The Day the Sun Disappeared:

"Thoth, are you coming? The festival is about to start!"

"All right, all right Timu. You and the others go ahead, I'm just getting my offerings ready, I'll be right there."

The group of teenage Egyptian boys and girls moved away from their younger friend, as Thoth secured his final food and sweet-scented oils for the celebration. As he listened to his friends' laughter fade away towards the temple of Karnak, Thoth took a moment for himself and breathed deeply. It was his first Beautiful Feast of the Valley celebration since his parents had passed several months before and he ached to be able to communicate with them once again. Thoth had never experienced any type of messages or communication with those in the afterlife, but the village elder, Khemu, promised him this was his best chance at hearing his parents again. So he allowed the lanterns and flaming torches to guide him towards the temple, where the festival would soon begin.

"Do I need to put you on my shoulders again this year Thoth? Or have you grown enough to see?" Timu smirked, as he pointed towards the shrine of the creator god Amun, being loaded onto his barque by the priests from the temple.

"Timu, can't you see I'm taller than you? I should be offering you the space on my shoulders instead." Thoth replied, causing the rest of their group to laugh loudly. The younger boy was clearly a head shorter than his best friend, and definitely would not be able to see the procession over the crowd this year either.

"Don't worry Thoth, we'll see the shrine on the western side of the riverbank, my brother Amphis' boat is ready to take us as soon as Amun's barque is in the water." His friend Ninnet reassured him. The younger boy smiled as his attention was soon taken by the hundreds of dancers and musicians filing their way through the lined streets towards the river.

"Follow the sound of the sistrums!" He heard Timu shout as the group started to follow the rattle-like instruments a group of ladies were playing in perfect harmony. Amphis guided his reed boat smoothly across the water from the stern of the ship, as Thoth and his friends sat cross-legged along the length of the vessel. Hundreds of other similar boats were crossing now too and the light from the lanterns was dancing upon the water. Momentarily hypnotising Thoth. The sudden bump as the boat docked against the river bank shook Thoth from his daydream and he began to gather up his offerings to take ashore.

Just as Ninnet promised, the group of friends were able to get closer to the shrine of the creator god this side of the river. After waiting behind a large family, they finally laid eyes upon Amun. The statue of the god had been dressed by the high priests in the most delicate fabric and adorned with beautiful jewellery. Taking their time to give thanks to the god, they placed their offerings near the beautifully carved stone altar. Thoth whispered a small prayer of thanks to the gods and stood with his remaining offerings. He waved his right hand to signal to his friends where he was headed and made his way towards his family's tomb chapel.

As the daylight faded quickly, Thoth was glad he had taken a torch with him and placed it into one of the brackets on the stone wall. The flames immediately illuminated the dark space inside the chapel and the elongated shadows danced over the carvings of his parents. Bringing them back to life for the briefest of moments. Slowly, Thoth stepped forward and placed the offerings on the small stone altar and spoke words of thanks once more; hoping that Osiris was looking after them in the Field of Reeds. He then spoke his mother and father's names loudly into the shadows.

"Ahnum-kaure and Djosep, with your names spoken from my lips, may you live in peace for eternity."

Knowing their names had been remembered, Thoth bowed his head to the figures before turning to leave. As he stepped over the threshold, the hairs on the back of his neck stood up and a cold breeze stirred through the chamber.

"Thoth..."

The young boy jumped as he was plunged into sudden darkness, and the last rays of sunlight had vanished. An unknown, male voice had spoken. Turning around slowly, not knowing what he'd find, he was glad to see a small flame was still flickering from his torch, showing that no one else was in the mountain chapel.

"You are needed Thoth..."

"Who are you?" Thoth replied into the darkness, his voice trembling, "what do you need me for?"

But the voice did not respond. The light from the flame seemed to cross over the carvings of his parents and lingered on the face of the sun god Ra momentarily, before darting back across the chamber to the torch.

Suddenly, the air around him seemed warm again as Thoth took his torch from the bracket and ran back down the mountainside towards the large celebration fires to find his friends.

"You saw a ghost?" Ninnet gasped as Thoth retold his story to the group around the fire.

"No, I didn't see anything Ninnet. But I heard a voice. It said it needed me for something." Thoth replied, taking another sip of his thick beer.

"Well, I think you're tired Thoth, it's been an emotional day for you. The first festival without your parents, it was bound to take its toll." Thoth's older cousin, Ahmose, chipped in from across the fire.

"I'm not tired Mose," Thoth insisted, "I swear to Ra I heard a voice and it wasn't just the sound, it felt like the chamber went completely dark and cold, as if the sunlight had been swallowed by the night itself."

"Now that you mention it, the Sun has set a lot quicker than usual." Sitamun added.

"Hold on a moment," Timu interjected, waving his arms in a dismissive fashion, "the Sun has set quickly because we have been having fun! We wouldn't have even questioned it if Thoth hadn't said anything." The majority of the group nodded along with Timu, but Ninnet didn't seem convinced.

"It does seem darker." She muttered, looking to the sky, "the stars don't seem to be burning as brightly either."

"Well, I refuse to be sad on this joyous festival." Amphis said, getting to his feet and pulling his friends up with him, "come and dance all of you, there is nothing wrong with the sun. Ra has just decided to enter the underworld slightly earlier that's all. Khonsu is watching over us and we shouldn't worry. Come!"

Thoth watched as his group of friends rose to their feet and began dancing to the sound of the drums and sistrums that were playing a fast rhythm. Their laughter and movements were contagious and soon Thoth found himself dancing and laughing too. As the night wore on, some people started to sail back towards the village; others however, were beginning their deeper connection to the gods.

Next to the largest fire, their village elder, Khemu, was entering his meditative state. Over the years, he was the only person who was regularly able to contact the spirits of those who had passed over. He achieved this by dancing himself into a frenzy, entering a trance-like state before collapsing onto the ground in a deep sleep.

Each year, others tried to copy Khemu but no one ever succeeded. But this was about to change. As Thoth danced, his feet moved more quickly and nimbly than they ever had before, the music around him became white-noise and the faster he moved, the louder one particular sound became.

"Thoth... you are needed."

Unable to speak, Thoth only continued to dance faster in the hopes the voice would say something new.

"Thoth... let go."

Thoth felt his legs go numb and his body collapse to the floor, the last thing he remembered seeing was the concerned looks on his friends' faces as the world suddenly turned black.

What felt like an eternity later, Thoth stirred and slowly blinked as he took in his surroundings. There was no fire, no evidence of any celebrations and his friends seemed to have left him.

He was alone.

As he raised his head, he examined the space and realised that although there was still sand beneath him, he was no longer on the west bank of the Nile. There were no stars twinkling in the black vastness above, almost as if he was under an impossible ceiling. Looking ahead, he seemed to be in a long tunnel with large torches hanging in the brackets that lined the walls on either side. In the middle of the tunnel, a small stream flowed gently and as Thoth couldn't see another way through this eerie place, he decided to follow the water to find a way out.

An eternity seemed to go by and Thoth was still moving along the winding tunnel. The only difference being the stream was turning into a wide river and the current was stronger here too. He knew he would have to decide if he was to continue on the left or right hand side of the tunnel, just in case the river split in two.

A couple of hundred yards later, Thoth noticed a fork in the river just like he predicted. To the left, the river seemed to fall away into a dark abyss, whereas to the right, the river seemed to continue winding away into the distance. Choosing the safer route, Thoth slowly crossed the river from his position on the left bank, struggling slightly against the current to reach the sandy bank on the other side.

Moments later, Thoth stopped and took in his surroundings. He had completely lost track of how far he had walked and he was starting to feel an ache in his feet.

"Why am I here?!" He asked loudly into the surrounding shadows, throwing his hands up in frustration.

"I thought you'd never ask." An amused voice spoke from the darkness, "I've been waiting for you to ask the right question."

"Wait, I know that voice. Khemu? Is that you?" Thoth gasped in surprise, as the village elder stepped forward out of the shadows.

"Yes indeed, young Thoth. I thought you might be paying a visit this year." The older man's eyes twinkling in the torchlight.

"But where are we Khemu? This place can't be real? I've never seen anything like it."

"Why can't it be real? We can feel the cool touch of the stone tunnel walls, the heat from the torches, the cold touch of the waters of chaos." Khemu explained calmly, touching each item in turn, "this place exists, but can only be reached during the festival by certain people."

"But the waters of chaos only existed before the creation of time. Before Ma'at created law and order in the world." He had heard the story of creation thousands of times and knew these waters couldn't exist in the real world. He also didn't understand why a fourteen year old boy could have been chosen to come to this place, he wasn't important, was he?

"Did you hear a voice at the festival Thoth?" Khemu asked directly.

"Yes! And when I awoke here too. Did you hear it?"

"I did. I've never heard that voice before and it sounded like whoever it was, was in trouble. We were summoned here for a reason Thoth and we need to find that person now."

"How will we do that Khemu? This is a never ending tunnel which we'll never get out of, let alone find the person we need." Thoth sat down cross-legged on the floor and allowed his head to fall into his hands. Threading his right hand through the dark locks on the side of his head.

"Thoth, you are forgetting one thing. We are in a spiritual realm, the confines of our world are not the same here. Trust me, it took long enough to understand."

Khemu stepped forward into the waters, closed his eyes and suddenly a reed boat, similar to the one Amphis had used to guide them over to the west bank of the Nile, materialised next to him. Thoth's mouth hung open at what he just saw and reached out to touch the boat. Feeling the rough material beneath his fingers, he swallowed audibly. It was real.

"Did you just perform magic Khemu? How?"

"Like I said Thoth," the older man began, as he stepped onto the stern and gestured for the young boy to sit at the front of the boat, "everything here is not as it seems."

With surprising ease, Khemu steered the boat through the ever changing waters until they heard a ferocious sound up ahead. Thoth turned round to Khemu with uncertainty in his eyes. The older man nodded in understanding and looked back to the dark waters, being extra careful now as small rapids had started to appear. The foaming, white water looking extra bright and ethereal in comparison to the gurgling, black waters.

Suddenly, Thoth felt as though the ceiling had been removed from the tunnel and he could see up to the heavens. The pitch-black emptiness above him had been replaced by red and orange burning constellations, moving quickly across what would be the sky in the waking world. As they kept sailing, they could hear colossal crashes and shouts getting nearer. Turning another corner, Thoth blinked furiously as he couldn't believe his eyes. In front of him, stood an enormous figure in a defensive stance upon a huge golden barque that was anchored. As Thoth's eyes scanned upwards, he realised this person had the head of a falcon, a sun disc adorning the top his head and he held an enormous golden spear in his right hand. It couldn't be...

"Khemu.... is that... Ra on his solar barque?" Thoth whispered, not daring to take his eyes off the colossal figure.

"Yes Thoth, that is the King of the Gods in all of his glory," Khemu responded quietly, "I have met him many times, but not like this." The older man brought their reed boat to a stop and knelt beside Thoth while he examined the scene.

As quick as a flash, Ra suddenly let out a furious roar that echoed dramatically through the vast, open chamber and he adjusted his hold on the golden spear as though he was ready to attack. All of a sudden, a huge wave hit the small reed boat Thoth and Khemu were in and both men had to cling on tightly to the sides. As Thoth wiped water droplets from his eyes, a huge serpent emerged from the water, hissing and spitting at the sun god, leering at him before he spoke.

"I have waited an eternity for this, Ra. You so-called 'King of the Gods'. Each night we fight and you best me, but not tonight. You will not return into your world of law and order and I shall reign supreme." The serpent hissed with malice.

"Khemu.... is that Apep? He should have been defeated already. Where are all of the other gods? Ra never fights him alone." Thoth whispered urgently.

"Come with me." Khemu muttered and left the reed boat to sneak up onto the sandy river bank. Thoth followed him, spotting some crumbling stone pillars to hide behind up ahead.

"There is something wrong here, Thoth. Ra is never alone and always has the other gods, and the worthy dead, to help him defeat Apep on his journey through the underworld. Without this, Ra cannot return to our world and without him the sun will disappear and life will cease to exist."

"But what can we do Khemu? We are two mortals in a world only meant for the divine gods, how can we stop Apep from defeating Ra?"

"Remember Thoth, everything is not as it seems." The older man closed his eyes. "Picture the gods Thoth. Picture us finding a way to find them."

Thoth channelled all of his energy into bringing the images of the gods into his mind, repeating their names as he did this.

"Osiris. Isis. Horus. Hathor. Sekhmet. Neith. Mehen. Seth. Mother. Father. Help us."

Thoth opened his eyes and realised they were not behind the carved stone pillar anymore, but in the depths of another cavern where vast iron bars glimmering with magic stood in front of them.

Behind the bars, Thoth could see figures moving in the shadows. Each of them nearly as tall as the figure of Ra they had left fighting the serpent of chaos, Apep. He could hear shouts of anguish coming from the darkness.

"LET US OUT!" came a snarl from the lion-headed goddess Sekhmet, as she shook the iron bars. Quickly releasing her grip as the magic burned her skin.

Thoth and Khemu approached with caution, but stopped as another large figure appeared before them.

"You have had enough time in the light." A malicious voice, thundered through the space, "now step aside and let the darkness prevail." Thoth could see the shadow of a crocodile's head against the stone walls and he understood what was happening.

"Khemu, that's Seth! He's betrayed the other gods to gain more power. Just like in the story of Osiris becoming the first mummy!" Thoth whispered urgently, "remember how Seth's kingship was taken away and given to Horus? Seth was told he had to be Ra's defender on his journey through the underworld instead. What if he's had enough of serving the light and he's turned back to his mischievous ways?"

"You're right Thoth. Seth always had both light and dark inside of him and it looks like the darkness has won. We need to find a way to distract Seth and free the gods."

The young boy took a moment to think and suddenly his eyes lit up.

"I think I've got an idea."

Thoth closed his eyes and imagined himself as his namesake, Thoth the god of wisdom, and could suddenly feel every inch of his body tingle as he grew to an astonishing 40 feet high, nearly the same as the other divine beings in the chamber.

"Seth." Thoth's voice boomed, "what are you doing?"

"This doesn't concern you, god of writing and moonlight. Walk away." The crocodile-headed god snarled back at him.

"I am also god of wisdom, Seth. You would be wise not to ignore me." Thoth bravely responded. "Do you really think there will not be consequences for your actions?"

He continued, "if you block sunlight from the world Seth, what will you achieve? There will be no one to rule over, there will be no life. So what is your aim?"

"I am the rightful heir to the throne of Egypt and I have waited an eternity to gain this power and no one will stop me. Especially not you."

"WHAT ABOUT US?" voices shrieked from behind Thoth and as he turned to realise that the iron bars the deities were locked behind, had been removed completely. Wild fire burned in their eyes, they advanced upon Seth, seeking their revenge.

"NO!" Seth shouted and tried to use his magic to repel the other gods but they were just too strong. Within a flash, he had disappeared and Thoth turned towards Isis, whose beautiful wings were extended behind her.

"You aren't Thoth." she remarked with wonder in her voice, stepping closer.

"Well, my name is Thoth. But I'm just not the Thoth. I was summoned here from the waking world because someone needed my help. My friend Khemu is here too, he released you."

As Thoth had distracted Seth, Khemu had used his own magic to counteract the spells Seth had placed to free the gods.

"We need to get to Ra immediately. The world cannot be in darkness much longer." Isis continued, and with a flap of her wings she disappeared. One by one, the other gods followed until there was only Khemu and Thoth left. They nodded to one another and Thoth felt the familiar tingle through his body again and he was standing once more surrounded by the dark waters of chaos. But this time, he was on Ra's solar barque with the other gods and surprisingly Thoth's parents, Ahnum-kaure and Djosep, they were the worthy dead, looking proudly at their son. Ready to fight and protect.

Apep was furious the gods had appeared, as thunderbolts and spears shot through the air as fast as lightning, repelling Apep back into the water. Suddenly, a monumental roar cracked through the air as Seth reappeared with a huge, golden sceptre and lunged straight towards Ra's heart. Thoth felt frozen to the barque as he watched the god leap through the air. All of a sudden, Thoth saw from the corner of his eye Khemu's form change into that of the creator god, Amun. He grew much taller than the other deities and seemed to glow with an impossibly bright light. He stepped in front of Ra and reached out his hand towards Seth who visibly cowered at his appearance.

"The light will always conquer the darkness Seth." The words seemed to pierce through all of time and space as the blinding light that emanated from his right hand stopped Seth in his tracks and filled the cavern with its powerful rays. Thoth fell to his knees in disbelief and felt his body grow weightless once again as the blinding light subsided.

Thoth's world faded to darkness once more.

"Thoth wake up!"

A voice called out to him, but as his body felt like it was being shaken, Thoth realised he'd been asleep. Before opening his eyes, his fingers could feel the warm sand beneath his fingertips and the smell of smoke from the extinguished fires invaded his nostrils.

Opening his left eye, he could see Ahmose, Ninnet, Sitamun, Amphis and Timu all gathered around him, staring at him curiously.

"What time is it?" Thoth managed to murmur, noticing the sky wasn't as dark as it had been.

"The sun rose not too long ago Thoth, but you've been completely out of it since last night. The dancing you performed was well..." Ninnet finished, not quite knowing how to describe it.

"I don't even know how you did it, but you and Khemu were the only two who fell asleep for so long. Did you see anything?" Ahmose asked.

"Khemu!" Thoth sprang to his feet and ran towards where he had last seen the older man dancing. However, the village elder was nowhere to be seen. Running back towards the shore, Thoth caught a glimpse of him beginning to steer his reed boat back across the river.

"Khemu! What happened?" Thoth yelled, trying to run into the river after him, but stopped when the water was up to his waist. The older man turned to smile and steered his boat to a slow stop.

"The sun has risen on the eastern horizon as it should, young Thoth. The order of Ma'at has been restored."

"But was it real Khemu? Did we help them?" Thoth asked urgently.

"Only you know how you feel Thoth. If you felt it, then it's true. Remember this if nothing else, light will always conquer the darkness."

As Thoth made his way back to his friends, he remembered the way his parents had stood proudly on Ra's solar barque, ready to fight the evil forces that threatened him. That memory was so vivid and made his heart so full, he knew it was real. He had helped defeat the evil, uncertainty and fear in the world and kept chaos at bay. The world was safe once more, at least until next time...