Harry Ancient Egypt Diary #3

This is a picture of toys that my daughter played when she was freed.

Journal 3, The 5th Dynasty of MIddle Kingdom


Sun Rise

Since it was Friday, I took an easy walk beside the Nile River as soon as I woke up. I was ready start the busy day after doing few lengthy stretches beside the Nile River. My son, Nebnefer, and I decided to play a few games of Senet. Senet was an entertaining board game that our family really liked. It was like Checker where there are two opponent people played against. My son and I had a diminutive deal about the board game, Senet. It was about the breakfast that we were going to eat and cook later on. Whoever wins the board game did not have to cook the meal for our breakfast. Unfortunately, I had to cook the meal since I lost two games out of three games total. Nice well-grilled rabbit would make the breakfast fascinating. I got two rabbits and grilled them with oil and some salt. After we ate our breakfast, we each were ready to finish our duty for our job for today. As always, I walked to the temple with my friend Tumin. I was wondering why men could only play different sorts of instruments but not women. Women were allowed to play other sorts of instrument but percussion and harp. Women were lucky that the Egyptians used percussion most commonly. Women musicians came from all classes in society while the men were from the lower class only. This was immensely unfair. Every musician needed to be professionals to play in the temple, tomb or a battlefield. Most professional musicians usually worked in the temple due to the high daily pay. Women and men were not allowed to play music in the same orchestra. They were separated in the Egyptian society. When I reached to the temple I saw the priests organizing for the festival in the Nile River. It was for the festival for the Inundation that was going to happen soon. We were praying to the god, Hapi. Hapi was the god of the Nile River. We had to pray for Hapi. We made sure we prayed to Hapi, so that Hapi can make the Nile River flood not too much or not too little.

Center Sun

We reached to the Nile River where the priests prayed and we played few songs for the god, Hapi. We were beside the Nile River. We were on an enormous psychedelic mat that was covering the ground. While the priest bowed and showed respect in front of the Nile River, me and my other musician friend including Tumin play songs. The Nile River seemed heavier than usual. It was because of the countless water that was drove from the South. Our country used the flood and the flooded river once wet farmed wheat around the Nile River, which made the wheat much tastier due to the luxurious soil that. After a long interval of time, all the musicians in the temple were freed earlier than ordinary. I saw the sun, somehow more beautiful than usual shining at me. “KHAMEN!!!! Where are you??” yelled Neshi(my wife). I was frightened. Neshi broke into the band, and had a long breath for a while and reported me. “Hamen (My daughter) had died from a heart attack!!!”

Falling Sun

I stopped and wondered if everything was true. My daughter was dead. As soon as I heard the report from Neshi, I stopped the flute that I was playing and sprinted home back without telling the priests what the heck just happened. I didn’t care if my legs were going to break running without a rest but the only thing I desperately cared was my daughter. I wanted to see if what my wife had told me was true. When I got back home, I wondered where the corpse of my dead daughter laid. When my eyes first lay eyes on the body, I recoiled from the sight. It was horrible. Blood covered her face and body. My birthday was coming up soon, and now, I might not find it so enjoyable. I turned to face it once again. But now, my wife had taken her hand, and started whispering a brief prayer. My son Nebnefer had laid beside Hamen’s side, and had pretended that she was alive. Asking questions, which required a simple answer. “What have you done today?” “How are you?”... And so, I joined in, trying to decrease the blood leaking out of the body. I cried, and did not stop. I couldn’t believe myself standing in front of my dead daughter covered with blood.

Night Time.....

It was night. A dead quiet night. I looked at the stars up high, wondering if one of them was my daughter’s. It was time to put her ashes in the tomb with her favorite toys with some of her beautiful wooden dolls. It was very depressing that she couldn’t celebrate my birthday. Today I learned that life is unfair. Only if I was a priest, I could support enough money to make my daughter not die from a heart attack.

I believe diaries would not support me from my stress. Diary was not enough for my stress to vanish. I hope my predecessors read my dairy. Goodbye.....