Sunday Photo Fiction is a weekly challenge presented by my old friend Al Forbes.
The idea is to write a short story (200 word max) inspired by what you see in the picture (below).
This week’s prompt again comes from the man himself, and sent me into the terrifying world of ancient curses.
Sort of.
Click on this link to enter your tale, and to see what others have written.
© Al Forbes
Click here to hear the author read his words:
The Mummy’s Curse
It isn’t easy being an archaeologist.
I had to look up the spelling on my site pass, it is quite a tricky word!
We have to do a lot of digging and brushing and hard work, sometimes in very hot countries.
Here in Egypt it burned my pale skin when we were outdoors, we Scots are not designed for temperatures way over 30 centigrade.
When we get underground the heat is stifling, and I suffer badly from hay fever.
And I had to go to school for years and years, learning lots of useless things, like history.
As for hyro, higher, hiera, I mean Egyptian writing, it just makes no sense.
They don’t even use real words, just wee pictures, and they say they were civilised!
Anyway now we’ve dug up these coffin thingys, and the really bad stuff starts.
My boss says there is usually a curse.
That’s all I need, I can tell you!
My wife is already mad at me for spending so much time away from home.
So we study it very carefully, preparing ourselves for the worst.
The Mummy’s Curse is not for the faint-hearted.
Ladies, please look away now.
It says:
‘Oh, drat’.
Sound Bite Fiction 
What a curse! Shaking in my boots!
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Ah, yes. We have not returned to the old ways.
Does it really say: oh, drat? Those Egyptians. Such a ways with words.
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Oh Sascha, you were supposed to have looked away by that time!
I hope you didn’t swoon?
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I never look away in time.
I only swoon for romantic elements. 😀
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Ha ha ha ha ha. My ears are turning red with embarrassment upon reading that terrible curse 🙂
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I did give fair warning, sir, but thought you could handle it.
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Hubris, they call it Sir, hubris.
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Doesn’t sound like he’s well suited for the job.
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I guess the vetting process is flawed, hmm?
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It isn’t very advisable reading/decoding curses. Good story, Ceayr.
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A man’s gotta do, Neel…
Thanks, glad you enjoyed
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I agree it is better they cannot read the curse and laughed with Oh drat! haha
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I’m just happy you had a chuckle
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🙂
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Funny one, CE. Seems like this gent is singularly unsuited to the life of archeology!
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Good jobs are so hard to find these days, Joy
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Very true!
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It’s probably best that they can’t read the curse, especially if it’s coming from your mind CE, it’s not going to end well!
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It is a bit foul, Iain, I agree
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Good punch line!
Funny nonsense well told C.E. You set the suspension of disbelief, I accepted it and laughed all the way.
Reminds me of a joke about a duck plasterer. ..
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So this Mummy goes into a bar…
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