The King is Dead

His light body is being carried through the Duat, paddled by Thoth only because Anubis was on vacation from his duties as the god of the dead. And yet, the Kings gaze of life still hung here in the aether. He watched as we grieved in disbelief.

"It's Over...The King is Dead," uttered his Queen.

Strong and sturdy were her lips, while the Queen's heart was pounding and skipping and breaking but and still, her words were steady, her dress was stately. The Queen's long brown hair flowed from beneath her crown. A quick wave to the crowd as she turned to take her next steps.

"What were they again?" she said out loud to herself.

"Mi Lady?" asked Isabella.

"My steps, what are my next steps? What were they again?" said the Queen out loud to herself.

Her first lady-in-waiting, Isabella, rushed to her side, as the Fool kept watch. "Be strong, mi Lady, he is not yet gone and will soon return," said Kester, the Fool. He bowed deeply as his Queen passed by.

"All is well, mi Lady. Come, sit. Catch your breath." Isabella took the Queen's arm by hand and gently sat her beautiful Queen at a table warm with food and drink. Nothing fancy. This was a time to nourish the body. Food and love, company and comfort. My Queen's sparkling brown eyes had turned grey today. Her beautiful honey-brown hands are shaking today. Her King is Dead today. These crazy thoughts fired off quickly in Isabella's head, "Her King...my King!", she screamed loudly in her head. A tear rushed down Isabella's face, but she caught it in time before the Queen could see.

"The King is Dead!" said the whispering crowd.

"The King is Dead," someone afar shouted loudly.

The crowd in the courtyard first whispered then shouted these words of disbelief. A cry let out in the middle of the courtyard. A shuffling of cloaks and push-pull of bodies. Scampering and kneeling and tears flowing like the river Nile. No one ever believes that death has happened until you see life without them.

"They came straight from the Queen's mouth, " said one.

"He can't be dead! He's eternal--He's our King," said the burley Woodsman.

"I'd 'ave ta see his dead body. I don't believe it til I see it with me own eyes!" said the old woman, with a shoe in her hand. She was at the ready to attack anyone who disputed her- her King was not dead! She hadn't had seen it.

"You will soon, old woman," said the wise man, as he picked up his sword that fell upon the ground, and slowly walked out of the yard with his head bent in silence.

MEANWHILE, back in the tunnel of dark and light, as Thoth cradled the waters gently; he wanted to ask the King some burning questions. Questions he knew the Council of Seven would want to know--

Hesitantly, he began, "Your Majesty?"

"Thoth?"

"May I trouble your light with a question or two?"

Distracted by the fact that the distance was widening between the here and the after, he finally answered, "If you must."

"Human dust, your Majesty, could you smell the dust on your way out of that body?"

"I am not out of my body, Thoth. Can't you see my silver cord is still connected!"

"Ah, yes, your Majesty, I see. But once we reach the two crossed bridge you must decide to cut it or you will be stuck between worlds. Are you not ready to face the Council, my King?"

"Of course I'm ready. I have no burdens. My heart is as light as a feather and I have only broken one of Ma'ats laws...and that was only to save a life!"

"And...", Thoth stuttered... which law did you break, if I may ask? My apologies first for asking..." said Thoth.

"No! You may not ask!" Bellowed the King.

The silence set in as the silver cord began to lose slack and the two crossed bridge came closer into sight.

The muddied waters began to clear in the dark and a blue shimmering light sat upon the surface of the waters. Thoth felt the ease in his rowing. He knew that the scales of judgment were not too far away. Osiris would be waiting. No matter how the King looked, fearless and unbridled, Thoth could sense his heavy heart. Not for the deeds undone, or for the law he had broken, but for the love, he had left behind. His Queen, his Princes, and his Kingdom.

"I've only broken one law!" the King shouted.

"My apologies for asking, my Majesty!" shouted back Thoth.

The waters, though now without mud or sand or rocks began a high sound of wind and waves rushing left and right, where one could not hear their thoughts, nor speak.

"Anubis did not speak of these waters up ahead! Hold tight to this craft, my Lord! There is a lighthouse up ahead that can guide us through", shouted Thoth.

The King turned his body completely around, away from the rough waters. Away from the sight of Thoth, who was now strapped in with a furious rowing. The King struggled and had to squint his eyes to see his Queen. She was crying over her dinner cloth. Her despair was breaking his heavy heart. He wanted to sprint off the craft and swim back to her, but that would have been his greatest sin and a very ugly sight to her had he appeared at that moment by her side. He struggled to stay seated and to stay upright. He held strong left and strong right of the shaking boat.

"Lighthouse up ahead!" Shouted Thoth. And as soon as he said that the rough waters became calm and a figure arose from the depths of the Duat.

WAY DOWN in the belly of the Castle, where the stone was cut rough and the floor a very red and hardened clay, sat the keepers of the kitchen, the sweepers of the castle, the attendees of the goats, the makers of the cloth, all could be heard were the sniffles and tiptoes and whimpers, low and slow.

"Snap, snap!" screamed Isabella, as she came rushing in, clapping her hands together and stomping her hard-clogged shoes. "You will not, I repeat, not be solemn. You will be upright and strong for your Queen. From this day forward, you will believe that a resurrection is to happen and happen soon. Do you all understand me?"

Murmurs of yeses and bowing of heads began. The movement in the belly of the castle started to gain a healthy energy. The sound of knives chopping through vegetables and fruit and bone. The smell of a kettle fire at start burn. Ice and salt are being poured into a bucket for the creaming of the goat's milk. Isabella looked pleased as she turned to leave and with a sigh of relief, everyone paused when the heavy wooden door slammed shut.

"Did she just say our King was resurrected?" said one.

"She did not say.." said another one

"The King is Dead. He will not be coming back." said the Goatsman, with a less than a hearty cough, "There is no such animal as resurrection. It has not been done and it cannot be done. We shall live with this darkness until Horus returns." The Goatsman exited the servant's door, up the stone steps, and out to the path leading to the Woodsman cottage. Together the two men sat in silence, smoking a hand roll, and drinking the liquor made of corn stalk. The Woodsman spoke up.

"Do you believe in a resurrection?" asked the now near-drunk Woodsman.

"Yes, I do, " said the Goatsman. Shocked, the Woodsman turned to the Goatsman with a drunken stink eye.

"I do, only... we will not know... it is him".