Chapter 2: Kaelyn's Trip
After reading the bulletin board, the first Kaelyn headed to was the market. Egypt almost seemed like a desert island in her eyes, but it was a unique place. She spoke to the market clerk, asking what kind of camera was best for taking pictures. The one he recommended was quite expensive at $3,250, but he told her it was the best one available. Kaelyn became convinced and purchased it.
Almost immediately, she began snapping shots. She took photos of a passerby, the trees, market, the fountain and a snake charmer basket, which she tried her hand at. Unsurprisingly, she wasn't too good.
Kaelyn also bought a mummified teddy bear as a gift for Carina. Hopefully, Carina wouldn't take it to mean that Kaelyn bothered the mummies.
After snapping all she could, Kaelyn returned to her base camp. There were some butterflies fluttering about, so Kaelyn decided to catch one. It turned out to only be a moth, but Kaelyn still kept it as a small treasure.
Kaelyn re-read the bulletin board to see if there was an adventure she could do. She found one listed, but it only stated to go see a certain woman somewhere downtown. The address was posted, so Kaelyn made her way to the woman's house.
The woman's request was simply for some documents that were, for some reason beyond Kaelyn's comprehension, lost in the Tomb of Discovery. Kaelyn was rather afraid to go into a tomb, but it seemed like a simple task, so she accepted it.
The tomb was a little dark, but not that scary. In the first room down the staircase, Kaelyn even found treasure and some ancient coins next to the chest.
A bit of physical labor was needed to get through some doors...
But Kaelyn made her way to the final room, where she found the requested documents, as well as some gold bars and a canopic jar worth over $3,000. It was an amazing find for Kaelyn. She exited the tomb and returned the documents to the woman. It was almost nighttime, so Kaelyn decided to head back to base camp.
At her camp, Kaelyn met a nice young girl named Meret Hawas. She talked a lot about cameras and photos, seeming to take a pleasure in it herself. She also taught Kaelyn a song called "Oh, Where is my Mummy?" She told Kaelyn about Egypt and her family. Kaelyn was very interesting in what Meret had to say. After a while, Meret's family called her to go home, but Meret asked Kaelyn to please visit her family sometime.
Kaelyn watched Meret as she left, thinking about what a nice girl she was. She thought Meret would be a good playmate for Carina, who hadn't made any friends yet.
Kaelyn was having fun in Egypt, but missed her family, so she gave the house a call. Carina answered the phone. She asked Kaelyn how Egypt was. Kaelyn decided to tell Carina about her journey into the tomb.
"Did you run into any mummies?" Carina asked, as Kaelyn knew she would.
"No, sweetheart," Kaelyn replied. "I didn't see any mummies, but I did buy you a gift. You'll see it when I get back. How is your fishing going and Sienna's sculpting?"
"I caught three fish, Auntie," Carina exclaimed proudly. "Umm, Mommy's sculpting? She's...uhh...she's not doing so well. She hasn't even gotten half of that clay wall down."
"Well, tell her to keep at it," Kaelyn said. "She'll make something."
"Alright, I will!" Carina promised. "I have to go to bed. Good night! I love you, Auntie Kaelyn!"
"I love you too, Carina. Good night."
After the call ended, Kaelyn sat around the fire pit. She was alone. No one else was around. It was eerie in a way, but the night was quiet and calm. When she thought about it, Kaelyn realized she hadn't truly been alone since...actually, she'd never been completely alone. Maybe that's why it felt so strange.
Still, Kaelyn wished she had some company. She wished she'd brought her niece and sister along. But then again, that might not have been a good idea. Sienna might not have been interested in traveling. Carina would probably just run off to who-knows-where and Kaelyn would spend most of the trip chasing after her.
"But that's my family," Kaelyn thought.
The fire eventually faded and Kaelyn was ready to go to sleep for the night. She made herself as cozy as she could in her tent and drifted off to sleep. It'd been a long day.
The next day, Kaelyn awoke, not really sure of what to do. She could take more photos, but there was nothing really exciting to take pictures of. Then, she remembered Meret. Meret had asked her to visit sometime. It was kind of early, but not too early, so Kaelyn headed to Meret's house.
Meret opened the door, delighted to see Kaelyn again. She invited Kaelyn inside. Kaelyn was rather surprised with Meret's home. On the outside, it looked so different, but on the inside, it almost looked just like a house in Sunset Valley.
Meret's family was warm and welcoming towards Kaelyn. She spent the whole day there, getting to know the family. She told them stories of Sunset Valley and about her niece's belief in mummies. Meret's grandfather warned Kaelyn should listen to her niece. Mummies are real and they're no joke.
When it came time for Kaelyn to leave, Meret was sad to see her go. She asked if she would ever see her again. Kaelyn promised not only would she come back, but she'd also bring her niece so they could play together. Meret was happy to hear that and bid Kaelyn farewell with a hug.
Meret's family watched Kaelyn as she sped away on her scooter, waving goodbye for as long as they could see her.
By the time Kaelyn arrived back at her base camp, night had fallen. She returning home tomorrow. She was about to go inside her tent when she spotted someone just a short distance away. She couldn't tell if it was a man or a woman, as it was too dark to see. Kaelyn felt a bit scared, but she approached the person to see who it was.
The person only turned out to be another young girl named Satis Amin.
Satis apologized for frightening Kaelyn, explaining that she just wanted to wash her hands. Kaelyn apologized for possibly scaring her and went on to say that she was a traveler and this was her first time in Egypt. Satis found that interesting and told her of many world travelers she and her family knew.
Like with Meret, Kaelyn quickly became acquainted with Satis. The two even had a pillow fight by the tents. It was a great way to end Kaelyn's trip.
After Satis had to leave, Kaelyn retreated to her tent to go to sleep. She couldn't wait to get home to tell Carina and Sienna all about her trip.
