1Jack pulled Annie down.

2The white figure moved swiftly past them. Then disappeared into the

3shadows.

4"A mummy," said Annie. "Back from the dead!"

5"F-forget it," stammered Jack. "Mummies aren't alive." He picked up the Egypt book.

6"What's this?" said Annie. She lifted something from the floor. "Look. The mummy dropped this thing."

7It was a gold stick. About a foot long. A dog's head was carved on one end.

8"It looks like a scepter," said Jack.

9"What's that?" asked Annie.

10"It's a thing kings and queens carry," said Jack. "It means they havepower over the people."

11"Come back, mummy!" Annie called. "We found your scepter. Come back! We want to help you!"

12"Shush!" said Jack. "Are you nuts?"

13"But the mummy—"

14"That was no mummy," said Jack. "It was a person. A real person."

15"What kind of person would be inside a pyramid?" asked Annie.

16"T don't know," said Jack. "Maybe the book can help us."

17He flipped through the book. At last he found a picture of a person in a pyramid. He read:

18Tomb robbers often carried off the treasure buried with mummies. False passages were sometimes built to stop the robbers.

19Jack closed the book.

20"No live mummy," he said. "Just a tomb robber."

21"Yikes. A tomb robber?" said Annie.

22"Yeah, a robber who steals stuff from tombs."

23"But what if the robber comes back," said Annie. "We'd better leave."

24"Right," said Jack. "But first I want to write something down."

25He put the Egypt book into his pack. He pulled out his notebook and pencil.

26He started writing in his notebook:

27"Jack—" said Annie.

28"Just a second," said Jack. He kept writing:

29"Jack! Look!" said Annie.

30Jack felt a whoosh of cold air. He looked up. A wave of terror went through him.

31Another figure was moving slowly toward them.

32It wasn't a tomb robber.

33No. It was a lady. A beautiful Egyptian lady.

34She wore flowers in her black hair. Her long white dress had many tiny pleats. Her gold jewelry glittered.

35"Here, Jack," Annie whispered. "Give her this." She handed him the gold scepter.

36The lady stopped in front of them.

37Jack held out the scepter. His hand was trembling.

38He gasped. The scepter passed right through the lady's hand.

39She was made of air.