The ceiling fan spun around and around and around. It was that time of day again. It was that kind of class again. Dr. Seguin was now lecturing about the Great Pyramids of Egypt, Jeffrey LaDow loved it. LaDow would sit back in his desk, stare at the ceiling fan, and let his imagination run wild. As a child, he remembered going to the theatre and watching old movies about the Egyptian kings and queens, and the great pyramids.
A rustling sound shook LaDow out of his daydream. The class was ending, and the students were leaving.
"Mr. LaDow, I see you've been riding on your magic carpet again," laughed Dr. Seguin. "Don't forget, you have a test on Friday."
"Thanks professor," smiled LaDow.
"Yeah Cloud Nine," don't forget your test Friday," laughed a group of students leaving the room."
LaDow's active imagination was something not lost on fellow students in class, hence the name "Cloud" or "Cloud Nine."
The 19-year old history major left the classroom, made a beeline across the campus quadrangle, and eventually to the bus stop.
As the 4th street bus approached, Jeffrey felt a tap on his left shoulder. He turned, but saw nobody. He boarded the bus for home.
The bus came to a stop right at 1527 4th street. Home sweet home.
Up the steps and into the two-story house he went.
"Hello nephew," bellowed a voice from the kitchen.
"Hello Aunt Jade," replied Jeffrey. "You know Aunt Jade, you really ought to keep that front screen locked. You-"
"I'll lock it when I feel like it," she snapped. "I know these people in this neighborhood."
Jeffrey knew the people in the neighborhood too, and he knew they were not as good as they used to be. But, he was not about to argue with Aunt Jade, whose real name was Jada Scott. A lovely, firmly built, dark-haired woman of 44, she was Jeff's mother's sister. LaDow's mother was a single parent named Lana Travis. Lana was in a mental institution. When Jeff was six-years old, she suffered a nervous breakdown. She claimed to have seen smoke coming from the walls of her bedroom on frequent occasions. One afternoon she had one vision too many. She even claimed to have had some after she was committed. No one else saw these visions.
Aunt Jade stepped right in to raise him and had been a pillar of strength. Jeff loved her dearly.
As "Cloud Nine" climbed the stairs to his room, he noticed the familiar smell coming out of the kitchen. Dinner would be baked chicken, mashed potatoes, and cream spinach.
LaDow made it to his room, threw down his books, and raced quickly to his computer. He turned it on. As soon as his desktop appeared on the screen, he logged on to the Internet. Immediately he went to a search engine, and requested information on pyramids. Over 3,000 different options availed themselves.
"Jeff, dinner is almost ready," said Aunt Jade from downstairs.
"Okay, be down in a minute," he replied.
The third web page on the search revealed a topic saying, "Great Pyramids of Ancient Egypt." LaDow clicked on the link. A website appeared with digital photos of several pyramids with an eye between them. Right below the eye, it said "click to enter the chamber."
"Jeffrey, are you up there fooling around on that computer again??" came the voice from downstairs.
"Uh, no, just changing my socks," lied Nine.
LaDow clicked on the eye, and his screen went black, with nothing showing but a blinking cursor.
"Hello," hissed a low-sounding voice.
"Wha, Who-,"
"I am Dossipria (Daw-Sippria), guard of the lower chamber, you may call me Lady Dos," said the voice.
"Where are you?" "Who or what are you??" exclaimed LaDow.
"Type cd, add a space, DOS, and then press your enter button," answered the voice.
Then, Jeff heard a shriek from downstairs. He ran out of his room, to the head of the stairs, and then down the stairs. He looked into the kitchen. He saw his aunt in the grasp of a huge man, who was brandishing a switchblade knife.
"Okay sister, don't make a sound and you won't get hurt," said the intruder. "Now, we are going to go upstairs, and you are going to show me around."
The man was so busy wrestling with Jada, that he did not notice LaDow watching them. However, Jeff could not find a weapon within his reach.
"What is going on down there?" hissed the voice from up in the room.
Jeff, paused, and jumped out of site. How could he hear the voice while nobody else could hear it???? He turned and looked quickly around the room, but saw nothing he could use as weapon. He could hear the attacker and his aunt move closer to the stairway where he was standing. LaDay slid quickly up the stairs and into his room.
"Quickly, type what I told you, and I will help you!!" ordered the voice.
LaDow typed in the code. Right then he felt a tap on his left shoulder. He turned and saw the near bedroom wall began to mist.
"Stay in the room!" the voice commanded to LaDow.
He heard struggling noises as the criminal and his aunt approached the top of the stairs. The man was immensely strong, for Jada was no runt. She had broad shoulders and thick hips.