Chapter 6

Larry groaned when Teddy told him about the incident with the Puritans. It was shortly before the end of his rounds, and he'd just begun to unwind mentally, when the president approached him. Perfect way to end my shift, he quipped. "Was anyone hurt? How did Ahkmenrah react?"

"Surprisingly well, Lawrence. He spoke calmly to the Puritans, but they acted like he was the Devil's spawn! No one was harmed, but I fear this might be a harbinger for worse interactions between the others and him," Teddy replied.

Sighing, Larry asked, "Was Ahkmenrah okay afterwards?"

"He was shaken up, as was I. Still, he acted calmly enough."

"I'll talk with both him and the Puritans, but I doubt it'll do much good. I'm new here-not everyone respects my authority yet."

"Do not underestimate yourself, Lawrence. Already, the majority of the exhibits follow you, especially after you thwarted the attempted theft. For now, try to be grateful for the alleys you do have, instead of worrying about what naysayers might think." After thinking a bit, he added, "if it helps at all, know that you have my utmost respect. And I suspect you have the pharaoh's as well."

"Thanks, Teddy, I appreciate that. It's just sometimes this job seems so..." He didn't even have to finish that thought, for both of them knew how trying running the museum could be. Larry could only imagine how hard it had been for the old guards. How had they managed to survive all those years?.. With a final goodnight, Larry and Theodore Roosevelt parted ways, each one trying to sort out his thoughts.

On top of worrying about how he was going to help support his son financially, Larry now had to monitor how Ahkmenrah was adjusting. Then again, that had always been something he'd been partially worried about... Still, he had begun to hope things would go smoothly for once, especially since the pharaoh seemed so, well, nice. Ahkmenrah had appeared to be adapting quite well. Now, the night guard feared any progress that had been made just went down the toilet. Teddy's report about the king's reaction was encouraging, but Larry still felt uneasy about the whole thing. He'd talk with Ahkmenrah tomorrow. For now, it was time to sleep.

Fortunately, the next few evenings went as smoothly as before. Things stayed peaceful-or at least, as peaceful as they got. True to his word, Larry had spoken to the Puritans, explaining how their behavior was inappropriate, but he felt like he would have accomplished more by talking to the inanimate stone lions outside the museum. Intuitively, he knew the religious zealots were unmoved. Now, it was time to talk to the pharaoh.

He was sitting on his tomb, just staring at his tablet, when Larry approached him. "Good evening, Guardian."

"Hey, Ahk! Just checking to see how you're doing. Everything all right?"

"I am well. Why do you ask?"

"Teddy told me about the incident. Look, don't worry about the Puritans-they're a bit set in their ways, but they'll come around eventually."

After a moment of silence, Ahkmenrah merely stated, "The confrontation yesterday reminded me of my dark status here. Of how some of the other inhabitants must perceive me."

This was exactly what Larry had been hoping not to hear. "What happened wasn't your fault. Ever heard the saying, 'It's not you, it's me?' Well, this is something like that, only in this case, it's not you, it's them. You are not the one with a problem, they are. Just keep that in mind if you ever run into the Puritans again, ok?"

Ahkmenrah still seemed a bit upset, so he went on, "Did you do anything malicious? Anything at all to scare them?"

The pharaoh shook his head. "Ok, then. You have nothing to feel guilty or anxious about. Try not to dwell on it too much longer, all right?" With a final reassuring pat on Ahkmenrah's shoulder, Larry left Ancient Egypt. He hoped he'd sounded more confident than he felt.