Goodbye

So as you may have guessed. This challenge for me is over. Unfortunately I got busy with work and due to a few mishaps with my computer my save file for the game got erased. I know I've been lectured many times by Bmit about keeping back ups and I didn't listen. Serves me right. I look forward to the next challenge.

DAY THIRTY
(Let The Games Begin!)

GRETA

Waking up, she felt a bit groggy, but otherwise happy and fine. Giving Youssef's back a quick snuggle she got out of bed and ran for the shower. She loved Youssef but the man took forever in the shower! Half the day could be wasted if she didn't get there first.

Shortly after starting breakfast, Youssef joined her and they talked for a bit. He was getting restless she could tell. Cleaning up after both of them, she went up to the garden. She missed the chickens, especially since she didn't seem to have a green thumb. There were weeds to be picked, but no matter how hard she tried, she just couldn't seem to make them come out. 

Shaking her head she went back downstairs to practice her alchemy. She had thought about a quick swim, but decided against it on the roof. It was way too chilly. It was going to be a long winter. Maybe she could travel again sometime. Where to next? China? Yeah, that sounded good.

Cleaning up her mess, she went upstairs to bed and let her thoughts drift.

YOUSSEF

Greta was a bed hog. Well he had figured that out from the beginning. So he decided if he couldn't have a fair share of the bed, he'd make it up in blankets. Greta however had other ideas apparently. She kept taking them, it was becoming a habit. Just as he was about to pull some more of the covers back on himself, he felt her press up against his back. Mm, he could get used to this. Suddenly there was freezing cold air all along his back side. Wha!? He could hear Greta running for the door, and couldn't help but chuckle a little.

After finally convincing himself to get out of bed, he joined Greta at the table for breakfast. They talked a bit about their plans for the day, and about their dreams. Sighing to himself quietly he thought about what a simple life this was, it wasn't so bad. It just wasn't what he was used to, or what he had wanted. Getting up, he went to the basement to paint.

An hour later and he was bored. He went out on the deck, and saw the fish jumping. Hmm, maybe fishing would be better today. Trying his luck, he caught some fish, but the chill eventually got to him.

Going inside he had some soup and went upstairs to bed. Maybe he would go on a vacation too somewhere. He'd check the catalogue tomorrow. Darn! Greta was already in bed, wrapped up in the covers. It was going to be a long night.

DAY TWENTY NINE
(Of Magic and Alligators)

GRETA

It was cold. Not only was it cold, but the covers were gone as well. Shivering a little, and rolling over, Greta discovered Youssef had stolen all the blankets. Yanking some away from him, and covering herself as best as she could Greta snuggled against his back. She felt tired, and a bit achy. If she caught his cold, she was going to drown him, but she was happy he wasn't so hot anymore.

Laying there for awhile, she decided she had better get up and see what was going on. As quick as she could, she threw on some clothes and ran for the bathroom. Insulation was what this place needed. After a quick shower, she saw Youssef at the table. On a quick whim, she gave him a kiss and went skipping out the door. Nothing in the mail thank goodness, the last bill had been over $600. Not bad considering what they had done, but still. Bills like that every week would drain their savings badly.

Going down to the water, Greta checked the temperature. Nope, not on your life. Guess it was gardening and alchemy today. Up on the roof, Greta saw some of her plants almost ready to bloom, they sure did look strange. Wait, what was that? Weeds? Greta spent most of her morning pulling weeds.

After a quick lunch of soup, she went downstairs to practice her alchemy. She could see Youssef outside fishing. Well, if he enjoyed it why not? After a few hours Greta's head was hurting and she was feeling a bit sick. Deciding to stop for the night she was just outside their bedroom when Youssef came up behind her and hugged her. Whispering in her ear sweetly, he turned her around and kissed her. Now this was the man she had married in Egypt. Kissing him back, she wrapped her arms around his neck.

It was a very good night.

YOUSSEF

Youssef awoke from what felt like a really long nightmare. He felt sluggish but fine. Wow, that had been a doozy of a cold! He went to roll over when something at his back shifted. Greta was sleeping still, he could hear her breathing. Smiling, he remembered all the times she had come to sit with him yesterday. What a considerable woman, so unlike the women in Egypt.

He felt Greta get up a short while later. He waited a few minutes enjoying the relative coolness on his back. She was like a heater! Dragging himself out of bed, he went to open the door. Wait door? Looking around him, he saw all the changes. This was incredible! Greta had told him this would happen, but he had had no idea. Smiling like an idiot, he suddenly froze. Wait, he had just woken up to this, that means they came in the night. That really was creepy, now he knew why Greta always had this haunted look on her face when they talked about the company.

Going downstairs (there was an elevator! How cool was that!?) he had breakfast. Just as he was finishing, Greta came out of the bathroom. He put down his spoon and was about to ask her about the plan for the day when she leaned over him, and gave him a kiss. Shocked into stillness, he watched her skip out the door.

Chuckling, he cleaned his bowl and went outside. It was frigid! No snorkeling today. He decided to take a small walk around the island. Five minutes later he was back where he started. It had been a VERY SMALL walk. But, he had been mildly surprised. There were flowers on the island. Just two small daisies, but still. Wondering if Greta liked those, he had been about to go in when he noticed the fish jumping. Mm, fish. He had done a lot of that in Egypt. Mind you, the alligators had to be watched for. Sometimes they ate half your catch, sometimes they ate half of you.

He remembered his first fishing trip with a friend and his father. They had gone down to a nearby oasis, and were learning to fish, but they had grown bored. So they played by the waterline. They could hear Farids father talking, telling them all about different things to with fish, when they heard him shout. Frightened they had looked towards him, to see him running in their direction and waving his hands like a mad man. Farids had screamed and clutched at him. Turning his head, he saw the alligator bearing down on them. He was too scared to move. Just as the alligator would have snapped him up its jaws, he felt himself being pushed away. Farid's father had shoved him out of the way. The alligator had a hold of his arm, and was dragging him into the water. Too stunned to do anything but watch in horror with Farid screaming in terror beside him, he watched as Farid's father took the machete he carried in his belt out, and cut off his own arm. The alligator went under the water with a piece of his prize. Farid's father had staggered over to them, and made sure they were alright. After calming them down, he took them back to the village. He survived, but after that, Farid had to take over working to support their family. They didn't play like they used to. Farid's father, still took them fishing from time to time, and taught them what they needed to know. He had been a kind man. He always taught the boys in the village to fish. One time, he took two boys out, and only one had returned. Screaming and hysterical, they found out that there had been two alligators. One had snapped the one boy off the shore, Farid's father had run to help, and the other alligator had gotten him. It had been a sad day.

Smiling at the bittersweet memories, Youssef ran inside and got some fishing gear. He spent most of his day on the shore, catching fish. Finally, shivering a bit, he looked up. Night had descended. He went inside and put away part of his catch, selling the rest as Greta had taught him to do. Then he went in search of his wife.

He found her outside their room. She looked tired, but happy. Happy, and feeling a bit frisky, he wrapped his arms around her from behind and whispered wickedly in her ear. She turned after a few moments, and smiling, kissed him again. Yes, this he could get used to. Picking her up and carrying her into their room, he had an adventure of his own that night.

   DAY TWENTY SEVEN
(So, This is my Life?)

GRETA

Guilty. That's how Greta felt when she woke up. She was so happy when Youssef had shown up on the island with her yesterday, how could she not? Now that she thought about it though, she did feel guilty. She should have told him, of course she should have. Would he have stayed with her though? That was the question. Guilty, but not sorry about it, yes that's how she felt. She had been alone so long, she didn't care. She'd do it again if given the chance.

Getting out of bed, she went through her morning routine. As she was finishing her breakfast, Youssef got up. He looked over to where she was sitting, and then went into the shower. Fine, he'd need time, that was understandable. But there were things she needed to know, things she had to make clear, so she waited at the table for him to join her.

Explaining things so they made sense was a little harder than anticipated. At first she wasn't sure he got it, but he seemed to put it in better order than she did. Bully for him. Where was this anger coming from? Oh, that's right, they're talk last night. Couldn't he see that she loved him? She didn't kidnap him and make him a slave, she loved him and wanted to spend the rest of her life with him. Sighing to herself, she explained about snorkeling and scuba diving.

Leaving him with his thoughts for awhile, she went upstairs to check on the chickens and the mail. Oh this wasn't good! The chickens were ill looking. No good eggs to speak of, what was she going to do? She'd check the catalogue later, maybe they'd have medications. Going to the mailbox, Greta almost passed out after opening it. Are you kidding!? Her haul from Egypt and the day before was immense. They could upgrade their house, buy things, they could live off of this! Running back inside Greta went to find Youssef.

Gone. Along with the snorkeling gear. Looks like he took her advice. Well, she'd just have to wait until later. Donning her scuba gear Greta headed for the cave.

She must have gotten a horseshoe stuck somewhere. The haul down by the cave in both areas was unbelievable. Coming back to the island she felt satisfied with her days work. Now to find Youssef and discuss things. There he was sitting at the table staring at some shells and rocks. Oh right. She had forgotten to tell him what to do with the things they had found. Walking up and shyly saying hello, she sat down beside him. He reached out and took her hand, giving an apologetic smile. Things were going to be okay.

After explaining/showing him the way to sell things, Greta told him about the money. Then she showed him the catalogue. They talked until the middle of the night about what to do with it all. Then they placed an order. Looking a little skeptical, Youssef joined her in the bed, and they fell asleep.

YOUSSEF

He was a jerk. He'd never said that about himself before, but he was pretty sure it applied to him now. He had whined like a small child last night. It didn't change the way he felt, but he still felt embarrassed by it.

Sighing, he got out of bed. Looking towards the other end of the room, he saw Greta having breakfast at the table. He started heading towards her to apologize, when she turned. It was like she had thunder clouds in her face. He had done that, he just knew it. Feeling ashamed, and wanting to avoid her wrath, he headed for the shower. She probably needed a few minutes to herself.

Getting out, he discovered her still sitting there. Well, nothing for it, he would have to endure and apologize. That should make her calm down. After all, he was stuck with her until he could find away off of this island. He sat at the table, and was about to offer his apologies, when she spoke first. It was brisk and business like, and he didn't like it. She told him about things to do, and what to gather.

This sounded like a lot of work. It was depressing to think this is what his life had come to. After she left, he sat thinking about possible escape roots, and then decided he had better stop living in daydream world. Working, might make her happy, and he might discover a way out of this. Strapping on some snorkeling gear, he set out for the ocean. Not like its hard to find around here, he thought sarcastically.

Five minutes out, he was tired. An hour after that he was exhausted. There were some things to be found, shells, fish, a toy (a toy way out here, who knew.) then he found something interesting. A rock of the ancients. They had been here. Either this was going to make things very very good, or very very bad. Still not sure, he headed for the shore.

Not sure what to do with everything he had found, he started looking for Greta after changing. Nowhere to be found, he placed his treasures on the table in front of him, and waited. This wasn't much of a life. Looking around him, at all the things that were there, he had to admit he had admiration for Greta. She had lived like this far longer than he had, and look at where she had gotten, what she had done. He did feel pride in her. His new bride was amazing, it's just he wished she had been upfront. This certainly wasn't a life he wanted  nor have chosen. Sighing to himself, he went deeper and deeper into thought waiting for her to come home. Maybe he would find his answers.

How long he had sat there, he didn't know, but Greta brought him out of a daze. Walking shyly up to the table and practically whispering hello, it was quite the change from this morning. At least she didn't seem to be mad anymore. When she sat, he reached out and took her hand, giving it a squeeze, and smiling. He was sorry too. Greta apologized for not telling him how to sell things. Then she told him about the catalogue, apparently this was their lifeline.

He had practically passed out after she told him about her find in the mailbox this morning. They were going to be okay here. One small worry lifted off his chest. Then she started talking about making their living space better. They discussed things for a longtime, and wrote most of it down on a piece of paper. Greta showed him how it all worked. Then they headed for bed. He was too exhausted to give it much thought, but he was starting to like it here.

DAY TWENTY SIX
(Nowhere to Go, and Still Happy)

GRETA

Greta woke up, face down on the beach. She was home again, it felt good to be here. Getting up, she realized her bag was full still. Looking into it she found all her treasures from her vacation. Her head snapping up, she quickly turned looking for the mummy, but it was nowhere to be found. Thank goodness. Oh no! Youssef! Did he come with her? Where was he? Oh please, oh please, oh please! Rounding the far side of her house, there he was face down in the water. Letting out a breath she didn't realize she was holding, she went and started dragging him a little further up the beach.

After Youssef woke up, he naturally had a lot of questions. She tried answering them as best as she could. Let's face it, she didn't know how things worked any better than he did. Standing and dusting herself off, she offered him a tour of their home. Well, it wouldn't be much of one, there wasn't much to see. Was it her, or did he look a little disappointed?

She took him to the coop and showed him the chickens, of course Charles made an appearance. Man, he was nasty. Youssef seemed to find him a little bit funny. Downstairs, she showed him what she had managed to accumulate so far. He seemed impressed. Then she left him alone for a bit. Best to let him figure out a place here for himself.

Greta started going through her pack, putting things where they were supposed to go, and slotting things for sale. She had made an amazing haul. They would be able to do a lot with this.

Going outside to harvest the eggs one last time, Greta smiled. Things were going to be ok from now on. Back inside, she made herself a quick meal (it was late in the evening after all,) and then read one of the books she had purchased.

A little while later, Youssef came down and found her. They talked quietly for a bit, and then cuddled together on the bed until they fell asleep. Tomorrow was another day.

YOUSSEF

Hot, wet and cold! Those were his first sensations upon waking up. He opened his eyes to the blazing light, and found himself reaching for nothing. No! Not nothing. Greta. He called out her name, and she leaned over into his line of sight. Oh good, she was safe. Smiling he reached up and touched her face.

A short while later he was sitting on the beach, listening to Greta talk about how she ended up on this island. It truly was a wondrous tale. No wonder she had been so skilled in the tombs, it had been like second nature to her. She was an amazing woman, far better than he had taken her for in the beginning. As he sat pondering this, Greta got up and offered him a tour of their home. He supposed he should see it, but it didn't look as though there was much to see.

The chicken coop was fantastic. At least there was fresh eggs, and Charles! What a funny little rooster, and yes Greta was right; he did look a bit feminine for a rooster. There wasn't much to see inside the living space, it was minimalist at best, but he was used to that. Living in the desert you get used to living that way. She had a few nice pieces. Overtime, this would probably feel like a mansion. As he thought about things, Greta wandered away. He was thankful for the privacy, he needed time to think about things, not that it really mattered much in reality.

Now what was to become of him? He thought of many different scenarios of wandering off the island, getting to a city somewhere and then making his way home, but what of Greta? She could come if she wanted, but somehow the thought of her joining him angered him. She hadn't told him about any of this when they met, no she waits until he had no choice, and then she tells him. If he had known about this beforehand he would have...he would have what? Forgotten about her? Not wanted her so badly? Who was he kidding, he probably would have done things exactly the same way. Sighing to himself, he got up and started heading inside to find Greta. They needed to talk.

He found her sitting on the bed. Their bed he guessed. He sat beside her and unloaded his worries, his frustrations, and his feelings of anger and betrayal. She listened quietly at first. She seemed to know instinctively that he needed to do this. Then she offered up some comments and thoughts of her own.

Feeling better, he thought of it from her point of view. How lonely it must have been here for her. He wouldn't be like that, at least they had each other now. Fears slightly assuaged, they slipped into bed and cuddled for a bit. He knew when Greta fell asleep, her breathing evened out, and her body relaxed. It was a while longer before he finally fell asleep.

DAY TWENTY FIVE
(Romance That Lasts Throughout the Ages)

GRETA
She felt exhausted, and that was after waking up from a sleep with Youssef. She crawled out of the tent, and used one of the shower- in- a-can he had bought. Hmmm, that did feel a bit refreshing. Eating some more dry flavourless rations, she looked around room again. Good, she hadn't imagined those spots. Stretching a little, she more felt than saw Youssef getting out of the tent behind her. After he had had his portion of the rations they took down the tent, and she handed him a shower -in -a -can. Then she went exploring.

There were three statues in the room on the main part of the floor. There was also a huge ring of fire blocking one of the statues in the far corner. Hmm, looking closely at the ground, she noticed a pressure sensitive switch as she called them in the ground. Perfect. Checking on Youssef, she began pulling the closest statue to the switch. Finally , manoeuvring it to where she wanted it, she heard the click as it covered the switch. There was a grinding noise, and second switch rose up from the floor a few feet away. Oh great, another pressure sensitive one. Walking over to the next available statue, she began pushing but it wouldn't budge. She tried pulling, but still nothing. Oh, don't say it. Greta just knew that the statue in the corner was the only other moveable one. Great, now what was she going to do? Well, she could always ask Youssef to get it. He was after all her husband, and a man. Surely he loved her enough, and was brave enough to walk through fire for her ,right? Yeah right, she couldn't do that to him. She wanted to show him how worthy she was of being his wife. No, she had to do this on her own. First though, a break.

Looking at the spots on the wall that she had noticed earlier, she managed to open one. It had a treasure chest in it. Scooping up what was inside she decided it was now or never. Starting to run, she kept going heading straight for the flames. She could hear Youssef yelling at her to stop, but she had to try. Just as she reached the flames, she leaped up in the air, and sailed over the fire. WOOOWWWEEE! That was a little too hot for comfort, but she had landed on the other side.  Just as she stood and started checking herself for burns and fires she heard a sound like something snapping closed. Looking back, there was now a patch of fire missing in the ring, big enough for someone to fit through. That was weird. Moving closer she examined the ground, just there were what appeared to be vents. Vents? What were these doing here? What exactly was this place? She was shaken out of her thoughts by the sight of Youssef on the other side staring at her. Feeling a bit guilty for making him worry, Greta apologized and explained what she had done, and why.

Youssef had offered to help her move the statue, but she refused. It may have sounded weird, but she felt like she had started this, and she needed to be the one to finish it. Pushing the statue in place, a floor switch raised from the ground near the top of the room. She went and looked at it. Oh good, a foot one. These puppies stayed down once you pressed on them. Standing on it, she waited for the telltale scraping of a door opening, but instead she heard the click of another floor panel lifting up. There just a few feet away from her was another foot panel. Youssef beat her, standing on it before she could. There was another clicking noise, and a third foot panel raised up. Greta went and stood on it, and that's when they heard the scraping of a wall. Looking behind her she could see a new chamber.

The next chamber was magnificent, and thankfully, not that hot. It was actually quite pleasant, and there were more of those plants from before in here. It looked like a little garden patch right in the centre of the floor. Oh, and these plants glowed! The flowers looked like little sparks of fire on the vines. How lovely! She turned to Youssef and asked what they were. Coming up beside her, he explained about the flame fruit bush. Oh wow, and to think they had survived down here all this time, how marvellous. Greta felt Youssef wrap his arms around her from behind, and rest his chin on her shoulder. Now this was kinda of romantic. The two of them, alone, in some ancient grotto surrounded by the soft glow of the flame fruit. She turned her head towards him for a kiss, when he suddenly let her go. Youssef pointed out more funny looking wall patches. Now!? He chose now to get all excited about secret wall panels? Ugh, the mood spoiled for her, she went to check them out. Hearing snapping and cracking noises she looked back towards Youssef to find him harvesting the flame fruit. Wonder if it tastes good she thought. She'd find out later, right now she had to concentrate and check out these walls. Whoever had built these things was a mad genius. It was very well concealed and intricate work. It was certainly giving her a hard time.

A few hours later,Greta found three secret doors. The first and third ones led to small chambers with treasure chests in them, which she had emptied. The second one had led to a chamber with stairs in it. Wandering back out into the main chamber, she watched Youssef as he continued to harvest the flame fruit. He was slow and methodical, this could take a bit. Time for a break.

After he was done, they mounted the stairs together, and found themselves facing a wall, with a floor panel in front of its standing on it, the wall swung open and they found themselves back in the very first hallway after just entering the tomb. Feeling a sense of relief to finally be done, Greta turned towards the exit and was about to leave when she remembered something. There had been another chamber beyond where the key slot had been. Curiosity getting the better of her, she turned to Youssef and asked if he would mind going back in and exploring a bit more. When he said he didn't mind, she turned around and started walking back inside.

The room she had seen turned out to have two creepy sarcophagi in it and some more gold coins, and two piles of rubble. Nothing was ever easy. Greta started clearing away the rubble  and soon had Youssef helping her. One was covering a pressure switch, and the other was blocking a hole in the wall. Looking at Youssef, she motioned for him to pick one. He chose the hole in the wall. Sighing, Greta looked around the room for a statue as Youssef walked over to the hole. Grabbing the statue and dragging it to the switch, she heard a piece of wall swing open and was turning to look when a deafening BOOM! sounded off. Jumping in shock, she whipped around towards the noise. Youssef stood with his arm upto his elbow in the wall staring at the floor In front of him. Where there had been flat floor, was now a set of stairs. Staring at each other across the room they began to laugh. Oh man, for a minute there she had thought the tomb was about to collapse. Hand over her chest, she turned around and saw where the wall had opened. Walking over to it, she discovered the pile of coins, and a treasure chest. Scooping out the treasure, she turned around and joined Youssef in the bigger chamber again. Talking things over, they decided to go down the stairs, but first Greta wanted to check out the sarcophagi. This might be her only chance to see a real mummy. Knowing he was exasperated, Youssef still helped her open one. Inside it was empty. There was still one to go. Opening it, they discovered small pouches of money, and some cut gems. Laughing in delight, they started dancing around with each other, and then hugging. Pretty soon, the hugging turned to kissing, and then it was on. Letting go of her judgement ,Greta ended up in a sarcophagus with Youssef.
Not her first choice of romantic places, but not bad either, she thought as they went down the stairs. It had been romantic in a way. Reaching the bottom, Greta focused on business. There was a long hall just to her left. Taking it, she came across a small chamber with a doorway in it, but it was blocked off by a large rock. Exiting they continued down the hall. There was another chamber with a dive well, and two Anubis statues standing sentinel over it. There was also a switch, and when triggered, it opened back into the hall. Walking through the doorway at the end of the hall they came to a long, narrow room. In it was a sarcophagus at the far end, and six treasure chests (three on each side,) and a dead end at the nearest side. Hmm, deciding to take what they could, they each picked a side of the room to gather from.

Opening her first chest, Greta was taking the treasure when she heard a click and the sound of a wall opening. It was too bad she hadn't heard the second click. Moving to the next chest, she starting moving the contents to her bag when she felt Youssef coming up beside her. She started to ask him how he got done so fast when she registered the smell. It was disgusting like rotted meat. Slowly raising up, she turned and looked into the half rotted, crumbling face of a dead mummy. Letting out a scream she tried to back away, but man could that thing move fast! Pretty soon, they were fighting it out on the floor. It's skin was dry, and yet surprisingly squishy, and was it ever strong. This was one battle she was not going to win. Hoping that it would quickly eat her brains, she struggled feebly to get away. Wait, zombies ate brains. Mummies cursed! That was all she could handle. Her system overloaded at the thought of being cursed for life, and shut down. Just before blacking out, she felt the mummy walk away, maybe it wasn't into dead-like things? Who knew mummies had standards. She could hear the sound of a chest being opened and treasure being lifted out. Youssef?

Regaining consciousness a short while later, Greta sat up. She was in a hallway, with Youssef's jacket under her head, the mummy was nowhere in sight. Maybe she had just imagined it. Nah,there were the scratch marks. It had been real. Nodding to herself, she suddenly froze. IT HAD BEEN REAL! There had been a mummy! Shutting her eyes and covering her mouth with her hands to stifle the scream that was about to happen, she felt warms hands rubbing her back. Then solid arms wrapped around her, and soothing hushing noises by her ear told her it was safe, and she was okay. She was being rocked back and forth, and she didn't mind. Greta started to cry and turned in Youssef's arms, she was scared and didn't mind admitting it.

That's when she felt the pull. Was it it the mummy!? Had he followed? No, this was familiar. She felt herself being lifted up. Home, she was heading home! She felt so relieved, then her eyes snapped open. No! Youssef! Where was he? Would he be coming with her? She blacked out for a second time with no answers.

YOUSSEF

Youssef woke with a start. He had been having the weirdest nightmare ever about a dusty cave. Opening his eyes, he realized that it hadn't been a dream. He really was in a dusty cave, no tomb. Where they stored ancient dead people. Ugh. Rolling onto his back to alleviate some of the stiffness, he stretched a little. He wasn't used to all this hard work, he was sore and tired. Impressed though, nothing seemed to get his wife down for long. The way she worked at a puzzle until she solved it, never giving up, it was impressive. Her enthusiasm was contagious. There were several times he felt almost caught up in it. Well, with her leading the way, they just might make it out of here alive, he knew he wouldn't on his own. Unzipping the tent he got out to see what was going on.

After sharing some mindless small talk with Greta, and eating a hard flavourless breakfast, he helped take down the camp. Seriously, they needed to make better quality meals for explorers, still they were filling. Looking around the room, he was lost. There was a ring of fire, and some statues, and a different kind of floor panel from before. He was about to turn and ask if there was something he could do, when Greta handed him a shower in a can. Did she think he smelled? She was the one who was constantly mucking around. That was it, she could do it on her own. His bad mood worsening, he wandered into the corner to use the shower in a can.

Boring! Yes, that was the word for watching Greta figure things out. He had been amused when he first watched her trying to push that statue across the room, but she had done it. His admiration started to grow, just like his excitement when she moved it onto the switch. But then another switch had come up. Slowly, time began to pass as nothing happened. He realized Greta was a little lost as to what to do, well if she couldn't figure it out, how was he supposed to? As she started searching for secret doors, Youssef took a seat against a nearby wall and waited thinking. He came to the conclusion that behind that ring of fire was something they needed. It was a large, hot burning fire though. Whoever went into it might not come out again. Thinking about sending Greta into it, he felt a pang of guilt. She wasn't from here, she hadn't grown up in the deserts hot weather, where fire just made you hotter. Nope, he'd have to do it. He stood taking his jacket off, and that's when he saw her.

He watched as Greta came running pell-mell out of the one chamber, straight for the fire. No! Youssef screamed for her to stop and went running after her. What was this crazy woman thinking!? He knew he wouldn't make it in time, but he had to try anyways. Just when he thought he might make it to her in time, she jumped straight into the fire. There was a cloud of smoke going up right in front of him, and he was forced to stop before running into the fire himself and being burnt to a crisp. As the smoke cleared, he could see a patch of the fire missing, and there she was crouched down, perfectly fine (a little sooty,) looking at the floor. A great sense of relief washed over him. She stood, then came over and apologized. Why was she saying sorry? Silly woman, all he wanted to do was hold her. Glad she was alive, he only nodded as she told him her theory. So, they had been thinking the same thing. Offering to help her move the statue, he was a little surprised when she told him no, she wanted to do it herself. He smiled inwardly, stubborn little thing she was.

After watching her haul the second statue over to the floor panel, he waited for something  to happen. Another floor switch. Would they be stuck rearranging the furniture in this room forever? Maybe some sadistic feng-shui artist had designed it to trap people. Hm, Greta was standing on the new switch. Looking over he saw a new switch pop up, he went and stood on it. Another click, another floor panel. Greta stood on this one. Looking around for the next floor panel, for their game of musical switches, Youssef heard a scraping noise, like a wall panel being opened. Turning, he could see another chamber. Oh, that breeze felt nice.

The next room had more flame fruit bushes. Oh goody, these ones were ripe. Looking beside him he could see Greta staring at them. When she quietly asked what they were, he could hear tones of amazement in her voice. Hmm, how to answer? He would tell her the tale his mother told him, that was probably the best way.

"Long ago, in the time of Kings, there was one who had a daughter. She was not his oldest, or his prettiest daughter, but she had a large, loving heart, and a kindness that all around felt. Yes, the king was proud of his daughter. As she grew, she brought all those around her great joy and happiness. This was a good thing because times were hard, full of bloodshed and war. His empire was expanding, and with it came new struggles and new rebellions.

"There was one enemy in particular that was a thorn in his side, but hopefully all that would be ended soon. Peace was soon going to be bought from him, in the price of his his eldest daughter. If he could not beat his enemy, then he would net him, and make him an ally.

"On the eve of his eldest daughters marriage to his new ally, she sat by the water watching his favourite children play. Before retiring to bed, he went to his most joyful daughter and talked with her a bit. She was saddened by the loss of a sister, but happy that war would end soon. She wished for peace for the people and prosperity for the kingdom. Smiling, that night he went to bed.

"He was awoken in the middle of the night by shouting in the halls outside of his chambers. Getting up, he went out to find his soon to be son in law covered in blood, and holding the limp dead body of his eldest daughter. Screaming in rage about how she had come to his chambers and tried to assassinate him, he called for revenge.

"The king was shocked and unsure of what to do. His enemy took advantage of this distraction and attacked. Making it past the kings guards, he went to land the final blow, when a gentle voice called out for him to stop. The king looked up, and saw his most joyful daughter standing there, she was pleading with his enemy to stop. Take her life instead, take her life and seal the deal. Have peace at last between the two kingdoms. He saw his enemy consider and agree. Beside himself, the old king begged for his daughters life to be spared, but to no avail.

"The foreign king took the life of his daughter, and called them even. The treaty would go through, and peace would finally come between them. The king held on to the body of his daughter and sobbed. Pleading with any god who would hear him, he begged for them to bring her back, make her live again he sobbed. She loved this kingdom as much as he did, and the people loved her back. The gods answered.

"His daughters body disappeared and in his arms he found a bush. It's fruit was ripe, and warm, and it glowed. Knowing he had his answer, the king planted it in his garden and watched as it spread throughout his kingdom year after year. All who saw it, knew it was the princess for it gave off the warmth of her heart, and brought joy to all those who saw it. It was named the flame fruit fruit bush, not only in honour of princess Ember, but also because it shared her passion and kindness for the kingdom."

After finishing his tale, he looked over to find Greta staring down at the plants, her eyes a little shiny in the soft glow. Walking over, he wrapped his arms around her. In this dim light, she was beautiful, and the way she reacted to his story, reminded him of old times with his mother. She found the story romantic, and would sigh. She said the first time she had heard that story was from his father, and it had moved her to love him even more. She always thought of him after telling the tale, and would be a little sadder, but she would tell it often.

What was he thinking? He could feel Greta turn her head towards him, and he could feel her emotions against his skin, but they were in a tomb. Trying to wrangle his own feelings, he pointed out some funny looking walls he had noticed while story telling, and stepped away from her. Whoa, she seemed a little mad. Well, best to leave her alone for a bit. He would gather as much flame fruit as he could. He set about his task as Greta headed for the walls.

Hmmm, gathering flame fruit was harder than he had thought. It had to be gently done, or the fruit burst, and dang if they weren't burning hot when they did so. It was taking forever to gather them, but he wasn't ready to stop yet. Greta had long since finished exploring the walls. She had found three rooms. Finally, after what felt like hours he was finished. Greta showed him the stairs she had found and they went up.

One floor panel and secret wall later, and they were back at the beginning. Smiling a little as he started heading for the door out, he stopped when Greta tugged his arm. Was she insane!? She wanted to go back in? Sure, why not? How much worse could it be?

The next chamber had sarcophagi and rubble. How thrilling. Buckling down he began to help clear the rubble. They uncovered a floor panel that needed a statue, and a hole in the wall. Greta offered him a choice. He'd take the wall, less work.

Bracing himself incase something happened, he gingerly started placing his arm in the hole. Feeling around for a bit. His fingers found what felt like a button. Pressing down with all the strength that he could muster, he felt it push down. There was this loud BOOM! and the floor shuddered,  as a few feet away from him, the floor suddenly fell away and formed stairs. Feeling startled, Youssef looked towards where Greta was standing. The noise must have scared her from the look on her face, it had scared him too. Soon they were both laughing, getting rid of the tension that had been there a moment ago.

In a few short minutes Greta joined him by the stairs, and they discussed whether to go down or not. Well, it hadn't been so bad so far, and he had found the flame fruit. It would make her happy, why not? Youssef agreed to it, and started heading to the stairs when Greta's voice stopped him. What was wrong with this woman!? Most woman would have bolted when given the chance, but oh no! Not this one. This one wants to look at dead bodies. Not sure if his agreeing was the right choice, he reluctantly helped her open one sarcophagus. When he didn't hear any gasping, he peeked over the lid. Greta had a disappointed look on her face. Curious as to why, he looked inside; nothing. Thank the gods. Thinking it was over, he breathed a sigh of relief, but it may have been too soon. Greta called to him from across the room. She was trying to tug the second one open and wanted help. Was she kidding? How badly could she want to see a dead person, or what was left of one after all this time. There was seriously something wrong with her he thought as he helped her lift the lid. There was something majorly wrong with him as well, because he was still helping her.

Once the lid was cracked, something made a tinkling sound, and gold coins started falling out in a mini landslide. Prying it wider open, more fell out as well as precious gems. Jack pot! Giddy with what lay before him (he was rich!) he began jumping around with glee, and laughing. Greta soon joined him, and all the feelings he had been holding in came tumbling out in a jumbled mess. He pulled Greta close and hugged her, then kissed her. Soon he found he couldn't leave her alone, and they ended up in the sarcophagus.

Well, that had been a first. Not one he wanted to repeat mind you. Well, the actual fun could be repeated, but not the place. Still a little unsure of his feelings, he was a little embarrassed as he and Greta took the stairs down, back under the earth.

So far, coming down here was a huge disappointment. First they were blocked by a rock, then there was another well, please no for the love of all holy things. Greta jumped right in of course, but there was no tunnel (his prayers had been heard,) just a switch, which opened into the same hallway. What was the point in that!?

Finally they entered the room at the end. It was longer and more narrow than the others, and it had a sarcophagus in it. Please let her be over her dead body fetish. There were also treasure chests! They talked about it, and decided to split the raiding between the two of them. Standing in front of his first one, Youssef opened his first one, and found a lever. After pressing the lever, he heard the slide of a wall opening up, and glanced at the end of the room. Yup, open section of wall. Whoever had designed these things had been a mad genius. Moving on he quickly cleared out his other two chests and decided to check behind the newly opened wall. He could hear Greta still shuffling around and opening her chests, he had a few minutes.

After seeing another hallway, this one looking exactly the same as the last one, he turned around to find Greta. He was in shock! There was a dead dude reaching out for Greta. She let out a bit of a scream, and tried to push it off. Finally regaining control of his legs, Youssef started to head over to Greta, but the fight was at its crescendo. Greta fell to the ground, unconscious, and the mummy was shuffling back to its coffin.

Youssef was not proud. When he had gotten close to Greta, he noticed that she hadn't gotten all of the treasure out, and true to his nature he stopped to gather it before checking to make sure she was alright. He really was a schmuck. The main thing though, was that she was okay, aside from a few scratch marks. Now what was he going to do? What if that thing came back out? They couldn't stay here, and for once in his life he was thinking of someone else before himself.  Dragging Greta, he carried her over to the new hallway and laid her down. As a second thought, he took off his jacket and put it under her head. Then he sat against the wall and waited, hoping against hope that that thing didn't come looking for them.

He had just been about to doze off against his better judgement, when Greta snapped awake and sat up looking around her. Forcing himself awake, he was about to say something when she covered her mouth with her hands, letting out a muffled scream and then proceeded to cry. Feeling like his chest was being ripped open he got up and went to her. He started rubbing her back and telling her that she was ok, she was safe. All the while she cried, and he felt angry. Here was this silly woman, who was willing to work hard, never give up, she took everything thrown at her and made it better (even him,) and here she was scared and crying. It wasn't fair. He felt Greta turn, and was just holding her tighter, when he felt her jerk back out of his arms. What was that? Looking past her, he expected to see that thing towering over them, but nothing was there. Then he felt a tug, something was tugging him backwards away from Greta. No! Struggling to get back to her, he yelled her name, and was jerked backwards very hard, and very fast. Youssef lost consciousness, right before he was sure his heart was going to stop.

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.