Sand Maze

Dr. Crane's weathered face furrowed in concentration, as he keenly studied the mysterious inscription, on the aged stone tablet he had unearthed. At thirty five co- heading an expedition to the pyramids of Egypt was a like a dream come true.The hot wind was blowing across the desert of Egypt.While he was looking at his new discovery Dr. Jean walked up to his side."It looks like and old script" she said. Dr. crane still studying the tablet said,"Yeah, but what does it say?".Tablet was old and pieces of it had fallen off. Few random parts of it could be made out."When down and close below look above for light and Time will show the way "said Dr Crane as he translated a part of it."What's this? Looks like a smiling face" said Dr. Jean as she pointed her at the design on the upper left hand corner of the tablet.Dr. Jean was a lady of thirty two years of age and assistant to Dr. Crane in the expedition.
It was ten o'clock in noon but the sun was already blazing at its peak.The hot wind was blowing in the easterly direction. The sand was so warm that one could feel the heat of it over the shoes.The warm blanket of air was not sparing anything or anyone.In whichever direction one would turn there were sand dunes and hills spread all over the land.
All of a sudden, one of the men at work called out in excitement,"Look! here I think its the entrance to the pyramid."Both Dr. Crane and Dr. Jean went running to the place where the man was.When they got there Dr Wayne was already there. Dr Wayne was fifty years old and was the one heading the expedition."Its pretty dark down there"said Dr. Crane as he looked hard into the dark entrance."Prepare the team- we are going down there" said Dr. Wayne with the definite tone of authority.
All three doctors were archaeologist who were appointed by the state history department to conduct research on a four thousand year old pyramid by the people for a pharaoh named Altakhsas The pharaoh had a beautiful wife named Jamila who loved him very much.
Dr. Wayne was leading the group into the pyramid while others followed close behind.When the group of came to a stop Dr Crane and Dr. Jean moved through it to the side of Dr. Wayne who was looking at something closely.Something was engraved over the door in front of them."Who disturbs the one here robs the most precious thing he has" said Dr Wayne as he translated the inscription for others."Maybe it means the pharaoh will be disturbed out of his eternal sleep which is the only thing he has now ?" asked Dr Jean as she looked at the inscription."Whatever's inside will explain it to us" said Dr. Crane. as group moved through the door after Dr. Wayne.
The rustling of footsteps of the group echoed through the pyramid and when they finally stopped everything fell silent.It was occasionally broken by the moving wind.Ther was something eerie about the silence.
The pyramid had a small opening in the roof and below the open sky lay the pharaoh.The casket where he lay was surrounded by twelve statues and they all shone in the silver moonlight.As the casket was opened a strong odor hit everyone.Dr. Wayne and Dr. Crane observed the mummy.The mummy had his hands folded over his chest with some dried flowers in them.The casket had an inscription on it."My love will same thee from the Curse." read Dr. Crane.He also added pointing at he dried flowers" These flowers must be the wife's love to her husband" Besides the mummy, the group also found other supposedly needed while going from this world into the next.
Then all the things, including the mummy were carried away for further examination much to the anger of the local people. The local people opposed this expedition as a myth prevailed that if the resting place of the pharaoh; the pyramid is disturbed a terrible curse will break out and it will engulf everyone and especially those who would be causing the disturbance.
After about one month the news channels were carrying only one news bulletin with the heading,"The Curse".
Dr. Jean and six other men had already died.They suffered from an unknown ailment which people considered to be the 'Curse'.It supposedly caused the people to die of multiple organ failure. No one understood anything so the fear regarding the 'Curse' only increased.Many medical teams were made to study the new disease but all their efforts were turning out to be fruitless.Condition only worsened.More people were being reported with that disease.People panicked.They demanded that the pharaoh should be taken back to its original place, hoping to end the 'Curse'.
Dr. Crane and Dr. Wayne both were suffering from that disease.After two days when Dr. Wayne died Dr.Crane was handed over a letter supposedly written to him by his colleague and dear friend. After reading the letter Dr. Crane immediately went back to Egypt to the same pyramid they had carried out the expedition for as Dr. Wayne's letter advised him to go back if he wanted to break out of the 'Curse'.
Standing alone in front of the entrance of the pyramid with Dr. Wayne's letter clutched in his hand.He thought about the letter again.

"Dear friend,
If you want to break the 'Curse', then you must go back the same place.I noticed that the first people to be affected with that disease were the people who were on that expedition.I do not know. what you should be looking for but I just hope I'm not to late to point in a direction.Move quickly and put together the pieces, there is little time on our hands.None will believe me, only you will.You have to undo what was wrongly done by us.Take care.
Wayne Clark"

Dr. Crane, frail from the disease, entered the chamber where the mummy was found and where it all stared.It was a cold night and wind blew steadily against the pyramid.He remembered the odor that they got when they first entered the pyramid.Then something stuck him.He remembered the inscription above the door ; 'Who disturbs the one here robs the most precious thing he has'.The 'he' in it is not the pharaoh but the one who would enter the pyramid."It referred to us...." thought Dr. Crane. He went straight over to where the pharaoh used to lay.As he was looking around the spot he thought " the answer have to be somewhere here ,Oh Almighty, I need your love to save us, show me the way'.
This short prayer of his reminded him of the message from the pharaoh's wife to her husband,;My love will save thee from the Curse'.The pharaoh held in his hands his wife's love, the flowers."Those flowers must have solution to break the Curse.But were on earth am I going to find flowers in a desert?" said Dr. Crane as feeling s of helplessness overtook him."Oh Almighty, show me a way" Dr. Crane prayed again
The wind blew in from the open roof and he turned his face towards the circle of statues.Moonlight shone in. The moonlight reminded him of the inscription on the tablet, 'When down and close below look above for light and \time will show the way'.Then he remembered the smiling face on the tablet. He walked over to the circle of statues under the open sky.Dr. crane looked above at the sky and found what he was looking for.The smiling face was made with two stars for eyes and and the moon crescent as the smile.He searched around the statues below the face.Finally he found some dried flowers growing at the foot of the statue.He picked up as many of those now brown flowers as he could and quickly rushed back to his country.
Back in the country, it was found that the flowers could be used to make an antidote for the disease and could even be used to cure it.A team was set up to research about the flowers and soon an antidote and a medicine was harbored. Though many people had already lost there lives but the rest, including Dr. Crane's, could be saved.
Many year passed since the terrible incident happened. Dr. Crane had written his biography and he mentioned about it.It was titled .
'Sand of Time
Sometimes truth is stranger than fiction,
But there is a thin line between the two.........'
A few lines from his book,
" Often truth and fiction are mixed up with each other,. If truth is treated as fiction and vice-versa, trouble arises.When the truth remains hidden the thin line between the two begins to get blurred.If the 'Curse' was taken as the truth the actual truth would have never been revealed.Dr. Wayne could just have waited for him and others to die, accepting it as their fate taking the 'Curse at its surface meaning. But he made a different choice. He chose to separate the truth and fiction.It was he who made me realize that the'Curse' was just a fictional name of the disease given by the local people back then.The truth was simply a rare disease who, ironically had its treatment nearby.Though Dr. Wayne and several others died before the actual medical treatment could reach them many other lives could be saved.If its not been for my experienced colleague and dear friend I would never have been alive to pen down this book....."