The little boy winced as the sand swirled around his eyes. It was another sand storm, his mother said.

The Egyptian sun beat down on their backs as the little boy and his parents walked across the scorching desert to the camp. Several dozen people stood around beneath a white awning surrounded by tents. It was an archeological dig, the kind the little boy had been on many times before.

This wasn’t his first visit to Egypt, but it was going to be the most fun! This time they were going inside of one of the pyramids!

His parents were archeologists working for a university back in the States. At the young age of nine, the boy had traveled the world he’d seen the sands of the Sahara, ancient Mayan ruins, and the Amazon jungle.

“Cover your eyes, Jax!” His mother instructed as more sand came whirling at their faces. Quickly, he pulled the protective scarf around his face. His eyes stung from the grains of sand forced into them by the wind. His father wrapped his arms around them pulling them into the tent.

“When are we going into the pyramid, Dad?” He asked trying to discern whether it was night or day. The sand had so obscured the sun it appeared to be twilight.

“As soon as the storm dies down.” His dad shook the sand from his hair. His mother sat quietly in the corner of the tent trying to brush the sand out of her hair.

“I hate all this sand!” The little boy exclaimed stomping his feet in frustration.

“It will pass soon.”

* * *

The next day, the sand storm had passed just as his parents promised. The little boy awoke excited as today they were going into the pyramid!

As they descended a dark tunnel to enter the pyramid, Jax clutched his mother’s hand. His dad held a lantern up to light their way. It was so dark and cold down there! Jax huddled inside his jacket. They descended even further down the tunnel as his father held onto the rope. The rope was attached to the top of the pyramid where they had entered.

As they reached the floor of the pyramid, his father went with part of the team into one chamber and his mother went with the rest of them into a side chamber. Jax shuddered as a cool draft blew through the tunnel. He thought he heard whispering all around him

Maybe there were mummies down there. He cringed at the thought.

Suddenly, his mother was frantically digging at something with several men. They were whispering loudly as their voices became excited. They’d found something!

“Look Henry, you’ve got to come see this!” His mother exclaimed. Jax reached for his dad’s hand as they hurried over to her.

“What is it?” He asked staring at her.

Suddenly, the room was lit up as several Egyptian men brought their lanterns forward.

Jax gaped at the large box in front of him. It was beautiful decorated with gold covered in many bright different colors. He wondered what was inside.

“It’s a sarcophagus, Jax.”

What? He was confused.

“Whose could it be? I thought most of these had been uncovered.” His dad spoke to the Egyptians.

One of them peered down at the box holding a tiny brush he swept the sand and dust off of it.

“I cannot say for sure without opening it.” Jax struggled to understand his heavily accented English.

“Look, these hieroglyphs indicate something about the goddess, Wadjet.”

“How interesting. I thought most of them referenced---“ His mother broke off as she read the picture writing. Jax stood there confused.

“The Eye of Horus is over here! I wonder what---“

His father whispered as he gestured to the men to remove the top of the box. Jax stood to the side watching.

With much effort, the men were able to remove the top of the sarcophagus. Anxiously, Jax peered inside.

It looked to be a man’s body wrapped in white, dirty bandages. It smelled ancient and dusty. A plume of dust arose from it. Jax dissolved into paroxysms of coughing.

“Who is it, Dad?” Jax asked.

“We’re not sure.” His parents were busy with the other archeologists examining the body.

Suddenly, Jax noticed a shiny object sticking out from the body. It was inserted near what should’ve been his eye.

“Mom, Dad, what’s that?”

“Shhh, Jax. We’re working. Go get my bag for us, please.”

Reluctantly, Jax shuffled into the front room of the tomb. He grabbed his mother’s bag and brought it to them.

The team was already slipping their gloves on and their masks. They looked like they were about to perform surgery instead of excavating a tomb. Jax sat down on the ground watching them.

After they had pulled all the objects out of the coffin, they set about to leave for the day. Jax slipped behind them. He stared down at the object protruding from the body. It was a beautiful gold U shaped pin. He wondered what it meant. He tugged on it several times before it gave way. He tucked it into his pocket.

Immediately, a cold draft of wind swept through the tomb. Several objects crashed to the floor. The earth began to shake beneath them.

“What was that?” His mother cried.

“I think it’s an earthquake!” His dad grabbed both of them.

“We need to leave now!” The Egyptians urged snatching their bags with the priceless objects in them.

As the earth continued its’ terrible shaking, the tunnel behind them began to collapse. Dust and sand swirled around them making it nearly impossible to see. All they had to guide them was the rope that extended along the side of the corridor they’d descended when they first arrived inside the pyramid. His father held the rope tightly in one hand and his mother in the other. His mother held onto to Jax with her free hand.

“Hurry!” The Egyptians cursed loudly in their own language as Jax began to cry. He didn’t want to be buried alive inside the pyramid.

Finally, the terrible shaking stopped as they arrived at the entrance to the pyramid. The entire team had gotten out unharmed as they hurried back to the tents.

Jax reached inside his pocket for the pin.

It was still there.

As it would remain for many years to come.