Dr. Emma Margulis adjusted her visor and rivulets of diamond sand fell across the plexiglass. She tapped the display on her suit’s forearm and then pointed a laser scanner at the massive structure jutting out of the windswept dunes.
“Is everything alright?” Milli shouted over the wind.
Emma didn’t answer.
The progress bar appeared on her visor as she guided the laser along the intricate pattern of glyphs edged on the side of the colossal monument. It was the first evidence of intelligent life outside the solar system. Its discovery had been hailed as one of the greatest in human history. Dr. Margulis was the first exo-archeologist to be given access to this amazing discovery in the hopes of learning more about the mysterious beings who inhabitted this planet before even the Earth was born.
The scanner on her arm beeped three times.
Dr. Margulis read the results silently, and without saying a word, she tapped the interface and again pointed her arm at the alien monument.
“What is it?” Milli said looking over Emma’s shoulder.
“Something is wrong with the scanner,” Emma said pressing the button. “Maybe sand got into it.”
“It can’t be,” said Milli. “I checked it before we left. You know how thorough I am.”
Emma knew the scanner could easily withstand the conditions of this alien desert. But she could not accept the results that she had just seen.
She pointed the laser at the glyphs and rescanned them.
In the sky, Sirius A and B streamed their haunting light on the windswept plains. Diamond eddies swirled and glittered in the air with a deep purple hue.
The scanner beeped again.
The results appeared on Emma’s visor display, hovering on her visual field like orange ghosts. She read the words aloud.
“Do not look for hope in this abode. Seek thine own inheritance. Look for a place worthy of yourselves and rest in it, and do not constrict gods in their own houses, as every man is happy in his place and every man is glad in his house.”
Milli listened to Dr. Margulis with open mouth, not quite believing what she was hearing.
“This can’t be real,” the girl said. “It must be a hoax. Someone messed with the scanner. This language is not in our database. So how can this translation be accurate?”
Through the hazy violet atmosphere, Emma saw the light from the transport shuttle blink on and off over the hills.
“Time to go,” she said. “We mustn’t tell anyone about this. Not yet.”
“But what if this is real? Emma, this sounds like an Egyptian inscription! What is it doing out here, light years from Earth?”
“I am sure, my dear Milli, that there is a perfectly reasonable and pedestrian explanation. A glitch, that is all.”
In reality, Emma didn’t believe her own level-headed interpretation. For the software to commit an error of this magnitude was unthinkable. A word or two, yes, but there was no way the scanner would misinterpret an entire phrase that just happened to be strikingly similar to an ancient Egyptian curse. Yet, the alternative explanation was too fantastic to believe.
She directed her research team to pack up. In the sky, the light of the binary suns reflected off the sand, and the glyphs on the monument began to glow.
The archaeologist and her research assistant looked at each other. Emma felt exhilarated, but her trepidation was reflected on Milli’s stare. Looking up at the monument, silhouetted against the spectral sky, she felt small and lost, as if the cosmic rug had been pulled from under her feet.
On the way back, Emma looked at Milli, and in the girl’s eyes, she saw the haunted look of someone who had seen too much too soon. Emma tried to smile but only managed a weak one. She then looked at the monument receding below them, enveloped by the crystalline sand. When it had disappeared on the horizon, Emma sat in silence, listening to the low hum of the shuttle, and the rustling of diamond dust striking the glass.
Thank you for reading my entry to the Ink Well challenge. The prompt for this week was: Inheritance.
The title and general theme of the story was based on the verses from TS Eliot's Little Gidding
We shall not cease from exploration
And the end of all our exploring
Will be to arrive where we started
And know the place for the first time.
Through the unknown, unremembered gate
When the last of earth left to discover
Is that which was the beginning
~T. S. Eliot- 1955
The ancient Egyptian curse is based on this one I found in this page, though I cannot vouch for its authenticity.
Image by @litguru
hehehe so close and yet so far? To be given the opportunity to explore the great unknown and then to be told -"go home" hehehehe
ah... well some things aren't meant to be known, I suppose hehehe
You know what happened to Giordano Bruno for suggesting that there were other worlds out there. Hint: 🔥
Emma just wants to make sure her results are sound, then she's gonna blow everybody's mind. :)
Curses in an imagined world...pretty cool! Your imagination sparkles. Great “world-building” too ❤️😍😍❤️💕 🌎
We never learn our lesson to stop messing around in ancient ruins. :)
A warning, received and rejected, because it is unacceptable within the framework of the explorer's expectations. Your quote from Elliot (End Note) does help to explain the context, but it is not necessary. You have done your job within the story, very well.
Thank you for posting this story in the Ink Well community. We appreciate your support of other writers.
Thank you @theinkwell! I really enjoy that quote from Elliot, and that's why I took the phrase "unremembered gate" as the title. I've always wondered what he meant by it. He could've said forgotten and yet unremembered sounds more grand.
Exo-archeologist. Thanks, a new term for me.
The story is well constructed, engaging, and thought-provoking. I liked especially the quote from Eliot.
A masterful job, as always :)
Thank you @agmoore. I really like that quote too, though I don't think it has anything to do with Egyptian curses.
There was a period in the 70s when the word "exo" was used when speaking about alien life. Exobiology, for example. I suspect that this word sounds more academic than 'alien biology'. The term exo is now antiquated, but I figure I would resurrect it... like a mummy... ;)
A science fiction story that ends with a curse or demand in an ancient Egyptian language. You confirm it with Elliot's verses: We will always get to where we started. The eternal return, Hegel had already raised it There is nothing new under the sun.
You have made a story with elements I adore, science fiction, archeology, the myth of the eternal return, the sands of time. A wonderful read, Thank you for writing it, .
My mind is just fascinated with the idea of discovering something that will change how we understand ourselves in the cosmos. But I think the biggest surprise will be not finding anything at all.
I am happy that you enjoy archeology. This is also one of my favorite subjects. It is interesting that our ancestors were basically walking around with the same brain that we now use to build machines to go into space. Astonishing!
Thank you for reading!
And... that's what Eliot's verses mean!
An excellent short story. You never cease to amaze me. And as humanity we come full circle,,, Thank you for visiting us in Dreemport @litguru :-) I hope you'll enjoy it here and decide to come back time and again to get fresh eyes on your content. (See... no love dungeons hehe) !PIZZA !ALIVE
So glad you enjoyed it! I was going to submit last week but I didn't make the Thursday deadline.
You mean I brought the handcuffs for nothing? 😆
You're hilarious! ROTFL ...you never fail to make me smile 😜😘
It was lovely to see your name pop up this evening in the Port. You know if you fancy it, now that you are in the Dreemport community, that you can submit non-challenge posts to Dreemport on the remaining days of the week too (just not Saturday or Sunday).
Thank you for letting me know I can also submit on other days. I look forward to seeing how the port develops. I like your emphasis on the written word because visual arts already get a lot of love on social media.
@litguru! You Are Alive so I just staked 0.1 $ALIVE to your account on behalf of @samsmith1971. (1/10)
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It can happen that way sometimes as no one can doubt the errors in a system like that, but in another way, someone might have tempered with it.
Anyways, no one will accept the lies you want to tell as being a glitch.
@dreemport sent me here...
Yes, and the process of science is to be thorough and find truth wherever it leads.
Thank you @cool08!
This story is absolutely delicious, @litguru. It gives the reader the feeling of having traveled a million light years, set food upon the sands of a place where we don't belong, and faced its deadly secrets.
Thank you @jayna! This is the farthest from Earth and the furthest into the future I've traveled in my stories. What a long strange trip it's been. :)
A short and precise story, which leaves an ending open to conclusions for the reader. It leaves us wondering what this inscription on an alien planet will mean.
Greetings
That's right! If the inscription is real and not just a glitch, then it changes our entire history. We can no longer see ourselves as children of Earth but heirs of a cosmic riddle.
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"Seek thine own inheritance."
The message even applies universally to all humans, today. Look for and take home what is yours, don't take what is not yours. @litguru, again you have fascinated laymen like me with your writing style. Salute and respect.
The planet has diamonds, so it's ours now :) Thank you for reading!
You're welcome. Respect.
This was a great read.
Thank you @stellageorge!
This is something right here. I had goosebumps and mixed feelings too. In our quest for the unknown, I wonder if we'd be ready for what we would find eventually.
Very beautiful style of writing.
Thank you @kei2! I'm happy you enjoyed it! There have been times when we have found ideas that have changed how we see the world. I hope we also find amazing and exciting discoveries in the future.
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This is shocking. They made it that far but couldn't go no more. It's great that they heeded the voice, packed up and left. Nice job with the prompt.
Always heed the warning. I learned this by watching Curse of the Mummy. :)
Oh, I think I'll have to see the movie too.
I would probably have disobeyed and gone searching but then again, maybe that is why I always run into trouble.
I would've just filled my bags with diamonds and sold them on Earth :)
Thank you for reading @khaleesii!
Exactly.
Thank you!