THREE YEARS AGO
"Was that a freaking mummy?" A boy of about sixteen voiced loudly as he walked while continuously looking back at where they had come from in surprise.
"Reuben!" The teacher exclaimed with a scolding look "....language." She said between her teeth.
"It looked so real." Reuben murmured to himself as he focused ahead.
Having heard that little interaction, Noel smiled knowingly as she walked towards the front of the group gazing around the building.
"Welcome everyone, I'll be your guide for today." The sweet voice floated towards their ear, earning their attention. They looked to see the smiling and beautiful face of the slender and chic lady.
Having gained their attention, she continued with a smile,
"Today we're going to explore the ancient civilizations gallery. Can anyone tell me what they know about the artifacts we're about to see?" She asked looking from student to student when a voice said,
"I think I saw some mummies on the way in." He said earning a smile from her. She assumed he was the one cautioned earlier by the teacher. He sure was an active one.
She continued with a slight nod of acknowledgement.
"That's right! We have an impressive collection of Egyptian artifacts." Leading them towards one side of the museum, she continued.
"Let's take a closer look at this sarcophagus. Can anyone tell me what they notice about the symbols on the outside?"
"They are hieroglyphics." A boy with a slightly nerdy look answered while his attention was still glued to the drawings. He looked really interested in history to which she smiled.
"You are correct. These symbols carry with them, a story. They tell us about the person buried inside and their journey to the afterlife." She said as she smiled at the set of curious teenagers.
"Is there really an afterlife?" A tiny voice asked from the front of the group, her curiosity was evident. Smiling, Noel gently explained.
" They might be and also not, some people do believe in it while others don't. The Egyptians though believed that the afterlife is a mirror of life here on earth and that is why they placed many of their everyday object in the tomb to ensure the deceased had all they needed." The children shook their heads in an understanding gesture as they looked on with interest.
"Why did they wrap the bodies like that?" A question followed after the short silence.
"That is a wonderful question, does anyone know why or want to answer?" She asked looking at the kids. The boy with the nerdy look answered,
"That is because the Egyptians believed that preserving the body was essential for the afterlife so they created a process to prevent decay and protect the body which is called mummification." She looked at the boy who had just concluded his speech, eyes shining.
"What's your name?" She asked with much interest.
"Hero." He answered looking at her as he twisted the end of his bag.
"That was a nice answer Hero." She answered with a bright smile, as she thought he'd make a good historian or archeologist in future.
"To add to what Hero has said, the linen wrappings helped to protect the body and also held amulets and other funerary objects." She said as she signaled them to follow her to another side.
"How old are these artifacts?" A girl asked as they walked to the next stop.
"There are a lot of them ranging from around 3000BCE to 300CE. That's over 3000 years of history, isn't that fascinating?" She answered with a bright smile. The group talked about different artifacts, sharing their insight on their historical civilization and making little bits of jokes as they walked.
....
The day had come to an end and Noel couldn't wait to get home. She loved her job but yet nothing was more satisfying than having her back on her soft and bouncy bed. She packed her belongings and hurried towards the exit.
"Babe..." The screech like sound invaded her hearing as a body accompanied it, flinging itself into her embrace.
"Thank you, thank you, thank you." The person said enthusiastically while leaving pecks on different part of her face.
"You don't have to leave your slobber all over my face." Noel replied sarcastically, her tone sounding disgusted but her face saying otherwise with the smile resting on it.
"It wasn't a big deal covering for you, I actually enjoyed today's tour." She continued as she pulled her best friend Paris away from her to look at her properly.
"How is Juni?" She asked as she looked at her best friend. Friends since little, they've stuck together, even following the same career path and working in the same place. Earlier, they had received a call that Paris' little brother Juniper had suddenly been admitted in the hospital. Paris was supposed to lead the tour but in her panicked state, Noel chose to cover up for her.
"He's okay, just after effect of his surgery. The doctor said it's no cause for alarm, just some pain meds and the lot." Paris replied as she linked her arm together with Noel's. Continuing, she said.
"Since you are done for today, let's go for dinner, I've brought my car." Paris suggested as she led her towards the car park.
"No need to be polite, Juni is also like a brother to me." Noel said with a smile.
"I know what you're trying to do and its not working." Paris said rolling her eyes to which Noel laughed.
"My treat." Paris added causing Noel's eyes to shine and with fake resistance, she let the scoffing Paris pull her towards the car as she said something along the line of 'once a cheapskate always a cheapskate.'