Entry 10 - Cairo2Kenya: Inside the Bent pyramid, a celestial prediction, then off to Kenya

11 Feb continued…As we park the car to approach the Bent pyramid,

we notice Egyptian soldiers patrolling the northside. So we swing to the southside to explore. But it’s the westside where we find a door that easily opens.

We enter with lights unto narrow passages that lead to a central chamber with 2 alabaster pillars. Dr Khatan takes credit for finding a secret door behind a pillar. We enter to find dusty steps, undisturbed for centuries if not eons. How can this be? The secret door wasn’t THAT hard to find!

 
The stairs spiral up to a ramp and foyer before a large room. Before us, 6 pillars each topped with glowing gems bracket the approach to an obsidian throne.  On the back wall, 1) to the left of the throne is a celestial map, 2) behind the throne is hieroglyphic text, 3) to the right - a world map. As we pause to reflect, it’s Rene who remembers the London book describing the “Life of Gods” that describes this exact room.

James speaks up having deciphered the carvings, “It’s a prophesy – a child will be born on the mountain of the Black Wind on the 1969^th anniversary of the death of the last pharaoh’s father.” Meanwhile Norman and Khatan suggest we find an astronomer to reason the meaning of the 3 planets lined up on the celestial map.

More intriguing is the world map with 3 rubies inlaid:

One in Kenya, another Australia, and 3^rd near Shanghai…forming a triangle. An ebony band cuts the triangle at its center within the Indian Ocean. “I’d say the 3 rubies represent the ritual sites. If you use the triangle as a celestial fix, the center with the band cut thru it is probably where this “child” will be born. Or more likely the Black Pharaoh will rise!”

And that’s when James sits upon the throne…where he becomes rigid, as a ghostly image of the pharaoh erupts from his chest. “You attempt to spoil my plans; yet the deaths you have caused has only hastened my cause. Fools. Can you not see the power and glory I can offer you. Join my cause or suffer.” But we stand our ground, Rene and Khatan the most vocal. And that’s when James head twists 180 degrees to stare at the tablet behind the throne, as the image sucks back into his chest. And we get the hell out-of-Dodge! Once we return to the central chamber, the wall solidifies and the door Khatan once found no longer exists. As if it was only revealed for us…for the final offer.

Although we take time to explore the Red pyramid, we learn nothing other than the size of the original brick of protection. Damn heavy! How did Brady manage to cart it off? Even the half we now own is a burden to carry by one.

We drive back to Cairo with the plan to secure our half of the brick in the Bast temple where it will be protected. Yet the priestess appears with a lion at her feet, “Yonwellen (once the drunken Dutchman) here will keep out the non-cult threat. But be warned, once the dark god manifests, even my spells offer no protection!”

 
12 Feb: Norman goes to the museum to find an astronomer to interpret the celestial map (he learns the planets will line up on 14 January 1926). Meanwhile the others research at the library regarding the last pharaoh’s patriarch (they learn it was Julius Cesare who died 44BC which makes the 1969^th anniversary 15 March of this year! [We only have a month to stop this world ending event?!]

With Dr. Kafour driving us to Port Said,

we compare notes, questioning the differences. Now suspicious of his source, Norman suggests they seek another astronomer for a 2^nd opinion. That’ll have to wait till they arrive in Kenya. When we tell Kafour of the ghostly vision, he extols, “Nephren-Ka is like a genie giving wishes answered not in the form of your desires.” When we mention the brick, “The brick alone means nothing. You need the 7 cryptic books of Hsan…they include the ceremony to re-activate the protection spell. Last I remember, the books are in the library of Ho-Fong in Shanghai, China. [Now it makes sense why Brady was last seen in Shanghai.]

It’s a 3 day ship ride along the Red Sea and around the horn to Mombasa. We waste little time in the hot/muggy retch of a town as we buy train tickets for the inner city of Nairobi. Another 17 hours riding this noisy beast as it clickity-clacks along the track spewing choking smoke from its wood-burning boiler. Past Mt Kilimanjaro,

climbing deeper into the wild. As the group settles in the white-passengers’ dining car, Norman ventures forward to the front car where the blacks ride (more exposed to the smoke) hoping his Bantu language skills will come in handy learning details of what lies ahead. Cloth to his face to filter the train stench, till he spies embers floating from the train engine ahead. Except these embers seem to move with reason!

 
Norman arrives at the dining car just in time to see the scramble of people dealing with the fires. The embers have planted themselves on the side of this car and burn their way in.

A steward runs forward to find fire-fighting-equipment, while Rene pulls his trusty bat trying to knock the ember out the window. “Swing batter, swing; strike one.” All are fortunate pitchers of water are handy to battle the flames, yet James and Khatan are still badly burned…(James later telling how the flame actual looked animated with legs as it crawled across his chest). With the fires doused, and train stopped, the engineer appears to blame us for careless cigar embers.

 
17 Feb: It’s morning when the train hisses to a stop in Nairobi. Khatan asks for directions to the Victoria bar as he seeks Nelson per Elias Jackson’s last notes. Too early, bar not open. So Norman heads to the embassy  where Mr. Roger Coryidon asks which Nelson: Jim the plantation owner or Bertram the serviceman. Meanwhile the others head to the British Regiment where they meet Captain Montgomery of the African Rifles.

“I hear your train ride was fraught with fire; anyone hurt?” When James and Khatan step forward, the captain reacts, “Criminy man, did someone try to put out the flames on your face with a shovel?”

The doctor ignores the comment and asks for Nelson referencing the Carlyle massacre. “Him? That drunkard? Sergeant Bumption here knows better; he was with the group finding the bodies.” The cockney man steps forward, “Not bodies, mind ya, only bits here there. An ‘ere, an arm; torn to shreds like newspaper. Jackals and buzzards won’t come near as if the flesh was tainted. Like sometin evil chewed ‘em up and spit them out.”

Ms Smites Forbes, editor of the Nairobi Star, adds another fact: picture of the Carlyle group includes Brady and a pregnant Ms Masters. And Aubrey Penhew looking younger than his Egyptian photo! How they used a black guide, Mr. Sam Marega, to lead them into the jungle. “Twernt no animal hunt. Not enough guns!” How Sam’s cousin lives in the neighboring village.

Now let’s see: Brady was still with the group when it arrived in Kenya. Yet he ran off with the brick probably breaking it himself. So when did he take half back to Nyiti in Egypt for her to protect? Or was Nyiti here in Kenya and traveled back with her half of the brick herself?

 
Seems we need to find Brady fast. Hopefully he already has the books of Shan and his half of the brick so we can stop this madness. Only a month…piece of cake.

[And somewhere there is a 5-6 year old bastard child of Ms Masters. Probably a red-herring...unless spawned by Nephren-Ka or some lesser devil!]