Melika of the Nile

A many years ago bedtime story for my grand-daughter, one of several in which Melissa (a tiny girl who lives in a tiny house in the forest near Blaine, Washington) is magically, and not always conveniently, transformed into the stylish Principessa Melika Kitchi Koukala of Paris and New York, known to the readers of People Magazine as 'MK'.

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The sunny weather lasted so long that, for once, Poppa and Mr. Smith had time to finish their summer work before the rains started. They did some extra work, just to be sure, but the rains still did not start. They were about to do still more work (just to be absolutely certain) when Melissa’s Momma said, “That’s enough work! It’s time for a holiday.”

“Hooray!” said Melissa. “What are we going to do?”

 Her mother was perplexed, “Why. I don’t quite know. Poppa, do you have any ideas?”

 “Ideas?” he asked. “No, I don’t believe I have. Not ideas. No.” He thought for a minute or two, “Well, perhaps we could go to that traveling circus…”

 “Hooray!” said Melissa.

“A circus?” asked her mother, “Honestly, Poppa, have you heard about a circus, and never said a word? We shall certainly go to the circus. Melissa, put on your pink dress, and Poppa, hitch up Clunker. I shall carry my parasol, since the sun is still so warm.”

Along the way there were signs,

                                                        Direct from ancient Memphis 
                                                        Madam Desdemona’s
                                                        Egyptian Extravaganza
                                                        And Wild Animal Show!

Melissa jumped with excitement. “What’s an Extravaganza?” she asked. But before her parents could answer, she asked, “Are the animals REALLY wild?”

“Most likely,” her father said.

“I shouldn’t think so,” her mother said.

“Oh! I hope they are!” said Melissa. “The wilder the better!”

Some were pretty wild. Some were tame. There was a wonderful parade of clowns, acrobats, wild weasels in cages, and a giant raccoon. Melissa cheered loudly.

As the parade left the tent there was a puff of purple smoke. Madam Desdemona appeared. She snapped a whip at three fierce weasels, who snarled back at her.

The audience cried, “Oh!”

Madam Desdemona made the weasels dance on their back feet, and leap through rings of fire. The crowd cheered madly. Melissa most of all.

The band played again. In a flash of red smoke Madam Desdemona reappeared—dressed as an Egyptian Queen. The crowd was silent. Melissa held her breath.

“For this event,” Madam Desdemona announced, “I shall need a volunteer. Someone small. Someone… dressed in… PINK!” Madam Desdemona looked round and round but Melissa knew who the volunteer must be. She stood up, “I’m quite small,” she said, shyly, “And I am dressed in pink.”
 
Suddenly she was alone in the spotlight. It was a little embarrassing.

Madam Desdemona spoke in a strange and silky accent, “Welcome my dear. I have been searching for you, oh… it seems like centuries… and all around the wide world. I had quite given up hope. But here you are at last. Are you ready?”

Melissa was puzzled, but she said, “Sure.”

Madam Desdemona announced, “Ladies and gentlemen. Soon I will snap my magic whip, and this lovely child will disappear. She will return to us, here in this very tent, three minutes later, after being in ancient Egypt for a week!”

The audience laughed.

Madam Desdemona snapped her whip,  “You laugh? We’ll see about that!” The audience was silent. Melissa’s mother was very nervous.

Again, Madam Desdemona snapped her whip. Melissa’s pink dress turned into a royal robe, and Melissa had that funny feeling she gets sometimes, as if she was really somebody else. Actually, she was somebody else.

Madam Desdemona whispered, “That went pretty well. I hope the rest works.”

“Me too,” replied the highborn Principessa Melika Kitchi Koukala.

Madam Desdemona winked. “And now,” she announced, “I will ask the young lady to stand on the magic crystal, and turn counterclockwise three times.”

M.K. jumped onto the crystal and just as she spun backwards the third time, Madam Desdemona snapped her whip. Suddenly Melika was alone in a boat among the stars. Far, far in the distance she could hear a circus band, and a woman with a strange accent saying, “We’ll see her again in exactly three minutes… (I hope.) In the meantime, I direct your attention to The Flying Guzendas!”

Hours passed. Frogs croaked in the papyrus. The sun rose. She was in Egypt.

“Gosh!” she said, paddling toward shore, “This is so exciting.”

Seeing her royal robes, the villagers bowed low and worshipped her. It was like being a fashion model. ‘It is Princess Ahknari,” the villagers muttered, “… the lost one… the governor’s daughter…”

“Actually,” she said, “I’m Princess Melika. I live in Paris, or sometimes Blaine, Washington. I’m just here for a visit.”

The villagers paid no attention. Paris and Blaine had not been invented. “We must fetch the governor…” they murmured.

When the governor came the villagers shouted, “We found your lost daughter. Please may we have the reward?” The governor looked at her carefully.

“Yes…” he said, finally. “Perhaps you have.” He spoke to M. K., “Get into the palanquin, dear, and we’ll go home.” Then he spoke to the villagers, “Many thanks. I will send the reward before sundown. Meanwhile, return to your work.”

M.K. got into the palanquin. She was lifted by four soldiers and carried back to the palace. The governor walked beside her.

“I’m not really your daughter, you know,” she said politely.

“I thought not; but one can never be sure. I have so many daughters, and all of them very like you.” They trudged along. “At any rate, you are welcome to stay with us. I suppose Madame Desdemona sent you.”

“Yes, from Blaine, Washington—or just nearby it.”

“Would that be in the future, or the past?”

“Far in the future. Four thousand years, more or less.”

The governor nodded morosely, “That tiresome woman. She misplaced my real daughter, you know.”

“Oh dear!” M.K. replied, “… by magic, I suppose.”

“Exactly. She can’t remember whether Ahknari went backwards or forwards. She has been searching everywhere. Every now and then she sends somebody who looks like Ahknari.” The Governor looked at Melika again. “Yes. I must say, a remarkable resemblance.”

“Well… I am a Princess,” M.K. replied, “My grandfather was…”

“Yes, yes.” the governor said, in a kindly, but impatient, way, “I’m sure you’ll do very well for now. But parents (in general) prefer their own children. If Madam Desdemona does not find Ahknari by Saturday I shall be quite vexed.”  

At the palace the governor clapped his hands. Servants appeared. “This is a visiting Princess,” he said, “to take Ahknari’s place for a few days. She will have Ahknari’s rooms, her clothes, her… well, whatever Ahknari, has.” He nodded to M.K. in an absent minded way and said, “Enjoy your stay, my dear. If you want anything, clap your hands. It seems to work, most of the time.”

The next morning they went boating on the Nile. The governor’s boat went first. Six others followed, each with a captain, twenty rowers, a cook and three helpers, a chief fisherman and two assistants, four or five royal daughters (perhaps some were cousins) with nannies and maids, musicians, and a dancing teacher. They sailed upriver, and rowed back down. There were crocodiles and hippopotami. There were ibises and beautiful ducks. It was lovely.

On the second morning M.K. taught Ahknari’s sisters to play soccer. When it got too hot they sat in the shade and talked. Servants brought them fruit juice. It was fun.

The next day the governor took his whole family, and fifty soldiers, to a horse race. M.K. rode in the royal chariot. The governor’s horses always won. It was exciting.

The fourth day was a holy day. They all went to the temple. M.K. learned about Amun Re, and the other gods of Egypt. The long prayers made her sleepy.

On the fifth day the governor consulted a wise woman. He sent for M.K. “The day after tomorrow we will climb the highest pyramid and try to exchange you for Ahknari. Is there anything you would like to see before you go?”

So, the sixth day was spent at a famous temple, still being built. It was all columns and gigantic statues—but instead of tourists with cameras, there were real people, doing real work, stone masons cutting heavy stones, scribes writing inscriptions, and painters decorating the walls. Hundreds of cooks made dinner, and dozens of brewers made beer for the workmen. It was really interesting.

On the last day they woke early to climb the pyramid. It was cold. M.K. dressed in Ahknari’s warmest robes, with Ahknari’s beautiful necklace around her neck.

It was just a small procession; the Governor, twelve or thirteen daughters, three nannies, a company of soldiers, a six-piece band and five people to serve lunch.

The governor asked the princesses if they wanted to climb the pyramid. Most of them said, “No, thank you papa.” Some said, “Been there, done that.”

Melika and the governor climbed the pyramid all alone. It was still new and slippery. They were tired when they got to the top. The old wise woman was waiting.

The governor asked, “Any word from Madame Desdemona?”

The old woman muttered, “That Dessy will be the death of me—girls scattered all over history.  It will be a miracle if I can get them back where they belong. Yes, we’ve found Ahknari, in Scotland, in 1431. She’ll be glad to get home, I’m sure.” She looked at M.K. “Are you sure you wouldn’t prefer this one, she seems perfectly satisfactory.”

Before the governor could think about it M.K. said, “I’ve had a wonderful time, thank you, and I’d love to stay, but I should get Melissa home to her parents.”

The old woman understood. “Well then,” she said, “let’s start.” She put her hand to her ear and seemed to listen. “Roger that,” she murmured, “On three, over.”

“Let’s see, dear. We should be connected, but not touching. Take off your necklace. Hold tight to one end. I’ll hold the other.”

Melika took the end with a ruby scarab. The old lady counted, “One…” the sky darkened and the stars came out… “Two…” it was suddenly quite cold… “Three!” A horrible sandstorm blew Melika off her feet. The old lady shouted, “Hold on!” M.K. held on as tightly as she could as she swung from the end of the necklace.

It broke.

She fell through the starry night, faster and faster for thousands of years all in an instant, hanging on to one end of the broken necklace. She noticed a girl in a kilt being blown in the other direction.
Just as M.K. wondered whether she could possibly fall any further she was caught by a Flying Guzenda, and lowered into center ring. The trumpets played, “TA DA!!!!!”

M.K. was confused. No… she wasn’t Melika, she was Melissa. Momma ran into the ring.

“Oh Momma,” she cried, “I, … or, I mean M.K…. or … yes, both of us… We’ve had an amazing adventure. We were in Egypt for a whole week. And then I climbed up on a pyramid to bring Ahknari home… and I was blown off by a sandstorm, but I held on by my necklace, I mean by Ahknari’s necklace, and then… ”

“Yes, yes…sweetheart.” Her mother shushed her, “Hiram! We are leaving this outrageous show right now! I’m sure magic is not allowed in the State of Washington!”

Madame Desdemona called after them, “Wait! Wait! Did it work? Show me.”

Melissa held up the jewel. She shouted, “I’m Melissa! Ahknari is in Egypt!”

Madame Desdemona smiled. She waved and snapped her whip. In an instant the circus and all the wild animals, the spectators, and the Flying Guzendas disappeared.

“By golly…” said Melissa’s father, “… that was odd.”

Melissa slept on the way home and did not wake up until Dr. Brown shook her elbow. He looked in her eyes, and listened to her heart, murmuring to himself, “Hmm. Yes. Hmm. Yes.” He rolled up his stethoscope, “A slight fever. Give her a cool bath and put her to bed.”

Momma gave her a bath, and a fresh nightgown, and also changed the bed. It felt lovely between the crispy sheets.

Her mother kissed her Good Night, and closed the door.

Melissa looked at her scarab. The last rays of the sun shown through the red stone. She smiled to herself and put the jewel under her pillow.

Velvet jumped onto the bed.

Melissa and her pet went to sleep, not in a faraway place, but in her own room, in their cottage in the forest.