Series by Tevin Hansen

Junkyard Adventures

Word Dragon

Sea Serpent of Science

Giant of Geography

Alien of Astronomy

Mermaid of Music

Art Monster

Gargoyle of Geometry

Weather Witch

Mummy of Medicine

Math Dragon

Hairytale Adventures

The Birthday Bear

The Museum Guide

The Zookeeper

Halloween Adventures

The Halloween Grump

The Haunted Hospital

The Halloween Space Adventure

Handersen Publishing, LLC

Lincoln, Nebraska

Junkyard Adventure #9

Mummy of Medicine

This book is a work of fiction. All characters and other incidents are a product of the author’s imagination. Any resemblance to actual events, or persons, living or dead, is entirely coincidental.

Text copyright © 2022 Tevin Hansen

Cover copyright © 2022 Handersen Publishing, LLC

Cover Art by Sarah Lowe

Interior Design by Nichole Hansen

Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data

Names: Hansen, Tevin, author.

Title: Mummy of medicine / Tevin Hansen.

Description: Lincoln, Nebraska : Handersen Publishing, [2022] | Series: Junkyard adventures ; #9 | Audience: Ages 6-9. | Audience: Grades 2-3. | Summary: Siblings Eli and Grace explore ancient Egypt with some new friends, help a sick woolly mammoth, and meet a mysterious black cat at the Museum of Everything. Includes instructions on how to make a paper pyramid.

Identifiers: LCCN 2022002917 (print) | LCCN 2022002918 (ebook) | ISBN 9781647030667 (paperback) | ISBN 9781647030674 (hardback) | ISBN 9781647030681 (ebook)

Subjects: CYAC: Museums--Fiction. | Mummies--Fiction. | Magic--Fiction. | Brothers and sisters--Fiction. | Adventure and adventurers--Fiction. | LCGFT: Fiction.

Classification: LCC PZ7.1.H36433 Mu 2022 (print) | LCC PZ7.1.H36433 (ebook) | DDC [Fic]--dc23

LC record available at https://lccn.loc.gov/2022002917

LC ebook record available at https://lccn.loc.gov/2022002918

Publisher Website: www.HandersenPublishing.com

Publisher Email: editors@HandersenPublishing.com

Author Website: www.TevinHansen.com

Artist Website: loweart.portfoliobox.net

Tevin Hansen

Handersen Publishing, LLC

Lincoln, Nebraska USA

Meet Uncle Larry

The junk store on Broadway Street had a million things for sale. And the man who owned the shop had a million stories to tell.

His name was Uncle Larry.

The sign out front…

Uncle Larry’s

Antique Shop

…wasn’t a complete lie.

There really were antiques inside his store. There were old lamps, paintings with fancy wood frames, art sculptures, baseball and hockey cards, jewelry and furniture, old collectible toys, and lots of other things.

The junkyard was out back.

Uncle Larry had a bunch of junky old cars and trucks that would cost so much to fix that it was cheaper to buy a new one.

Uncle Larry’s store also had some of the coolest stuff on the planet. Decades worth of junk and antiques were packed, racked, and stacked into his crowded old shop on Broadway. His apartment was just above the store.

Uncle Larry was a friendly old man who loved to sell things and talk to people. He never married, and never had any children, but he loved to tell stories to kids while their parents shopped in his store.

If it was okay with their moms or dads, or whoever the kids were out shopping with, Uncle Larry would grab his old brown leather stool, plunk right down in the middle of the store, and tell a story.

Uncle Larry had a million stories to tell.

And they always came true.

Chapter One

Shopping List

During the school year, the last Tuesday of every month was always an early release day. All students were released at 1:30 in the afternoon instead of the usual 3:30, so the teachers could complete extra training, schedule meetings, or catch up on stacks of paperwork.

While walking home, Eli and Grace talked about how they would spend their free afternoon. They could read, draw, use up their one hour of screen time, or play outside with some of the kids from the neighborhood.

“Let’s get our homework done first,” said Eli as they hurried down the sidewalk. “Then we’ll do something fun.”

“I don’t have any homework,” said Grace proudly as they rounded a corner. “I got all my work done in class today.”

Eli gave her a hi-five. “Nice job, sis. But just wait until you’re in my grade. Then you’ll get lots of homework. I’ve still got two pages of reading comprehension, a bunch of multiplication questions for math, and—”

Beep! Beep!

A car was honking at them.

It was their dad.

“How about a ride?” asked Dad from the other side of the street. “I’ve got the afternoon off too. I thought we could run a few errands, then go out for ice cream. Show of hands?”

Eli and Grace both raised their hands.

“Well then? Let’s go!” Dad waved at one car to go around him, then it was safe to cross the road.

Cars weren’t the only danger.

Grace was so excited that she bolted from the sidewalk and nearly got hit by a speeding bicycle.

“Grace, wait!” Eli quickly reached for her backpack to stop her from getting hit, but his fingers slipped.

Whoosh!

Clipped to the zipper of Grace’s yellow backpack was her favorite stuffed animal. At the last second, Eli was able to grab hold of Fireball the toy dragon. That’s how he stopped his sister from having a nasty collision with a group of speedy kids on bikes, who were also in a big hurry to get home.

“Sorry about that!” hollered the kid on the last bike as he zoomed down the street with his friends.

“Thanks, Eli,” said Grace. “You saved me.”

Eli said, “Anytime, sis.”

In the backseat of the SUV, Eli and Grace buckled up while their dad waited to merge back into the afterschool traffic.

“We need to make a couple of stops first,” said Dad as he pulled into the road. “Then we can go out for ice cream, okay? I’d like to pick up the supplies we need to paint your bedrooms. Maybe we can get that project done this weekend.”

Recently they’d talked about choosing a new color for their bedrooms. Since they’d all been so busy with work and school, any big home projects had to be put off for a while. Then the idea of painting their rooms came up again during dinner last night.

Eli decided he wanted to paint his bedroom either dark green or light blue. He finally settled on something in the middle—light green.

Grace’s color choice was a little unusual.

“Grace, honey?”

“Yes, Dad?”

“Are you really sure about the color we talked about last night?” asked Dad. “Maybe something a little less, um…distracting.”

Grace didn’t hesitate for a second. “Nope, I still like the same color,” she said. “Bright orange! I’ll have the most colorful room in the house.”

Dad couldn’t help but laugh. “Okay then,” he said. “Bright orange it is. I think I might need my sunglasses to peek inside your room, though.”

On the way to the hardware store, Eli grabbed the sheet of paper laying on the center console. It was a list of things they needed, sitting right there next to Dad’s coffee cup.

Hardware Store

Rollers & Brushes

Masking tape

Tray

Paint – 1 gallon (light green)

Paint – 1 gallon (orange)

On the back of the sheet of paper was a completely different list of things to buy.

Uncle Larry’s

Picture frames for kids’ art

Birthday Present? (Eli)

Eli showed his sister the list and watched her eyes light up. They didn’t expect to stop by Uncle Larry’s store for a while. Especially since they’d dropped by for a visit several times during the last couple of weeks.

“Dad?”

“Yes, Grace?”

“Can we go to Uncle Larry’s store first?” she asked. “I’m sure he has lots of used picture frames for sale. And I bet we can find something really good for Eli’s birthday.”

“How did you know about that?” Dad glanced in the rearview mirror and saw the sheet of paper he’d been scribbling on. “You two weren’t supposed to see the list on the back. I was going to surprise you. But now that the secret is out…”

Click.

“We’ll have to take the highway,” said Dad as he turned on the blinker and changed lanes. “But since it’s on the way this time, I suppose we can stop there first.”

Eli and Grace cheered in the backseat. Ice cream on a warm day sounded great, but a visit to Uncle Larry’s store was always more exciting.

Chapter Two

Treasure Hunters

Broadway Street was busy as usual, but not nearly as busy as it was during the late afternoon. Rush hour traffic was still a couple hours away, so they made it to Uncle Larry’s store in good time.

“Okay, troops! We’re here,” said Dad as he pulled the SUV up to the front of the store.

Beside them was a colorful passenger van, painted bright purple. Written on the side of the van, printed in tall white letters, were the words:

TREASURE HUNTERS CLUB

“Ooh, I like that car,” said Grace as they all got out. “Maybe I’ll drive a car like that when I’m old enough.”

Eli shook his head. “I think your car should be painted bright orange,” he said, making his sister laugh. Together, they read some of the bumper stickers from the brightly colored van.

We brake for ANTIQUE STORES!

Today is a great day

for ANTIQUE SHOPPING!

Save the Planet.

Buy Vintage!

“Uncle Larry must be busy today,” said Dad, leading them toward the sidewalk. “A passenger van like that can hold up to fifteen people.”

A large group of women came bursting out of the store just as Eli, Grace, and their dad were walking up to the front door. Most of the ladies wore a T-shirt the same color as the van, with the same words printed on them:

TREASURE HUNTERS CLUB

“Okay, ladies!” said the white-haired woman holding the door open. “We’ve got our treasures, so you know what to do. On to the next antique store!”

The whole group of women erupted into a chorus of loud cheers as they exited the store. Each of them was carrying a bag filled with things they’d purchased from Uncle Larry’s shop.

The lady who held the door open for their family wore a red T-shirt with another funny saying.

Whoever said that Disneyland was the best place on Earth has never been to an ANTIQUE STORE.

“Go ahead, dears!” said the lady as she waved at their family to go inside. Her group was piling into the large purple van. “Some great bargains can be found inside this store.”

“And fun adventures too,” said Grace, smiling up at the friendly shopper.

The lady returned the smile, then hurried to catch up to her friends and discuss the junk shop treasures they’d found at Uncle Larry’s store.

Ding!

Bzzzz-zuzz-zuzz.

The bell above the front door rang, then fizzled out. As soon as they stepped inside, a strange sound came from somewhere inside the store.

“Ohhhh…” groaned a familiar voice.

It sounded like someone may be hurt—or possibly just really tired.

Chapter Three

Special Day

When Eli, Grace, and their dad walked to the middle of the store, they found Uncle Larry sitting on his favorite leather stool. He had his head down on the counter, moaning and groaning.

“Hi, Larry. Are you okay?” asked Dad. “Did that group of treasure hunters wear you out?”

Uncle Larry let out another pitiful groan. “They came in as soon as I turned over the open sign this morning,” he said with his head still laying on the counter. “I’ve been chatting, bargaining, cracking jokes, and talking nonstop for the last four hours. I need a day off—or maybe a week.”

Eli and Grace felt bad for Uncle Larry. He looked completely exhausted from dealing with the treasure hunting ladies.

“I’m sorry you feel bad,” said Grace, then she reached out and gently patted his hand.

Uncle Larry finally lifted his head off the counter to greet his new customers. A yellow sticky note was stuck to his forehead, but his eyes lit up when he saw who it was.

“Eli and Grace!” Uncle Larry sprang to his feet with new energy. “I’m so glad you’re here! And I’m glad your dad has that long list, because have I ever got a story to tell you today.”

Dad gave the store owner a curious look.

“Yes, I do have a rather long list of things we need, Larry,” he said. “But how did you know that?” The list was in his pocket. And the only other people who had seen it were Eli and Grace, back in the car.

Uncle Larry fidgeted with his hands. “Lucky guess!” he said cheerfully. “I, um…guess.”

Dad leaned in close to whisper something to Uncle Larry. “You have a piece of paper attached to your forehead, Larry.”

“Oh! Right.” Uncle Larry removed the sticky note from his forehead. “It’s just a little reminder to myself for the next time they show up.” He pointed out the storefront window, where a large passenger van was just now pulling away.

“You mean the treasure hunting ladies?” asked Grace. “From the purple van?”

Uncle Larry nodded. “Fun ladies,” he said. “But I’m afraid they wear me out every time they come in here. I gave them a twenty percent discount just to hurry them along. Four solid hours of chitchat is enough for a fussy old cat like me.”

Eli and Grace laughed at his mention of a fussy old cat. They’d rescued a cat just like that during one of their recent junkyard adventures.

“We can come back later,” said Dad, already heading for the door. “You look like you could use a break after the morning you’ve had. Maybe you should close early and take the rest of the day off.”

Uncle Larry waved them back. “No, no, no! Come back! Please, you are more than welcome to stay,” he said. “I was just about to tell Eli and Grace the most wonderful story about—” He tapped a finger on his chin, trying to remember.

Eli and Grace waited patiently.

“Ancient Egypt!” said Uncle Larry.

“Well, that’s good news,” said Dad. “Because I really do have a list of things to buy today. I’m sure your store won’t have everything we need, but at least a few of them. And I might need to find something secret.” He tried to hide the fact that he was pointing at Eli.

“Ah, that’s right,” said Uncle Larry. “There’s a birthday coming up!” He looked right at Eli. “Turning ten years old is a big deal. I’m sure your dad and I can find something extra special for your big day.”

Eli wondered how Uncle Larry knew about his birthday, since it had never been mentioned.

“My birthday isn’t for a few weeks,” Eli told Uncle Larry. “But you and Professor Harvard can come by the house if you want. We’re going to have a backyard party.”

“Dad’s going to rent a bouncy castle,” said Grace excitedly. “And we’ll have cake and ice cream and lots of games to play.”

Uncle Larry looked delighted. “That sounds like a lot of fun,” he said. “But I’m afraid I have to work that day. Maybe you could swing by the store before the big party.”

Dad smiled. “We’ll have to see about that,” he said, then pulled out his list. “Will you two be okay while I look around the store? Things seem a little different in here, but I’m sure I can manage. Did you do a little rearranging, Larry?”

“Um, yes!” said Uncle Larry, pulling nervously at his tie. “You could definitely say that.”

Clang!

Thunk.

Several noises came from the aisles. Items on the shelves seemed to be moving around.

Uncle Larry gave a nervous laugh. “Things in this store really do seem to move around all on their own.” He wiped his sweaty forehead with the handkerchief as more clinks, clanks, and clunks came from different places across the store.

“Have fun shopping, Ben!” said Uncle Larry. He quickly gathered up Eli and Grace, and the three of them hurried toward the back of the store, while more strange noises rang out.

“Meet back here in fifteen minutes!” Dad hollered. “And please don’t break anything!”

Eli said, “Okay, Dad!”

Grace added, “We won’t break anything!”

Walking down the aisles with Uncle Larry leading the way, it really did look like the whole store had been rearranged—by magic. There was no way that one person could move around the thousands and thousands of junk store treasures.

One thing that hadn’t change was the wooden sign above the door at the back of the store.

JUNKYARD ADVENTURES

Chapter Four

Doctor Larry

An old wooden case was accidentally knocked off the shelf by the caring but clumsy store owner.

Crash.

The antique box was full of medical tools and supplies that went scattering across the floor.

“I’m okay! No harm done,” hollered Uncle Larry. “It was just an old box of, um, doctor stuff.”

The price tag from the wooden box was now stuck to the bottom of Uncle Larry’s shoe.

Antique Medical Kit

(France, 1880s)

$2600.00

Eli and Grace waited at the junkyard door, each of them bouncing on their feet. It was hard to keep still because they were both so excited.

“Do you really think we’re going to ancient Egypt?” asked Grace while they waited. “If we are going there…I can’t wait!”

They could hear Uncle Larry cleaning up his mess, and stuffing all the medical tools back into the antique box.

A moment later, somebody hissed.

At first they thought it was a cat hissing. But it wasn’t a cat, or even Mo and Lem, the two mini gargoyles that had recently escaped the magical world of junkyard adventures. It was the store owner, all dressed up like he was headed to a costume party.

“Pssssst! Over here!” Uncle Larry was waving at them, though he was hardly recognizable. He looked more like a physician than a junk store owner. Over top of his patchwork tweed sport jacket was a white lab coat. A small, round mirror was strapped to his forehead. Hanging around his neck was a stethoscope, the medical tool that doctors use to listen to the thump-thump of your heartbeat.

Grace giggled. “I like your costume,” she said. “You look just like a real doctor.”

“Hi, Uncle Larry,” said Eli, trying not to laugh. “I mean, Doctor Larry.

Uncle Larry beamed. “Ooh, I like the sound of that. Doctor Larry!” He stood tall and proud. But mostly proud, since he wasn’t very tall.

Uncle Larry hurried over to give them the magic junk they needed for their adventure. In his left hand he carried a black leather bag. It was the same kind of bag that doctors used when making house calls.

“Let’s see what we have,” said Uncle Larry as he opened the bag. “There’s a pair of forceps, some of those tongue depressor thingys, bandages, gauze…” He pulled off the stethoscope, head mirror, and lab coat, then stuffed those into the bag too.

“Is that for us?” asked Eli.

“Our magic junk?” said Grace.

“Not exactly,” said Uncle Larry. He closed the heavy bag and handed it to Eli. “But I do need you to return this to its rightful owner.”

Printed in faded gold letters on the side of the leather bag were somebody’s initials.

M.M.

“Ah, but these little beauties—” Uncle Larry had a sparkle behind his yellow-green eyes. “Yes, these magic items are for you two. Special order!”

When they held out their hands, Eli and Grace were each given one item, though neither of them looked very important.

“A wooden clothespin?” said Eli.

“Cotton balls?” said Grace, confused.

“Oh, and this!” Uncle Larry pulled one more thing from his jacket pocket. He tore one off the roll and proudly handed it over.

Eli stared down at his hand. “A price tag?” It was the same kind of orange sticker that was stuck to almost every item in the store.

Grace shrugged. “Who knows,” she said to her brother. “Maybe we’ll have to sell something on this adventure.”

“Anything else?” Eli stuffed the wooden clothespin and orange sticker into his back pocket, while Grace did the same with the wad of cotton balls.

“Hmm, let me think…” Uncle Larry patted his pockets. “Yes, there’s one more thing you’ll need. But I may have lost it somewhere along the way.”

When Uncle Larry finally gave up searching, he threw his arms up in the air. And that’s when he accidentally found what he was looking for.

“A-ha! There it is!” cheered Uncle Larry. “It was hanging around my neck the whole time.” He went back and forth with the last magic item, then finally handed it over to Grace.

“This is a pretty necklace,” said Grace as she slipped it over her head. The jewel in the center was cracked, but the intricate design of gold, silver, and precious stones was amazing. Judging by how heavy it was, she guessed it had to be really valuable. Maybe even priceless.

“That is an important medallion from a long, long time ago,” explained Uncle Larry. “A rare and valuable antique—er, artifact.” He pulled at his tie, making it even more crooked. “Even though I may have dropped it once.” He coughed into his hand. “Okay, twice. Well, definitely no more than three times—I think?”

The medallion gleamed in the light.

“Those are all very important items you have there,” said Uncle Larry. “Don’t lose any of them, or else you might never make it back.”

Grace looked worried. “Never?”

They’d gone on several extended junkyard adventures, a few short ones, and one that had lasted all night. But never coming back sounded much too long.

“Maybe never is too strong of a word,” said Uncle Larry. “Although, once I did have a group of kids who were gone for a week. They finally made it back, of course. But only because I made an emergency trip inside to let Professor Harvard know about it.”

Grace’s eyebrows went up. “You’ve gone inside a junkyard adventure before?”

“Oh, sure!” said Uncle Larry. “Professor Harvard sometimes asks me to go check on the kids. But you might not recognize me on the inside.” He winked, then made a funny movement with his fingers like he was twitching his whiskers.

“Okay, off you go!” Uncle Larry shooed them toward the junkyard door. “I’ll do my best to keep your dad distracted while you’re gone.” He snapped his fingers. “Oh, and I might try to find something special for Eli’s birthday next month. And you too, Grace, even though your birthday isn’t until April the ninth.”

Grace’s mouth fell open. “Wow, you really do know everything.”

Uncle Larry laughed. “Me? No, I’m afraid not,” he said. “Knowing everything about junkyard adventures is Professor Harvard’s job, not mine. But sometimes he lets me in on a few secrets.”

A voice echoed through the store.

“Hey, Larry?” called their dad. “I thought I saw some windshield wipers the last time we were in the store, but I can’t find them anywhere. Everything’s been moved around.”

“I’ll be right there!” hollered Uncle Larry. “I’m just sending Eli and Grace off to Egypt!”

The store got very quiet.

“Did you say…Egypt?” said Dad, confused.

Uncle Larry smacked his forehead. “No, of course not! I meant to say that Eli, um…tripped.”

There was a pause.

“Oh, okay,” said Dad from a few aisles over. “Eli, are you okay? You’re not hurt, are you?”

“I’m fine, Dad!” Eli hollered back.

Thankfully, there were no more questions from their dad, so it was time to go.

“One more thing,” said Uncle Larry. “Now, I need you to remember something important about these junkyard adventures. Once you begin, you must—”

“Finish,” said Eli and Grace.

Uncle Larry gave a huge smile. He loved it when kids remembered the magic rules.

“Oh, yes—I forgot to remember!” Uncle Larry patted his pockets again, then found what he was looking for behind his left ear. “Here, take this.”

Grace was given a ballpoint pen. The same kind of pen that Uncle Larry always handed out to customers, with an inscription printed on the side: Uncle Larry’s Antique Shop & Junkyard.

“Sure, why not,” said Grace, then shoved the pen in her pocket.

With one last wave, wishing them good luck, Uncle Larry rushed off to help their dad with his shopping list.

“Ready?” asked Eli.

“Ready,” said Grace.

Together, they stepped through the junkyard door. But they didn’t travel to ancient Egypt—not exactly. This destination was a little different.

Instead of traveling halfway around the world, they found themselves inside a huge building with lots of unusual displays.

A museum.

Chapter Five

Professor Robot

Stepping through the junkyard door was always a new experience. Sometimes it was to get on board a spaceship. Other times they got to climb a mountain, or visit an art studio, or explore beneath the ocean.

This was the first time Eli and Grace had stepped through the junkyard door and found themselves inside a history museum.

There were fantastic scenes of animals that had gone extinct a long time ago, lots of ancient art sculptures, and incredible life-sized displays in some of the larger rooms they passed.

The front desk was straight ahead.

Squeak, squeak.

Their shoes made funny sounds on the shiny tile floor as they walked toward the front desk.

“I wonder what museum this is?” asked Eli as they approached the main counter. “We could be anywhere in the world.”

“Let’s ask him!” Grace pointed to the man standing behind the large front desk. The man had his back turned, so they couldn’t see his face. He was partially hidden by a tall rack full of maps.

Grace paused to pick up a museum map from the far side of the counter. “Now we can figure out where to go inside this huge place,” she said. “And how to get back to Uncle Larry’s store. After we’re done exploring, of course.”

Eli waved to his sister. “Grace, quick! Get over here,” he said excitedly. “It’s Professor Harvard! He’s here too! I mean, sort of…”

Grace hurried around to the front of the counter to say hi to their friend Harvard. He was the one who invented junkyard adventures. He could also turn into a friendly Golden Retriever.

“What do you mean sort of?” asked Grace, surprised when she got her first look. “Oh.” She tilted her head. “Now I see what you mean.”

Standing behind the counter was a very realistic version of Professor Harvard—a robot.

“Push the button,” suggested Grace, pointing to the small red pushbutton next to the robot’s left hand. “Let’s see if he can tell us anything.”

Click.

When Eli pushed the button marked WELCOME, the robot came to life. Its eyes, mouth, and whole body moved while it spoke. Even its recorded voice sounded exactly like the real thing.

“Hello! Welcome to the Museum of Everything,” said the robotic version of Professor Harvard. “I hope you have a fantastic adventure today. If this is an extended stay, you will find that restrooms, vending machines, and water fountains are located on every floor. Just follow the signs posted along the hallways…”

Eli and Grace listened carefully until the end of the message, when the robot thanked them again for visiting the museum, then stopped moving.

“Hey, there’s a note,” said Eli, then picked it up and read it out loud.

Eli and Grace,

I apologize that I could not be here in person. Unfortunately, I am still dealing with this dragon business.

The Word Dragon and the Math Dragon still have not settled their dispute—or stopped arguing. I may need your help to resolve the issue of words versus numbers.

In the meantime, please say hello to the Mummy of Medicine for me. He is an old, old, old, old friend of mine.

I hope to see you again soon.

Kind regards,

Harvard

PS—Eli, you will find your B-day gift at the front counter at Uncle Larry’s store.

(Look under the mess.)

“A mummy?” Grace suddenly found it hard to swallow. She didn’t like being scared. All the extraordinary friends they’d met on junkyard adventures had been wonderful teachers. But they hadn’t come across anything ancient, like an Egyptian mummy from thousands of years ago.

“Don’t worry, Grace. I’ll protect you,” said Eli, even though he looked worried too. “We’ve got a map now, so maybe we won’t need anybody’s help. I’ll bet we can get through this junkyard adventure all on our own. Especially if we—”

Creeeeeeeak.

From somewhere in the next room, a loud noise echoed through the museum, as if an old door—or a heavy wooden box—had just opened.

“Eli?” said Grace in a trembling voice. “That didn’t sound like a squeaky door. It sounded more like a—” She stopped because she didn’t want to say the word coffin.

Shuff, shuff, shuff.

Eli and Grace both felt goosebumps all over when they heard the sound of feet shuffling on the floor. Somebody from another room was headed in their direction.

“I don’t think we’re alone,” whispered Eli, then grabbed his sister by the hand.

It was too late to run.

Chapter Six

Mummy of Medicine

Eli and Grace didn’t need to turn around to know that somebody—or something—was standing right there. The stranger had snuck up behind them, silently. Instead of wearing shoes that would have squeaked on the floor, the stranger wore bandages wrapped around his feet. And everywhere else too!

A voice said, “I believe that belongs to me.”

When Eli and Grace turned around, they saw something they’d only seen in movies, or read about in books.

A mummy!

Dressed from head to foot in white bandages, the mummy gazed down at them. He was taller than their dad, who stood over six feet. The mummy was even taller than Professor Harvard, who was really tall.

“This? Oh, right.” Eli finally realized the mummy was pointing to what he was carrying in his hand. He quickly handed over the leather bag with all the medical supplies.

“Thank you so much,” said the mummy.

Now the initials made sense. The letters M.M. printed on the side stood for Mummy of Medicine.

Other than the white bandages, the mummy wore nothing else—except for the medallion hanging around his neck. It was the same type of medallion that Uncle Larry had given to Grace back at the store.

“I’m Userkarehotep,” said the mummy. “Most of my patients call me Doctor Kare. But my good friend Professor Harvard likes to call me—” He tapped one bandaged finger to the golden letters on the side of the bag. “The mummy of medicine. But you may simply call me Tep.”

Eli and Grace could hardly talk. They’d met all sorts of amazing teachers during their junkyard adventures, but never a mummy.

“Um, hi,” said Eli timidly.

Grace asked, “Are you a real mummy?”

The mummy standing in front of them was thousands of years old, but he had kind, pale blue eyes behind all the thick bandages.

“Yes, I am,” said Tep. “And you must be Eli and Grace. It’s so nice to meet you. Uncle Larry told me that I may have some visitors today.”

Eli and Grace were both surprised. Usually it was Professor Harvard who knew all the strange creatures and fun teachers who worked inside the magical world of junkyard adventures.

“Uncle Larry told you that?” said Eli.

Meow.

A black cat jumped up onto the front desk. It was the same cat they’d met recently inside a wet, windy, rainy adventure just a short while ago.

Eli tilted his head. “Wait, is that—?”

“Smokey!” Grace rushed over to pet the familiar cat, which they’d rescued from a severe storm.

Tep smiled underneath the bandages. “I see you know each other,” he said. “Cats were always seen as special creatures back in my time. And this time too, I suppose. Especially that friendly cat you’re petting now. He does an excellent job of running the antique store. I taught him to become an ailuranthrope, which means he can transform into a cat.”

“Eye-lure-ran-thrope?” said Grace, trying to repeat the tricky word. She and her brother were both confused. It sounded like the mummy of medicine was saying that Uncle Larry, the clumsy owner of the junk store on Broadway Street…

Could change shape.

“You mean that cat is—”

Crash!

The chubby black cat leaned back so far that it fell right off the front counter, spilling a bunch of papers to the floor, and knocking over the entire rack of museum maps.

“Yep,” said Eli. “That cat must be Uncle Larry.”

Tep laughed. “Unlike Professor Harvard, who can change shape any time he likes,” he explained, “our dear friend, Uncle Larry, is only able to change into animal form when inside our world. I’ve written down the transformation spell for him—several times, come to think of it. But I’m afraid he must’ve lost it somewhere. Or perhaps he simply couldn’t read my handwriting. As you may already know, doctors even back during my time were known for their untidy handwriting.”

Meow.

Grace bent down and scratched behind the cat’s ears, laughing when the chubby cat rolled onto its back, loving every minute of attention.

“My brother and I were told that this cat’s name was Smokey,” said Grace. “We thought he belonged to a witch.”

“Ah, Misty? Yes, a wonderful lady,” said Tep. “I’ve met her several times. Such a brilliant meteorologist. An expert in all matters related to weather. She may not have known that Uncle Larry, the store owner, and our purring friend here are one and the same.”

Grace picked up the cat and placed him back on the counter. “Be careful, Smokey—I mean, Uncle Larry. No more falling off the table.”

Meow.

The cat lay down to have a nap.

“Now, if you will excuse me,” said Tep. “I must make my rounds. It is my job to make sure everyone inside the museum stays healthy. You two are welcome to explore the museum on your own. Or maybe—” He held up his medical bag. “You can both join me if you’d like.”

Eli and Grace thought that exploring the museum on their own would be fun. But they decided that making the rounds with their new doctor friend, the mummy of medicine, would be much more exciting.

“We’ll go with you,” said Grace, then she grabbed hold of Tep’s bandaged hand.

“Yeah, we want to meet some of your patients,” said Eli. “I just hope they have patience. Get it?”

Grace rolled her eyes. “Yes, Eli. We get it.”

The bandages around the mummy’s mouth moved around to reveal a big smile.

“Delightful!” said Tep. “Follow me, then, and we’ll stop by our first exhibit.” His bandaged feet slid quickly and quietly across the museum floor.

Eli and Grace followed the mummy of medicine. They were going to greet the first patient on the ground floor.

The Early Civilizations Gallery.

Chapter Seven

Diorama Drama

A short walk from the front desk was a large diorama, a realistic scene to represent life from thousands of years ago. The back wall was painted gray, made to look like real stones. There was a small hut made of mud bricks, with lots of plastic trees and plants scattered around to make it look more authentic.

“It looks so real,” said Grace. “Whoever made this display did a really good job.”

Eli agreed. “The campfire looks real too.”

Sitting around a pretend campfire was a bearded man with long black hair. Standing next to him was his wife, carrying food in her arms. Behind them were two young children collecting sticks for the fire.

“Here is our first patient,” said Tep. “Let me check my notes to see what’s going on. Hopefully it’s not any kind of serious injury.”

The mummy of medicine opened the clasp on his doctor’s bag. He pulled out his reading glasses and a clipboard, then began to read.

Patient #1

Slight burn on left hand while

attempting to build a campfire.

“Let’s step inside and see how we can help,” said Tep. “After you, my friends.” He gestured for them to step up onto the ledge.

Eli and Grace didn’t move. This was never a good idea where they came from.

“No thanks,” said Eli. “We don’t want anybody yelling at us for breaking the rules.”

Tep acted like he understood. “Museums in your time have those ropes placed in front of the displays to block curious children from exploring too much.”

Eli nodded. “If we dared to step into a display like this back home, we’d get kicked out.”

“Yeah,” said Grace. “Probably forever.”

Tep gently patted her on the shoulder. “Well, you don’t have to worry about that here,” he told them. “At the Museum of Everything, curious kids like you are more than welcome to step onto—and into—the exhibits.”

Grace’s eyes grew wide. “Are you sure that’s okay? We don’t want to get in trouble.”

Tep assured them it was okay. “Here, watch me. I’ll go first, to show you how it’s done. Then you can try.”

Pop!

Tep took one step into the scene and quickly vanished into the air—just like magic.

“Where’d he go?” Eli looked all around the diorama, then up and down the hallway.

“Inside the scene, I guess,” said Grace, equally impressed. “But how do we get in there?”

Eli placed one foot on the ledge, making sure nobody was around to yell at him. “Should I?”

“Go ahead,” said Grace. “See what happens.”

Eli stood with both feet on the edge. “Okay, here goes nothing!” He stepped into the scene and waited for the magic to take over.

Nothing happened.

“Hmm.” Eli stuffed his hands in his pockets, wondering what to try next. “What do you think, Grace? Should I go in a bit farther?”

“Try it,” said Grace, then watched her brother walk right over to the man and his family.

Crunch, crunch.

Eli could feel the fake sand underneath his shoes. He spun around in a circle, flapped his arms, and even tried jumping up and down to make the magic work.

“Maybe it’s broken,” suggested Eli. “I’ll bet if we try to—”

Pop!

“AHH!” Eli jumped when the mummy of medicine came back—partially. All they could see was his head peeking through some kind of invisible barrier.

“Are you coming?” asked Tep. “It’s easy! All you have to do is walk through the barrier.”

“I already tried,” said Eli. “When I stepped into the scene, nothing happened.”

Tep paused to consider this. “Ah, I see what the problem is,” he said. “You said I, not we.”

With one heavily wrapped arm poking out of the air, the mummy of medicine held up the gold and silver medallion hanging around his neck.

“These medallions will help you get through the magical barrier,” he explained. “But I should have warned you that for them to work properly, you must step through the magical barrier together.”

Eli and Grace both understood now. They’d forgotten to work together as a team.

“Professor Harvard, myself, and Uncle Larry each have one,” said Tep, then his bandaged face grew serious. “However, I did hear from Professor Harvard that our dear shopkeeper friend may have dropped his once or twice, and ended up causing some damage to the magic jewel.”

Grace held up the broken medallion and showed him the cracked jewel at the center.

“Yes, I see,” said Tep, concerned. “The medallion that Grace is wearing may not work as well as mine, but it should work well enough to get you through the museum today. I’ll meet you on the other side.”

Pop!

Once again, Tep disappeared.

“Ready?” Eli helped his sister onto the ledge so she could stand beside him.

“Ready,” said Grace, taking his hand.

Eli and Grace each took a deep breath, stepped into the scene together, and then—

Pop!

They were gone too.

Chapter Eight

Honey Medicine

The small scene made of Styrofoam and paint was now an entire village! People were all over the place, building fires, cooking food, and fixing their houses and tents. Children were running around, playing and having fun.

The whole village was busy and loud, especially with all the livestock. There were lots of goats, cows, pigs, even some geese and ducks.

“Good afternoon, Mrs. Hammock,” said Tep as they approached the young family. “How is everyone doing today?”

The woman wore a loose fitting leather dress, a belt made of leaves and small stones, and she had flowers in her hair. She pointed at her husband and said something that only the mummy of medicine could understand.

“Uh-oh,” said Grace. “Whatever she’s saying, she sure doesn’t sound happy.”

Eli agreed. “She sounds kind of grumpy. Just like Dad does before he drinks his coffee in the morning.”

Tep leaned in close. “Mrs. Hammock is upset because this is the second time this month that her husband has burned his hand while building a fire. And she also just told me that he smacked his thumb with a rock so hard that he may lose a fingernail.”

Eli grimaced. “Sounds painful.”

The mummy of medicine opened up his doctor’s bag. He dug through his medical supplies and pulled out a small leather pouch.

“Here you go, Mr. Hammock,” said Tep as he kneeled down to help the patient, who was trying to get a fire started by hitting two rocks together. “We’ll just put on a bit of this salve.”

“Salve?” said Eli, confused. “Is that like the antibiotic cream we use for cuts and scrapes?”

Tep nodded. “Yes, exactly like that,” he told his new student. “We don’t want the injury to get infected. This special cream can also help the skin feel nice and cool, and help it heal faster.”

“Smells good too,” said Grace.

Tep gave an embarrassed cough. “It’s actually just a honey mixture,” he said quietly. “Honey has been used to heal wounds for thousands of years. It has hydrogen peroxide, so it can fight off harmful bacteria.”

“Really?” said Grace. “That sounds weird to me. I like to put honey on toast, not my hand.”

Eli was curious about something else. “Hey, Tep? I was just wondering…”

“Yes, Eli?”

“I can’t understand a single word that anyone here is saying,” said Eli. “So how do you know our language? English, I mean.”

“Yeah, I was wondering that too,” said Grace. She’d been playing with the two small children, but hadn’t been able to communicate very well.

“It was Professor Harvard who taught me the English language,” explained Tep as he wrapped the man’s wound with a piece of cloth. “And besides, after all these years of having kids visit the museum, I was bound to pick up a few things.”

When Mr. Hammock’s hand was feeling better, he said something to the mummy of medicine that sounded a lot like “Ank-oo.”

Underneath the bandages, Tep smiled. “You are very welcome,” he told the patient. “I’ll stop by in a couple of days to see how everything is healing.”

Before they left, Tep handed the pouch full of honey medicine to Mrs. Hammock, who was holding her smallest child in her arms.

“Here you are, my dear,” said Tep. “Keep this medicine handy for the next time it happens. In the meantime, please tell your husband to be a little more careful when building a fire.”

Clunk.

“Yow!” the man shouted when he accidentally smacked his other thumb with a heavy rock.

Eli and Grace tried not to laugh.

The mummy of medicine led the way through the village, pointing things out to them as they journeyed to their next patient.

“Oh dear,” said Tep, pausing halfway through the busy village. “It looks like young Gamila has taken a nasty tumble.”

Eli and Grace looked to where the mummy of medicine was pointing. A young girl was sitting on the ground with her left leg pulled close to her chest. She was crying and upset because she’d fallen down during a race and hurt her knee.

“Would you two do me a favor and go see if she’s okay?” asked Tep. “I have some other patients in the village that I need to check on.”

“Sure,” said Eli. “I don’t know how much use we’ll be, but we can try.” He grabbed his sister by the hand and went to see if they could help.

Chapter Nine

Gum & Band-Aids

The girl looked up when Eli and Grace stood over her. She was around five years old, with beautiful dark skin, black hair, and deep brown eyes that were a bit sad because she got hurt.

“Hi,” said Grace. “Are you okay?”

The girl just stared at them. She wore a white linen robe that was dirty from playing with the other children. Her sandals had straps that went almost up to her knees, and her long dark hair was braided and decorated with flowers.

Eli tried too. “What’s your name? I’m Eli, and this is my sister, Grace. We came to see if you need help. Did you scrape your knee?” He pointed to where she was holding, and she finally showed them what happened.

“That doesn’t look too bad,” said Eli as he kneeled down beside the girl. “Maybe when Doctor Tep is done helping his patients, he can take a look at your knee, okay?”

“O-kay,” repeated the girl, though it was clear she had no idea what it meant.

Looking around the village, the mummy of medicine was nowhere in sight. There were dozens of huts, stone houses, and huge tents within the village. And many more were off in the distance. The mummy of medicine could be in any one of them, helping sick people get better.

“Doctor Tep might be a while,” said Grace. “Is there anything we can do while we wait?”

Eli thought hard. “Gum?”

The girl sniffed the package of fruity bubble gum being offered, then made a sour face.

“Plek!” said the girl.

“I don’t think she likes gum,” said Eli, smiling. He offered the package to his sister, but she shook her head.

“What about those other kids,” suggested Grace. She pointed toward a group of older boys and girls playing some form of handball. “Maybe this little girl has an older brother or sister that can help.”

“Good idea,” said Eli. “But nobody here speaks our language, remember? We need the mummy of medicine to translate for us.”

Eli and Grace tried to console the girl as best they could, but her scraped knee seemed to really be bothering her.

“What about the other stuff?” asked Grace. “The magic junk we got from Uncle Larry.”

Eli pulled out the wooden clothespin. “I’m not sure how this will help,” he said. “It still hasn’t changed into anything magical yet.”

“And all I’ve got are these cotton balls,” said Grace, holding them in her hand. “But they haven’t turned into anything useful yet, either.”

Eli checked his back pocket for the last piece of magic junk that Uncle Larry had given them just before they left on their adventure.

“What’s wrong?” asked Grace, noticing the funny look on her brother’s face.

When Eli pulled the price tag from his pocket, it was no longer in the shape of a small orange circle.

“See?” Grace smiled. “Uncle Larry always gives us what we need on our adventures.”

The orange price tag had changed into a large Band-Aid. It was the perfect size for a scraped knee.

Rip!

The girl flinched when Eli tore open the package. Her eyes were huge, watching him curiously as he pulled off the bits of paper.

“There you go,” said Eli as he carefully placed the Band-Aid over the cut on her knee.

The girl stared at the Band-Aid for a long time, checking out the silly cartoon characters printed on it. When she looked up at Eli and Grace this time, she was smiling.

“Mila,” said the girl. “Mila, Mila!”

“Is that your name?” asked Grace, but the girl just kept smiling. “I’m glad you’re feeling better, Mila. I just wish we could talk to each other.”

The young girl said something else in her language, which Eli and Grace didn’t understand. Then she pointed off in the distance, clearly excited about something. With a small bow as a thank you, she ran off and—

Pop!

—disappeared from sight.

“I guess she went somewhere else inside the museum,” said Eli. “I don’t see her anywhere.”

“I hope she’ll be okay,” said Grace. “Wherever she went.”

As they made their way back to the center of the village, Tep was walking toward them.

“How did it go with Gamila?” asked Tep. “Is she okay?”

Eli and Grace told him the whole story.

“She didn’t like the gum,” said Eli, laughing.

“But she really liked the colorful orange Band-Aid,” said Grace. “It made her feel a lot better.”

Tep was very proud of them for dealing so kindly with their first patient. “Many of the children you see today are not from this exhibit,” he explained. “Those of us who live in the museum are not bound to any one place. Children can go all around the museum, from scene to scene, or time to time, playing and having fun together.”

“Really?” said Eli. “Cool.”

The mummy of medicine gave them a bandaged thumbs-up. Then he led them back toward the edge of the village, where they’d first stepped into the exhibit.

Pop!

Soon they were all standing back inside the museum. Behind them, the busy village had changed back into a lifeless scene.

“Let’s go check on another patient, shall we?” Tep checked his clipboard. “This next one should be interesting.” He spun around on his bandaged feet and walked swiftly down the hallway.

Eli stayed behind a moment when he noticed that his sister wasn’t following along.

“What’s wrong?” he asked.

“Oh, nothing,” said Grace. “It’s just…this.” She showed him the broken medallion. “A piece of the stone fell off when we were inside the Early Civilizations exhibit.”

Eli gently rubbed his finger on the cracked stone, where a large piece was missing from the center.

“Don’t worry,” said Eli. “I’m sure there’s still enough magic left in there to get us in and out of our next stop.”

Grace frowned. “What about getting back to Uncle Larry’s store? Will it have enough magic for that trip too?”

Before Eli could answer, the mummy of medicine called to them from the end of the hallway. He was waiting for his two new students.

“Are you coming?” hollered Tep. “I think you’ll enjoy meeting our next patients. They are quite large and intimidating, but also friendly.”

Eli and Grace said, “We’re coming!”

Pushing the worry from their minds, the two of them raced down the hallway to join the mummy of medicine. The medallion was cracked and broken, but they still had lots of exploring to do.

“We’re headed right down here,” said Tep as they rounded a corner. He was taking them to the part of the museum that had a whole section full of giant hairy elephants on display.

The woolly mammoth section.

Chapter Ten

Feeling Sick

The painting on the wall stretched down the entire hallway. A long, continuous painting of a landscape with lots of tall trees, colorful plants, and huge mountains in the distance. Way in the background of the painting was a thunderstorm with dark gray clouds and flashes of lightning.

“Wow,” said Eli, craning his neck to look up at the prehistoric animals. “These are huge!”

“And really hairy,” said Grace, giggling.

Up and down the hallway were dozens of displays with woolly mammoths, mastodons, and other extinct creatures with long tusks.

Eli was busy reading the information chart about an animal called a gomphotherium, an elephant with four tusks and a long head.

Grace had wandered down the hallway a little ways, where she was reading about the palaeomastodon. She thought the creature looked like a cross between a rhinoceros and an elephant, but with smaller ears.

“Ready to check on our next patient?” asked Tep. He’d been waiting patiently while his two curious students looked around.

Eli and Grace hurried over to join the mummy of medicine, who was standing next to a woolly mammoth with long shaggy hair and enormous, curved tusks. The creature was surrounded by plastic plants and fake rocks. The painted landscape on the wall behind it was amazing. So much color and detail that it looked almost real.

“Meet you on the other side!” Tep took one step into the scene and—

Pop!

He disappeared.

Eli grabbed his sister’s hand. “Ready to go check out some humongous, hairy elephants?”

“Mammoths,” said Grace, bumping him with her elbow. “And yes, I’m ready.”

As soon as Eli and Grace stood up on the ledge of the scene, they heard a fizzing sound like somebody opening a bottle of soda.

The medallion was crackling. Tiny sparks shot out, as if the magic had a short circuit.

“Uh-oh,” said Grace, holding up the necklace. “Another piece of the magic stone fell off.”

Eli saw that his sister was right, but there was nothing they could do about it right now.

“Come on,” he said. “That broken medallion should work for at least one more trip, right? And besides, we don’t want to lose track of the mummy of medicine. He might be our only way back.”

Together, they stepped into the scene.

Pop!

With a quick flash of light, then a noise like somebody sticking a pin into a balloon, Eli and Grace found themselves standing inside the landscape that was painted on the wall.

All the extinct creatures they had just seen were no longer standing still.

They had all come to life!

Some animals were eating leaves off the tall trees, while others were taking a drink from the lake at the bottom of a grassy hill. A few of the smaller animals were running around, chasing each other, and making all sorts of happy noises.

“Look at them all!” said Grace. “There must be hundreds of them!”

Eli couldn’t believe his eyes. “More like thousands,” he said. “They’re all over the place!”

Grace was thrilled to see all of these incredible animals—extinct animals. Then she looked up at the sky, where the dark clouds from the painting back in the museum were turning into a very real storm.

“Oh dear,” said Tep. “Looks like we may be in for another thunderstorm. They are quite common in this region.”

Eli felt a drop of rain hit his nose. “Maybe we should hurry,” he suggested. “Grace and I have seen enough storms for a while.” He grinned at his sister, who knew exactly what he meant.

Tep nodded that he understood. “Well, let’s finish up here quickly,” he said. “Then we’ll get back to the museum before the storm arrives.”

The mummy of medicine led his two new students over to a female woolly mammoth that was resting in the shade of a tree. At first, they thought she was sleeping, but the creature suddenly let out a loud groan.

“Is she hurt?” asked Grace.

“No, she’s not injured,” said Tep as he kneeled down beside the mammoth’s large head. He opened up his bag. “Our patient simply isn’t feeling very well. This woolly mammoth has a cold!”

Eli and Grace offered their assistance, to see if they could help the woolly mammoth with the cough, runny nose, and watery eyes.

Chapter Eleven

Banana Medicine

KA-CHOO!

Eli and Grace jumped when the woolly mammoth sneezed the biggest, loudest sneeze they’d ever heard.

“Bless you,” said Eli, making his sister laugh. He felt bad for the poor animal. It was hard to see such a large creature laying on the ground, feeling terrible.

“Don’t worry,” said Tep as he gently pet the mammoth. “We’ll get you feeling better as fast as we can.” He used his stethoscope to check the mammoth’s heartbeat and see if it was normal.

“Can we listen?” asked Eli.

Tep waved at them to come closer, then handed them the stethoscope so they could each take a turn listening to the mammoth’s heart.

THUMP, THUMP.

“It’s really loud,” said Grace when it was her turn. “Her heartbeat sounds as big as a drum!”

“Yes, quite loud,” said Tep. “But a mammoth’s heart beats only around thirty times per minute, while a human heart beats anywhere from sixty to one hundred times every minute.”

Eli and Grace watched while the mummy of medicine checked over the patient, doing what he could to make her feel better.

Grace tried singing to the sick creature to see if that might help. She sang the same “Sick Song” that her dad sang to her when she wasn’t feeling well. Only this time she had to change the words around a little bit.

Mammoth isn’t feeling well

She has a fever, I can tell

Headache, cough, and sneezes too

I will take good care of you

Chicken noodle soup for me

Read a book, or two, or three

Let’s lay down and have a rest

Soon you’ll feel your very best

“That was an excellent song, Grace,” said Tep. “Singing or playing music for patients can often help speed up their recovery.”

Eli stared at his sister, impressed.

“What?” Grace was a little embarrassed from singing for everyone to hear, but it made her feel good to know that she was helping.

“Nothing,” said Eli with a shrug. “I was just thinking that you might be a nurse someday. You’re really good at this stuff.”

Grace looked proud of herself. “Thanks,” she said. “Dad sings me that song when I’m sick.”

Ka-CHOO!

The poor mammoth sneezed again.

When Tep was done checking the mammoth’s vital signs, such as body temperature and rate of breathing, he dug through his bag and pulled out a plastic bottle.

“What’s that medicine?” asked Eli.

Tep opened the bottle and shook out a small handful of white pills. “This medicine is used for treating mild pain and fever. I’m sure your dad has taken this same medicine when he’s been sick with a cold or the flu.”

Tep tried to get the large patient with the enormous tusks to take some medicine, but the sick mammoth didn’t want it.

“Hmmphh!” grunted the mammoth, then pulled her head away from the medicine.

“Now, now,” said Tep to the large patient. “Settle down, please. I need you to take your medicine. I promise that it will make you feel better.”

The mammoth continued to be stubborn.

“Eli? Grace? Would you do me a favor?” Tep pointed to a patch of wild plants growing in a field not far from where they stood. “Would you go over there and pick me a ripe banana, please. That may be the only way I can get Ms. Mammoth to take her medicine.”

“Sure,” said Eli. “Be right back!” He and his sister took off running for the field of banana plants that seemed to go on forever.

“Here’s a good one,” said Eli as he pulled one ripe banana from the bunch. He handed it to his sister and they raced back to the mummy of medicine, who was waiting next to the sick patient.

“Thank you, Grace.” Tep peeled off the skin and stuck as many pills into the banana as he could. “Yes, this will do nicely.”

Now the mammoth seemed interested in taking her medicine, but only because of the sweet smelling fruit.

“Does she need that much?” asked Eli. “When I get sick, I’m only allowed to take a small dose of medicine.”

Tep finished feeding the banana to the large, woolly patient. “Someone my size would only need to take a couple of these,” he explained. “But a creature this large can take forty, fifty, or even sixty pills to make her feel better.”

The mammoth swished its tail around a few times like it was happy, then lay down its head and closed its eyes.

“Ah, good girl,” said Tep as he gently patted the woolly mammoth. “Our big friend is going to have a little nap. That’s about all we can do for her right now, so this would be a good time to head back to the museum.”

All three of them quietly stepped away from the sleeping mammoth. Eli and Grace walked on their tiptoes, trying to be as quiet as possible. They couldn’t help but laugh because of the mammoth’s loud snoring.

Pop!

Back inside the museum, Doctor Tep was about to speak when he was interrupted by a loud voice coming over the speakers.

Beep!

A female voice said: “Dr. Kare! Paging Doctor Kare! You have a meeting in five minutes on the seventy-third floor. Thank you!”

Tep grabbed the medallion hanging around his neck and moved a couple of the stones around, switching their places until he had them lined up properly. The medallion began to glow bright red in his bandaged hands.

“I’m afraid I have a meeting to attend, so I must leave you here for the moment,” said Tep. “Will you two be okay on your own?”

“Sure,” Eli told the mummy doctor. “We’ve got a whole museum to explore!”

Grace pulled out the map. “There are so many floors to choose from, I don’t know where to start.”

Tep picked up his doctor’s bag and hurried down the hall. “The ancient Egyptian exhibits are up on the second floor,” he hollered. “Lots of pyramids and secret tunnels!”

Eli and Grace talked it over, then decided that was an excellent suggestion. Uncle Larry had mentioned this exact same place, so it made perfect sense to go there.

“To ancient Egypt!” said Eli as they jogged toward the staircase down the hallway.

Following the map and the helpful signs posted all around the museum, they easily found their way up to the second floor.

The ancient Egypt exhibit was huge!

“Wow, this level goes on forever,” said Grace. She looked down the hallway and saw a lot more incredible displays they could check out.

“Let’s go inside!” Eli stood next to a scene made of plastic palm trees, fake sand, and pretend pyramids.

Pop!

Hand in hand, they stepped through the diorama and entered into another live scene. With all the palm trees, sunshine, and a vast desert full of golden sand, it was easy to tell they had magically traveled all the way to ancient Egypt.

A city was built less than a mile from where they stood. A wall surrounded what looked like thousands of brick houses, shops, and temples.

“Uh-oh,” said Grace. “Look.”

When she showed her brother the medallion, they could both see that the cracked jewel from the center was missing.

“I think we just used up the last bit of magic,” said Eli, trying not to sound worried.

Grace said, “So…we’re stuck here?”

Neither of them wanted to be the first one to say it out loud, but it was obvious they were now trapped in ancient Egypt, with a broken magic medallion, and no way to get back home.

Chapter Twelve

City Market

By the time Eli and Grace reached the city, they were hot and sweaty from walking across the desert. The sun was beating down on them.

“I’m thirsty,” said Grace.

“Me too,” said Eli, panting in the heat. “I wish Uncle Larry had given us a magic water bottle.”

“Or sunscreen.”

“Or sunglasses.”

As soon as they walked through the city gate, the noise and commotion from the large crowd of people took them by surprise.

Today was a market day.

Thousands of people were walking through the city streets, shopping for food, gifts, or one of the many different animals that were for sale.

“Wow,” said Eli. “This is one busy place.”

“Yeah, this is like the farmer’s market that Dad took us to,” said Grace, taking it all in. “Only this place is about a hundred times bigger.”

People in robes of all colors were walking up and down the market streets, buying, selling, and trading all sort of goods. Some vendors sold gold and silver jewelry, clay pots, or other helpful household items, like tools for cooking. Other vendors sold grain, bread, and cloves of garlic. Quite a few vendors sold linen garments, or different types of spices, or small, medium, and large containers of olive oil. Many tables sold papyrus, earthenware pottery, and many other ancient treasures.

“This place reminds me a bit of Uncle Larry’s store,” commented Eli. “There’s so much stuff here that it looks like a giant antique store.”

A few vendors gave Eli and Grace a funny look as they walked by. They were both wearing jeans and T-shirts, which hadn’t been invented yet. Lots of curious people wondered about the two young visitors wearing such strange clothes.

“They’re staring at us,” said Grace.

“Yeah, I noticed,” said Eli as they passed more vendor booths. “We probably look pretty strange to them. Everyone here is dressed for this hot weather—except for us.”

The hustle and bustle of the market was beginning to take its toll on both of them. If they didn’t get a drink of water soon, or at least find some shade, they might need medical attention themselves.

Eli stopped.

“What’s wrong?” asked Grace.

“Shhh. Listen,” said Eli. “Did you hear that?”

Over the noise, a boy’s voice rang out. Not because the young boy’s voice was louder than any of the other vendors, but because it was in their language.

“Canteens!” said the boy to all the customers walking by his table. “Canteens for sale! One ersh each. Or two for eighteen kidet.”

Taking his sister by the hand so they wouldn’t get separated in the crowd, Eli rushed over to the young boy to see if they could get a drink.

The boy was about Eli’s age. He had dark skin, messy hair, and wore a lot of jewelry: bracelets, necklaces, and several earrings in each ear. He was wearing a worn linen robe that was tied around his waist with a leather belt. And he gave the impression that he’d been a market vendor since an early age.

“You speak our language!” said Eli, glad to be able to communicate with someone.

“English, you mean?” the boy said. “Oh, sure. A mummy doctor taught me.”

Grace’s eyes grew wide. “You know the mummy of medicine? He’s our friend too!”

“Thirsty?” the boy asked.

“Yes! Very thirsty,” said Eli, then reached out his hand for the leather pouch full of delicious water. He’d never been so thirsty in his whole life.

“One ersh,” said the boy, then yanked back the leather canteen. “Or two for eighteen kidet.”

The boy was an excellent salesman. He made two sales while Eli and Grace stood there in the hot sun, debating about what to do.

“We don’t have an ersh,” Eli told the boy. “Or a kidet.”

The boy tapped his chin, thinking hard. “What else have you got to trade?” he asked. “A blanket? A pot of honey?”

They both shook their heads.

“All we have is this,” said Grace, showing off the medallion with the missing magic stone.

The boy rubbed his chin. “Hmph,” he grunted. “I’ve never bartered for so cheap. But here,” he said, then gave them a canteen full of water. “One canteen of water for one broken medallion.”

Eli and Grace thanked him. Then they both took sips of water until they felt better.

“Let me guess…” The boy studied them for a moment, looking them up and down. “You two aren’t from around here. Need to get to Uncle Larry’s antique store?”

Eli was in the middle of taking a sip of water, so nearly choked. “Yes! Can you help us?”

The boy nodded eagerly. “Of course I can help you get back,” he said with a pleasant smile. “It will cost you one ersh,” he told them. “Each.”

Eli let out a pitiful sigh, while Grace’s shoulders slumped. All they had of value was the medallion, and they’d just traded it for a drink of water.

“What do we do?” whispered Grace, while the boy made a few more quick sales.

Eli threw his hands in the air. “I don’t know,” he said. “We don’t have anything else to bargain with. All we’ve got left is the magic junk from Uncle Larry. And I doubt a wooden clothespin and a handful of cotton balls is worth one ersh, whatever that is.”

Lucky for them, a nice young girl arrived just in time to help them barter with the boy.

Mila, the girl with the scraped knee.

Chapter Thirteen

Eternal House

“Hi, Mila!” said Grace. She was glad to see a friendly face. “I like those flowers in your hair. How’s your knee? Is it feeling better?”

Mila gave her a huge smile. “Aid!” she said, pointing to her knee. “Banana-daid!”

Grace laughed. “Um, close enough.”

The vendor boy was watching them carefully. Eli and Grace thought they’d done something wrong, but that wasn’t it at all.

“You know this girl?” the boy finally asked, still eyeing them suspiciously. “You helped Mila?”

Eli gave a small shrug. “Sure, it was no big deal,” he said. “She fell down during a race and scraped her knee. We gave her a Band-Aid. It’s sort of like a, uh…” He tried to think of how to explain what a Band-Aid was to a kid from ancient Egypt.

“Medicine from the future,” offered Grace. “It made her feel a lot better. Right, Mila?”

Mila danced around. “Banana-daid!”

The boy let out a huge sigh, as if he’d just been defeated. “Okay, fine. I’ll help you.”

The vendor boy spoke to Mila in their native language, having a heated conversation that only they could understand.

“No, no, no,” said the boy. “You can’t sell them that cheaply. And don’t give them away either, like you did the last time. I worked hard to bring this water all the way from the river. One ersh for a canteen, or two for eighteen kidet. Got it?”

Mila gave her friend the kind of sly smile that could very well mean that leather canteens of water would probably go on sale the moment he stepped away from the booth.

“Here, take these.” The boy handed them each a leather pouch full of water. He also took one for himself. “We’re going to need water. It’s a long walk to the gateway.”

Eli and Grace waved and shouted goodbye to Mila, though it was hard to tell if she heard them, or even understood. She was already dealing with her first customer.

“Come on, keep up,” said the boy as he led them through the large crowd of shoppers. “I have to get back to work or else my dad might get mad.”

Walking through the crowded streets with someone who knew which way to go made traveling much easier—and faster.

“My name is Cepos,” said the boy, weaving in and out of the crowd. “But you can call me Cep.”

As soon as they walked through the city gate and away from the noise, they stopped and looked out across the desert. Nothing but miles and miles of sand spread out in every direction.

“So…where are we going?” asked Eli. “Please don’t tell me we have to walk across the desert. My sister and I did that already.”

“There,” said Cep. “To that wide building just across the sand dunes.” He pointed to a flat-topped structure made of mud bricks. “That is known as a house of stability. Or sometimes they are called an eternal house.”

Grace asked, “What’s an eternal house?”

Cep grinned. “A tomb.”

Chapter Fourteen

Light in the Dark

Along the way, Cep showed them the drawing he’d made of what he called a pointed tomb. His detailed sketch showed a series of brick walls stacked on top of each other, but getting smaller as they reached the tip.

“It’s called a pyramid,” said Eli, checking out his new friend’s drawing. “Pyramids have been around since ancient, um…never mind.” He stopped mid-sentence when his sister elbowed him.

Grace whispered, “We’re in ancient Egypt, remember? These aren’t ancient times to him.”

Eli gave a little cough. “Oh yeah. Right.” He turned to their friendly guide and said, “It’s a really good drawing, Cep. I think your pyramid design is going to be really popular.“

Cep was thinking it over as they walked across the sand. “Pyr-a-mid? Pyyyr-a-mid…” He kept saying the word, enjoying the way it sounded. “I like that name. Maybe I will tell my father about it. He’s a doctor, a sage, an astrologer, and also an architect. His name is Imhotep.”

Eli grinned and said, “A doctor, huh? Is he a… Cairo-practor? Get it?” He wiggled his eyebrows. “Egypt…the city of Cairo…Cairo-practor.”

Grace groaned. “Yeah, we get it, Eli.”

Cep only gave him a strange look, wondering what was so funny. He’d never heard of the city of Cairo. It hadn’t been built yet.

“My uncle is also a doctor,” said Cep. “He’s around here somewhere, treating patients.”

Two miles passed quickly. Especially with plenty of water to drink, and lots of things to talk about with their new Egyptian friend.

“Here we are!” said Cep. He led them up to an open doorway that was carved into the bricks and stone. “The gateway is at the bottom of these steps.”

Up close, the tomb turned out to be much bigger than it appeared from a distance. The structure was only one story high, but that one level rose to a height of thirty feet. And it was over a hundred feet long!

The inside looked dark and scary.

Cep told them not to worry. “This tomb is for the king,” he explained. “He’s not buried here. The king is still alive, of course!”

Eli and Grace were both relieved.

“Follow me, it’s easy!” Cep rushed through the entrance and into the tomb.

“Cep, be careful!” warned Eli. “It’s dark in there. You don’t want to—”

“AHH!”

Somewhere beyond the darkened doorway, a boy screamed. They could hear the muffled sound of someone falling down a staircase.

Eli wanted to race in after him to see if he could help, but Grace grabbed his arm and pulled him back.

“Wait, I have an idea!” Grace dug in her pocket and pulled out the ballpoint pen that Uncle Larry had given her back at the store.

Click.

“Yes!” Grace cheered when the ballpoint pen lit up like a mini flashlight. “I knew Uncle Larry gave this to us for a reason. We have light! See?”

Eli said, “Nice thinking, sis.”

Carefully, they headed into the tomb, using the pen-light to guide the way.

“Hold on, Cep!” shouted Eli. “We’re coming!”

Even with the pen-light, it was still tough to see as they crept down the staircase. Eli and Grace let their hands glide along the stone wall, so they wouldn’t slip and fall like their helpful guide.

“Cep! Where are you?” shouted Eli. “There are stairwells all over the place.” The main staircase was much wider than the others, but their friend could have fallen down any one of the other stairwells that led in different directions.

“Straight ahead!” hollered Cep. “I’m at the bottom of the main stairwell. All the other staircases lead to the tunnels, so please don’t go that way. Even I could get lost down there.”

They found him at the bottom of the stone stairwell. He was in a lot of discomfort.

“I’m okay,” said Cep as they helped him sit up. “Except for my leg.” He grimaced. “I think it may be fractured.”

Chapter Fifteen

The Gateway

A light at the bottom of the stairwell lit up the entire room. Walls of stone spread out in every direction, with many smaller rooms all around.

“There’s your way back,” said Cep, pointing toward the unusual light source. “All you have to do is step through the gateway and you’ll be home.”

Eli and Grace both gasped.

At the far end of the room, standing all on its own, was a stone archway. It was twice as tall as a regular doorway. Swirling colors of bright white, inky black, and several shades of gray made it appear like it had come from another world.

“Go on,” said Cep. “What are you waiting for?”

Eli and Grace didn’t move. Their way back to Uncle Larry’s store was only a few steps away, but their friend was hurt.

“We can’t leave you like this,” said Eli. “You helped us, so we’re going to help you.”

Cep tried to act brave even though he was obviously in pain. “Don’t worry about me,” he said, gritting his teeth. “Just go. I’ll be fine. All I have to do is walk back to the city.”

Grace crossed her arms. “You can’t walk all the way back to the city with your leg hurt,” she said. “It’s too far! You’ll need one of those splint things to support your leg.”

Eli’s eyes suddenly lit up. “Grace, you’re a genius!” He reached into his pocket and pulled out his last piece of magic junk. “Look at this!”

The wooden clothespin no longer fit in the palm of his hand. Each piece had grown longer. Now they had two strong sticks that were the perfect size to make a splint for their friend’s leg. All they needed now was something to secure it with. Something like a piece of rope or a shoelace.

“Hey, Eli?” said Grace. “I don’t think you need to use your shoe laces. Look!”

When she dug in her pocket and pulled out the cotton balls that Uncle Larry had given her back at the store…

Zip!

A thick bandage appeared.

“It won’t stop!” said Grace, laughing as she pulled out the world’s longest bandage. She was like a circus performer pulling an unending supply of scarves from her pocket. Soon they had more than enough to make Cep a decent splint for his injured leg.

“Ah, much better,” said Cep, checking out his new splint. “I don’t think I’ll be running any races for a while, but at least I can make it back to my city.”

When the bandaging was all done, Eli and Grace helped their friend stand up. He was a bit wobbly on his feet, so he had to lean up against the stone wall. He felt a lot better with the splint on his leg.

“Bye, my friends!” said Cep, waving. “Have a good journey back!”

Standing in front of the stone archway, Eli and Grace said goodbye to their helpful friend, who kept promising them he would be okay.

“Bye, Cep!” said Eli. “Thanks for your help!”

“Get better soon!” said Grace. “And say goodbye to Mila for us!”

The gateway swirled, ready to take the two travelers back to their proper time.

Eli’s toes were about to touch the swirling pattern of light when a loud voice made him stop.

Cep shouted at them, “STEP BACK!”

Eli pulled his foot back, quickly. “Why? What’s wrong?”

Cep let out a huge sigh of relief. “I nearly forgot,” he said, waving at them to step away from the magical gateway. “I’m glad I remembered in time. That could have been a terrible mistake.”

“Forgot what?” asked Eli. “What mistake?”

Cep hobbled over on one leg and pointed to the very top of the stone archway.

“You can’t step through the gateway until all the markings are lined up in the correct order,” explained Cep. “You see that missing one at the top?”

Eli and Grace looked where he was pointing. The center stone at the top of the archway was blank. All the other stones that made up the gateway had a picture, letters, or some other kind of marking.

“Yes, I see it,” said Eli. “It’s empty.”

Grace saw it too. “All the other ones have something written on them. What’s supposed to be on the center stone up there?”

Cep’s face turned grim. “An offering.”

Eli’s eyebrows raised up. “Like a…sacrifice?” He’d read enough books about ancient Egypt to know about sacrifices and offerings.

Cep’s eyes grew wide when he noticed his two new friends giving him a curious look. “Don’t look at me to be your sacrifice,” he said, shaking his head. “I need to get back to my vendor booth. I’m sure Mila has given away most of the canteens for free, or sold them for so cheap that I did all that work for nothing.”

Worry crept over the faces of Eli and Grace, wondering what to do next. How would they get home?

“Don’t be so alarmed,” said Cep with a small laugh. “An offering doesn’t have to be something living,” he told them. “It just has to be something of value. Do you have anything like that?”

Eli and Grace patted their pockets.

“I’ve got this,” said Eli, holding up his half empty package of chewing gum.

“Is it valuable to you?” asked Cep.

Grace giggled. “Well, it is your favorite kind,” she said. “Bubble gum flavor.”

Eli laughed. “Yeah, I guess it’s a little valuable. It cost me a dollar of my allowance money.”

Cep suggested he try it. “Go ahead,” he said. “See if the gateway will accept your offering.”

Eli tossed the package of gum into the swirling colors of the archway and watched it disappear.

Shoop!

The gum had no effect on the blank stone.

“Hmm.” Cep scratched his chin. “Not valuable enough,” he said. “What else do you have?”

Eli and Grace both shrugged. Neither one had brought anything with them, other than the magic junk that Uncle Larry had given them.

The stone basement grew very quiet as everyone tried to think up a new plan. Then a soft noise cut through the dusty air.

Meow.

Another visitor had shown up.

A familiar black cat.

Chapter Sixteen

Last Hieroglyphic

Cep reached down to pet the cat rubbing up against his leg—his good leg. The friendly feline stuck his furry tail high in the air, parading around, and enjoying all the attention.

“Hello, Kmm-Mau!” said Cep. “How did you know we were down here? Have you come to help our friends get back home?”

Meow.

“Kmm-Mau,” said Grace, repeating the name. “I like the sound of that.”

Eli did too, but he was getting confused with the cat’s growing list of names. “Kmm-Mau, Smokey, Uncle Larry…” He gave a small laugh, but stopped when he heard footsteps.

Shuff, shuff, shuff.

Someone was coming down the steps.

“This cat has many names,” said a familiar voice. “Around here, he is called Kmm-Mau, which simply means black cat. As you know, cats are highly respected animals here in Egypt. And this cat has been especially helpful in assisting me to locate three kids who went missing—one of them injured, I was informed.”

The mummy of medicine was back!

Tep came down to join them. “And how is the patient?” he said, examining Cep’s leg. “I see you used two sturdy pieces of wood and some kind of strange bandage to wrap it with. Excellent work with the splint.”

“Thanks,” said Eli, feeling proud of their work. “We’re just glad that we could help.”

“We used the magic junk we brought from Uncle Larry’s store,” said Grace.

“And a good thing you did,” said Tep. “When a bone is fractured like this, a splint is necessary to stabilize the injury. We don’t want anything moving around too much, otherwise it can cause damage to the muscles, vessels, or nerves.”

Meow.

The cat’s voice echoed through the room.

“Yes, Kmm-Mau, I know it’s time for Eli and Grace to go…” Tep opened up his doctor’s bag and pulled out several pieces of wood that all fit together to form a walking cane.

Cep gratefully accepted the gift. He immediately swung the stick through the air, waving it around like a sword.

“That is for walking back to the city,” said Tep, giving him a stern look. “Not to be used as a toy.”

Cep grinned. “Yes, Uncle.”

Eli’s head tilted to one side. “The mummy of medicine is your uncle?”

Cep grinned. “Told you he was a doctor.”

Grace wondered about something else, since Cep and Mila both had the same eyes, same hair, and acted like they knew each other really well.

“What about Mila?” asked Grace. “Is she also related to you?”

Cep smiled and nodded. “Yes, Mila is my sister,” he said. “Maybe next time you come back, she will have learned your language. Then we can all explore the museum together!” He sighed. “If my father agrees, of course.”

“Speaking of fathers…” Tep cast another hard look toward his nephew, then turned to Eli and Grace. ”I believe it’s time for you two to return. Your dad is looking for you.”

Eli and Grace agreed. It had been a fun adventure, but it was time to head back.

Speaking to the cat, the mummy of medicine said, “Kmm-Mau? Since it was you who knocked the medallion off the shelf—twice, that is…”

The cat held up one paw and buried his face, acting like it was ashamed.

Meow.

“Eli and Grace have only one chance to get back,” Tep went on. “I believe you know what to do. But you must hurry, since Eli and Grace’s father is heading for the junkyard door as we speak. You must reach the door first, Kmm-Mau. Go!”

Before Eli and Grace could do anything, the cat bolted toward the swirling gateway.

“NO!” cried Grace.

But it was too late.

The moment after the black cat disappeared into the gateway, the swirling colors changed to shimmering gold. A design had been magically carved into the stone—a hieroglyphic. It was a simple drawing of the most sacred animal in all of ancient Egypt…

A cat.

“Is he okay?” asked Eli. “Will Kmm-Mau—er, Uncle Larry, I mean…Will he be all right?”

Grace sniffed. “He didn’t disappear forever, did he?” Her eyes filled with tears because she was so worried about Uncle Larry, sacrificing himself just so they could get back.

Tep was quiet for a moment. “I’m not entirely certain about the fate of our dear Uncle Larry,” he finally said. “But I do know one person who is getting worried about you. Your dad is done shopping. He is calling for you, so off you go. Thank you for all your help today. It’s much more fun to do my rounds and check on patients with some helpers—that is, some good friends.”

Sadly, it was time to go.

“Bye, Tep!” said Eli.

“Bye, Cep!” said Grace. “I hope your leg feels better soon!”

With one last wave, Eli and Grace stepped through the stone gateway and—

Pop!

They were gone.

Chapter Seventeen

Key Exchange

Back inside the store, everything had returned to normal. Peeking outside the junkyard door, Eli and Grace could see nothing but a bunch of used cars, rusty old trucks, and lots of junk.

“There you are,” said Dad. “I was wondering where you went. Didn’t you hear me calling for you?”

“Sorry, Dad,” said Eli. “We were just, um—”

“Reading!” Grace pointed to the stack of books behind them. An antique bookshelf had been moved—or had moved itself—right next to the junkyard door. Dozens of books filled the shelves—some new, some old, and some really old. A small area rug covered in dog hair lay out in the open. The rug had a $2.00 price tag on it, marked down from $4.00. It was a place to sit and read—or tell a story.

“Yeah, we were reading a book about ancient Egypt,” said Eli. “There was a museum with really cool displays of ancient civilizations.”

“And woolly mammoths!” said Grace.

“And we learned a lot about medicine from a helpful mummy,” said Eli.

“And a cat,” said Grace, her face a bit sad.

Dad was looking up and down the aisles, searching for the store owner. “Have you seen Uncle Larry anywhere? I thought he was back here with you.”

Grace slowly shook her head.

“He’s not back here with us,” said Eli. “I’m not really sure where he went.” He was also concerned about what happened to Uncle Larry—and the black cat. But it would be too much to explain right now.

At the checkout counter, Dad pulled out his wallet to pay for all their stuff. Paint, rollers, and plastic trays. Everything on their list!

“Wow,” said Eli. “All this is ours?”

Dad nodded. “I couldn’t believe it either,” he said. “I found everything we needed here in the store, including some wooden picture frames for Grace’s artwork. About the only thing I couldn’t find was a gift for Eli’s birthday.”

That was also about to be checked off the list.

“Wait a second,” said Dad. “What’s this?”

Laying on the counter was a sheet of papyrus, the kind of thick paper that people used to write on way back during the same ancient times that Eli and Grace had just returned from.

“It’s addressed to you two,” said Dad, then handed them the note.

Dear Eli and Grace,

Would you mind closing up the store? Your keys are probably on the counter—somewhere.

(Look under the mess.)

Thanks for all your help with everything! I’ll be back as soon as I can.

Harvard

PS – Eli, you will find your gift on the counter. Please don’t open it until your birthday.

(Again, look under the mess.)

A small package wrapped in plain white paper was buried under a stack of junk and old magazines.

“This must be for you, Eli,” said Dad as he handed Eli the package. Written in Uncle Larry’s messy handwriting was a yellow sticky note with one word printed on it: sold.

“Remember what the note said,” warned Grace. “You can’t open it until your birthday.”

The object felt familiar in his hands. But Eli promised himself that he would do as Harvard suggested, and wait until his birthday to open it.

“Ready, troops?” said Dad.

“Ready,” said Eli and Grace.

Their dad placed two twenty-dollar bills on the counter. “Bye, Larry! I left some money to pay for all our stuff. If it’s not enough, I’ll come back in a few days and we can settle up then, okay?”

The store remained quiet.

Each of them grabbed a bag to carry. It was time to leave Uncle Larry’s and go home.

Together, Eli and Grace flipped the sign on the front door from OPEN to CLOSED. Each of them were hoping this wasn’t their last junkyard adventure.

Click.

“Nope…”

Clunk.

“Not that one, either…”

Standing outside the front door, it took a while to figure out which key to use. Uncle Larry’s red lanyard—an old red shoelace—had about a hundred keys, all different sizes and shapes. Dad had to help them figure out which key to use so they could finally lock up the store.

Eli slipped the keys around his neck. It felt strange to have the keys to a magical store in his possession, as if the keys had been passed on to a new owner.

Dad kept shaking his head while they finished putting all the shopping bags into the back of the SUV.

“What’s wrong, Dad?” asked Grace.

“Oh, nothing’s wrong,” said Dad, laughing to himself. “I just think it’s strange how this old antique store on Broadway seems to always have everything we need.”

Eli and Grace laughed too.

With the painting supplies, windshield wipers, and wooden picture frames loaded in the back of the SUV, everyone jumped in and got buckled.

“Dad?”

“Yes, Grace?”

“Can we still go out for ice cream?”

Dad laughed. “Sure, honey.”

Before they’d even left the parking lot, a question popped into Eli’s mind.

“Hey, Dad?”

“Yes, Eli?”

“Are you really going back to Uncle Larry’s store in a few days?”

Dad pulled the car out onto Broadway Street, headed for home. “Oh, I’m sure I’ll be back here soon enough. After all, we have the keys to the store. I imagine Uncle Larry will want them back.” He laughed, then said, “Unless he expects us to run the store.”

Eli wiggled his eyebrows at his sister.

Grace was thinking the exact same thing.

“Can we go too?”

Thank You!

Thank you for reading Book 9 of the Junkyard Adventures series. I hope you enjoyed visiting Uncle Larry’s Antique Shop & Junkyard.

If you have time to leave a review, I would appreciate it! If you want to go on more adventures with Eli and Grace, please check out the other books in the JYA series.

Let’s make a paper pyramid!

All you need for this project is a sheet of 8.5 x 11 paper, a little patience, and maybe some help from a grownup.

Step 1

Fold paper in half.

Step 2

Fold in half the other way.

Step 3

Fold one corner to the other—lengthwise.

Repeat on the other side, folding corner to corner.

Step 4

The creases in your paper should now look something like this.

Step 5

Open up paper all the way. Then fold both edges along the “corner to corner” crease from step 3.

Step 6

Make a triangle shaped fold as shown.

Step 7

Fold the triangle shape to the right side, then hold it in place.

Step 8

Fold bottom corner over the top of the triangle you just folded down during the previous step.

Step 9

Flip your pyramid around 180 degrees. Repeat steps 6, 7, & 8 on the other side.

Step 10

Once all the folds are made and tucked inside, your paper should look something like this.

Step 11

Your “paper pyramid” is now complete.

Step 12

Now you can decorate your pyramid!

IMHOTEP

This amazing Egyptian is famous for many things, including being an architect, mathematician, astrologer, and a chief minister. He lived a very, very, very long time ago, during the “Age of the Pyramid Builder,” way back in 2600 BC. (Nearly 5,000 years ago!)

Imhotep was also a famous doctor. Just like the Mummy of Medicine! His full list of titles include:

Chancellor of the King of Egypt, Doctor, First in line after the King of Upper Egypt, Administrator of the Great Palace, Hereditary nobleman, High Priest of Heliopolis, Builder, Chief Carpenter, Chief Sculptor, and Maker of Vases in Chief.

Pyramid

Imhotep is credited with designing the very first pyramid. They were usually built with a square base, with three or four sides shaped like a triangle.

Before that, these structures were shaped like an…

Eternal House

Unlike a pyramid, an “eternal house” has a flat roof with rectangular walls that gradually slope inwards. These structures were usually made with mudbricks, and could be up to 30 feet high!

Check out more Junkyard Adventures!

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