Princess Hathorisis (ca ? B.C. - 1350 B.C.), daughter of Akil, and secret lover of Nefertiti. Hathorisis was a young lady who wanted more than anything to have a child to fill the void that was left after her boyfriend died. When a little boy was discovered to be deathly ill-- which Akhenaten mistook for one of his own sons, he, through the black book of Nephren-Ka, placed a curse on Hathorisis to die with a 16-week-old fetus still inside, never able to birth the baby. It is said that if anyone tries to offer assistance to the princess who is giving birth in her decayed, mummified state, part of her will merge onto them, using the unfortunate recipient's body as a vessel to return. In 2014, Princess Hathorisis's tomb is exhumed by an all-Russian archaeological crew and is discovered by an American professor, who is in Moscow doing research, witnesses the return of the princess...
For over the last few months, I've been in pursuit of the tomb of Princess Hathorisis. Her sarcophagus is said to be very rare-- resembling that of an Egyptian Virgin Mary. I couldn't fathom the idea of an Egyptian princess being placed under a curse and left to die, without ever being able to give birth. But what was even more strange, Hathorisis, as a mummy, somehow coming back from the dead and birthing the fetus that's been in her stomach for nearly 4, 000 years? Would that somehow cause her to regenerate herself and come back to life as a full human? I have yet to discover this...
I... I don't know why, but, as I sit here on American Airlines flight 115 to Moscow, is this encounter with the mummy going to be a nightmare made flesh? I wouldn't even call it that. I've seen a lot of shit that would make your skin crawl, even some of the stuff that would end up in a chamber of horrors exhibit. A friend of mine who lives in Saint Petersburg (Leningrad, not Florida) claims he saw visions of Hathorisis giving birth to what looked like a putrefied, stinking, vermin-infested infant that, after being birthed, would attack and literally suck the life out of those who dared gave Hathorisis assistance or tried to pick up the child. The Aristarkhov Historical Museum in Moscow was nearing the completion of its Egyptian exhibit, and were in eager anticipation to include the remains of Princess Hathorisis, still in her sarcophagus to finish the display. I dismissed the rumors of my friend telling me that Hathorisis would come alive with a killer baby. But what I still couldn't figure out was... why in the hell would a 4, 000-some-year-old mummy come alive and attack shortly after baring a child?
There was a warehouse several blocks away from the museum, where workers and curators came to collect artifacts and different findings to restore to their former glory. Which they would then present to both tourists and the citizens of Russia. It was already after dark as I arrived, and the warehouse showed signs of it being in use. The overhead lights shone through the snow flakes that fell gently outside, giving the appearance of an indoor gym lit up at night. I knew right then and there that there was heat inside. Boy, was I right. I was greeted by the warm embrace of a Clarke XR55 space heater that roared inside the warehouse. The smell of Solyanka lingered in the air as well. Just like my grandmother always made... with coffee, hot tea, copious amounts of alcohol and other food (surstromming was included), the workers and researchers in this warehouse were being fed and taken care of. One of the curators gave me a brief rundown of what was going on and gave me a tour of the warehouse. There were crates with Russian and English text standing and laying upright ready to be un-boxed and prepared for the Aristarkhov Historical Museum, some workers were taking a break, drinking hot toddies and chatting, others were coming out of the rest rooms and returning to work, and some of the men and women were lined up near a few wooden folding tables that had the Solyanka and other goodies laid out and were about to sit down to what looked like a late night dinner. What seemed like hours to me was only 45 minutes, I wanted to get me something to eat and head right to bed. It was too damn late for me to be doing any work so I figured I would get a good night's rest and pick up tomorrow afternoon.
The curator I spoke to lead me a few feet away from the warehouse. Outside were rows of quonset huts for the archaeologists and museum workers to sleep in and stay at during this time. I was informed there were heaters in all the huts, hot & cold running showers, and toilets, so that made me feel better. I went ahead and unpacked my things, took a hot shower, and went straight to bed. The noise of the workers and their talking in Russian didn't so much as bother me, despite the fact that it was distant. In fact, it was better than sleeping in total silence.
The noise and the hum of the space heater inside my hut helped me sleep. Being on that plane for so long, I forgot how wonderful it was to be in a comfortable bed and being able to get a restful night's sleep without two passengers sandwiching you in. It was just... pure bliss.
Sometime during the night, I thought I felt someone in the room with me... My assumption was that it could have been from outside, or even just jet-lag, so I brushed it off. Right at the foot of my bed was a beautiful nude woman, who looked like an Egyptian princess, standing motionlessly, watching me sleep, not uttering a single word. All of a sudden I heard a soft whisper. "I don't want this child..." I woke up gasping, wondering what the hell I was dreaming about. I dismissed it and went right back to sleep.
It was 11:30 AM when I woke up, and it was the start of a new day. After getting dressed and grabbing a quick bite to eat, I headed for the warehouse. Today, I was finally going to see the infamous Princess Hathorisis I had heard so much about. Remember me telling you about my friend who claims he saw visions of the princess? He was arriving from Saint Petersburg today to see me. A group of archaeologists, both Russian and American, were bringing in Hathorisis's sarcophagus. It did indeed look like an Egyptian Virgin Mary, not aging a day in over 4, 000 years. It looked like someone was very ginger with the coffin when they buried it, despite that it showed some wear and tear, but when all was said and done, it was going to be restored to its rightful luster. But what I was a little leery about was seeing the contents inside. I was hoping the mummy itself was wrapped up so I wouldn't have to look at its remains. But like I said earlier, I've seen a lot of things that would make your skin crawl, but I had no idea what was in store. I was fortunate enough to see the remains of Hathorisis still wrapped in burial cloth when the lid of the sarcophagus was removed. I didn't have to see her long-decayed face, only the bundle that the body was wrapped in.
The artifacts that I found in the sarcophagus were two necklaces: an Egyptian scarab beetle and a pure gold ankh that looked dirty and worn through time, and a dagger. This might have been a special weapon that belonged to the Princess. Maybe a gift that was given to her by her father or Queen Nefertiti. I took the jewelry and blade out of the sarcophagus to clean, polish, and restore while the remains were handed over to archaeologists and doctors to analyze during and MRI scan, to determine whether the cause of Hatorisis's death was more than a curse...
My friend Nikolai, the one who had visions of the princess, came to see me while I was taking a break from restoring the jewelry and dagger. He brought me a Messy Russian Turkey Sandwich, barbecue potato chips, and a six pack of Coca Cola. They were serving Borscht, which I was never a big fan of, considering it was made from beets, I could never stomach it.
"How's it going, buddy?" Nikolai asked, bringing my lunch. He had grown a handlebar mustache since the last time I saw him, and his blond hair was now long and in a ponytail. Despite the visions this poor guy had of the princess, he appeared to be in a good mood and acting and appearing normal.
"Hey, man. Good to see ya again!" I said, giving him a buddy hug and taking the lunch he bought for me.
"Same here, comrade. So what's this you found buried along with the mummy?"
"Two necklaces-- one of an Egyptian Scarab Beetle and a solid gold ankh." I replied.
"Anything else?" Nikolai asked.
"I found a dagger, still in good condition, aside from the fact that it's over 4,000 years old."
"You don't think it could've been a ceremonial dagger, do you?"
"No, this was a personal item that belonged to Hathorisis. Maybe it was given to her as a gift from her father or Queen Nefertiti herself as sort of like an anniversary gift, or what have you. But as far as her being killed in a ceremony, that's not the case. Evidence shows no signs of trauma or stabbing. She was clearly placed under a curse by the black pharaoh Nephren-Ka, dying and never being able to give birth. I still can't figure out why..." I said, eating my food.
"So how long are you gonna be here, man?" Nikolai asked, drinking a beer.
"Soon as the egyptian exhibit in the historical museum is completed, I'm flying back home" I said.
"Good thinking. I'm going home to my family as soon as this winter is over. Maybe you and I can catch WWE in town?" Nikolai said.
"And go to our favorite bar."
"Hell yeah!" Nikolai exclaimed, giving me a high-five.
"Tell ya what, soon as I get finish with the restoration, you and I can grab a few brews. My treat."
"I look forward to it, comrade."
Late into the night, as some of the archaeologists were restoring Princess Hathorisis's sarcophagus to its original shine and luster, the remains of the princess were brought in in a long cardboard box to restore and place back into the refurbished sarcophagus to present in the Egyptian exhibit. One man was left to put the finishing touches on the sarcophagus as his partners announced that they were going to bed. The man, Alexander Korshunov, applied a clear lacquer coating to the now-completed sarcophagus. Little did he know, during the restoration process, Princess Hathorisis had other plans. Through supernatural means, she caused him to see her as a solid, living, fleshy woman about to give birth. But in reality, she was still a long-decomposed skeletal form. In Alexander's mind, he saw her as a beautiful, naked, pregnant woman. But despite all the warnings being told to him about never offering the princess assistance in giving birth, he completely ignored them.
Alex sat on a chair, flipping through an issue of Hustler magazine, through the news he was listening to on a small radio, he thought he heard a woman's voice say very softly: "Help... me..." But dismissed it and shrugged his shoulders. The voice became more audible and repeated "Please... help me..." but this time, sounding more like she was about to go into labor. Alex got up and went to the cooler that sat in the floor and pulled out another beer. As he was drinking, his eyes focused on the Princess who was staring at him, sweat beading her face.
"Please... sir... I'm in so much... pain..." Hathorisis announced, feeling the baby inside of her, looking like she was about to cry. Alex had no clue what he was messing with and he was better off signing his death certificate.
[Hathorisis screams]
- "Eta zhenshchina budet imet' rebenka!!" Alex screamed, hoping he would dispatch someone.
- (THIS WOMAN IS GOING TO HAVE A BABY!!)
Not knowing what supernatural hallucination he was under, he held the Princess's hand as she tried to give birth. But as she screamed, trying to birth the baby, Alex noticed something very horrendous happening. His hand was starting to turn a dark brown, similar to the mummified remains of Hathorisis, and her teeth were merging onto his palm. In his fear, he saw that the beautiful, pregnant naked woman was a mummified corpse coming back to life. He reached for a knife to amputate his now-ghoulish-looking hand, and began slicing off at the wrist, screaming in agonizing pain. Still a mummified woman, Hathorisis screamed in an inhuman voice as she was trying to rid herself of the fetus that was inside her, hoping that she would somehow come back to life, Alex wrapped his bloody stump in a bit of torn up shirt, screaming as the events continued to unfold.
Other archaeologists that were still up were dispatched by all the commotion in the work room where Hathorisis was stirring and saw their friend missing a hand. As Hathorisis screamed at the top of her lungs, a demonic-looking, rotting, decomposing baby escaped her and attacked the others. Those who were working on the sarcophagus earlier pulled the monster baby off their buddies and slammed it against the wall. The infant shattering into bone fragments and turning into a pile of dust, only to be blown away by a gust of wind.
Alex was weak from severe blood loss but he was otherwise okay. Hathorisis, as though by means of the guardian who was watching over her, returned to full human form, her Egyptian garbs and head wear now appearing to be very beautiful and colorful, and her skin soft and lovely... she was exquisite. The other men and women who were dispatched by the commotion couldn't help but notice how stunning Hathorisis was, saw her approach Alex who was in shock.
"W-what are you doing...?" Alexander asked very weakly.
Princess Hathorisis removed the bloodied shirt that was used to cover Alex's stump, placed one of her hands over the exposed area, and made a fresh hand appear in place. She smiled sweetly at him as she healed the poor man. She caressed his face softly as if to say "you're going to be okay," and approached the group who were in total awe.
"Thank you for ridding me of that child..." she said in a soft-spoken tone. By the end of the week, the Egyptian exhibit at the Aristarkhov Historical Museum was now finished. It was quite an experience, a life-changing one at that, to see Princess Hathorisis return to the land of the living, now as an immortal woman. I gave her her jewelry and presented her with her dagger. From that moment on, I think I made friends with the Princess... Tomorrow, I will head back home...