The Time Travelers' Club: Chapter 58-- The Metropolitan Museum of Art

The next morning, Sam was awakened by the soothing sound of a flute solo by Auger outside in the hallway.   Sam rolled over to look at the room once again.

Augie and Auger had taped old nautical charts and National Geographic maps on the wall.  A box compass, seashells, pencils, copies of novels about the sea filled the desk that sat in the middle of the room.  Sam had glanced at the titles -- 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea, Moby Dick, Treasure Island, and several with Captain Horatio Hornblower.   Fishing nets were hung on the walls. On bookcase shelves sat models of the USS Constitution, the Titanic, and the passenger-liner The United States.

Sam crawled out of bed, showered, and got dressed.  Out in the hall, Auger had stopped her flute solo and was nowhere in sight.  Sam immediately upped his guard. Augie and Auger were known for their morning hijacks. The last time, they locked Sam in the closet convincing him that there were no tigers or lions lurking about. Sam didn't really like being locked in the dark closet, despite it was all for fun.

This morning however, he made it all the way to the kitchen.

"Good morning, Sam." Uncle Matt looked up from his New York Times. "Sleep well?"

Sam nodded. "Sure did."

Aunt Paula was making waffles, while his cousins sat quietly studying.  Augie had something in French.  Auger hid behind her algebra book.  Emily was retrieving milk and orange juice from the refrigerator.

"Morning honey," said Emily.  "Waffles?"

"Yes, please," said Sam.  Studying his cousins, he wondered why they were so quiet this morning.  "What are you guys reading?"

Without looking up, Auger said.  "We've got college entrance exams next week, so we are studying early to get it over with for the day."

Augie added.  "That way we can devote the rest of the day to you."

"Especially today while at the art museum," said Uncle Henry.  "So, you're studying Ancient Egypt.   You'll love the museum's collection of relics.  Got a notebook?"

Aunt Paula put a plate of two waffles and sausage in front of Sam.

"Sure do," said Sam.  "It's the same one I used to take notes in London."

Everyone stopped what they were doing and looked at him.  Realizing what he had just said, Sam quickly improvised.  "I meant to say when I was taking notes on London.  Researching Jack the Ripper for my class report."   Everyone went back to what they were doing.

Before long, the whole family was riding the city bus over to the Metropolitan Museum of Art.  On past trips to New York City, they had only passed by it.  This time they were going in.   Sam thought about one of his favorite books, From the Mixed-Up Files of Mrs. Basil E. Frankweiler, and how awesome it would be to hide out in the country's best art museum.

Within a short time, Sam was standing at the bottom step up to the massive stone building.  Lines of school kids followed their teachers towards a side entrance.  College students with sketch pads, groups of foreign tourists, and a superfluity of nuns climbed up the steps, filtering into the main entrance between two sets of four massive pillars.

Once inside, they paid their admissions and headed to the northern galleries where the Egyptian collections were on display, first seeing the Tomb of Perneb.

Throughout the galleries, Sam marveled at the ancient artifacts.  Sam liked the carved images of a man herding what looked like antelopes along a river while below men where rowing a barge.  He circled an enormous pillar with hieroglyphs around it, then over to a reproduction of an Egyptian queen's wig.  Rows of canopic jars.  Mummies in their fragile wrappings and their ornate cases.  Wooden boats that looked like toys.   Sam couldn't take notes fast enough.

"Hey, Sam," said Aunt Paula.  "How ya doing?  Getting plenty of notes?"

Without looking up, Sam scribbled line after line.  "Sure am.  I'll have more than plenty for my report."

Augie and Auger grabbed Sam, one on each side.

"You have got to check out the Temple of Dendur," said Augie.  "It's like the coolest thing in this part of the museum."

Sam tried to finish his last note.  "Hey, I still want to take some pictures."

"Don't worry," said Augie.  "Our moms are in charge of that."

Sam glanced over his shoulder and saw his Mom taking a picture of an oversized stone block covered in hieroglyphs.  They guided Sam past small blue statues, mummy cases, and parts of carved stone heads.

Entering a vast exhibit hall with one wall of floor to ceiling windows, they were greeted by two colossal statues of Egyptian pharaohs.  Beyond them, on a raised platform surrounded by a moat of shallow water stood the Temple.  Its walls glowed from the overhead lights.

Sam walked along the moat to steps that led up to the Temple.  It had two separate structures.  A simple archway was several feet in front of the main temple.

Wow! thought Sam.  This is nothing like what I saw at the Pyramids.  This is so... small.  Looking up at the two pillars on each side of the entrance, Sam stepped into the front chamber of the Temple.

As he entered the back chamber, Sam ran into a gentleman dressed all in black including his top hat.

"Oh, excuse me," said Sam, stepping back.  "I didn't see you."  At first, Sam thought he looked familiar, then Sam remembered the passenger in the taxicab.  It was Vincent.

"It was totally my fault, young man.  I was admiring these wonderful stones." Vincent acted very dramatic as he wove his hand across the wall, only inches away from the ancient surface.

"Image a stone mason hand carving these blocks, then workmen hoisting them into place."

Vincent swooped like a bird in flight around the entire chamber.

This guy's weird, thought Sam.

"Ah, if only I could travel back in time...  And witness the creation of this magnificent temple.  To see the long dead workmen carving the stones..."  Vincent stopped and walked over to Sam.

"You know, young man, I have studied the art of time travel.  Hoping that someday I might master it and travel back.  Ah many hours, reading and reading and trying and trying... And to no avail."  Vincent looked down sadly at his feet.

Without thinking, Sam spurted out.  "I've done it.  I've actually traveled back to ancient Egypt to see the building of the Pyramids..."

Without moving his head, Vincent focused only his eyes on Sam.  "Really?  And pray tell, just exactly how did you do that?"

"I was taught to do it.   I had to learn the words then we went back.  The first time was to London to see Jack the Ripper..."

"Ha!   I don't believe you.  You're talking nonsense.  And where do you plan on going next?"

"We're going to see Cleopatra.  I have to write a report..."  Sam stopped, realizing that he was talking about something he shouldn't to a stranger.  Someone outside of the club.

Vincent eyed Sam.  "Silly boy... Silly silly boy..."   Walking past Sam and out into the front chamber, he turned to Sam.

"You have a very active imagination, young man.  And besides, you should not talk to strangers."

As Vincent left, Sam felt sick to his stomach.  He paced in place, something he did when he got a little nervous.  "What did I just do?"

Augie and Auger came into the chamber.

"Hey, did you see that freak out there in the top hat?" said Auger.  "What was he doing?  Looking for his mummy?"

"He looked like an undertaker," added Augie.  Looking at the pale and pacing Sam, he said.  "Are you alright?  You look sick."

Sam looked up at his cousins, not really knowing what to say.  "I'm fine.  That guy was nuts.  I told him some weird stuff and he left."

"Good for you," said Augie.  "Fight crazy with crazy.  I'll have to remember that.  What did you tell?"

"That I was going back in time to meet Cleopatra."

"Good one," said Augie. "I'll use that sometime."

Auger looked at her cell phone.  "It's lunch time.  Let's go down to the cafeteria."

The rest of their day was spent strolling through other galleries and eventually the long day was over.  The Museum was closing, and it was time to leave.