Readers Theater Play DRAMATIZATION a story based on true events from the past

The (Possibly) true story of a mummy’s wrath

By Spencer Kayden illustration by lisa k. weber

CHARACTERS Circle the character you will play. *Narrators 1, 2, 3 (N1, N2, N3) LORD Carnarvon: a wealthy Englishman Lady Evelyn HERBERT: Lord Carnarvon’s daughter Doctor: Lord Carnarvon’s physician *: an English archaeologist Reis AHMED: an Egyptian worker on Carter’s team Tarik: another Egyptian worker Alan Gardiner: a hieroglyphics specialist Arthur Mace: a member of Carter’s team GEORGES Bénédite: an Egyptologist from France Tony: a truck driver Jake: a truck driver * Starred characters are major roles. TURN THE PAGE to read this supernatural tale. 

scholastic.com/scope • OCTOBER 10, 2011 11 Doctor: Yes, all of Egypt has N3: Just then, the lights flicker as you read, THINK ABOUT: been speaking of it. and go out. The room is THE CURSE HERBERT: The treasures inside have completely dark. This play is about one of the not been seen for more than 3,000 Doctor: Perhaps the curse most famous mysteries of the years. has claimed its first victim. 20th century: a curse supposedly Doctor: Forgive me, my lady, but unleashed by the opening of an perhaps they should not be seen. ancient king’s tomb. As you read, HERBERT: What do you mean? N1: Flashback to five months decide whether you think the Doctor: Many believe that the earlier, in Luxor, Egypt. curse is real. final resting place of a is N2: Archaeologist Howard Carter sacred, and that those who enter believes an undiscovered tomb lies an ancient tomb will be cursed. in the Valley of the Kings. HERBERT: Could it be true? Father N3: It is a desolate place full of sand N1: Cairo, Egypt, April 1923. fell ill soon after he entered N2: Lady Evelyn Herbert sits Tutankhamen’s tomb. 2 at her father’s bedside. N1: Lord Carnarvon’s body begins LORD Carnarvon: I’ll be fine, to tremble. He reaches for his my dear. daughter’s hand. LADY Evelyn HERBERT: But Father, Carnarvon: Dearest Evelyn, tell your skin has turned so pale. And Carter he must continue to that red mark on your cheek looks excavate the tomb no matter what like it’s on fire! happens. I . . . I . . . Carnarvon: It is nothing. Just an N2: Lord Carnarvon gasps for infected mosquito bite. breath. He dies. HERBERT: Are you sure? You look like you’re having trouble 1 breathing. Carnarvon: I’m euphoric! My archaeology team just made one of the biggest discoveries in history. N3: Lord Carnarvon starts to cough violently. A doctor arrives. HERBERT (quietly): Doctor, what’s wrong with him? Doctor: I can’t say. This is a very mysterious illness. HERBERT: My father must get well. 1. Outside the tomb of King Tut in the Valley of the Kings, Egypt. 2. Howard Carter examines He and his partner, Howard Carter, the sarcophagus. 3. Artifacts from Tut’s tomb recently discovered the tomb of an being removed. Though Carter stated that they ancient pharaoh named should remain in Egypt, many relics ended up in museums and private collections around the Tutankhamen (toot-ahn-KAH- world. Today, most have been returned to the men). The tomb has rooms full Egyptian Museum in Egypt’s capital, Cairo. of gold and untold riches!

12 Scholastic Scope • OCTOBER 10, 2011 and rock. Temperatures there can is the one place in the valley Are you all right? exceed 120˚F. I haven’t looked. Let’s clear away TARIK: The cobra is a symbol C ollection N1: Carter and his team have spent all this debris. of protection for the pharaoh. ollection; C ollection;

G r a nger years in this scorching valley, N1: One of the workers, Reis Ahmed, This is a warning: You must not

G r a nger searching for the tomb of finds a smooth stone surface under disturb the pharaoh’s tomb! Tutankhamen. the sand. He keeps digging and Carter: My good man, that’s N2: Tutankhamen became uncovers another stone below it. nonsense. If we have found

pharaoh around 1333 b.c., when REIS AHMED: Mr. Carter, I think Tutankhamen’s tomb, just imagine R ue des Archives/ T he he was only 9 years old. He died I’ve found something unusual. the immense treasure inside! R ue des Archives/ T he mysteriously at age 19. N2: Carter brushes off the stones. TARIK: But, Sir . . . C ollection; N3: His tomb has never been Then he gently probes the sand Carter: We may be able to show found. around the stones. the world a perfectly preserved G r a nger T he From le f t to right: HOWARD Carter: Gentlemen, this Carter: It seems to be part piece of . And, we’ll of a structure. be famous for doing it! What could N3: The crew keeps working and be bad about that? uncovers a staircase that leads down to a door. Carter: This door has royal N2: A few weeks later, Lord symbols! I must summon Lord Carnarvon arrives at the site from Carnarvon before we go any England. Carter’s crew finishes further. We should make this digging out the staircase and discovery together. breaks through the door. N1: Carter goes to his tent. N3: The team makes its way down Tarik is waiting for him. a dark passageway filled with stone Carter: What is wrong? You and rubble. At the end, they find look as if you’ve seen a ghost! another sealed door. TARIK: I just came from your Carnarvon: This door has house. A cobra crept inside and hieroglyphics on it! What does killed your beloved canary. it say? Carter: I’m sad to hear that. Gardiner: Let me have a look . . . Tut . . . . . . amen! By Jove, Carter, 3 Carnarvon: we’ve found it! N1: With trembling hands, Carter makes a small breach in the door. Holding a candle in front of him, he sticks his head through the opening. N2: A sudden blast of hot air escapes from the chamber, causing the candle to flicker. N3: As Carter’s eyes grow accustomed to the light, 

scholastic.com/scope • OCTOBER 10, 2011 13 details of the room within slowly emerge—strange animals, statues, N1: After Lord Carnarvon’s death, world travel to Egypt to see and gold, everywhere the glint of Carter and his crew continue the the tomb. gold. laborious task of identifying and GEORGES Bénédite: Carter, what Carnarvon: Can you see anything? cataloguing everything in are the chances we can bring Carter: Yes . . . wonderful things! Tutankhamen’s tomb. some of these marvelous treasures

N1: The crew widens the hole, and N2: More than 5,000 artifacts are to France? C ollection the men slip through. found inside. The workers take Carter: I do want to share this

N2: The room is packed with great care with each one. extraordinary discovery with the G r a nger glittering treasures: statues, N3: Inside the burial chamber, they world, but it does not belong to me. T he chariots, ornate chests, furniture, use pulleys to lift a gold coffin out Bénédite: Would it really matter if urns, and jewelry—everything the of a stone sarcophagus. one or two artifacts were missing? T imes; bottom: ancient Egyptians believed Tut Carter: Careful now. Keep it Carter: The contents of the tomb would need in the afterlife. steady. Let’s not jostle the mummy. must stay in Egypt. Say, are you N ew York

N3: Gardiner picks up a gilded Mace: Why is it so heavy? OK? You look flushed. T he

wooden cobra. Carter: The coffin seems to be N3: Bénédite collapses and dies. top: Gardiner: Carter, I can’t help but solid gold! Just wonder if these serpents have real think—soon we will power. People have warned me be looking into the that a curse will be unleashed if we face of an ancient enter this tomb. king. Carter (whispering): Keep your Mace: Can someone superstitions to yourself, Gardiner. take this rope? My If the workers believe there is a body feels weak. curse, they won’t help us excavate. Gardiner: I’ll get it. We can’t do it ourselves. N1: Gardiner takes Gardiner: You have studied the rope just as Mace ancient Egypt most of your life. collapses. You don’t believe the curse could Carter: What be real? happened? Carter: I think it is a load of Gardiner: I’m not hogwash. sure. One moment Gardiner: Carter, I do hope you’re he was fine, the next, right. I would hate to incur the he fainted. wrath of the Egyptian gods and N2: Museum curators goddesses. from all over the

14 Scholastic Scope • OCTOBER 10, 2011 www.istockphoto.com (book); Underwood & Underwood/Corbis (Carter) The nextday,hebecame Tutankhamen’s tomb. Tarik: Hewenttovisit AHMED: No. Haman? about SheikAbdul Tarik: Didn’tyouhear to scareawaytombrobbers. were true,itwasprobablywritten AHMED: Thatisarumor.Andifit disturb thesleepofPharaoh.” “Death willcometothosewho was foundinthetombthatsays, go backthere.Iheardthatatablet Lord Carnarvon’smosquitobite. on hischeekinthesameplace as to rumor, the mummy had amark mummy of King Tut. Carter (left) examinesthe Tarik: Iwillnot the tomb? been workingat why haven’tyou AHMED: Tarik, the market. sees Tarikin N1: Ahmed According he doesnottruly desecrate Tutankhamen’stomb, Tarik: IfMr.Carteriswillingto wrong? to themuseuminCairo.Isthat AHMED: Mr.Carteristakingthem is removingeverylastitem. tomb wasbadenough,butnowhe greed withtheirlives.Enteringthe Tarik: Othersarepayingforhis and robust. the tombeveryday.Heishealthy AHMED: ButMr.Carterworksin of thiscurse. is dead.Wehavenotseentheend tired withaveryhighfever.Nowhe

From the Journal of Howard Carter Diary November 27, 1922

beyond anything one could conceive. The heterogeneous mass of material crowded into the chamber without particular order, so crowded that you were obliged to move with anxious caution, was very bewildering. Beneath one of the couches, we perceived an aperture in the rockwall, which proved to be nothing less than another doorway. With care Ld. C. and I crept under this strange gilded couch, and we peered into the opening. There we saw that it led The sight that met us was into yet another chamber.

traces of a mummy or mummies—the one reason for making a cache. The mystery gradually dawned upon us. We were but in the anterior portion of a tomb. Behind that closed doorway was the tomb chamber, and Tutankhamen probably lay there in all his magnificent panoply of death.

astonished by the beauty and refinement of the objects, surpassing all we could have imagined—the impression In neither of these two chambers could we see any was overwhelming.

It was a sight we never dreamed of seeing. We were scholastic.com/scope • scholastic.com/scope Tony: Thanksforgivingme highway inan18-wheeler. N3: Twomentraveldownadark N2: Texas,2011. Tutankhamen willliveforever. because ofHowardCarter, remembered. Youmustadmit, alive whentheirnameswere believed thattheirsoulswerekept AHMED: But,Tarik,ourancestors respect thepharaohorourpeople. OCTOBER 10,OCTOBER 2011

 15 This coffin found inside King Tut’s tomb held his mummified liver!

that. When I took this job, they told me that a bunch of other drivers had already turned it down. Tony: Why? Jake: People say there’s a curse on anyone who disturbs King Tut or anything that was buried with him. They believe that what’s in the back of this truck should never have been taken out of his tomb. Tony: What do you think? Jake: I think it’s getting late and we should stop for some coffee. N1: Jake changes lanes and steers Experts have been studying Tutankhamen for decades. They’ve figured out what the truck onto the exit ramp. N elson/ EP A/ C orbis M ike he may have looked like (rendering, above) by studying his mummy (below). N2: In the middle of the ramp, the They’ve also found several possible explanations for the “curse.” truck’s headlights catch something One of the most accepted theories is toxic mold spores inside M useum; Tut’s tomb. These can be deadly for someone with a weak long and thick, with a flash of immune system—someone like Lord Carnarvon, who had an yellow eyes. infected mosquito bite. Today, Tut exhibits around the world continue to attract millions of tourists every year. Tony: Watch out! N3: Jake slams on the brakes. a ride to Houston, Jake. What are the creeps? jake and tony: Aaaaaah!!! you hauling tonight? Jake: What do N1: The truck skids into a ditch.

Jake (laughing): Just a bunch of you mean? Jake: What was that thing? V oegelin/Antikenmuseum/ T he Field ancient treasure. I’m bringing Tony: Well, would N2: They look out the window and it to a museum. you want someone see an enormous cobra slithering Tony: Are you kidding me? digging you out of the ground across the road. It turns its head Jake: Nope. It’s stuff from the thousands of years after you died? and flicks its tongue at them. I m a ges; Andre a s F.,

tomb of that Egyptian mummy Whatever happened to “Rest in Tony: So, now do you think the S tock guy, King Tut. peace”? mummy’s curse is real? Tony: Doesn’t that give you Jake: It’s funny you should say Jake: I don’t know. Do you? • G eogr a phic

contest Ga rrett/ Na tion a l Write About the Curse K enneth f rom top le f t:

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16 Scholastic Scope • OCTOBER 10, 2011