“$64,000, going once, going twice”, called the voice of the auctioneer, a tall gangly looking man trying to get another one of us rich people with money to spend on useless things, to raise the bid higher. I knew I was going to take the statue home but I wanted everyone to exhaust their calling price, before bringing the most exorbitant price a statue would go for and it seemed like $64,000 was going to be their calling price.
Just as the auctioneer was about to give in, I called; “$80,000”. The shock on their faces was like nothing I had ever seen before and I could barely hold back the urge to laugh as the auctioneer called for someone to beat my price, but of course, no one did.
The statue was like nothing I had ever seen before, it looked like it was in pain, and whoever molded it had something in mind. It was a statue of three men joined at their abdomen, their hand-thrown sideways, their eyes somewhat dilated, and their mouths open as if crying out for help. I never took it for anything special until that fateful day; the day it all ended, the day I decided to become the man I am now.
On that fateful day I woke up to hear a shout from the kitchen, my butler and maid were obviously at it again. They were always at loggerheads for some of the most inconsequential reasons and I never intervened because they were adults and could solve their problems themselves. This morning though the shouting seemed to go on for longer than usual and it was threatening to ruin my beautiful morning sleep, after tossing and turning on my bed, trying to shut their voices out. I knew that I had to intervene, I donned on my sleeping robe and walked to the living room only to see them standing a few meters from my stature which was visibly wet.
“What’s the matter about Rufus, Angela?”
I asked looking from my butler to my maid. Instead of answering me, they both moped each of them too scared to tell me what had happened.
“Are you going to answer me? Or should I conclude that the both of you just want to annoy me this morning for no just reason?”
“No Sir,” Rufus replied in a pale tone. “Sir the statue... it’s bad, it really, really bad.” He lamented.
“How?” I asked amused at his joke of English, but also wary of what he just said.
“Sir, the statue can talk, it spoke to me this morning when I touched it.” “It cried, HELP ME!!!” said my maid.
I was shocked with unbelief, I knew my maid was somewhat a religious and superstitious lady, but Rufus was nothing like her.
“Is that why you doused it with water?”
“Yes, Sir.” Replied Rufus, “It told me to pour water on it.” He added.
“Okay, then pour more water on it, I want to hear it speak.”
If I had not heard it for myself I would not have believed and if someone had told me that, I would have believed it was all superstition. But because of the events of that day, I would have laughed the person to death.
Immediately she poured the water on the statue their conjoined belly separated and the stature which was one became three stoned men and the hunch on their back. Suddenly looked like a bag of loot. I could barely close my mouth.
“Thank you very much.” They said bowed in our direction,
“thank you for buying us at the auctioning party and separating us, all that is left is for you to please help us return the loot to the Egyptian shop across downtown before midnight tomorrow, or else we will be stone forever and you will lose your possessions.”
I stood there, as I looked confused at what just happened, everything they said didn’t make sense to me,
“Did I just bought home a cursed statue?” I thought to myself.
“I don’t understand a word of what you have been saying. It sounds so strange. What happened? How did you three become a statue in the first place and now separated into stoned men?” I was perplexed.
“Patience Sir.” Said the second stoned man, “we were getting to that.” “We were once simple petty thieves that robbed people in the market. Yes, it was not a good thing but when there was no proper work and we each had a battalion of mouth to feed, you would not blame us.”
He stopped, and then the first man continued, “our names are Hassan, James, and Ali and our dilemma began when Ali here told us that the drug lord, Master Tisane had a job for us. The job he said was going to change our lives for the better, maybe it was, but all I know is that we should not have taken the wrong step.”
The story was becoming interesting and I didn’t want to miss any part of it, so I quickly excused myself to cancel all my appointments for that day. Just as I left, they started arguing between themselves, throwing blames at one another for the misfortune they face.
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Then, as soon as I came in, they ended their argument and Hassan resumed how it all happened.
“It wasn’t news that the Sekhmet shop was jinxed. It was the only shop that has never been burgled and never had she called for the help of the security aids. Many said her shop was known for its mystic power. But Master Tristan never disclosed this to us.
I for one refused at first when Master Tisane asked us to do it, I was satisfied with the small profit we were making in our petty stealing. But James and Ali's selfish reasons made me accept the job. The robbery was to steal a blood-red ruby gem from Sekhmet and get out, but Ali thought of getting more of the diamonds in the room. Suddenly we picked the wrong diamond and it transformed us into statures.”
“I warned them not to pick that diamond but they refused,” Hassan replied in anger.
“But you didn’t give us a better reason not to.” Ali countered.
“It was either we get caught or we get trapped in there forever.” James interrupted.
“Enough of the arguments guys. Now I want to know how I come in? and by the way, I mean myself and my household. I just bought the stature because it was beautiful.”
“You have to return us back to Sekhmet’s shop, so we can give her back her loots.”
“And if I refused, what will happen? After all, am not part of the stealing act.” I asked with curiosity.
“If you refused, then be ready to suffer the same fate with us, you and everyone you loved.”
I knew I was in for it and I didn’t have any plans of spending the rest of my life in misery with those cursed thieves. So something needed to be done.
The next day we started the cursed journey to Egypt, getting to the City of Ramses.
It looked like nothing had ever lived there. It was deserted, there were no shops of precious stones, only a few people that lived there and they looked sick. And when we tried to ask about the mystic shop, I received the biggest shop of my life. It turned out Sekhmet had died long before I was born and what I had walked into was a century-long spell, called Bandits Cursed.