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file:///C|/Documents%20and%20Settings/Lisa/Desktop/R.L.%20Stine/Goosebumps%2005%20-%20<strong>Curse</strong>%20<strong>of</strong>%20<strong>the</strong>%20Mummy's%20Tomb.txt<br />
"Do you know how to get down from a camel?" I asked my dad.<br />
He was squinting at <strong>the</strong> pyramid, studying <strong>the</strong> top <strong>of</strong> it. "No. How?"<br />
"You don't get down from a camel," I said. "You get down from a duck."<br />
I know. I know. It's a very old joke. But my dad and I never get tired <strong>of</strong> it.<br />
"Do you see <strong>the</strong> camels?" Mom asked.<br />
"I'm not blind," I replied. Being thirsty always puts me in a bad mood. Besides, what was so exciting<br />
about camels? They were really gross-looking, and <strong>the</strong>y smelled like my gym socks after a basketball<br />
game.<br />
"What's your problem?" Mom asked, fiddling with her straw hat.<br />
"I told you," I said, not meaning to sound so angry. "I'm thirsty."<br />
"Gabe, really." She glanced at Dad, <strong>the</strong>n went back to staring at <strong>the</strong> pyramid.<br />
"Dad, do you think Uncle Ben can take us inside <strong>the</strong> pyramid?" I asked enthusiastically. "That would<br />
really be outstanding."<br />
"No, I don't think so," he said. He tucked his guidebooks into his armpit so he could raise his binoculars<br />
to his eyes. "I really don't think so, Gabe. I don't think it's allowed."<br />
I couldn't hide my disappointment. I had all <strong>the</strong>se fantasies about going down into <strong>the</strong> pyramid with my<br />
uncle, discovering mummies and ancient treasures. Fighting <strong>of</strong>f ancient Egyptians who had come back<br />
to life to defend <strong>the</strong>ir sacred <strong>tomb</strong>, and escaping after a wild chase, just like Indiana Jones.<br />
"I'm afraid you'll just have to appreciate <strong>the</strong> pyramid from <strong>the</strong> outside," Dad said, peering over <strong>the</strong><br />
yellow sand, trying to focus <strong>the</strong> binoculars.<br />
"I've already appreciated it," I told him glumly. "Can we go get a drink now?"<br />
Little did I know that in a few days, Mom and Dad would be gone, and I would be deep inside <strong>the</strong><br />
pyramid we were staring at. Not just inside it, but trapped inside it, sealed inside it — probably forever.<br />
2<br />
We drove from al-Jizah back to Cairo in <strong>the</strong> funny little rental car Dad had picked up at <strong>the</strong> airport. It<br />
wasn't a long drive, but it seemed long to me. The car was just a little bit bigger than some <strong>of</strong> my old<br />
remote-control cars, and my head hit <strong>the</strong> ceiling with every bump.<br />
I'd brought my Game Boy with me, but Mom made me put it away so that I could watch <strong>the</strong> Nile as <strong>the</strong><br />
road followed along its bank. It was very wide and very brown.<br />
"No one else in your class is seeing <strong>the</strong> Nile this Christmas," Mom said, <strong>the</strong> hot wind blowing her brown<br />
hair through <strong>the</strong> open car window.<br />
"Can I play with my Game Boy now?" I asked.<br />
I mean, when you get right down to it, a river is a river.<br />
An hour or so later, we were back in Cairo with its narrow, crowded streets. Dad made a wrong turn and<br />
drove us into some kind <strong>of</strong> market, and we were trapped in a little alley behind a herd <strong>of</strong> goats for nearly<br />
half an hour.<br />
I didn't get a drink till we got back to <strong>the</strong> hotel, and by that time, my tongue was <strong>the</strong> size <strong>of</strong> a salami and<br />
hanging down to <strong>the</strong> floor just like Elvis's. He's our cocker spaniel back home.<br />
I'll say one nice thing about Egypt. The Coke tastes just as good as <strong>the</strong> Coke back home. It's <strong>the</strong> Classic<br />
Coke, too, not <strong>the</strong> o<strong>the</strong>r kind. And <strong>the</strong>y give you plenty <strong>of</strong> ice, which I like to crunch with my teeth.<br />
file:///C|/Documents%20and%20Settings/Lisa/Deskto...%2005%20-%20<strong>Curse</strong>%20<strong>of</strong>%20<strong>the</strong>%20Mummy's%20Tomb.txt (3 <strong>of</strong> 51)3/18/2009 3:04:28 AM