Sheryl Mummified

Vincent's Laboratory

Charu ambled around Vincent's metallic laboratory where superconductors worked silently in quietness of magnetic wormhole. The wormhole appeared like a spherical magnet ball with superconducting components magnetically cloaked, a new technique completely altering the approach of electromagnetic waves. The magnetic hose dangling down the wormhole was the gateway inside the wormhole and indeed a portal for Charu's memories. The only warning about wormhole being its rapid decay of the magnetic fields.

Though, Charu could teleport from one space to other , from one era to another, but absence of her memories made her work quite difficult. She was aware of only one aspect , that being, saving mankind from the deadly viruses which seemed on a rampage.

Charu felt that stepping back in time would definitely throw much light on her current existence. She immediately placed the dangling magnetic hose on her head and zoomed inside the passage which connected two time period.

Sheryl, Vincent and Ancient Egypt

Charu understood that she was Sheryl during Ancient Egypt era and theatre of action was her mummification. Sheryl was dead and the priest in human form with jackal head was doing this ritual. He was Anibus, the God of Death.

"Embalming process will take around fifty days with prayers being offered at different stages." Said Anibus priest and started removing internal parts of Sheryl's body. First went Sheryl's brain , then her liver , intestines and every organ except heart. The work went on for days wherein Sheryl's internal organs were preserved in canopic jars. The priest next removed all moisture from her body and this he did by covering her body by Natron salt. Amazing properties of Natron salt helped drying the body and keeping it away from bacteria and viruses. At the last step , Sheryl's body was wrapped up in hundred yards of linen.

The area of Sheryl's mummification buzzed with mournful crowd. The crowd showed no signs of emotions for it was a grief too deep for tears. They had lost their beloved Queen, their Good Samaritan. Sheryl was iconic for them, as she discovered the cure for a deadly disease which erupted during their time. The malignant disease attacked the lungs, had ability to choke humans to death and Sheryl's miracle cure was pathbreaking.

Amidst, the grief stricken crowd gleamed a face of an evil looking man who wore a diadem with hooded cobra inscribed on it. The thrill of watching Sheryl mummified was clearly expressed through his crooked smile.

"O Anibus why do you do this ritual?" He asked the priest.

"Hail Pharaoh Vincent!!! We believe in life after death and mummification helps the spirit to reach life after death. The spirit reposes the body only if it's body is mummified."

Vincent clasped his flint jewelery cladded hands and breathlessly walked away from the scene.

That night pale crescent moon camouflaged with dusky clouds and it was a night of mystery. Sheryl's spirit kept wandering around her mummy as Anibus priest still chanted some prayers.

"I want to relinquish my soul and rest in peace inside my mummy. " Said Sheryl's spirit.

"No way!! You can't Queen Sheryl. You must take birth as Sheryl again, as your spirit is immortal and its formed to serve mankind. You see, the world to come will be exposed to unknown , deadly virus and you, Queen Sheryl, will be the guardian angel , who will destroy that evil virus."

"Me??? How Lord Anibus? " Enquired Sheryl's voice.

"With the same antidote you used to kill this evil disease which has crippled our Egypt now."

"You mean Natron Salt? " Asked Sheryl quizzically.

"Very true, dear Queen. Now I hope you don't mind getting transformed into flesh and blood. "

"If it's to serve mankind, I will take birth again. " Thundered her voice gallantly.

Sheryl's stalwart affirmation fractured Pharaoh Vincent's evil intentions. Pharaoh Vincent warily heard their conversation and he wanted to halt Sheryl's noble motive. He cautiously walked inside the room filled with canopic jars and in that powerful lightning which had ability to dissect the magnificent sky, clandestinely took the canopic jar containing Sheryl's brain.

"Sheryl will take birth but without memories, as now I will control her brain." Pharaoh Vincent pronounced slowly and tiptoed away with the canopic jar containing Sheryl's brain.

A beep from the microchip attached on Sheryl's spine forewarned onset of decaying of magnetic fields. Sheryl understood the need of hour and quickly gripped the magnetic hose and pushed herself inside the wormhole.

Sheryl now transformed into Charu.

Charu, Vincent and Fort Kochi

'Certainly Certainly, I am the saviour of human kingdom as I know the solution to end this virus. Indeed it's Natron salt. 'Charu said as she landed in Vincent's laboratory. Her head was spinning and she felt floor beneath her swaying , for a moment Charu was stony and then she suddenly sat upright stiff and straight.

"Finally back." Charu said and sighed "Phew!!!"

"Natron salt??? " She muttered slowly. As intensity of such phenomenal adventure decreased, gradually Charu became aware about expiration of natron salt from this period of time. Current generation of humans didn't believe in crude unrefined products and natron salt was raw and indigenous. Natron salt had perished long back and no human in this period knew the chemistry to produce Natron salt.

Dejected by herself, Charu tripped towards the first floor of Vincent's laboratory. Charu's eyes bulged out as the first floor of Vincent lab was lavishly filled with canopic jars containing brains of humans, animals and all weird species. On one jar was written Sheryl's. Charu quickly marched towards that canopic jar. She saw two paired arteries protruding out of the jar.

"Is this the connection to Sheryl's .... I mean...my brain?" Charu said as she held the arteries carefully in her hand.

"If I can connect these two paired arteries to myself my memories will be restored."

Instantaneously, Charu inserted the pair of arteries in her nose and Charu trembled. She trembled again with much more intensity and then she fainted. When Charu woke from her inertia she thought she was in recess. Incrementally, Charu's faded memories started circulating inside her head and inch by inch she got control over her brain. Then, Charu felt liberated. Liberated from slavery of Vincent's dominance. Charu closed her eyes and viewed in that dark abyss the mystic Khopesh sword. She saw Lord Anibus writing in one papyrus formula to produce Natron salt and placing that papyrus inside the Khopesh sword.

"That's it!!! Formula is in the Khopesh sword. " Charu jumped in delight and gravitated down with a thud. Afterwards, Charu became pale as she didn't knew the whereabouts of Khopesh sword and locating it seemed the biggest maze of her life.

She pondered upon the problem for a minute or two and came up with a solution of traversing into the wormhole again , to turn back in times and collect Natron salt to bring in this time period, as a cure for the virus.

"Better Better... Rather than searching the Khopesh sword in this era let me just hop in the wormhole and get Natron salt directly. " Said Charu.

Vincent's computer went berserk and warning of unauthorized activity flashed on his screen. Immediately, Vincent ran towards his computer and his panicked eyes stared on the screen. Vincent was shocked at how Charu was able to enter his laboratory.

"She hijacked my wormhole and she has fixed her brain too. She has her memory back." Vincent clamped his hands over his mouth as he held back a groan.

"This is risky. This is risky. She can't trip around the wormhole like a Disneyland adventure. I have to destroy the wormhole. " Vincent said and instantly started destabilizing his wormhole.

Abhay , Lockdown, Fort Kochi and 'Peep in thoughts 'App

Lockdown rubbed Abhay in a wrong way. Abhay was usually a mellow person who seldom got irritated, but this lockdown was getting on his nerves. He was a computer engineer by profession with an inclination towards developing and coding Apps as his leisure pursuit.

" Abhay Kutti come dear ... dinner is ready " His mom said. She was a typical Indian mom and Abhay in satire called her the 'Drama Queen'.

" Amma stop calling me Kutti... I am a grown up man.." Abhay said much annoyed by the word 'Kutti'.

"You will always stay my little kutti forever." Said Abhay's mom , on which Abhay preferred to stay mum.

The lockdown was getting crazy for Abhay with his nagging Amma around and to combat his dull lockdown life he decided to do something thrilling. He started coding a peculiar app wherein he could peep inside thoughts of humans near his vicinity.

"Hurray!!! I did it. Excellent Abhay." Said Abhay as he patted himself and surfed the list of humans inside his 'Peep in thoughts 'app. Thoughts of Uncle Vincent intrigued Abhay. Abhay visualized that Vincent's mind was pretty relaxed after he had closed the wormhole.

Vincent's thoughts:

'Thank God Charu has not yet located Khopesh sword. The sword has the antidote to end this virus and I don't want this virus to extinct.

What if Charu finds the Khopesh ??

O Vincent don't be so pessimistic. It's deep buried inside a debris of Citimall. No one will ever wonder if the cure for virus is under a filthy debris.'

Abhay's eyes sparkled.

"Eureka !!!" He exploded.

"I know how to end this virus...... Fascinating Fascinating!!!!!" Said Abhay.