The sky was a deep blue, with a few white clouds drifting lazily by. The earth was covered with endless yellow sand. The sand wasn't golden, but rather a grayish-yellow; it wasn't as fine as the sand on a beach, but rather mixed with many pebbles and gravel. Some larger rocks were scattered haphazardly around, along with tourists' footprints.
Under the blazing sun, the rising steam was utterly devoid of moisture. The three pyramids stood tall in the distance, with the central pyramid of Khafre, its spire resembling a triangular golden hat, gleaming particularly brightly.
Cui Shuying regretted coming here. Despite applying sunscreen and wearing a sun hat, she still felt her body was completely exposed to the Sun. The sunlight, like the hands of a naughty boy, haphazardly sneaked into her clothes and wantonly ravaged her delicate skin.
It's still springtime in Seoul!
"Hey, look Great Sphinx!" Park Jae-won exclaimed excitedly, abandoning his worried girlfriend and frantically pressing the shutter button on his camera.
Cui Shuying had already seen the huge statue lying in the sand, and it did indeed shock her at first, but the shock did not last long and was quickly dissipated by the scorching air around her.
Besides the heat, she also felt bored and depressed, always feeling like she was standing on a strange and empty land, and that she might sink into quicksand at any moment.
" Jae-won, I don't want to play anymore!" she said.
"Huh?" Park Jae-won half-squatted there, pressing the camera against his face and skillfully adjusting the focus. "Why? We finally made it here!"
"But... I..."
Cui Shuying didn't know what to say. She didn't want to spoil her boyfriend's fun. He was an Egypt enthusiast and spent his free time looking up information about the pyramids and Ancient Egypt dynasties online. Moreover, the two young people had been saving money for this trip for a long time.
Park Jae-won stood up and noticed that Cui Shuying's complexion was indeed not good, so he asked, "What's wrong? Are you feeling unwell?"
Cui Shuying shook her head. "No, it's just that I don't really like this place."
Park Jae-won -won looked around and saw the hazy sandstorm in the distance. He laughed and said, "This is what the desert looks like. Let me take you to climb the pyramids."
"Ah?"
"Did you know that the three pyramids of Giza face the three stars in Orion's Belt? If you make a wish at the top of the pyramid, the gods living in Orion will hear it, and your wish will come true."
"Is it true?" Girls always have an intense curiosity about things like fortune telling and making wishes.
"Maybe it's true!" Park Jae-won said. "Otherwise, why would the Ancient Egypt build the pyramids like this? There are so many mysteries here. It's said that the pharaohs didn't die, but their souls temporarily reside elsewhere, preserving their the Mummy, just to wait for the day they would be resurrected."
Cui Shuying was clearly not very interested in the Mummy, staring at the pyramids in the distance and saying, "But climbing the pyramids is not allowed! The signs outside say that unauthorized climbing of the pyramids will result in one to three years of imprisonment!"
"Don't worry, watch me!" Seeing that Cui Shuying Park Jae-won -young no longer looked as dejected as before, Park Jae-won winked at her, took her hand, and ran towards the pyramids.
There were many tourists, most of whom were taking photos in front of the Pyramid of Khufu and the Pyramid of Khafre. Two Arabia leading camels were selling their camels, which tourists could ride and take pictures with.
Park Jae-won asked about the price in English, Arabia said one hundred Egyptian pounds. Park Jae-won thought it was a bit expensive and asked if fifty Egyptian pounds would be okay. The Arabia readily agreed and then shouted for the camels to lie down.
Park Jae-won helped Cui Shuying mount a camel. The Arabia seemed very experienced, directing the camels to move slowly while making them pose in various ways, such as reaching out to make a "grabbing" motion, so that in the photo it would look like they were grasping the top of a pyramid.
Cui Shuying felt much better. However, when they were about to get down, the Arabia said he needed to collect money first, and that it would be two hundred Egyptian pounds. Her mood soured again.
Park Jae-won started arguing with the Arabia, but Arabia stopped speaking English and kept speaking Arabia, occasionally throwing in a few English words, which were also very aggressive. Several Arabia nearby, who seemed to be their accomplices, surrounded them and said they wouldn't let him get off the camel until he paid.
Police officers patrolling nearby saw the argument but turned away instead.
Cui Shuying tugged at Park Jae-won's clothes. " Jae-won, let it go, just give them two hundred Egyptian pounds."
Park Jae-won, however, was not afraid. He was a rock climbing enthusiast and had also practiced Taekwondo; he was physically strong and wouldn't be at a disadvantage even if a fight broke out. Besides, he was in the right; these Arabia were clearly taking advantage of their unfamiliarity with the area. He jumped off the camel in a flash, opened his arms, and said, " Shuying, jump down, I'll catch you."
Cui Shuying jumped down and was caught by Park Jae-won.
Park Jae-won took out fifty Egyptian pounds from his wallet, slapped it hard on the Arabia's chest, and then pulled Cui Shuying away without looking back.
I thought they would catch up, but to my surprise, the Arabia took the money, said nothing, and turned to look for other tourists.
" Shuying, don't be angry with those unscrupulous businessmen, let's have our fun." Park Jae-won was afraid his girlfriend would lose interest.
Cui Shuying, however, was no longer as uneasy as before, and said, "Ha, I'm not angry at all!"
"Have you decided what you wish for?"
"Yes, I've thought it through. But there are so many people here, how are we going to climb?"
"Let's go up ahead."
Park Jae-won led Cui Shuying to the innermost Pyramid of Menkaure. Menkaure is the smallest of the three pyramids, and there are very few tourists here.
There was a small room next to the pyramid, with a staff member guarding it. Park Jae-won went in and said, "I want to make a wish at the pyramid."
The guards glanced at him as if he were a mental patient.
Park Jae-won took out two hundred Egyptian pounds from his wallet and handed it over. The guard's lips slowly curled up, revealing a set of teeth stained yellow by cigarette smoke, and then he said in broken English, "Ten minutes, up, down."
Park Jae-won nodded, then turned and made a face at Cui Shuying.
The pyramids looked steep, but climbing them wasn't difficult. Cui Shuying, who exercised regularly, followed behind Park Jae-won and didn't feel particularly tired, except for the heat.
When they were halfway up the mountain, two policemen on camels spotted them and shouted at them to get down immediately.
Left with no other option, they had to climb down. Cui Shuying said with some worry, "Aren't we going to end up in prison in Egypt?"
Park Jae-won said, "If they ask you, just say I coerced you to go up there. If anyone goes to jail, it'll be me."
Cui Shuying said, "No, I want to be with you."
The pyramid's caretaker ran out, pulled the couple who had just climbed down aside, and whispered, "Do you have any money left? If you do, you'll be fine."
Park Jae-won paused for a moment, then immediately understood.
Just then, the patrol officers came over. Their camels weren't as tall as the ones in the photos; they were only slightly taller than a regular horse. He jumped off the camel in one go.
The police officer approached Park Jae-won. Seeing the guard nod at him and walk away, he said nothing, but simply stretched out his hand, rubbing his thumb and forefinger together, making a gesture that everyone in the world understood as a request for money.
Park Jae-won opened his wallet and took out another two hundred Egyptian pounds. The policeman nodded and said only one sentence, "Don't take too long."
Just as the policeman was about to leave, Park Jae-won stopped him, took out the remaining five hundred Egyptian pounds from his wallet, and stuffed them into the policeman's pocket.
The police officer and the librarian were taken aback for a moment, then laughed happily, patted Park Jae-won on the shoulder, and left.
An unexpected thing happened: two policemen on camels patrolling around the Pyramid of Menkaure turned away some tourists who were heading this way, telling them they should go to the Pyramid of Khufu to take pictures.
Park Jae-won breathed a sigh of relief and said as he climbed up, "This should give us half an hour, enough time to make a wish. Hey, what do you want to wish for?"
"I won't tell you!" Cui Shuying turned her head and saw Park Jae-won's helpless expression, then laughed happily.
The wind howled high above, bringing a touch of coolness. She looked up and noticed that many clouds had appeared in the sky, and the sunlight was no longer so intense.
They quickly climbed to the top of the pyramid, where the view suddenly opened up: on one side was an endless yellow sea of sand, and on the other side was a gray city, like a gray forest.
The Pyramid of Khafre is just ahead. Because it is located at the highest point of the Giza Plateau, it appears to be taller than the Pyramid of Khufu from a visual perspective, but in reality, the Pyramid of Khufu is the tallest pyramid.
The wind grew stronger, the clouds in the sky grew thicker, and the Sun completely hid behind the clouds. Sunlight shone through the gaps in the clouds like a golden curtain hanging down from the sky.
The policeman on the camel was shouting something at the foot of the tower, but it was hard to hear clearly because of the strong wind; it sounded like he was shouting about a sandstorm or something.
"What did you wish for? Now you can tell me." Park Jae-won ignored the policeman's calls.
Looking at the increasingly dark horizon in the distance, Cui Shuying said, "I hope our love will be as eternal as the pyramids."
"Ah, what a romantic wish!" Park Jae-won was filled with happiness.
"And you?" Cui Shuying asked, tilting her head.
"Well..." Park Jae-won said mysteriously, "I hope to meet the gods of Orion. If the Pharaohs can be resurrected, let me witness their miracle!"
Cui Shuying pouted and said unhappily, "Your wish has nothing to do with me!"
Park Jae-won touched her shoulder, about to explain something, when suddenly a strong gust of wind blew over, and yellow sand rushed into his mouth, causing him to cough violently.
The sky grew darker and darker, the wind howled like countless lions and tigers roaring in the distance, and a high gray wall rose on the horizon, moving rapidly toward them, soon to engulf them.
They could see nothing but swirling sand and dust. They clung tightly to each other atop the Pyramid of Menkaure.
Suddenly, the earth trembled violently, and they heard a loud boom. Immediately afterward, an extremely dazzling beam of light shot down from above, hitting the top of the pyramid and completely enveloping them.
Cui Shuying felt the surrounding air become scorching hot. The flying yellow sand emitted a red glow, like Mars flying from a bonfire, hitting her face like bullets. She felt her body slowly melting away, experiencing no pain except for the burning sensation. When they all turned into a pile of fine sand, they scattered into dust with a bang, leaving only a blurry consciousness.
She struggled one last time to look up. Three holes opened in the clouds, and three beams of blue light fell on the spires of the three pyramids, igniting flames on their bodies.
Then, everything was plunged into darkness. No, into nothingness, where even darkness did not exist.