DAY TWENTY FOUR

(Who Builds a Fire Pit in a Tomb!?)

GRETA

Greta had a sneaking suspicion when she woke up today, that it just wasn't going to be her day. Untangling herself from Youssef, she went and caught a shower and some breakfast. She wondered how her chickens were doing. It was nice to be away for a bit, but now she was missing it. Greta wondered how she would bring Youssef back, or even if she could. Maybe that catalogue would have something in it.

Sighing as she cleaned up her dishes, she watched Youssef get up, and head for the men's showers. Still not quite believing he was her husband, (Married!) she smiled, now she could do that old hags request without fail.

When Youssef had eaten, she asked him about coming with her to the market. He agreed with a smile and a kiss of her hand. They set out together for the market place.

Once they arrived there, Greta explained to Youssef what it was she was going to be doing. All he did was hug her, and wish her luck. He said he would be waiting for her in the bookstore, and to come get him when she was done. Smiling at the thought of completing her task, and spending the rest of the day with him, made her rush out to find three locals to talk to.

Man, this was harder than it looked. Every time she went to talk to someone, they rushed off. Finally giving up on lunch, and most of her faith in people, Greta decided to be smart. She stood in thought for a moment, and then came up with the idea to talk to the vendors, even if she had to buy something from them to do it.

It took a lot of haggling, not to mention time, but by nightfall she had done it. Smiling a little wearily, she went to get Youssef. Where did he go? When she reached the bookstore, he wasn't there. Did he leave without her? Surely, he wouldn't have. He wasn't that type of guy. She was a good judge of character, and he was great guy, that's why she knew he was the one. Running out of the stall a little frantically, she was about to run back to the camp to look for him, when she saw him at the food stall.

A little of breathy from running, she slowed her pace a few feet from him, and walked up hugging him from behind. She felt him jump a little, and then turn. He was holding out a large plate of food. He told her he had been about to go looking for her. Was she hungry? Of course! Taking his hand, she let him lead her to a table and they shared the food he had bought. He asked how things were going. Giving a little laugh, she told him. The next stop was to tell the little old lady what she had found out, and then go back to camp. He looked a little bored, but she had made him wait all day with nothing to do.

With Youssef following her, she headed to see Inji and tell her what she had found out. She had talked to four people to be on the safe side, but they had all said the same thing. No one was really happy with the company there.

After relaying the news to Inji, the old bat had another request for her! Would it never end!? Sighing a little, she was about to say no, when Youssef took her hand, and said he would get supplies. Touched, Greta nodded, and then told Inji she would.

After Youssef returned with the supplies, They set out for the tomb. Upon arrival a huge slab stood before them. Following the instructions from Inji, Greta examined it, and then finding what she needed, she opened it.

Whew! What was that reek? It smelled like something had died in here. Entering slowly, and allowing her eyes to adjust to the gloom, Greta found herself in a long hallway. Quietly calling out, she made sure Youssef was following her. Feeling a hand slide into hers, she jumped and almost had a heart attack. Youssef, remember him? She said in her head, he's here with you, calm down. Squeezing his hand back, she moved farther down the hallway. Almost to the end, she spotted it. The hole in the wall where her key from Inji would go. Letting go of his hand, Greta took out her key, and pushed it in the slot. There was a click, and a door opened. Turning and smiling at Youssef, she held out her hand. Together they entered into the next room.

It was another long hallway, ending in a small room with a large pool of water. There was nothing else. Telling Youssef to wait for her, she'd be right back, she dived into the well. Ew! Old water was disgustingly slimy. Reaching the bottom, she found nothing. All those days of scuba diving had really come in handy. She shot towards the surface, and emerged from the water. Youssef had been waiting, and seemed relieved when she returned. A little stumped, Greta sat on the edge for a moment and thought. Looking around her, she just couldn't see how to proceed. That's when Youssef complained of the cool breeze coming from the far wall. Going closer Greta realized that it was a bit different from the rest of the walls, just better hidden than the last tomb. Smiling, she pressed against it. She was really starting to get the hang of this.

The next room, they discovered, had another dive well, and a locked door. Otherwise it was empty. While Youssef set about pushing on all the walls, Greta looked at the well, and then dived in. Reaching the bottom, she stretched her arms out, trying to feel for a hole, but there wasn't one. Placing her feet on the bottom, and getting ready to push back up to the surface, she felt something under her foot. Praying it wasn't the remains of one of Inji's past exploration people, Greta reached down to feel what it was. A switch! With a little muscle, she managed to flip it, and then resurfaced. Youssef was staring at the door which was now unlocked. Climbing out, she smiled and called for him to follow her.

Just past the door, and they were in another hallway. Hmmm, at the far end were stairs leading down, and just before them was a switch on the floor with a pair of feet drawn on. Greta went and stood on it while Youssef watched. Suddenly, a piece of wall opened up. Peeking her head through, Greta found herself staring into the very first hall they had come down. Cool! A secret entrance. This was going to be maddening she thought as she took his hand and headed for the stairs.

At the bottom, she found herself in a small entrance way. Growing at the base of the stairs were three plants. She had never seen them, and didn't know what they were, so she decided to leave them alone. Looking ahead, she could see another hallway, but there were three statues blocking her way. What looked like flames were In front of them. What was this place? Maybe if she could somehow tip over one of the statues she could use it like a bridge, and they could run across to safety. Giving the middle one a shove, she didn't tip it over. What she did was push it forward a little bit. As it slid forward, it extinguished some of the flames. Wow! How cool was that!? Pushing it through the fire to clear a path to the other side, she found herself in a small curved hallway. Grinning like an idiot, she gave a little whoop, and kissed Youssef. He smiled back at her, after getting over the small surprise. Taking his hand, and looking all around her, she followed the hallway to its end.

No surprise here, more statues, followed by more flames. Making short work of them, they found themselves in a small hallway, with rubble covering the left side, and what looked like a turn to the right down the right side. Greta decided to try the left first. She made short work of the rubble, only to find a treasure chest underneath. Bonus! She scooped up the contents, and continued on. She could hear Youssef opening the chest again to look, then following her. She came to another rubble pile, this one smaller. As she was clearing it, she watched as Youssef found another switch on the floor with the foot symbol. He gave her one look then stepped on it. A piece of wall broke open just in front of him, beyond it she could see the stairs and the three plants. Good, a short cut. Clearing the last of the rubble away, she found more coins. She scooped them up, and put them in her bag. Just as Youssef came back over, she reached out and took his hand, then headed for the hallway.

By following the right turn, she had found herself in a small concealed chamber with another dive well. Maybe these were bathing chambers? Nah, that one had had a switch. Making Youssef wait for her, she dived in and started searching for a lever. No lever this time, but a hole. It was kind of lit up from down here, by some kind of moss growing around it. If she squinted, she could see an opening on the other side. Returning to the surface, she told Youssef what she had found. Well, they couldn't go back, she explained, so they may as we'll try forward. Together they swam through the tunnel, and then surfaced on the other side.

Boy was it stifling! The room they had entered into was boiling hot. There were several fires raging, and more statues. Taking a small look around, Greta noticed more funny looking patches of walls. Now that she knew what to look for, they were easy to spot. Totally exhausted, and sure Youssef felt the same way, she suggested they set up camp for the night, and start fresh in the morning. Youssef agreed. Snuggling with Youssef, Greta drifted off to sleep in their tent.


YOUSSEF
When he woke up this morning, Greta was gone again. Had she left him behind again? Checking for a note, and not finding one, he left the tent, only to see her washing dishes at the camp sink. Hmm, so she really was tidy, it wasn't just a nervous fluke. Fine by him. Feeling a little stiff from sleeping on the dirt in a tent, he headed for the showers. If only they were co-ed.

He went to get a quick meal and found Greta staring off into space. Deciding to leave her alone with her thoughts for a bit, he finished his breakfast, and was about to take his dishes to the sink when she asked him to come to the market with her. Hmm, this could be a bit disastrous. I mean a lot of the women there knew him, none of them knew he was married. He'd have to be careful, after all he couldn't say no. It would look suspicious.

At the market, Greta explained to him why she was there. Somehow she had gotten herself tangled up with that stupid company, and was doing their dirty work. It made him mad, but he wasn't sure he knew why. After all, what business was it of his what she did. It wasn't like they were really married, sure he liked her company, but what man didn't like the company of a woman? He was just using her to get what he wanted, she was just a different prize than he was used to.

Looking around, he spotted several potential dangers, and to his relief one place of shelter. Wishing her good luck, he told her he would wait for her in the bookstore, then he gave her a hug and left. The bookstore was run by an older woman, who knew he was a dog, but didn't care. She herself was married to a well -thought -of man in the town, but tended to use Youssef for some fun, because her husband was a "useless lump" as she called it.

Feeling a bit peckish, Youssef stretched and decided to go get some dinner. He had spent a pleasant afternoon bantering with his friend. Boy, had she laughed when he told her about his current situation. He thought she was going to die from laughter. Where was Greta? It was night all ready, and she still hadn't come for him. Feeling a bit anxious, he headed for the food vendor, glancing for Greta. He'd give it a better search after he filled up his stomach.

After flirting a bit with the vendor and assuring her he hadn't forgotten her, and that he would visit her soon he promised, he finally got his food. Just as he was about to find a table, someone hugged him from behind, jumping a little he recognized Greta's arms a second later. She was so affectionate, none of the other girls were, unless you gave them something first. She really was different. Snapping out of his thoughts, he quickly glanced up, but the vendor was nowhere to be seen, she must be in the back. Phew! Crisis adverted. Turning he smiled and offered her food, he told her he had just been worried about her not eating, and had gone to get her some food. He watched the smile spread across her face. Now he had no choice, when she nodded, he took her by the hand and led her to a table that was blocked by some vases of plants. Now, no one could see them, and if they did, well, he was just helping some foreign woman for a bit. After all, he couldn't afford to burn bridges here. If things didn't work out as planned with Greta, he might have to come back.

Over dinner, he listened to her prattle on about this work she was doing. Now she needed to go talk to the old woman. Would this day never end? Yes, of course he would go with her. Taking her hand, he let her lead him to the woman's house.

He waited a few steps behind her as she waited for the old woman to answer. Old people sure were slow. Finally the door opened and the old woman stepped out. Oh no! It was Inji! That old busy body, gossiped about every little thing to anyone who was willing to listen (or unable to get away.) After a few minutes, she gave Greta another job. Go to tomb and explore it. Greta was getting mad, and about to say no, when inspiration struck him. Staying partially shrouded in shadows, he reached out and took Greta's hand to catch her attention. He told her he would go back to the market and get supplies for them. He was willing to go with her. He could see Inji trying to get a better look at him, and hoped she didn't. Turning and heading back to the market as fast as he could, he went to get some supplies. After all, if they were in a tomb, they couldn't run into anyone he knew, and they would have some privacy. Things couldn't be better.

By the time he got back with the tent, and other supplies Inji had gone inside. Smiling and taking Greta's hand, they headed for the tomb together. How bad could this be?

The entrance to the tomb was very intimating. How could she want to come to a place like this? Was she crazy!? He didn't know what she did, but the door opened. The smell coming out of the now open door was disgusting! Trying hard not to gag, he watched as Greta went in a little ways. Expecting to hear blood curdling screams and the door to slam shut on her, he was preparing to bolt. Tragically widowed before a week had passed, began to run through his head.

He heard Greta call out to him, well she was still alive. Now he couldn't run away, heaving a sigh and shaking his head, he walked into the tomb. Reaching her, he put his hand in hers and felt her give a start. Good, he wasn't the only one feeling nervous and bit jumpy about this. He smiled a little when he felt her squeeze his hand.

Holding hands they made it to the next room, well more like hallway. He had lived here most of his life looking at this dusty tomb, but never had he imagined anything this intricate was inside. After all, these things were supposed to be from ancient days. At the end of the hall, they came to a well. There was still water in it! How gross was that? You couldn't pay him enough to get into it. So, he was a little shocked when Greta turned to him and told him to wait here. Then she climbed into the well, and disappeared below the surface. Shaking his head and chuckling quietly to himself, he began to wander around the room. She was certainly crazy. Who had he hitched himself too? The minutes began to pass, and he sat by a wall and waited. Finally she resurfaced, but the look on her face wasn't a good one. She sat down on the edge lost in thought. Finally unable to stand the silence anymore, he told her they should look elsewhere, because the breeze from the one wall was really chilly. She looked up at him questioningly, and he pointed to...well make his point. He watched as Greta got up and started looking closely at the wall. What in the world was she doing? It was a wall, an old dirty, cold wall. Smiling, she began pushing against the wall, suddenly the wall moved! Mouth open in astonishment, Youssef watched as another room became visible from what was now a doorway. No way! That was actually kind of cool. Looking at his wife grinning like an idiot, he couldn't help but feel some pride in her.

The next room was more of the same. A well, four walls, but also a door. Checking to make sure it wasn't open, Youssef began to press on the walls, you know just incase they had another opening. He heard a splash and knew Greta was in the well. How she managed to get into those dirty, pits was beyond him. They were probably covered in...well, who knew what. There was a click and a creak, and the door that was behind him began to open. His heart hammering in his chest, he watched the doorway for sounds of movement. Which of course is when Greta surfaced, and he thought he felt his heart stop for a moment. Gods, that was scary. Greta explained as she got out of the well, and then waited for him to join her by the door. Together, they walked through.

Huh. Another hallway. Wait, wait, wait. This one had stairs at the end, and funny coloured stepping stone halfway down the hall. Shrugging, he followed Greta's lead. Did this not bother her? Wasn't she frightened? He almost needed a fresh set of pants. He watched as she stood on the stone. There was a scraping sound, and a piece of the wall opened up. After looking through, Greta took his hand and started heading for the stairs. They were going deeper? Oh boy! He thought sarcastically.

At the bottom was an astounding sight. There was a hallway blocked off by statues and fire. How could fire be burning down here? This place was thousands of years old. Shaking his head a little, he followed Greta as she went to look at some plants. Oh! Now this was interesting. These were flame fruit bushes, they were very rare in Al-Simhara. He could tell from the look on her face that Greta didn't know what they were, but he did. They were worth a small fortune to the right buyer. Looking closer at them as Greta wandered off he could tell, they would be ripe for harvesting soon. Making a mental note of where they were, he turned when he heard Greta grunt followed by a scraping noise. Thinking there was trouble, he tensed to run away from whatever was attacking, when he saw it was just Greta pushing one of the huge statues forward. What was she doing? He watched as the moving statue put out the flames in front of it. Standing in a now clear patch, Greta beckoned him to follow, so he did. Youssef did not want to be left alone down here, and his wife seemed to be the safest place to be; she was fearless. He had a new respect for her.

Okay, another hallway. Rubble at one end? Check. Mysterious corner at the other? Check.  Choices, choices he thought to himself. Greta turned to the left, so he followed. Letting a small sigh out, he started helping her clear away the rubble. There was a dusty old chest underneath which Greta opened and took something out of. What was it? As she headed further down, he opened the chest and looked in. Empty, hmm, what had she grabbed? Wandering further down the hall, he found her moving a smaller pile of rubble, hey look! There was another one of those floor tiles by the dead end. Youssef went and stepped on it, after all Greta had stood on the last one and opened a secret door, maybe this one would too. He had been right. A section of the wall opened up, and beyond was the set of stairs with the flame fruit. Had they just gone in one huge circle? Weird, he turned and started to head back to Greta. She stood up just as he reached her, was that gold coins she was slipping into her bag? How lovely, he'd have to lighten her load of those back in town.

They turned to the right and kept going down a hallway that seemed to curve in on itself. At the end? Another well of course. He watched as Greta disappeared into the water. This sucked. It was cold, creepy, damp, exhausting, and...well, just sucky. He stood when Greta surfaced again and began to excitedly tell him about what she had found. She wanted him to what!? He wanted to scream no at her, and storm out, but figured he would be lost within minutes and die down here alone. Putting on a strained smile, he climbed into the well with her. Ok, maybe this wasn't so bad. At least it wasn't freezing cold. It was kind of warm actually. Why was it warm? Don't tell me she peed in it. That was just gross. Holding his breath like instructed he dived under the water and followed her.

Just as he was losing the ability to hold his breath any longer, his head broke the surface. Boiling! He could already feel his hair starting to dry. Heaving himself over the edge of the well, he saw a room filled with fires and statues. Great they were in the devil's playroom. Tired ,he wondered what Greta would do now. To his surprise ,she suggested they set up camp. He nodded, he was bone weary and just wanted to sleep. She must be feeling worse, but you wouldn't know it. Smiling a little as he setup the tent, he had to admire her determination and will power. She was certainly something else.

Snuggling with her in the tent after a small meal of hard, dried rations, he wondered if they would make it out of here. If someone had asked him where he'd be in his life, he certainly wouldn't have answered in some dusty old tomb. Well, his plan had kind of back -fired, but he was learning a lot, especially about his new wife. That wasn't so bad he thought as he drifted off to sleep.