Gabriella N., 9th Grade, North DakotaThe thin figure drifted gracefully through the halls and past the guards. She had a humble aura about her, despite her bold, crimson lips, sharp, wing-accented eyes, and complimenting pastel purple, linen dress.
Standing before the throne, she then bowed low, “My King,” She said softly, announcing her presence to Cleopatra VII Thea Philopator. The Pharaoh’s head tilted upwards and away from the small print on the papyrus. Her expression brightened as her pale pink lips morphed into a big beam.
“Yes?” 
“The Shabti Maker has reported that he is finished,” Charmion revealed, a small smile splitting her own crimson mouth as her King lit up with excitement.
“Excellent! Take me to him,” she exclaimed as she pushed aside the scroll and skipped down the steps to her throne. Charmion dipped her head in reverence, waiting for her King to step ahead of her before leading them to the Vault.
The guards to the Vault seemed to stand taller at the sight of their King. With stiff nods, they pushed open the thick, gold doors. “Isis’ wonders,” The Pharaoh swore as her eyes searched the Vault. Contraptions of shiny metals littered the shelves and tables. Papyrus scrolls were haphazardly thrown about the room. A large piece of cowhide leather was held stiff in a shiny, square frame at the left corner of the room. Formulas, far beyond current times’ understanding, were scribbled in condensed letters along the leather.
The two women jumped as an eccentric voice called out, “Oh, my King!” Following the voice, they saw a small, chubby man with papyrus-toned skin and wiry yellow hair pop out from behind a shelf. An odd thing sat on his face, which he later called spectacles.
“Shabti Maker! Charmion has informed me that you have reported to be finished.”
He stared at her for a moment, as if recounting the past thalaathoun minutes. “Ah!” He finally exclaimed, amber eyes sparkling, “Yes, yes, of course.” The Roman grind that the man spoke with rubbed the King wrong. His large body spun around and seemed to waddle away. The trio wound through aisles, corridors, cluttered halls and sharp corners before the Shabti Maker came to a sudden stop. Peeking from behind him, the two women gasped in awe.
An apparatus built with unfamiliar materials sat forefront in the pristine, white room. It had a faint blue glow, which reflected off of the King’s sapphire eyes.
“Shabti Maker, you have found great favor in Athena’s sights.” She complimented as she inched closer to the machine.
“Minerva’s, actually.” He corrected. Neither of them heard Charmion whisper a quiet, “Thoth,” to herself.
“What have you called it?”
“Saturnus Thronum.” He shrugged.
Charmion looked at the man, confused, while the King observed him, curious, “Saturn’s Throne? As in…?”
“Eo tempore.” Was the simple answer.
“Adýnato!” Cleopatra exclaimed obnoxiously with a laugh.
“Not so, my King,” he contradicted. “It’s all a matter of material, formula, and, well, time.”
She scoffed, “If so, oh wise Shabti Maker, prove it.” She instigated as she made her way up the steps and sat on the copper seat. She couldn’t figure what the knobs before her were for, so she waited and stared expectantly at the Shabti Maker.
The Shabti Maker released an annoyed sigh, though he should be used to the prideful moments of his new King. How he yearned for Rome, his wife, children, and former life. Climbing up the steps, he stood beside her and moved the knobs, adjusting the parameters, and stepped back.
“See that blue dial, my King?” He asked, pointing it out.
“Yes, yes,” She answered hurriedly, curious as to what was about to happen.
“When I tell you, press it. This one has been calibrated,” he directed, pointing to a green dial, “so when you want to return, you press it,” he instructed before turning and waddling past Charmion to retrieve a box-like thing, which he later called a Moment Confine, MC for short.
Cleopatra’s hand hovered over the blue dial, sapphire eyes glinting in elation. “Wait!” She yelled, snapping her head to look at the Shabti Maker. Most likely getting whiplash.
“What?” He asked, panicked, nearly dropping the MC.
“When will I be going?”
The Shabti Maker heaved a sigh in relief, “Approximately duo milia years into the future.”
“Ah.” She hummed before situating herself, again.
The Shabti Maker waited, albeit, impatiently, before starting the confine and exclaiming, “Now!”
Her hand slammed down on the dial. Immediately, azure strands raced around the Saturnus Thronum and around her body. Her eyes were wide as she looked about frantically. Charmion, the Shabti Maker, and everything else outside the contraption seemed to stretch vertically and horizontally, until her surroundings were just a mix of colors. A pulsing thrum pierced her ears, causing her to grip her head tightly before it came to a sudden halt.
Seconds passed until she was brave enough to open her eyes. At first, it wasn’t all that spectacular. She was in a dark, dirty alley. But once she looked to the streets, she gasped.
Hundreds of people danced across the streets, wearing elaborate costumes. Some were even dressed like her. Exiting the Saturnus Thronum, her bare feet touched the cold concrete. She walked with wobbly legs, often leaning on the icky alley walls for support. Stepping past the corner, her whole form emitted amazement. People of varying ethnicities all danced, sang, and played together, peacefully.
A tall, bulky man with tousled auburn hair, olive skin, and a generous amount of freckles bumped into her. He wore a costume of a yellow creature that resembled a bee. “Nice crown!” he complimented with a toothy grin before folding in on himself and rolling away. Reaching her diadem self-consciously, she realized it was crooked and quickly balanced it with pink cheeks.
She walked about the crowd, often times getting bumped and nearly trampled over. People offered sweet and, thankfully, free treats. One man gave her an “ice cream cone” as he called it. The cold substance melted blissfully on her tongue.
Collecting as much of the edible riches as she could, she found a bag lying on the ground and promptly grabbed it. She quickly learned to say, “Trick or treat,” and people would drop the edible gold into her bag. “What a peculiar future,” she thought while another woman, dressed as Veronica from the Archie comics, not that Cleopatra would know, dropped more treats into her bag. It wasn’t until she was lugging three, large, and full bags, that she decided it was time to return to the Saturnus Thonum.
Sitting on the copper seat, she grinned brightly in excitement and expectation for the future. Slamming down on the green dial with sparkling sapphire eyes, she murmured, “That man has truly found favor in Athena’s sights.” And then she was gone.
Definitions
King : Despite being a woman, all female rulers in Egypt, at least in Ancient times, were referred to as Kings. Although the wife of the male King was called the Queen of the Nile.
Shabti Maker : Shabti Maker is a synonym, of sorts, to engineer. Shabti’s themselves, are usually called Ushabti- or Shawabti, but rarely. Ushabti are funerary figurines. Their sizes vary and are usually depicted with plows and baskets on their back. They’re supposed to serve their master(whoever died) dutifully in the Afterlife.
Isis : Isis/Aset, the Egyptian Goddess of Maternal Characteristics, Life, Love, the Moon, Fertility, Healing, Magic, and so many other things, it’s ridiculous.
Thalaathoun : Roughly, Arabic for 30.
Athena : Athena was the Greek Goddess of Wisdom, Handicraft, and Strategic Warfare. Athena’s Roman counterpart is Venus. As Cleopatra herself was Greek and not Egyptian, she worshiped the Greek Gods.
Minerva : Minerva is the Goddess of Wisdom, Strategy, Warfare, Art, and Trade. She is the Roman equivalent to Athena, although the war aspects of her aren’t stressed as much by the Romans, as the Greeks amplify Athena’s war traits.
Thoth : Thoth was originally the Egyptian God of the Moon and was often depicted as a man with the head of an Ibis, as the Ibis’ beak resembled the crescent moon. But he is more commonly known as the God of Wisdom. It is thought that if he had never existed, neither would have the other Egyptian gods. He is a mediator between good and evil, is credited with the development of a majority of Sciences, measuring the dimensions of the Heavens and Earth, and so on. His power rivals that of Ra and Osiris.
Eo Tempore : Roughly, Latin for “time travel”.
Adynato : Greek for “impossible”.
Duo Milia : Roughly, Latin for “two thousand”.
Diadem : An Egyptian crown, worn by both genders and most common in royalty
