So I am curious to read your thoughts about the excerpts from
The Readers below.
What can you do?
Write a short (or long) excerpt from a fantasy story. In you
writing, express the following:
-
a time period
-
who your characters are
-
possible conflicts that could drive the story
-
your imagination.
An example
In The Readers I
am using different genres, such as fantasy and non-fiction writing. I’m
combining the story about the Readers family with extracts from the children’s
parent’s academic writing. The children’s parents are Egyptology archaeologists
who research and write about the reign of Arkhenaten, the possible father of
Tutankhamun.
Excerpt 1
Charlie tucked the Book of the Dead under his arm and made his
way toward the door at the back of the chamber.
Just then a slight grumble could be heard. Alice caught Charlie’s arm,
knocking the book onto the floor as she said, ‘What’s that noise?’
The sound stopped and the chamber was still.
‘I’m not sure,’ said Charlie, leaning down to pick up the
book. A tattered piece of paper peeped out from the middle of the pages. He
pulled it out and unfolded it carefully so as not rip it any more.
‘What’s that?’ said Alice.
‘It looks like a newspaper article. A very old one, I’d
say.’
Charlie smoothed out the ruffles on the paper and read slowly.
The Times
December 15 1932
‘Book of the Dead’
stolen from Tutankhamun’s tomb
An ancient book called the Book
of the Dead has been stolen from Tutankhamun’s tomb in the Valley of the
Kings in Egypt today.
Ten years after the discovery of Tutankhamun’s tomb, the now famous
child pharaoh of the New Kingdom, the Book of the Dead has been stolen from his
burial chamber.
Howard Carter and his team of archaeologists have been working on
the tomb since its discovery in 1922. It has taken his team 10 years to remove,
record, preserve and return all objects taken from the tomb.
On the last day of the project it was discovered that the Book of
the Dead had been taken from the burial chamber. The book usually rests on top
of the chest of the deceased and is used to recite spells in the
underworld.
‘This is very disappointing,’ said Howard Carter. ‘My team has
meticulously worked on this tomb. It was our aim from the beginning to return
all objects to the tomb after accurate recording and preservation procedures
were followed.’
Mr. Carter said that it was important to return all objects as the
Ancient Egyptians believed that all objects stored in their tombs were required
for successful transition through the underworld.
Police are interviewing a number of suspects who were in contact
with the tomb. So far no one has been arrested.
Investigations are continuing.
Charlie wiped his fingers over the cover of the Book of the
Dead, coming to understand its significance in their lives. ‘This book’s been
stolen.’
‘Not only that. Our parents knew about the theft and didn’t
return it,’ said Alice, remembering her parents boasting about their treasured
discovery of Tutnkhamun’s Book of the Dead.
‘Maybe, it is up to us to return it.’
Alice sighed and looked at the wall of the chamber with the
boat on the river that she had earlier integrated into and met her father as
the Pharaoh of Egypt. ‘Maybe,’ she mumbled, uncertain of the significance. ‘I
think our parents knew quite a lot that they didn’t tell us.’
Alice hesitated before she continued. ‘There’s something I
need to show you.’
She led her brother over to the wall with the image of the
boat. Alice leaned down and pointed to the people in image. As she did a slight
grumble like an engine warming began to develop.
Charlie squinted. ‘That’s you,’ he gasped.
‘Umm,’ she said.
Charlie looked over the image like a detective. ‘Wow,’ he
said. ‘That looks like…’
‘Yep, that’s our father alright,’ said Alice.
‘What is he doing in there?’
‘He needs our help,’ she said reflecting on the request her
father gave her to return the Book of the Dead to Tutankhamun’s tomb before he
is locked out of the underworld for all eternity.
‘What for?’
But before she could answer, the grumble turned into a roar.
The image of Alice and her father in the barque began to shiver, shaking like
the beginning of an earthquake. The roar became louder and out of the water
came a huge black serpent, shiny like a whale. It glided in and out stealthily,
causing the water to rise up like a wave in the ocean. The force of the wave
propelled the boat forward, almost tipping the picture of Alice and her father
into the water. They both held onto the cobra guardians, at each end of the
boat, as their bodies flew into the air, landing with a thud when the wave came
to an end.
‘That’s Apep,’ said Charlie in horror. ‘Let’s get out of
here.’
Water began to spout out into the chamber from the image
like a broken water pipe, immediately turning the floor to mud.
Alice and Charlie ran into the other chamber until they
reached the screen Isis had previously ushered them toward in the hope that
they would enter voluntarily. Water seeped down from above, swaying the screen
back and forth as if a gentle wind blew over it. Alice put the palm of her hand
over the image of the King and Queen on the chariot. ‘I can’t go in there,’ she
said.
Charlie looked behind them. The water gushed into the chamber.
‘Quick, Alice. We don’t have much time.’
Alice pushed her hand into the screen and nearly fell
inwards. She quickly pulled her hand out.
‘I can’t do it.’
‘Yes you can,’ said Ruben.
Alice took a deep breath. ‘You go first.’
Charlie held out his hand. ‘Let’s go together.’
Alice placed her hand in his, and they both stood in front
of the screen. They fell forward in sync like a kite coming in for landing.
Excerpt 2
PREFACE.
________
For Egyptologists and lovers of Ancient cultures,
Akhenaten’s reign has long been one of the most complex and intriguing of all
the pharaohs. Using the great wealth and power afforded him by his
predecessors, Akhenaten made a bold departure from traditional Kingship by
attempting religious reform when he created a new and simpler cult. He declared
that the Aten, the sun god, was to be the only god to be worshipped. The Aten,
represented by the sun disc, created and cared for mankind. Akhenaten banned
the other gods and closed or destroyed their temples. It is not surprising that
the pharaoh was portrayed as a heretic after his death, and all mention of his
name on monuments was destroyed by officials.
For the historian, due to inconclusive archaeological
evidence, it has been difficult to determine whether Akhenaten was an effete
ruler or a despotic madman. He attempted to increase the power of the pharaoh
by declaring that the King and his family were the sole intermediaries between
God and the people. The new cult offered no channel for personal piety amongst
the people. Public displays such as the royal chariot drive provided the few
opportunities for the people to communicate with the world of the gods.
Archaeological evidence suggests that Akhenaten was constantly flanked by
bodyguards headed by the chief of Police of Akhenaton, Mahu. It is therefore
not surprising that Akhenaten's assassins took an opportunity such as one of
these public displays to show their disapproval of his restriction on god
worship.
After futile efforts by Egyptologists from the past to
find the mummy of Akhenaten, our team was overjoyed to locate the body in the
cliffs to the east of the city of El- Amarna 200 meters from his tomb. At this
stage of the investigation, it can only be concluded that his body was removed
from its proper burial place by dissidents who opposed his monotheistic
approach to religion. Further evidence of this can be seen in the numerous
monuments built during Akhenaten’s reign, which have been ruined and defaced by
consecutive pharaohs, including his heir to the throne and child, Tutankhamun.
The mummy was buried deep in the desert, without any
proper burial procedures adhered to, like mummification, as was customary for a
pharaoh. Over the years the desert sand has dissipated, eventually uncovering a
skeletal hand. After carefully removing and recording the evidence from the
site, a CT scan of Akhenaten’s mummy was conducted, showing that he most
probably suffered injuries to the head of a catastrophic nature. Markings along
the back of his body suggest that he was dragged for an extensive period across
the desert. Indentations around both wrists suggest that he was tied with rope,
which pulled the body through the desert to his place of burial. Curiously,
traces of horsehair and plumes from the horse’s regalia were also found in
Akhenaten’s mouth.
Further excavation around the mummy has uncovered a
book similar to the Book of the Dead, which was usually buried with the body of
the deceased. This book however is strange in that it reads like a diary of
Akhenaten’s life. Somebody must have gone to great pains to ensure that
Akhenaten rested for eternity with this book as it was not only found in a
golden box bolted like a vault, but was buried deep into the desert, some 100
meters below Akhenaten’s mummy.
Annie Reader, Charlie Reader, ‘The Discovery of
Akhenaten’s Mummy,’ Oxford, 2003
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