http://www.metmuseum.org/art/collection/search/263214?sortBy=Relevance&when=A.D.+1800-1900&ft=*&offset=20&rpp=20&pos=21
The Sahara desert briskly blew nuggets of sand into my sun-scorched face. I daringly looked up through the blinding light of the Arab sun. My thobe was blanketed in the land. Through the light and mist of sand, I gazed upon what I had been searching my entire adult life. It was the great lost pyramid of the lost Pharaoh. I had finally found it! The great Egyptian archives had detailed this pyramid and for so long I had hoped to see it myself and uncover its mystical secrets. What lay inside? The only way to know way to enter myself.
However, before I walked into this ancient sanctuary, I took a loving gaze upon its historical and mysterious beauty. I envisioned myself climbing the stones to the top of the pyramid and looking out across all of the Sahara, king of the desert. I quickly faded out of my reverie, and peered into the dark crevice that made up the pyramid’s entrance. Taking slow and careful steps, I immersed myself in the darkness of the shadow. Within seconds of doing so, I lit my lantern to see myself surrounded by decaying, cracked walls and an overgrowth of molasses covering them.
I walk on. Left. Right. Straight — all of a sudden — a quiet footstep heard in the distance. Immobilized with fear, I listen on, waiting to hear another sound.
Kata-kata, kata-kata.
The pace of the steps accelerated. This certainly jumped my nerves. The sounds came close and sounded harsher with each approach. With the echo of the steps reverberating through the air and walls, it was impossible to distinguish which direction these steps originated. I rushed in the opposite direction I came in, yet the sounds only amplified. Cold sweat began pouring down my face, drenching my robes and skin. Suddenly, the footsteps halted, as did I. Breathin heavily with my pause, I resting my head over my knees, unaware of the shadow that was slowly overtaking my own.
Hello.
Surprised and staggering I fell backwards at the noise. I looked up from where I was to see a man about my age, dressed in more traditionally Western clothing confused at my stunned expression.
“Who are you?” I exclaimed.
The man smiled and said, “Well I’m much like yourself. I’m an explorer.”
“How did you find this place?” I responded.
“Lucky like you I guess. Would you care to join me in this adventure?”
Although I found this encounter unlikely and risky, I agreed that I would tag along.
We continued on our way, backpedaling to where I ran from.
“So where are you from,” I asked the man, “Clearly you aren’t from around here.”
“I could say the very same for you,” he replied, “You don’t look very Arab.”
I remained silent. Obviously the man was dodging my questions. He didn’t even give me his name. Eventually, we came to a giant door that resembled the entrance to a mausoleum. I glanced at the man. He moved toward the door opening it without hesitation.
“Wait!”
The pyramid quaked and dust fell through the cracks of the ceiling. I had to get out of here. I looked for the man. He’d disappeared.
“Hey where did you go?” I yelled.
The man came bustling out of the entrance carrying a shiny jewel-like object in his hand. He was leaving me.
“Wait up!”
The man kept running. A brick fell from the ceiling and hit me in the head. I looked up… blackness washing over me…
I opened my eyes. I was staring at a picture of the very same pyramid I was just in. Was that real?
