!" responded Nigel as he shook his head. "I was out the back door, and over the fence."

"I see, a strategic withdrawal," Bertie joked.

Nigel nodded. "It was strategic all right, but, sadly, there was no withdrawal. The impending invasion had to be called off."

Ian stood up. "Well, I think I will go get cleaned up. Are we dressing for dinner tonight?"

Nigel scoffed, "Come now, man! With Halliday and Somerset both gone, we will take full advantage of the situation." He looked over at Bertie. "What say you, Bertie? Since you are senior, and most likely in charge. Not to mention that you are also the keeper of the keys to the liquor cabinet. Do we declare it a 'Come As You Are Night'?"

Bertie lifted his glass. "Well-put, my carousing compatriot! By the power you have just vested in me, I do declare tonight as 'Come As You Are Night'"

"Right, then!" Ian exclaimed as he handed his empty glass back to Bertie. "I'm off then to get rid of some of this dirt and grime."

---

After dinner the four men sat at the table with a drink and a cigar. The moon glowed over the smooth water of the slow flowing river. The heat of the day had been replaced by the cool of the evening.

"Well, I'm calling it a day," announced Harry Samuels.

"Okay, Harry, we'll see you at breakfast," replied Bertie.

Ian, and Nigel both raised their glasses at Harry, they were engaged in a game of backgammon.

"I saw the most interesting girl today." Ian looked up from the game.

Nigel nodded. "I find all girls interesting."

"This one was different. Her face wasn't covered in the fashion of most of the local women. And her manner of dress was different. Most striking though were her eyes. They were blue," Ian continued.

He had Nigel's attention now. "Where did you see her?"

"Between me and the bank of the river. Some clumsy lout broke a mirror at the same time and distracted me. When I looked back, she was gone. Vanished. She had disappeared completely."

"I shall do my duty to my friends and keep on the lookout for your beauty." Nigel joked.

Ian placed the dice into the cup and shook. "Double sixes! That's game. Let's see, you still have five pieces left on the board, that's five thousand pounds. I shall add that to your ever-growing tab."

Both men laughed at the ludicrous amount of the stakes they wagered on their nightly game of backgammon.

Ian stood up. "Well, I think I will turn in, too."

Nigel lifted his glass to his mouth and emptied it and handed it to Bertie. "Yes, I suppose I should, too."

Bertie collected the glasses and locked up the liquor cabinet. "Good night, all."

---

Ian was awakened by the Muezzin from the local mosque calling the faithful to Morning Prayer. He felt exhausted. He hadn't slept well. It seemed that he had spent the night dreaming of the girl that he had gotten a momentary glance of the day before.

Over and over throughout the night, he had spotted her in dreams and had given chase, but never catching her. She would turn and smile at him and then disappear through a door or into a crowd. Her eyes were burned into his soul and he wanted her, desired her like he had never desired a woman before. Each time he stopped he felt despair, but he would see her again, and the chase would be on once more.

Ian sat of the edge of his bed, trying to fully wake up. He stood and walked over to a washbasin on a small table in the corner of the tent. He poured some water from a pitcher into the basin, and then began to splash the cool water onto his face. He looked at the face in the mirror and laughed. "Looks like you had a rough night of it."

He joined his fellow archaeologists for breakfast. Ian thought there was one positive thing about Baruti, the cook. He did prepare a good egg. Now, if only he could be persuaded to make a muffin, or some toast. Baruti served his eggs with a type of native flat bread that Ian had slowly become accustomed to.

"Baruti!" Ian called as he sat down. "Two eggs and a cup of that stuff you call coffee."

Like most Britons, Ian was tea drinker, but he had quickly come to enjoy a cup of Baruti's Turkish style coffee. It was served strong and in very small cups. Ian had learned early on that two of these little cups were his limit in the morning.

Ian looked at Bertie. "Any special orders this morning?"

Bertie shook his head. "No, just continue on with what you were doing yesterday. Nigel and Samuels are going to supervise a large excavation to the east of you."

After breakfast was finished, Ian picked up his bag of tools and made his way back to the trench where he had been working the day before.

---

Ian stood for a long time gazing in the direction where he had seen her. He wondered why he couldn't get her out of his mind. He shook his head, climbing down into the trench and began to work. Ian worked methodically, removing layers of sand a little at a time. Occasionally, a worker would show up and scoop up the pile of sand that accumulated in front of Ian.

His heart skipped a beat as his trowel hit something hard. After a half-hour of slow digging and brushing he had unearthed the top of a stone that had obviously been quarried. Ian hopped out of the trench and yelled, "Bertie! I think I've found something."

Bertie set his clipboard down and told his Egyptian helper to take a break. He walked over to where Ian was standing. "Right then. What have you got?"

Ian pointed down in to the trench. "A stone that has obviously been quarried, or shaped at any rate."

"Let's have a look, then." Bertie got down into the trench and examined what Ian had uncovered. "What do make that, about eighteen inches wide?"

"Yes," Ian replied. "I measured, seventeen and seven-eighths."

Bertie climbed back out of the trench. "Let's plot this on the grid first." He surveyed the ground quickly with his eyes. "We'll mark off, oh, say twenty feet in each direction, and five feet wide. I'll get a shaker, and a group of diggers over here. We'll get a better idea of what you've found."

Ian watched as the digging crew toiled throughout the afternoon, digging out the area that he and Bertie had marked off. He was disappointed when the sun began to sink towards the horizon. Ian had been hoping to get back into the trench to see what exactly he had found. It looked like that was going to have to wait until the next day.

The overseers carefully watched the transit of the sun. Work would be stopped when they heard the call of the Muezzin. Ian cursed softly under his breath. Today was Thursday, there would be no work tomorrow for most of these men. They would spend their day in the local mosque in prayer.

Bertie and Ian watched the progress of the work and the sinking sun. "They should have enough cleared away by the time they quit for us to get down in there tomorrow," Bertie commented.

Ian nodded and looked towards the setting sun. There she was again! He felt his heart pound as their eyes locked. A smile grew on her face. He had never seen such radiant beauty in the face of woman like this before. He was about to tap Bertie on the shoulder when a group of diggers walked past and blocked his view of her. After the men had passed, she was gone.

"Be right back," Ian said to Bertie. He strode quickly to the spot where she had been standing. He searched the surrounding area for any sign of her without any luck. He looked down at the ground and was confused. The ground here was soft. There were no footprints save the ones he had made. No sign to prove that she had been there. No physical proof of her existence.

"Am I going mad?" Ian whispered to himself. "I know I saw her again." He stood there and stared at the ground until he heard Bertie calling for him.

"Coming!" Ian responded to Bertie's call.

---

Ian blew the lamp out and crawled into bed. He lay in the darkness. Dr. Somerset and Halliday had returned just before supper. They had immediately taken lanterns and had examined the stone that Ian had uncovered. The looks on their faces betrayed their excitement.

His thoughts turned to that of the girl. Those eyes! The way she had looked at him. Her smile. Ian yearned to see that smile again. He felt a rush of sexual excitement flow through his body as he thought of her. His manhood stiffened the instant he thought of her eyes. Ian closed his eyes, hers clear in his mind as his hand slid into his pajamas.

Sleep came quickly. His orgasm had barely subsided when he drifted off into unconsciousness.

She was standing with her back to the sun. Ian could see the outline of her lithe body through the translucent material of her clothing. She was smiling at him. Tonight she didn't run as he approached.

"Who are you?" Ian asked.

"Khepri," she replied. Her voice was soft, as was her smile.

"Khepri," he repeated. "I thought that was a god."

"Yes, Khepri is a god. It is also a female's name. It means 'morning sun,'" she replied, amusement in her voice.

"Why are you here?"

"Because you called me to you." Her reply came quickly.

Ian was confused. "I've never called for you. I don't understand."

She took a step forward and placed her hand to his cheek. "Yes, you did. You called for me tonight. Just before you fell asleep."

Ian felt his cheeks flush. Yes, he did call for her. Just before his orgasm he had called out for her in his mind.

"What did you want with me?" Khepri's voice seemed to be teasing him.

He was mesmerized by her eyes, as blue of the sky. They sparkled like diamonds in the sunlight. Her skin had a golden hue to it. When his eyes traveled down, he was surprised that he could see through the material. Her breasts were perfectly rounded and topped with dark nipples.

"I, uh, don't know." Ian was surprised by the question and had no answer.

Khepri's smile turned to a gentle smirk. "Was it for your pleasure that you called for me?"

"I'm not sure."

It was at this point that Ian realized that he was standing naked before her with his erection fully engorged and pointing skywards. He felt the blood rush to his face in embarrassment.

"Would you like me to pleasure you?" Khepri's seductive voice slowly changed to the sound of the Muezzin announcing the time for the first prayer of the new day.

Ian groaned as he awoke. He closed his eyes, desperately wanting to return to the dream, wanting to return to Khepri.

---

By noon, they had uncovered an area about fifteen-by-fifteen feet. Dr. Somerset stood at the edge with his chin in his hand. Halliday stood beside him and watched the archaeologists carefully uncovering the stones.

"What do you make of it?" Halliday asked Dr. Somerset.

Dr. Somerset shook his head. "I'm really not sure yet. There's no sign of any inscriptions anywhere." He looked at Halliday. "If I was going to wager, I would say we are on the top of something."

Ian stood up and stretched, his back aching from bending over. He looked at what they had accomplished through the morning and was surprised once he took a good look at it.

"Ian, Bertie, come up here," Dr. Somerset called.

The two men scrambled up out of the enlarged trench and faced Dr. Somerset.

"Bertie, set up your transit on the benchmark. I want to determine the alignment of the edge that you have uncovered."

Ian helped Bertie set up the transit. In a matter of minutes, they had the instrument positioned. Ian took the end of the measuring tape and the tall straight surveyors rod and headed back to the trench, carefully positioning the rod at the corner of the stone. He watched the two levels on the rod and made sure that both bubbles were centered.

"Mark!" Ian called out to Bertie.

Bertie focused the transit on the rod and centered it in the crosshairs of the instrument. He wrote down the angle in a note book, and then pulled the measuring tape to take out the slack, and making a note of the distance.

"Next!" Bertie yelled back to Ian.

Ian moved to the other corner and made sure the stick was vertical before yelling, "Mark!"

Bertie marked down the measurements down and then began his calculations. Once he was finished, he walked over to where Dr. Somerset, Halliday, and Ian were standing.

Bertie pointed at the edge of the stones with his finger. "That line lies in a perfect east west direction."

"Mr. Halliday, your impression, if you please?" Dr. Somerset stood staring down at the stones.

Halliday nodded and collected his thoughts. "I don't know. I think it is the top of a structure. Fifteen feet long, foot and a half wide, and about five inches thick. I think we are too close to the river for it to be a funerary structure. It could be part of a temple, or a government building, or even a dwelling. It's really too soon to tell."

Dr. Somerset nodded without taking his gaze off the trench. "I concur Mr. Halliday." He looked at Ian and Bertie. "Do you gentlemen have any thoughts?"

Ian shook his head. "No, sir. I think we need to excavate further before we can make any firm conclusions."

After a brief discussion, it was agreed by all to begin excavating on the east side of exposed stones. Without the local Egyptian laborers to help, the progress was slow and the work laborious. Basket after basket of sand was hauled out the trench and dumped.

As the sand slowly was removed, the archaeologists were impressed with the stonework that had been uncovered. The edge was very straight and careful measurements revealed that the transition from the top to the side was a perfect ninety degrees. A string line was pulled along the edge and it revealed that the edge was true. There was no deviation along the fifteen feet of the exposed stone.

About eighteen inches of the stone was now exposed along the edge. Ian worked his way along with a stiff brush, cleaning any remaining sand from the stone. Halfway along, Ian stopped. His heart pounded and his hand began to shake. His brush had revealed some carving on the face of the stone.

Ian leapt to his feet and yelled, "Dr. Somerset!"

"Yes?" He looked up from the plot table.

"I've found something! It looks like an inscription." Ian's heart was still pounding.

He hopped back down and looked at a faint relief carved into the rock. Ian took a soft brush and continued to try to clean every grain of sand out of the rock.

By the time Somerset and Halliday had worked their way down into the trench the other archaeologists were at Ian's side. They were each trying to make out what was chiseled into the stone.

Dr. Somerset pulled his spectacles from his shirt pocket and looked at what Ian had discovered. "Right, Mr. Groves. What say we take a look at what you have found?"

After studying the inscription for a few minutes, Dr. Somerset looked up at Nigel. "Pepper, be a good fellow and hand me your canteen bottle."

Nigel removed the bottle from his belt and handed it down to the doctor. Dr. Somerset nodded his thanks and removed the cap from the bottle. After dipping the tip of his handkerchief into the water bottle, he began to dab water into the relief. The image was clearer once he had traced the lines with water. It was of a man with the head of a scarab.

"By Jove!" Halliday exclaimed. "It's our old friend."

Dr. Somerset had his hands on his hips and he nodded in agreement. "Yes, David, I do believe that it our old friend, Khepri."

Ian felt a jolt. That was the same name of the girl that he had dreamed about. That memory of her was clear in his mind. He could still hear her voice telling him her name. Her eyes, he shivered slightly when he thought of her eyes. He yearned to see those eyes again. The dreams he had of her were unlike any dreams he had before. They were so vivid and they didn't fade into the mists of his memory minutes or hours after waking. Every detail of the dreams was sharp and clear in his mind.

"Well, Mr. Groves, it would appear that you have uncovered either a shrine or possibly a small temple to Khepri," Dr. Somerset remarked.

Nigel looked across the river at the setting sun. "Blood hell! It looks like we start losing our light in a few minutes."

Halliday nodded as he glanced at the western horizon. "Yes, you're right. Okay, lads, let's get our equipment packed up. Things seem to have a tendency to disappear if we leave it out, only to re-appear at the bazaar in town. I, for one, am getting tired of having to go to the bazaar to haggle for the repurchase our equipment every few days."

Ian looked to the place he had seen the girl on the past two occasions. He wasn't sure if it was a trick of his imagination or not. He could have sworn that for a moment he saw those eyes staring at him before his vision was blinded by the setting sun.

---

Bertie unlocked the liquor cabinet and called over to the others who were seated at the table. "Gentleman! Your orders if you please."

Looking every bit the bartender, Bertie poured the drinks into glasses, and setting the glasses on a silver tray and carrying them over to the table.

"Dr. Somerset," Ian began. "Have you encountered Khepri before?"

"Yes," Dr. Somerset replied. "Three years ago, Halliday and I were on a dig where we came across some references to Khepri. We had hoped that we had come across a temple dedicated to Khepri, but it turned out to be a temple dedicated to Ma'at."

"What do you think we have found here, could it be a shrine or temple to Khepri?" Ian asked.

Dr. Somerset took a couple of puffs from his pipe and then nodded. "I think it is very likely." He paused for a moment. "Rather, I should say that I am hopeful."

Nigel piped up, "Okay lads, what's the wager on supper tonight? Who says lamb and rice, and who says kabobs again?"

Halliday shook his head. "This is bloody awful. I thought we had hired a cook."

"Samuels, would you be so good as to go bring Baruti here to me." Dr. Somerset sat his pipe in the ashtray. "I like lamb and mutton as much as the next man. I think if I eat much more of it, I shall be growing my own wool jumper."

A few minutes later, Samuels returned with Baruti, the cook, in tow. Baruti was a short, squat man who looked perpetually unshaven. His mustache gave him a sinister look, but that was about all that was sinister about Baruti.

Dr. Somerset eyed Baruti up and down. "Baruti, what is with all the blasted lamb and rice and kabobs? What about a good roast of beef or something different? I am beginning to wonder if you can cook."

Baruti shrugged his shoulders. "Well, when the doctor asked Baruti if he could cook, he didn't ask Baruti what he could cook. I can cook lamb and rice and kabobs."

Shaking his head, Dr. Somerset sighed. "This will not do, Baruti." A thought flashed into Dr. Somerset's head. "Baruti, do you have a wife?"

Baruti didn't quite understand but he answered, anyway. "Yes, Baruti has a wife." He paused for a moment. "A wife and seven children."

"You are to be congratulated on the size of your family. Your wife, is she a good cook?"

"Oh yes, Doctor, Baruti's wife is an excellent cook." Baruti beamed at the compliment about his family.

Dr. Somerset raised an eyebrow. "Does your wife work?"

"Oh, no, Doctor, she stays home with the family." Baruti's smile hadn't subsided yet.

"Capital!" Dr. Somerset's hand came down on the table. "Tomorrow, Baruti, you shall remain with your family, and you will send your wife to cook for us in your place."

Baruti was about to object when Dr. Somerset interjected. "If your wife proves to be the cook you think she is, I will double what I am paying you."

"Oh, yes, doctor, Baruti will remain at home with the children and his wife will come to cook for you." The doctor had hit Baruti's soft spot—money.

After Baruti had gone back to his cooking, Nigel stood up and raised his glass. "A toast for the good Doctor for his swift action."

The others in the group laughed and raised their glasses.

---

Ian looked around, his surroundings unfamiliar. Long curtains, made of a white shimmering material, danced as a gentle breeze flowed through an open window. Several pottery lamps, shaped like leopards, burned and cast a soft yellow light in the room.

"You called me again." Khepri smiled at Ian.

"Yes, I did call you. I had to see you again." Ian drank her beauty in through his eyes.

Tonight, she was naked from the waist up. Ian stared at her perfect breasts. He yearned to touch them, to fondle them. Her skin seemed to shimmer and it reminded him of the morning sun.

"Why do wish to see me?" There was the barest hint of teasing in her voice. "Is it pleasure from me that you seek?"

"I don't know what I want. I can't seem to get you out of my mind." Ian felt a little confused.

When she reached down and briefly touched his erect member, Ian realized that he was standing naked before her. He didn't feel self conscious like he had the last time. On the contrary, he was glad she could see his swollen member.

Khepri's expression turned seductive. "Well, usually when a man comes to woman naked with his manhood pointing skywards, it means he wants pleasuring."

Ian felt the heat of lust fill his body. She was right—he did want her. At this moment he wanted her more than he had ever wanted anything before in his life. His heart pounded so hard he could hear it in his ears.

She took his hand and led him to a bed at the far end of the room. "Lay down." Her voice was just above a whisper. As he lay down, she straddled him at the waist.

Ian seemed unable to resist as she took his wrists and tied them to the corners of the bed with a strip of silky material. Then she did the same with his ankles. "Relax." She smiled as she whispered.

His eyes watched her as she raised up on her knees and removed what little clothing she had on. Ian's eyes stared between her legs—there was no hair there at all. He could see all of her sex and the sight only furthered the ache in his swollen manhood.

Khepri picked up another strip of the same material she had bound Ian to the bed with. She ran the material slowly over his chest. It felt cool and he felt his nipples harden underneath the material.

He licked his lips as she slowly moved down his body to his stomach. She would let go of one end at times and drag the silky strip up and down his body. He ached as he felt the strip just graze past the tip of his engorged member. Ian saw her smile at his reaction. It was obvious that she was enjoying her teasing of him.

She turned around so that she was facing his feet. He could feel the warmth of her womanhood on his chest. As she bent forward to drag the strip up his legs, he could see her swollen lips and the slight gap between them.

He wished he could get his lips and tongue between her legs. He wanted to taste her. Ian wondered what she would taste like.

Over and over she dragged the material up his legs to the inside of his thighs. He was near crazy with lust by now. Ian pulled on his restraints and was surprised to find that he wasn't able to release himself.

Khepri smiled at his attempts to free himself. She slipped off of him and then touched his cheek with her hand. "Be still and enjoy."

She picked up a small stone vial and removed the stopper. The fragrance of sandalwood and other ancient spices filled the room. With a steady hand, she drizzled the aromatic oil from the tip of his stiff manhood to the base. When she was satisfied, she placed the stopper back in the vial and set it back on the small table beside the bed.

Ian moaned with pleasure, the oil having a warming effect on his stiff shaft. The swollen purple head seemed to expand even more with the oil's effect. Ian couldn't remember feeling the ache in his groin so acutely as he did at this moment. If he could have gotten a hand free, he wouldn't have been able to stop himself from taking his hand and using it to satisfy the carnal fire that had been lit inside of him.

"I've never felt anything like that before." Ian scarcely recognized his own voice.

Khepri smiled as she picked up the silky strip once again. "I am happy that you find it pleasurable."

She wrapped a portion of the material completely around his aching member and then began to pull on the material in a back and forth motion. The oil made the material slide in a smooth motion around the girth of his cock.

Ian was almost insane with lust now and there was no stopping his hips as they began to pump up and down in time with Khepri's back and forth motion with the strip of material. The sensation was one that Ian had never experienced before. It seemed like each time she reversed direction, she put a little more tension on the material. Ian needed to climax—he wanted to feel his seed spurt from the tip of his plum-sized cock-head. It wouldn't be long in coming now.

"That is incredible." His words were slurred with lust. "I don't think I shall last much longer."

Khepri smiled at him. Her voice changed and she sounded more like Nigel. Her lips moved but in Nigel's voice. "Come on, old boy, time to wake up."

Her face faded as his eyes opened. Ian groaned at the site of Nigel standing over him. "Bloody hell, Nigel! You could have least given me five more minutes."

Nigel grinned. "Was she pretty?"

Ian tried to rub the sleep from his eyes. "God! Pretty doesn't even begin to cover it."

Nigel wore a look of mock sympathy. "I truly am sorry, old man. The good doctor sent me to rouse you from your nocturnal slumber."

Ian sat up in his bed and stretched. "Okay I'm awake, go tell the doctor that I shall be there presently."

After Nigel left, Ian sat quietly thinking. He had been so close to climaxing. The stiffness between his legs had not subsided one iota from the dream. He reached down to touch himself and was shocked to find his member slick with oil. He put his fingers to his nose and recognized the scent from his dream. A shiver went through his body as his mind tried to make sense of what had happened.

---

As soon as the laborers had finished their morning prayers to Allah, they trekked from the village out to the site of the dig. They had showed a great deal of interest in what the Englishman had uncovered while they spent the day in prayer and devotion at the local mosque.

The overseers listened intently to Dr. Somerset and then passed his orders down to the crews. It wasn't long before the excavation of the site was in high gear. Close attention was paid to the screens of the shakers. Sharp-eyed workers watched for any signs of

man-made objects in the excavated sand.

It hadn't taken long before another stone had been uncovered about fifty feet to the east of where Ian had made the initial discovery. This one was different from the one that Ian had discovered. It had been discovered about six feet deeper than the elevation of Ian's find. The edges of the new stone were rounded and show signs of wear.

"Looks like it could be a step," Dr. Somerset mused.

Bertie nodded in agreement. "It looks like there is more wear in the center, and tapers off towards the edges."

Ian commented, "It looks like it's the same material, though."

Nigel was kneeling on the stone and took a trowel and began to dig down. In a matter of minutes, he heard the telltale thud sound of the trowel making contact with something solid. He looked up at Dr. Somerset. "I think there is another step here."

Ian felt a surge of excitement through his body. This is what archaeology in the field was supposed to be like. They were on to something now! They were uncovering something that hadn't seen the light of day in a thousand years or more.

"Pepper!" Dr Somerset stood stroking his beard thoughtfully. "Move out another eighteen inches or so and dig down with your trowel and see if you come up with another step."

Nigel nodded at the doctor and began to dig in the sand once more.

Dr. Somerset turned to Ian. "What we will do if there is another step is get the rate of fall. It will tell us as the steps continue how far down we need to go to find each next step. Once we have that plotted, we can get the laborers in here and begin removing the sand to a level of just above the steps."

Bertie had the transit set up and adjusted. "Okay, Ian, I'm ready to go."

Ian picked up the surveyors rod and the end of the long measuring tape and set up on the first step that had been uncovered. After the measurements had been taken Ian and Bertie joined Nigel and began to remove the final inches of sand and dirt from the steps.

Last night's dream replayed in Ian's mind over and over as he worked. Her eyes haunted his thoughts. The sound of her voice echoed in his mind. His dreams of her seemed so real. Constantly, as the day wore on, his thoughts would return to her. In his mind, he asked the same questions. Who was she? Where was she from?

By the end of the day, they had uncovered six steps leading down. Five feet of sand had been removed from the area. So far there was no evidence of an opening in the solid stone face that extended downwards from the smooth stones that Ian had discovered on the previous day.

After dinner, they sat around the table with drinks and cigars and reflected on the past couple of days. There was a palpable sense of excitement in the group. They had a feeling that they had made a significant discovery.

Nigel took a sip of his after-dinner drink. "Well, that was a most satisfying meal."

Bertie raised his glass. "Well said. Baruti needs to be complimented on his choice of a wife."

Halliday looked at Nigel. "I say, Pepper. I had a resident of the town here today. A man of some power. A man with a daughter. He had a complaint about a man trying to seduce his daughter. You wouldn't happen to know anything about this, would you?"

Nigel had a mock look of shock on his face. "Mr. Halliday, are you trying to infer that I may be responsible for trying to seduce some local man's daughter?"

Halliday looked over top of his glasses at Nigel. "I hope for you sake, Mr. Pepper, that no father catches you in their daughter's boudoir."

Bertie snickered. "Oh, Nigel, no one would infer that you may be responsible of trying to seduce a young woman. We may, however, infer that you have been seen leaping from several second story windows with your trousers in your hand."

"Oh, Bertie, that cuts to the quick." Nigel replied. "I have only been seen leaping from one second story window."

Ian added, "Yes, and with an angry father and several angry brothers, and no to mention an upset fiancé in hot pursuit."

Dr. Somerset looked up from his book. "Well, I don't think any of us will have much time to carouse with the locals now that we are on to something." There was something in his voice that put an end to the subject.

Ian was consumed with his thoughts of the girl. He hoped that she would come to him in his dreams again. He still didn't understand the presence of the fragrant oil on his erection this morning. He certainly didn't own anything that even came close to the aroma of the oil.

---

It was almost a nightly ritual now. He would slip into his bed and begin to think of Khepri while his hand slowly stroked the distended appendage between his legs. At the moment of his climax, he would whisper her name and hope she would hear him.

"I am glad you have called for me." Khepri wore a shy smile as she looked at Ian.

Ian reached for her hand. "I am glad that you have once again answered my call." She looked even more beautiful than before. Her eyes were lined with dark makeup, making her eyes more seem bluer than ever.

"Come," she whispered. "Let me show you some of my world."

Ian immediately recognized the great pyramid of Khufu in the background. It looked different though, covered in white plaster and gleaming in the desert sun. There was a second pyramid under construction. Ian was in awe at the sight of the pyramids.

The clothing of the people was different from what he was used to seeing the locals dressed in. Most of the men were clean shaven, even their scalps, and most had no clothing covering their chest, just a simple garment covering them from the waist to the mid thigh area. The women wore a simple skirt that appeared to wrap around at the waist with a piece of cloth that went up over one shoulder that covered their breasts. Some of the women walked around bare-breasted while others had elaborate necklaces covering their chest.

When Ian commented on the shaved heads of the men, Khepri whispered, "Many of the women shave their heads, too, and wear wigs when they go out in public."

"Is your head shaved?" Ian looked at Khepri.

"No." Khepri shook her head. "I would sooner have my own hair."

She led Ian through the town, past stalls of craftsmen selling items made of stone, pottery, and various metals. In one large stall, two men played a game of Senet while others looked on. Ian thought it must be the Egyptian equivalent of the local pub. Almost every man had a cup of wine. A scantily dressed young woman hurried about, filling the men's cups from a large pitcher.

"Oh, if I could take some of these items back..." Ian started to say.

"No, and you mustn't ever try," Khepri interrupted. "What you see is real, but you are not real to this time, and as such, you do not exist here."

"Is that why I can never touch you when I see you?" Ian asked.

"Yes." Khepri nodded. She swept her hand around. "This is my time, and my world. In your world I am not real, and I cannot exist."

They stopped in front of the stall of a man selling flat loaves of bread. Khepri handed him a coin and took one of the round loaves. She broke it as they walked and handed Ian a piece. "You can taste the bread of the my time, but you cannot take it back with you."

Ian was amazed as he tasted the bread, he found similar in taste and texture to the bread that the local people baked in the village near the excavation site.

"What do you do here?" Ian looked at Khepri as they walked.

She gave him a quizzical look.

Ian thought for a moment. "Do you work? Do you have an occupation or a trade? That sort of thing."

Khepri smiled at Ian. "Well no, I am not expected to work. It would cause my father embarrassment for me to work. He is an architect to the King. I serve in the Temple of Anuket and it is considered an honor for me, and for my family."

"What is the name of your King?" Ian was curious. He had an idea who it might be.

She smiled. "Khafre, son of, Khufu, is the current king."

They had strolled through the bazaar and had come to a large plaza where musicians were playing at one end. Long low benches lined the plaza for people to sit. Ian found the music exotic.

Khepri got up, looking at Ian. "Wait here, I'll return shortly."

Ian studied the people around him. He saw a group of women who were obviously wearing wigs. Each had a small cone of a fragrant material in the center of their wigs. He had seen depictions similar in some of the pictures of frescoes that he had studied in school. As they passed, he could smell the fragrances. Most were unfamiliar, but pleasing.

Ian stood up as Khepri returned carrying two mugs. She handed Ian one. "Some refreshments."

Ian took a sip. It was a type of beer he surmised. Not quite what was served at the pub near the museum in London. He found it cool and refreshing with a pleasant taste.

A group of dancers began to dance in the center of the plaza. They appeared to be young girls and wore what looked to Ian like a long skirt that was loose and open almost to the hip on one side. A necklace made of beads was all that covered their breasts.

As Ian watched with interest, Khepri leaned over and whispered, "These girls are from my temple. This is a dance to honor Anuket and the Nile."

"Fascinating," Ian replied. He was almost overwhelmed when he thought that he might be witnessing things that hadn't been seen in close to five thousand years.

"It is time for you to go back," Khepri whispered to Ian.

"Go back?" Ian was confused.

"I don't know how to explain it to you. Your body is back in your bed, but you are here with me. It is time for me to get you back to your body. Ra will be reborn in your world shortly and it will be time for you to rise."

The scene of the town began to fade and it seemed that there was nothing around Ian and Khepri. He put his arms around her. "Will I see you again?"

She cast her eyes downward. "I find that I cannot stay away from you, anymore. The first few times, I came because you called to me. Now, I come because I want to see you."

Ian put his arms around Khepri and held her tightly. "Good, I am glad. I want to see you, too.

He was about to tell her that he loved her when he awoke. Ian lay in his bed remembering everything that had happened.

---

The days flowed together as the dig progressed. There were steps leading down on all four sides of the center structure. A doorway was found but was blocked with sand and mud. No attempt had been made to begin to excavate the doorway yet. Dr. Somerset thought that the exterior excavation should be finished first. At the corners of each top step, a deep hole about eight inches in diameter was found.

The columns on both sides of the door had hieroglyphics depicting the god Khepri pushing the Sun God Ra across the sky. According to Halliday, who was the expert on hieroglyphs in the group, the writing proclaimed that this was the home of Khepri and for all to pay homage to him.

Dinnertime was now an event to look forward to. Baruti's wife prepared meals that were as delicious as they were exotic. More that once, condolences were made to Baruti's children in jest. They wondered if Baruti's children were now living on a diet of lamb and rice, or kabobs.

Ian paused in his work and gazed at the temple. It didn't look very impressive, the building in the middle was a perfect cube, fifteen feet high, by fifteen feet wide, and fifteen feet long. Ten steps on all four sides descended downwards to a small plaza

The dreams continued nightly. Some were erotic, while others weren't. Ian was smitten with Khepri's beauty and grace. She was unlike any woman he had ever met before in his life. He no longer had to call to her for her to come to him in his dreams. She was there as soon as he fell asleep at night and stayed with him until the morning. Ian still caught glimpses of her near twilight, and few times he had gotten within a few feet from her before she vanished from his sight. Several times Ian was able to hold himself in the sleep state in the morning long enough to wrap his arms around her and kiss her and whisper his love to her.

Today was a special day. This was the day that they were going to begin to excavate the entrance. The consensus of opinion was that at some time, or times in the past the Nile had flooded had left the temple full of sand and silt. The temple was probably abandoned after one such catastrophic flood.

They had erected a scaffold across the entry way and had begun to dig their way in. As each day passed, they moved further and further into the small building. Three days into their excavation, the beginning of stairs moving downwards was discovered.

When the building was finally cleared of all debris Ian was put in charge of clearing the last of the sand and dried mud from the walls. He used a very fine-pointed tool and a soft brush to clean off the wall. There was much excitement when Ian discovered that parts of the original wall were still intact.

Ian's heart pounded the first time his brush revealed a piece of the original painted plaster. He gazed with amazement for the longest time at the hieroglyphics in front of him. In his mind, he was thinking of Khepri, and how some craftsman in her time had meticulously painted these symbols. Ian wondered what the man was like. What had he been thinking when he painted this portion? Was his mind on his wife or girlfriend?

Halliday poked his head through the doorway of the temple. "Ian, Dr. Halliday, wants everyone up at the camp for a meeting."

Ian looked down from his ladder at Halliday. "Right! Say Halliday, step on up and take a look."

After Ian had stepped off the ladder, Halliday climbed and looked at what Ian had uncovered. His eyes widened in amazement. "I say, Ian, good show! That's bloody marvelous!"

Once everyone was seated at the table, Dr. Somerset stood up. "Gentlemen, as you are aware, we have made a major discovery. I understand we made the front page of the Times a few days ago. I sent a cable to the museum detailing what we had uncovered."

Dr. Somerset paused and held up a piece of yellow telegraph paper with white lines of text glued to it. "I have just received this from his lordship, Sir Roger Willoughby. As most of you know, not only is he the chair of our department, but our single most important benefactor."

Ian felt a sense of foreboding. Dr. Somerset wouldn't have shut down work in the middle of the day just to read a cable from his lordship.

"Bertie, you may open your bar. I will be your first of the day, give me a large whiskey." Dr. Somerset looked at the rest of the group. "If you wish to join me in a drink feel free to do so."

Ian looked at Nigel, astonished, and quietly remarked, "Whatever the cable is, it can't be good news. I've never known him to have a drink this early."

Nigel nodded and whispered back, "I agree. The sun has to be well over the yardarm before he has a drink."

"Everyone ready?" Dr. Somerset surveyed his small group. Seeing everyone nod, he picked up the cable and began to read it aloud. "Congratulations on your find. Stop. Cease work immediately. Stop. Will be leaving here on twenty-sixth to take over. Stop."

Nigel slammed his glass to the table. "That's bloody cheeky of him. isn't it. We do all the damned work and now he wants to come out and take all of the bloody glory!"

The rest of the group sat there in stunned shock. They had begun to think of this project as theirs.

Bertie sat down next to Ian. "Right ruddy bastard, that Willoughby! Somerset has been coming out here year after year—now that he has found something that could have been the hallmark of his career, this cheeky amateur is going to come out and take it away from him. Not bloody fair!"

It was a somber group that sat there for most of the afternoon and into the evening. For Ian, the night couldn't come fast enough. More than ever, he wanted to see Khepri. He needed her.

---

The sun was at it's zenith, he could feel the heat on his back. Not a breath of air was moving, just the unrelenting sun beating down on him.

Ian watched as Khepri walked towards him. She was naked save for a gold chain around her waist, and a decorative headband. He like the gentle sway of her hips as she walked and the way her breasts slightly bounced with each step.

She smiled at Ian and gave him a soft kiss on the lips. "I see that you are pleased with how I look."

It no longer embarrassed Ian to find himself naked and with an erection when Khepri appeared. "I am always pleased to see you."

"Would you like me to pleasure you now, or would you like to go for a swim in the river first?" Khepri's eyes sparkled as she looked at Ian.

For the first time, Ian noticed that they were on a large barge-like craft moored in the river. "Let's go swim first, there is time for pleasuring after."

He watched Khepri walk to the edge of the barge and dive into the water. He was impressed at how graceful she was in the water. Ian stood at the edge of the barge and dove in and then began to swim towards Khepri. The water was pleasant and it felt good after the heat of the afternoon sun.

Khepri stood up, the water glistening on her golden skin. Her nipples were dark and taut. When Ian rose up from the waist deep water and put his arms around her, she reached down into the water and put her hand on his still-hard shaft.

She looked into Ian's eyes. "I have fallen in love with you. Do you know that?"

Ian felt his heart pound. "As have I. I love you more than anything, I love you more than life itself."

Khepri released her grip on him and wrapped her arms around him and pulled him tight against her body.

"I wish this never had to end. I wish I could spend the rest of my life with you." Ian wanted this more than anything. He had no family in England to speak of. His mother and father had been killed in a Zeppelin raid during the war, and he had been an only child. There was no girl waiting for him back in England.

"Be careful for what you wish for Ian." She smiled. His name still sounded strange to her when she spoke it.

Ian felt a chill go up his back. It wasn't an unpleasant sensation, more of a feeling of excitement than anything. He had experienced a few love affairs in his life before, but never anything like this.

They spent most of the afternoon swimming and embracing each other in the river. Ian had always thought of himself as a good swimmer, but Khepri was like a dolphin in the water. She made swimming look effortless and it was all Ian could do to keep up with her.

The sun was beginning to set by the time they got back onto the barge. Khepri motioned to a small table that had been set on the deck. "We shall eat now."

"Great! I'm famished." The afternoon of swimming had given Ian a real appetite.

Khepri rang a bell and two naked female servants came out of one of the two structures on the deck carrying a trays of food. She watched Ian with amusement as he stared at the naked girls. "If you desire one or both of them for your pleasure, I can arrange it."

Ian blushed a deep red. "No, it is only you I want for that."

There were dates and figs on the trays, along with bread and a meat dish made with vegetables and a spicy sauce. There was a red wine that had been poured into finely-crafted gold goblets.

By the time they had finished eating the sun had set. Torches had been lit around the perimeter of the barge both for illumination and to warn any oncoming watercraft of their presence in the river.

Khepri took Ian by the hand and led him into the other cabin. She ran her hands up and down the sides of his body. She smiled as she watched his erection grow. Starting at his mouth, she began to caress his body with her lips, down his neck to his chest. She licked at his nipples until they became as erect as the stiff flesh between his legs.

Ian felt his manhood growing harder and harder as she kissed his body. Her hands never stopped their movements. He moaned as her tongue and lips caressed every inch of his him.

She dropped to her knees and took his swollen flesh into her hand. Her lips and tongue bathed it back and forth. She could taste his somewhat salty wetness that had formed at the tip. Khepri looked up at Ian as she opened her mouth and began to take him in.

He watched as she moved the tip across her lips and into her warm and wet mouth. Ian let out a soft moan. She was the first woman that had ever taken him into her mouth. During the war, he had heard from some of the other soldiers about some of the French women in the bawdy houses that would perform oral sex and let the men climax into their mouths. Ian had never been able to work up the nerve to go into one of these places and ask for that particular act to be performed on him.

Khepri moved her head back and forth, taking a little more of him each time until she had fully swallowed his turgid length. She could feel the heat building in her own sex. She felt pleasure by giving pleasure. With slow, practiced movements, she pulled her mouth back, sucking at the same time, moving her tongue around his stiff shaft until his swollen tip was just left in her mouth.

Ian put his hands on the back of her head. He had never felt anything like this before. The lust and desire was boiling in his body. He felt blinded by the carnal fog that her actions were raising in him.

Her movements sped up a little and matched the movements of his hips. Khepri liked the feeling of Ian using her mouth for his pleasure. It didn't matter to her, she would let him finish in her mouth if that was what he wanted.

"I want you!" Ian's voice was drunk with his desire.

She removed his engorged organ from her mouth and put her hand on it, and continuing to stroke him back and forth. "I want you, too." She stood up and took him by the hand, leading him over to the bed.

"I want you take me like the bull takes the cow." Khepri whispered. She knelt on her knees, her sex raised up as she rested on her elbows.

Ian knelt behind her and guided the tip of his rigid cock to her entrance. He grasped her hips and pressed forward. He slid into a warm, tight velvety tunnel. His aching organ was bathed with her wet and slippery juices.

He heard Khepri moan as he entered her from behind. He looked down and watched his stiffness disappear between her swollen labia. He felt her hand alternate between rubbing her stiff pearl of desire and caressing his balls.

Her hips moved with his, driving him deep inside of her. Each moaned out their lust for the other. They urged the other on to go harder and faster. Khepri looked down between her legs. She could see his wet shaft pumping back and forth. Her finger rubbed her clit faster and faster. It wasn't going to be long. She felt her peak approaching.

Ian cried out, "Oh God! Oh God!" He felt his climax starting. His hot seed began to pump deep within her.

She felt him. She felt the warmth inside as he peaked. Her own body was wracked with her own climax.

At the very same time, they both said the same thing, "I want you forever."

Ian saw stars as he climaxed. He had never had an orgasm with her. He had always awoken from his slumber before he had the chance. Most often he was forced to finish himself with his own hand to achieve the satisfaction that his excited state desired. This was different. There was a flash of light.

---

Ian woke, the sun was coming up over the horizon. "Odd," he thought. "Where is the Muezzin this morning? Where is his cry to the faithful? Are there no morning devotions this morning?"

Ian got up out of bed. Something felt different. He was still too much in the fog of sleep to be able to put his finger on it.

"Good morning, my love."

Ian looked up and saw Khepri standing before him. "What?" He felt confused.

She led him out of the bedchamber and out on to the terrace. His mouth dropped as he looked at the long line of workmen walking towards the unfinished pyramid.

Khepri smiled at Ian. "I woke this morning and found you still in my bed. That has never happened before."

Ian looked at the pyramid and then at Khepri. He put her arms around her and looked into her eyes. "Am I ..."

She nodded. "Yes, you are with me."

A joy flowed through Ian like he had never felt before.

---

Bertie sat at the table sipping his drink. "Nigel, bloody good job you did finding this temple. I just wish we didn't have to wait for Willoughby."

Nigel nodded. "Thanks. Say, whatever happened to that chap that was supposed to come out? Graves, or Groves, something like that."

Bertie shook his head. "I don't know. He never did show. What say we round up Samuels and the doctor and have a quick rubber of bridge before dinner?"

Nigel grinned. "Capital idea!"

Bertie looked over at the vacant tent. He had an odd feeling. It was like he remembered someone staying in that tent. He shook his head and began to shuffle the cards. The sun was just beginning to set on the Nile. The end of another day.