Lapinda: The Promised Land

By Allan James Wendt

LAPINDA - THE PROMISED LAND is the second instalment to THE SCARAB BRACELET trilogy. In this sequel, Ben-K and his friends Nicky, Virgil and Professor Hanson, were pulled into a wormhole that appeared in the Professor’s living room. Transported away from earth, the friends found themselves in strange surroundings and were exposed to events that forever changed their lives, as they launched on a mercy and rescue mission. Along with their new robot friend, Tweepe, the mission was to deliver medicines to their alien friends, the Kapreians, who were evacuated to a remote planet called Lapinda. The mission of mercy soon turned into a quest to warn the Kapreians about a greater danger heading their way. However, finding and convincing the Kapreians of the danger were fraught with unexpected perils.

• Language: English
• Publisher: ReadOnTime BV
• Release date: Dec 5, 2012
• ISBN: 9781742842905

Book preview

Lapinda

The Promised Land

Smashwords Edition

Allan James Wendt was born in Queensland Australia in 1955. He worked with the Queensland Fire and Rescue Service from 1985 to 2008, and was a graduate from the Queensland University of Technology. Allan is now a self-retiree and became a full-time writer in 2009. This book is the second instalment of the trilogy The Scarab Bracelet.

Lapinda - The Promised Land

Copyright © 2012 Allan James Wendt

All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form, or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording or otherwise, without the prior written permission of the author.

The information, views, opinions and visuals expressed in this publication are solely those of the author and do not reflect those of the publisher. The publisher disclaims any liabilities or responsibilities whatsoever for any damages, libel or liabilities arising directly or indirectly from the contents of this publication.

A copy of this publication can be found in the National Library of Australia.

Author: Allan James Wendt

Edition: 1st

ISBN: 9781742842905 (pbk.)

Published by BookPal

www.bookpal.com.au

PO Box 3422

Sunnybank Hills LPO

Queensland

Australia 4109

I wish to acknowledge my wife, Rohana, for her patience, diligence, and constructive comments when editing and reviewing my second book.

Allan James Wendt

Dedicated to my parents, Enid & Desmond Wendt and our grandchildren

*****

For the young ones and young-at-hearts let your imaginations bring to life the adventures in this book

This book is entirely a work of fiction. The names, characters, locations, and incidents portrayed in the book, either in the content of the book or illustration or drawings, are the work of the author’s imagination, except in the case of historical fact. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, events or localities, is entirely coincidental.

Prologue

Gazing into a hostile world that had never before felt the footsteps of a human being, sparked trepidation into the minds of Ben-K and his friends Virgil, Nicky, Tweepe and Professor Hanson. One thing was for certain; there was no going back to the safe suburban life of Boston, although at times it would be wished for.

A landscape of swirling dense fog stood before them like a fortress that must not be entered for whatever reason. Everyone stood in silence as if hypnotised by the captivating shadows that danced and played within the moving mist. Suddenly, a barrage of frightening sounds echoed out from the fog, to end the tranquillity.

A retreat to the safety of a small spacecraft that stood silently behind them was extremely tempting but everyone knew they must confront the misty jungle before them. A short beam of light from a moosehead flashlight was the only means they had of illuminating a way through the twilight zone.

Weird-looking plants punctured a ghostly world where the humidity stifled every breath, and strange noises heightened the level of anxiety. Prickly vines covered with long razor-sharp thorns tore away at their clothes, as if their garments were like skins that must be peeled off before the inside could be eaten. Trickles of blood soon seeped from deeper wounds inflected by the vicious plants that dominated the environment.

No matter how nervous everyone had become, they all knew that time was running out for them to warn the Kapreians, of the impending attack. They had no other option but to push on and to confront whatever was there before them.

Night in the jungle came on quickly to steal away what little twilight was left for a land that Ben-K and his friends had entered only moments earlier.

Further unrecognisable sounds prompted an immediate desire to build a campfire before complete darkness engulfed everything.

With the fearful sounds still resounding in their ears, each one of them secretly wondered if they would make it out alive from Lapinda’s hostile jungle.

Would fate be kind and allow them to see the dawning of another day, for them to search out the Kapreians who must be warned?

On the other hand, would fate have something else in mind for them, being so far away from their home?

Contents

Prologue

Main Characters

Episode One

Present meets Past

Chapter 1

Chapter 2

Chapter 3

Chapter 4

Chapter 5

Chapter 6

Chapter 7

Chapter 8

Episode Two

The Scarab Bracelet

Chapter 1

Chapter 2

Chapter 3

Chapter 4

Chapter 5

Chapter 6

Chapter 7

Chapter 8

Episode Three

Planet Lapinda

Chapter 1

Chapter 2

Chapter 3

Chapter 4

Chapter 5

Chapter 6

Chapter 7

Chapter 8

The Kapreians - I

Chapter 1

Chapter 2

Chapter 3

Chapter 4

Chapter 5

The Journey South

Chapter 1

Chapter 2

Chapter 3

Chapter 4

Chapter 5

Chapter 6

Chapter 7

Chapter 8

Chapter 9

Chapter 10

The Thalamines

Chapter 1

Chapter 2

Chapter 3

Chapter 4

Chapter 5

Chapter 6

Chapter 7

Chapter 8

Chapter 9

Chapter 10

Chapter 11

Chapter 12

Chapter 13

The Kapreians - II

Chapter 1

Chapter 2

Chapter 3

Chapter 4

Chapter 5

Chapter 6

Chapter 7

Episode Four

The Promised Land

The Kapreians – III

Chapter 1

Chapter 2

Chapter 3

Chapter 4

Chapter 5

Chapter 6

Chapter 7

Chapter 8

Chapter 9

Chapter 10

Chapter 11

Chapter 12

The Reunion

Chapter 1

Chapter 2

Chapter 3

Chapter 4

The Battle

Chapter 1

Chapter 2

Chapter 3

Chapter 4

Chapter 5

Chapter 6

Episode Five

The Voyage Home

Chapter 1

Chapter 2

Chapter 3

Chapter 4

Chapter 5

Chapter 6

Chapter 7

Sneak Peek

The final part of the Trilogy

Back to rescue

Earth

Prologue

Main Characters

Ben-K

Nicky Barcoo

Virgil Tricksberry

Professor Hanson

Tweepe (alpha robot)

Aliens

Kapreians from Planet Kapreus

Braun De-Koll (Commander)

Hatape (Captain)

Telpha (Mayor of Aquesta)

Mysalar (Citizen of Senazar)

Natives of Planet Lapinda

Teal Quezan (Chief of the Thalamines)

Evils

Goddess Serket

Dendrodians

Jackal-headed Daru robots

Episode One

Present meets Past

1

While still holding both Ben-K’s and Virgil’s hands, Nicky called out, Is anyone out there?

Nicky’s voice echoed back in the total blackness that filled the space surrounding Ben-K and his friends.

Where are we? Are you still with us, Professor? asked Nicky, in a concerned tone, as she and her three friends floated weightlessly in the darkness.

The Professor did not get a chance to answer Nicky’s question as Virgil rudely interjected.

I knew it! I just knew it! We have been like... sucked into outer space and now we are totally lost! Virgil said, in a disapproving tone.

It can’t be space as we know it, Virgil, because there is oxygen for us to breathe, answered Ben-K.

Hey, you are awake, Ben! That’s a relief because I thought you were still unconscious, said Nicky, as she happily squeezed Ben-K’s hand as hard as she could.

Ben is right, Virgil. I think we are inside some type of controlled environment, said Professor Hanson.

Hey Professor, it’s great to hear your calming voice again! I was worried we had lost you! said Nicky.

Ben-K also said how glad he was that everyone was safe. However, Virgil did not express the same enthusiasm as displayed by his friends.

To the contrary, Virgil at first remained silent because he disagreed with the Professor on where they were at that moment but then, he could not stay quiet for long.

Virgil was about to say something to the Professor, when Nicky again yelled into the darkness.

Hello? Is anyone out there? Please answer if you can hear me? Nicky shouted, desperately.

Listening intently, Ben-K and his friends waited for a response but Nicky’s words soon faded away. The only thing they heard was the sound of their own breathing.

Minutes ticked by and everyone was thinking that wherever they had been transported to, was devoid of life.

The silence continued until suddenly, a voice in a strange language reverberated through the darkness.

Did you guys hear that? What language was it? asked Nicky, in an excited but curious voice.

Yes, Nicky, We all heard it. It sounds like a young boy calling out in ancient Egyptian language, said the Professor, with a confident tone in his voice.

What did the boy say, Professor? asked Ben-K.

The Professor did not reply.

Ben-K repeated his question but still the Professor did not reply.

Oh no, not again! The Professor is like... totally having one of his silent moments! said Virgil.

From time to time, Professor Hanson suffered brief bouts of short-term memory loss and would go suddenly quiet.

Leave the Professor alone, Virgil! You know that our Professor will soon snap out of it, if you just leave him alone for a moment to collect his thoughts, said Ben-K, in a reprimanding tone.

Ok then, maybe I should take over from the Professor and like... interpret what the voice has said, Virgil replied, in an annoyed response to Ben-K’s remarks.

As if, Virgil! said Nicky, in a cynical tone, as she playfully flicked her tubby friend’s ear lobe with her index finger. You are so not up to speed with even articulating your English, Virgil, let alone translating a language like ancient Egyptian!

Ouch! What are you trying to do to me, Nicky? You know that I was like... only trying to help! answered Virgil, in a downbeat tone.

Virgil and Nicky were always at odds with each other but underneath the façade, they had a benign love-hate friendship.

Nicky immediately realised that she had hurt Virgil’s feelings. To make amends, she put her arm around Virgil’s shoulder.

I’m sorry, Virgil, but I wish sometimes that you think before you say anything! said Nicky.

Quiet everyone! Ben-K suddenly interrupted. It looks like the Professor is back with us.

As if nothing had happened to him, the Professor looked at the trio of friends and was about to say something when Virgil interjected.

Hey, Professor, can you like... ask the boy if he and his friends came here in a spaceship, and if we could like... hitch a ride with them, back to earth? asked Virgil.

Despite the oxygen-filled environment they were in, Virgil unwaveringly believed that he and his friends were lost somewhere in outer space and he desperately wished they were back home on earth.

Before the Professor could reply, the boy with the Egyptian voice spoke again. This time his voice was much louder, indicating that he was getting closer.

The Professor translated.

The words are fluent ancient Egyptian. The boy was saying that he and his friends were rendered unconscious when they first entered the spinning kaleidoscope of colours, and suddenly woke up in this place.

After a thoughtful moment, the Professor continued, It’s very strange indeed because it was exactly what happened to us!

Suddenly, the surrounding air abruptly started spinning faster and faster. After reaching what must have been a critical point, Ben-K and his friends were pulled down on to a solid hard floor.

In a relieved tone, Virgil kissed the floor and said, "Gravity! Sweet gravity! At last, I have like... something solid to sit on again."

For the moment, Ben-K and his friends forgot their encounter with the Egyptian voice, as they happily made stomping sounds on the floor with their feet. However, their jubilation was short-lived, as each of them realised that the return to gravity had not taken away the darkness, which reminded them of the ominous summer they spent, back on earth in the year 2014.

2

It was summer 2014, during their school excursion to the Giza pyramids in Egypt, when Virgil and Nicky accidentally found an ancient bracelet. At first, Virgil and Nicky were undecided about what to do with the scarab bracelet, which Virgil confidently thought was just a piece of tourist’s junk. Then they showed it to their other best friend, Ben-K, who convinced them to seek the help of his old friend, Professor Hanson. The scarab bracelet turned out to be an artefact and a key that unlocked an old box that the Professor had found many years before, in a secret chamber of the great Pyramid in Giza Egypt.

The three young friends remembered sitting in the living room at the Professor’s cottage in Boston, watching an ancient recording from an old laptop, which had been kept in the Professor’s old box for forty-eight years. As events unfolded in the recording, the three young friends were virtually transported to the period 2612 BCE (before current era), where they witnessed the intriguing lives and somehow advanced technologies that existed during ancient Egypt.

From the recordings, Ben-K, Virgil, and Nicky also found uncanny similarities between themselves from the twenty-first century, with the three young friends from ancient Egypt named Ben-Jarus Ka'neff, Virguss, and Nefi. However, much of the story they had witnessed from the old laptop revolved around Ben-Jarus Ka’neff, who happened to be the first male to inherit a blue scarab bracelet from his female line of ancestors.

3

Images of Ben-Jarus Ka’neff and the other characters in the ancient recording were the last thing Ben-K and his friends remembered, before they were mysteriously transported to their current dark surrounding, through a wormhole.

The Professor insisted that everyone remained holding hands. He warned them not to go off alone, to investigate what might be out there in the dark.

Excuse me, Professor. What about the boy who was calling out to us? Shouldn’t we try and find him? asked Nicky.

I know you want to help, Nicky, but we can’t be distracted by the boy. We must keep together because there is no telling what else is around us, and our best chance of survival is to stay together, explained the Professor.

Just as the Professor finished talking, they heard footsteps coming closer and closer towards them.

Who is out there? We are not afraid of you! Nicky shouted, while holding tightly on to Virgil’s and Ben-K’s hands.

Shut it, Nicky, and like... speak for yourself! whispered Virgil, as he grasped Nicky’s hand with a white-knuckle grip and a voice that vibrated with fear.

Suddenly, as the footsteps stopped, Ben-K felt something brushed against him in the pitch-black surroundings.

With one hand still holding on to Nicky’s other hand, Ben-K reached out into the darkness. As his fingers explored the emptiness in front of him, a hand from within the darkness suddenly grabbed his searching hand!

In the same instance, as their hands joined in the darkness, Ben-K’s mind was immediately transported to a scene in ancient Egypt. Virtually, Ben-K watched in horror, as a severed arm displaying a scarab bracelet, sunk slowly into the desert sand. Then, he saw an image of a young Egyptian boy looking down in distress, from what appeared to be a spaceship. The boy had an uncanny resemblance to Ben-K!

Suddenly, the images were interrupted by a yellow light that began to illuminate Ben-K’s current dark surroundings.

As the brightness grew, Ben-K came face to face with a boy who had the same steel blue eyes as his own. It was like looking in a mirror except that the boy was missing his lower right arm!

At the same moment, as the light grew brighter, an apparition of a girl appeared opposite Nicky and another boy opposite Virgil. Both had the same strange clothing as the first boy who stood opposite Ben-K. Except for their clothes, it was like looking at a reflection of themselves!

When their Egyptian equivalents extended their hands, Nicky and Virgil were at first hesitant. Nonetheless, it did not take long before Nicky’s curiosity had gotten the better of her, and she also extended her hands.

Virgil, not wanting to be left out, also took hold of Virguss’s outstretched hand.

Ben-K, Nicky, and Virgil stared curiously at their replicas, who wore strange Egyptian clothes and hairstyles.

Equally mysterious was an alpha robot, shaped like a baby ostrich, standing silently behind the three Egyptian youngsters.

Incredibly, the three Egyptian youngsters and the small robot were the same characters as those that Ben-K and his friends had watched, from the recording in Professor Hanson’s old laptop, back in Boston.

Suddenly, the young Egyptian boy who was holding Ben-K’s hand, spoke in his native Egyptian tongue.

My name is Ben-Jarus Ka’neff and these are my two friends, Virguss and Nefi, and my alpha robot, Tweepe.

To their surprises, Ben-K, Virgil and Nicky, somehow understood what the boy was saying in his native tongue.

Evidently, a transference of memories including languages, had occurred as soon as they held each other’s hands. In that instance, the minds of Ben-K and his friends from the twenty-first century were transported back to ancient Egypt; and likewise, the minds of Ben-Jarus Ka’neff, Nefi, and Virguss were transported to the life of their counterparts in the twenty-first century.

Hello, my name is Ben, and these are my friends, Virgil, Nicky, and Professor Hanson, replied Ben-K, also in ancient Egyptian language.

The exchange of memories continued for a few moments longer. Then, like a switch, the flow of information stopped and the Egyptian friends started to shimmer like a heat haze on a hot summer day.

Suddenly, just as abruptly as they appeared, Ben-Jarus Ka’neff, Nefi and Virguss disappeared. Their ancient Egyptian clothing and Tweepe the alpha robot, were the only physical evidence left, to show that they had ever made contact with their counterparts from the twenty-first century.

Standing on the sidelines and looking on at the incredibly mysterious exchange, the Professor had a bewildered look on his face. However, before he could say or do anything, his three young friends fell to the floor, unconscious.

4

The Professor took off his old moth-eaten sports jacket and waved it over the faces of his young friends who were laying comatose on the ground.

Wake up! said the Professor, anxiously. Please wake up!

Nicky was the first to wake up from her unconscious state.

As the Professor helped Nicky to sit up, she said, Thank you, Professor, in fluent ancient Egyptian.

The Professor was both startled and astonished, as he looked at Nicky in awe, as she spoke in a language that had died out many millennia ago!

Please, Professor, don’t look so surprised that I can now speak in the ancient tongue of the Pharaohs, said Nicky in English, as she smiled and looked into the Professor’s old and wise eyes.

But how, Nicky? asked the Professor. It took me a whole lifetime to grasp the language, and still there are many areas of the language in which I am lacking; and you suddenly spoke the language fluently!

Yes, Professor, it was a remarkable convergence of two minds! When I held the Egyptian girl’s hand, the memories of a girl called Nefi, from ancient Egypt, were somehow transferred and absorbed into mine! Don’t be alarmed, Professor, because I still retain my own thoughts. It seems that when we touched hands, I literally absorbed Nefi’s lifeforce and with it all her memories, at the same time retaining my own English language that seems to be the dominant vernacular, said Nicky, articulately.

Virgil was next to wake up, in time to hear the conversation between Nicky and the Professor.

Before the Professor could respond to Nicky, Virgil interrupted, in his usual boisterous way.

Hey, it was like... the same for me too, Professor, with the boy called Virguss but his appetite was like... even bigger than mine! said Virgil, with a cheeky smile that spread over his chubby cheeks.

As Virgil and Nicky continued talking about the similarities between themselves and the other two Egyptian friends, the Professor pointed at Ben-K who was still unconscious.

Wake up, Ben, said both Nicky and Virgil, as they vigorously shook Ben-K.

Ben-K did not respond.

Suddenly, they saw the strange robot that looked like a baby ostrich, began moving towards Ben-K.

Wake up, Master Ben, it’s me, your friend Tweepe, said the robot, as he gently shook Ben-K’s unconscious body.

Ben-K abruptly sat up when he heard the chirpy mechanical voice that called him Master Ben.

What’s happening? There is a whirlwind of memories racing through my mind! said Ben-K, as he sat touching his head and stared at the robot.

Somehow, Ben-K recognised Tweepe!

Ben-K remembered that Tweepe was one of the two small alpha robots given to Ben-Jarus Ka’neff as gifts from Zarten, an alien that had befriended Ben-Jarus Ka’neff in ancient Egypt.

Without waiting for an answer, Ben-K spoke again.

It’s astonishing but it can’t be! I now have two sets of memories… yes, it is! Evidently, I have two lives… now as Ben-K and another life back in ancient Egypt as Ben-Jarus Ka’neff! Also, I now know why we are here!

Yes, Ben, I know as well. We are here because somehow, we have responded to a distress signal from your Kapreian friend, Zarten, back in 2602 BCE! Isn’t that correct, Ben? asked Nicky.

Before Ben-K could answer, a bright silver light suddenly emerged and within it was an apparition of an old woman. She had very long grey hair that reached the ground.

Don’t be afraid, said the old lady, in a gentle voice. My name is Anuti and what you see is not my real self but a projected image provided by my lifeforce from back in ancient Egypt. I have chosen to use the last of my mental telepathy to project my image through space and time to contact you, young Ben.

Ben–K and his friends stared at Anuti, with a bewildered look on their faces, especially when they heard the name Anuti.

Yes, I remember watching you from the recording on that old laptop in the Professor’s living room, but how can it be? You were old, even at that time, said Ben-K, as he ran his fingers through his stiff brown hair, before asking another question.

Please, Anuti, can you tell us what time period we are currently in? asked Ben-K, still looking puzzled, while Nicky and Virgil stood beside him with their mouths opened!

Anuti gazed into Ben-K’s blue searching eyes before answering his question.

It’s not important what time period we are in, young Ben. What’s more significant is the information that I must pass on to you and your friends, Anuti paused, before continuing.

You see, young Ben, my link to you all started back when I was a young girl, trying to escape from a horde of mechanical serpents.

Suddenly, Anuti began to fade away.

There was dead silence while everyone hoped that Anuti would return to finish her story.

5

Afew minutes later, Anuti reappeared.

As she told her story, Anuti’s mind drifted back to the time in ancient Egypt when she was sixteen years old.

With a group of men called the Kirundi, led by Illya, Anuti fled her home city of Dendera, which had been taken over by a corrupted Maski priesthood and their Goddess, Serket. As Anuti and the Kirundi escaped into Egypt’s eastern desert, they were attacked by robot serpents that were sent by the evil Dendrodians.

The Dendrodians had programmed the serpents to protect their Goddess Serket’s mining interests on earth. The serpents killed all the Kirundi men including their leader, Illya, except one man called Big Jarbus who had been protecting Anuti during their journey.

Stranded in the desert, Anuti and Big Jarbus were unexpectedly rescued from the perils of the desert, by two alien spacecrafts. The aliens, known as the Kapreians, took Anuti to a sub-terrain cavern that was located deep within the bowels of a remote island in the Mediterranean ocean. At the same time, her friend Big Jarbus was taken safely to his home in the Sinai.

The Kapreians called their main base in the Mediterranean, Alantu. It was in Alantu where Anuti learned that the Kapreians were passive and highly intelligent race of heavenly beings. They had come to earth to help primitive humans start all over again, after the earth had suffered a huge natural catastrophe, some thousands of years earlier.

Since the catastrophe, the Kapreians had established bases all over the world, to educate and help humans progress and build peaceful and civilised societies. They wanted to share their knowledge on how they developed a society without wars, famine and devoid of diseases. In order to help humanity in those pursuits, the Kapreians came to earth at regular intervals, from their home planet Kapreus. During those intervals on earth, the Kapreians sought out humans with inquiring minds, to be educated in their bases. As soon as their education ended, those pragmatic people returned to their communities and shared what they had learned. They worked together to build a better world for humankind.

Anuti was one of those people, whom the Kapreians had recognised as having inquiring and pragmatic minds. When the Kapreians rescued Anuti, they invited her to study at Alantu.

Anuti had just started her educational journey when a convoy of jackal-headed Daru robots unexpectedly attacked Alantu. The robots were sent by the Dendrodians and their Goddess Serket.

The Dendrodians inhabited one of the three planets in the Star system of Ophiuchus, also known as the Serpent Holder, near the Kapreians’ home planet, Kapreus. The three planets were called Dendrodia, Extus, and Kyrodus. However, unlike the peaceful Kapreians, the Dendrodians had developed into a hostile race of mutants.

The Dendrodians and their Goddess Serket wanted to plunder the natural resources of primitive planets such as earth because they had long ago exhausted the resources on their own three planets.

In their pursuits for new resources, the Dendrodians had sought out primitive planets and exploited the inhabitants on those planets, to get whatever they wanted and then destroyed them. Earth was their latest target, and for centuries, the Dendrodians had been busy manipulating and exploiting the human population.

During the Dendrodian’s attack on Alantu, Anuti was studying in the library. Just before she was evacuated, she managed to grab a bundle of records from the library.

The Kapreians put Anuti in a lifeboat, alone.

Anuti had only been adrift for a short while when she saw Alantu hit by a Dendrodian’s weapon. It was so powerful that it destroyed the island and sent Alantu and its inhabitants to a watery grave at the bottom of the Mediterranean Sea.

After weeks of drifting, Anuti finally made it to the Egyptian main land. She sunk the Kapreian’s lifeboat and then climbed up a steep cliff, into a sea cave.

Safe within the confines of the cave, Anuti unwrapped the bundle of documents, which she had taken from the Kapreian’s library in Alantu. She proceeded to examine, what would become her only record of Alantu and the Kapreians who lived and taught there.

Amongst the documents on medicine, biology and other scientific disciplines, Anuti found a folder containing photos of people.

The photos showed the faces of those who had studied at Alantu. However, Anuti did not recognise any of the faces in the photos. Nonetheless, Anuti had since then kept the photos, in the hope that one day she may find a clue to their identities.

For many years, Anuti lived alone in her cave until one day, in her twilight years, she was seen walking on the beach by an old man named Tansola.

A year after that fateful day, the two elderly couple continued to meet on the same beach. They eventually fell in love and married.

Together, they lived in Anuti’s cave without contact with the outside world until the day Tansola’s granddaughter Nahrame and her companion, a sea captain whom she called Buto, showed up at the cave.

Nahrame and Buto were asking for information that would help Buto find his sick brother, Lupus, who had gone missing somewhere in Egypt’s eastern desert.

Anuti, who had gained a sixth sense during the time she spent at Alantu, knew instantly that both Nahrame and Buto were special, particularly Buto, who radiated a certain ambiance that only she could sense.

Anuti was so taken by her young guests that she asked them to look at the photos that she took from the Kapreian’s library in Alantu, which she had kept all those years.

As they looked over the photos, Buto instantly and excitedly identified his mother, Sensafar, as one of the faces in the photos.

With her sixth sense and her ability to foresee and foretell the future, Anuti knew then that Buto and Nahrame would one day be in contact with a Kapreian called Zarten, who would give Buto a special bracelet.

The scarab bracelet would ultimately become the property of Buto’s and Nahrame’s first male descendent, named Ben-Jarus Ka’neff.

6

With a melancholic look on her face, Anuti continued her story.

During one of my trances, I was taken back to a time when I saw in a vision, the birth of a special baby boy who was named Ben-Jarus Ka’neff. Somehow, this boy was connected to another boy in the future. When I first had that vision, I knew I had to stay alive long enough to visit the boy in the future, to explain the events surrounding him and his friends’ lives.

Anuti paused for a moment. Then she looked at Ben-K and gently said, That boy is you, young Ben.

With a look of awe and surprise on his face, Ben-K said, Do you mean, Anuti, that my friends and I have been taken back in time to this unknown place, so that you can explain something about our life?

Not exactly, young Ben. I have no power to cause you and your friends to come to this place. There are other forces responsible for you all being together in this location, and I am just part of that process, replied Anuti.

For a moment, all eyes were transfixed on Anuti’s apparition, as it faded in and out. Ben-K and his friends were hoping that she would not disappear again, before finishing her story.

"I am aware, Anuti, that Ben-Jarus Ka’neff and his friends came to this place by responding to a distress signal sent by his alien friend, Zarten. I know this because my