Kiwi in the Realm of Ra

By Vickie Johnstone

Book 5 in the Kiwi Series about a magical cat.

Inspired by the film 'Back to the Future', Whiskers invents The Time-Squeaking Mouse. He plans to take his friends on a fantastic trip to celebrate Amy's 13th birthday. However, the time machine falls into the wrong hands and dastardly Dev travels back to Ancient Egypt when cats were sacred. With Dev having changed the path of history, it's up to Kiwi and the gang to travel back in time to find him. What will Kiwi, Amy, James, Whiskers, Hammy, Misty, Furrball and Siam think of this desert world of tombs, pyramids and sacred gods?

For readers aged 7 up.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Vickie Johnstone
• Release date: Nov 16, 2012
• ISBN: 9781301038695

Vickie Johnstone

Vickie Johnstone lives in the UK. She has a thing about fluffy cats and also loves reading, writing, films, the sea, art, nature, white chocolate and travelling. Vickie has self-published 23 books since 2011.- Books published in 2011:Kaleidoscope (March) – 119 poems, divided by chapter themes;Travelling Light – a free book of 44 poems;Kiwi in Cat City – the first in a series about a magical cat and her human pals (April);Kiwi and the Missing Magic (June);Kiwi and the Living Nightmare (October).The Kiwi books have illustrations by Nikki McBroom.- Books published in 2012:Day of the Living Pizza – a comedy horror for ages 10 up (May);Life’s Rhythms – 316 haiku (June);3 Heads and a Tail – a romantic comedy with a dog as the hero (June);Kiwi and the Serpent of the Isle (August);Day of the Pesky Shadow (October);Kiwi in the Realm of Ra (November); andKiwi's Christmas Tail (December).- Books published in 2013:The Sea Inside – a fantasy adventure (May); andI Dream of Zombies – a horror set in London in 2013 with a heroine (October).- Books published in 2014:Haven (I Dream of Zombies, 2) (May).- Books published in 2015:Mind-spinning Rainbows – 45 haiku and 109 poems (April).- Books published in 2021:A Poem a Day – 446 poems (July).- Books published in 2023:Tirips Shade – Ghost Detective (April).Ink – poetry (May)Woman – poetry (May)- Books published in 2024:Between the Sky and the Sea – poetry (February)Murals (March)Colouring the Edges (March)Links:Blog: http://vickiejohnstone.blogspot.comTwitter: @vickiejohnstoneWebsite: Kiwiincatcity.comMerchandise: www.zazzle.co.uk/kiwiincatcityFacebook: http://www.facebook.com/AuthorVickieJohnstonehttp://www.facebook.com/KiwiinCatCityhttp://www.facebook.com/KaleidoscopePoetryHappy reading and writing :)

Book preview

Introduction

The ancient city of Thebes was named by the Greeks after the important place of that name in their own country of Greece. To the Egyptians, it was known as Waset. Thebes was the capital of Egypt during the New Kingdom (about 1550-1070 BC), when Amun, the king of the gods, was worshipped. Today, it is called Luxor.

Rameses II, also known as Rameses the Great, reigned from 1279-1213 BC. He is viewed as the greatest, most celebrated and most powerful pharaoh of the Egyptian Empire. He is believed to have taken the throne in his late teens, and is known to have ruled for 66 years and two months.

The Nile divided Thebes into two parts. To the east was the main settlement and temples, of which Karnak was the most important complex. The cemetery was located on the west bank. The tombs of the kings of the New Kingdom (1550-1070 BC) were located in the Valley of the Kings. The workmen who made and decorated these tombs lived in a special village overlooking the valley, called Deir el-Medina.

During the reign of Khufu, the second ruler of the Fourth Dynasty, the largest pyramid in the world was built over a period of ten to twenty years (2560-2540 BC). The Great Pyramid of Giza is made up of more than 2.3 million stone blocks and measures 485 feet high. It has been estimated that the workers would have had to set a block every 2.5 minutes. The pyramid is the only one of the Seven Wonders of the World still in existence.

In real life, the Valley of the Kings is about 300 miles away from the Great Pyramid of Giza, but in this book I imagined them being within cat walking distance to make the adventure a little more exciting. At school, Ancient Egypt was my favourite period of history.

The little images between the chapters are the Egyptian ankh (the key of life – eternal life); the Eye of Ra; Thoth, the scribe (writer) of the gods; an Egyptian man; a cat; and a snake.

Chapter 1: The mouse box

Da... daaaaa! announced the grinning white mouse proudly, stepping backwards and taking a bow, waving one paw forward.

But what is it, Whiskers? asked Hammy, peering closer. The brown hamster scratched his head and screwed up his black eyes. The object his friend was holding didn’t look very impressive at all.

The mouse shrugged and waited, with a glint in his eye.

What do you think? Hammy asked the white hamster standing beside him.

Pinky stepped forward and touched the round, white box with her paw. It felt cold. A tiny, white mouse with a pointed nose, looking upwards, stood up on its hind legs on top of the box. It was such a small thing. It felt a bit like stone, she thought, and it was ice cold to touch.

Shivering, Pinky stepped back. Her tiny, pink ears flicked back. There was something odd about the object. She fiddled with the bright pink ribbon with flowers woven on it that circled her waist, and blinked at Hammy, but he didn’t look concerned at all.

So? asked Whiskers after a long pause. What do you think? I’ve been working on it for months.

Hammy rubbed his nose. Erm... erm... but what is it, Whiskers?

Touch it! suggested the mouse.

Pinky frowned. It feels weird, Whiskers, and as cold as ice. It scares me. It feels alive!

That’s it! That’s it! giggled Whiskers, jumping up and down. You can feel it!

Feel what? asked Hammy, feeling that he wasn’t in on the joke.

Well, they do say us girls are more sensitive than you guys! giggled Pinky, nudging the confused hamster.

Yes... but... well... Whiskers – what is it? asked Hammy. You have to tell me because I can’t guess!

Look underneath it – touch it!

Hammy rubbed his paws together and bent down to examine the small box more carefully. It looked ordinary to him. Slowly, he reached out his paw and touched it. He quivered. Pinky was right – it was as cold as ice. He felt a chill run down his spine. Recollecting himself, hoping that his doe (female hamster) hadn’t noticed, he touched it again. He stepped back in shock. He was sure it had moved, yet it looked exactly the same.

Interesting, isn’t it? said Whiskers, picking up the box. It was about the size of his paw.

Hammy could see the mouse had been carved with a lot of care. It was very intricate and lifelike. He stared closer and then jumped. I think it moved!

Whiskers coughed. That’s your imagination. It will do that, you know. The mouse is frozen in time, which should give you a clue as to what this box is.

The two hamsters glanced at one another and back at Whiskers. They shook their heads because they had absolutely no idea. Not a clue. Hammy was starting to feel a little stupid. Whiskers’ superior intelligence tended to do that to other creatures!

The mouse turned the box over in his paw. The lid didn’t fall off. Hammy guessed it must twist on and twist off. On the underside were a row of numbers and a button. This, announced his friend, is what makes this box so special. This is the key to travelling wherever you want to go.

But Kiwi can do that!

Whiskers smiled slyly. Yes, Kiwi can do that, but can she travel backwards in time?

Hammy’s jaw fell open.

No! squeaked Pinky. This is a joke! I’m not falling for it, Whiskers. Time travel isn’t possible, you know that. As far as I know, it isn’t April Fool’s Day, so you shouldn’t be playing such a joke on us!

Pinky turned to go, frowning. She couldn’t believe that Hammy had fallen for it.

Whiskers pouted, turning the box in his two front paws. His ears and tail drooped. But it’s true, he pleaded. I worked so hard on it. I thought you’d be amazed.

You’re serious! said Hammy, noticing the expression change on his friend’s face; he wasn’t telling fibs. He’s serious, Pinky. He’s always serious about his work. Whiskers, I wondered what you were working on so secretively. So, how does it work?

The white mouse brightened up immediately, and his whiskers started flicking back and forth. Pinky bowed her head and then peeked back up with her bright, black eyes.

The numbers on the bottom correspond to the date, and there is BC and AD, explained Whiskers. The mini keyboard... there... that’s where you put the world you are in. I won’t confuse you with the science of it. It will blow your hamster brain! You change the numbers with the button here, and then you twist the box just a little... I won’t do it now or we’ll vanish into...

Pinky was dumbstruck. The world you are in? The words echoed in her head.

Does it really work? asked Hammy, scratching his head again.

Whiskers chuckled. Does it work?! My friend, it works brilliantly. I’ve been back to the ancient times of the Land of Giant Mice... and I took a peek at times long ago in Cat City.

When? asked Hammy. You never went on holiday or anything.

That’s the beauty of my invention – wherever you go, for however long, it’s as if you never left. No time passes!

Hammy sat down. That’s amazing, Whiskers. I can’t quite believe it. I’m shocked.

The mouse smiled. Well, I have to thank you really.

Me?

Yes, you! I got the idea when I was living with you and James, and you insisted that we watch Back to the Future so many times. At first I thought it was boring to watch the same film twice, but then I started thinking about it more and more – the possibilities. But it took me a while to work out the technology. Luckily, my schooling was very advanced and Professor EeekFeeka was a brilliant help. He’s unbelievable and...

Stop! squeaked Pinky, raising a paw. I’m dazed, Whiskers. My brain is exploding! The most complicated thing I ever learnt in my life was how to sort bad sunflower seeds from good ones!

Hammy nodded. It’s a lot to take in, Whiskers. I’m really impressed, but it’s hard to understand. Let’s all go out for a walk in the sunshine and you can explain again... slowly. I also think we ought to tell Kiwi that you’ve invented a time-travelling... erm... mouse box.

Whiskers paused and put the box down slowly. He thought his friends would have been more excited, but instead they looked shocked and even scared. He nodded. Let me hide it in a safe place and then we’ll go. But I don’t want Kiwi to know because it’s a surprise for Amy’s birthday today.

Amy’s birthday? asked Hammy.

Yes, I wanted to give her a nice present. She was so good to me when... well, when we met that time I sort of invaded Cat City.

Pinky looked stunned. Invaded?

Whiskers twisted the end of his tail. It’s a long story, Pinky. Anyway, it’s going to be Amy’s thirteenth birthday and she loves history. Her favourite subject is the Ancient Egyptians. She is always talking about them. I remember her talking about some homework about the ancient gods and goddesses.

No way! You decided to actually take her there? asked Hammy. Are you crazy?! Couldn’t you just buy her a book or a DVD? Ancient Egypt could be dangerous! There could be dangerous people, dangerous events, dangerous diseases... DANGER!

Whiskers paused. I hadn’t thought of that. Why do you have to think of the negatives?

There was a very, very long silence.

It was Pinky who broke it. Let’s all calm down and go for a nice walk – before the sun decides to go in!

Whiskers and Hammy nodded.

They all walked out of the mouse’s green workshop and he padlocked the door.

Did you want to put the box inside? asked Hammy, glancing over his shoulder at the giant door of the giant house, which was the biggest home in Cat City. Well, it had to be, to fit their giant marsupial size. All of the other houses in the city looked tiny in comparison.

I hid it in a hole inside my workshop. It will be safe there. Let’s take that walk. I need some fresh air. I really thought you’d all be eeky impressed with my invention.

The three friends walked silently towards Four Paw Park. They didn’t speak a word for a long time, lost in their individual thoughts.

Chapter 2: Amy’s birthday gifts

Happy birthday to you, squashed tomatoes and stew – I saw a fat monkey, and I thought it was you! sang James, Kiwi, Whiskers, Hammy and Pinky.

I’m not a chimp! laughed Amy. But thank you! I’m almost a grown-up now, being thirteen!

Unlucky for some! chipped in James, dodging Amy’s pinch. He giggled.

Do you feel grown-up? asked Pinky, shyly.

Amy thought about it for a second, before replying. I guess I feel exactly the same. Every birthday I think I’m going to feel older, but it doesn’t happen.

James zoomed across the room and opened a drawer. He returned holding something behind his back. Here’s your present, he announced, holding out a parcel.

Thanks! beamed Amy. It’s so neatly wrapped.

Kiwi helped me!

The black cat beamed. I have a gift too, she purred, and pulled out a small, blue paper-wrapped package from under the bed.

And one from me, said Hammy, offering a square-shaped present, wrapped in paper bearing grinning hamsters.

Love the paper! said Amy, excitedly. Like lots of mini Hammys!

The brown hamster grinned. "That’s