Pharaoh's Curse - (Illustrated Edition of World Children's Literature)

Author: (German) Wolfgang Holoubek, Heike Holoubek
Publisher:
Publish Date: 2004-01-01
Features: His samurai almost all died in battle, and the few who were still alive would soon perish as well. Under the blue sky, no force could save them. The enemy was too powerful—each samurai faced ten times their own number, and no courage or fighting spirit could escape the dire situation before them. He knew this. The high ground before him was located in a canyon, with the rugged rocks on both sides blazing under the scorching sun. The air was filled with smoke, the pungent sweat of humans and animals. Amidst the clash of weapons and the sound of bodies colliding, harsh cries of pain and death echoed. But, the climax had passed. The desperate battle the samurai fought to defend him had turned into a desperate retreat. The battle had lost all meaning, serving only to delay the enemy's advance and buy him a few more minutes of life, but the result would only be death in humiliation. Akhenaten the pharaoh knew this well. Perhaps this was the second awakening of his life as both man and god. He was the ruler of Egypt, the representative of the only god, and he now truly understood the limits of his life. Death was no longer an abstract concept, not something that might happen at some time and place, but something that was happening right here, right now. He felt no fear. Perhaps because he saw the enemy army sent by the traitor, he knew there was no escape. He did not feel fear. Instead, he felt only anger and sorrow. A deep sense of disappointment, mixed with anger, rose in his heart. His end was to die miserably on this scorching desert under the blazing sun! He did not understand why he had to meet such a fate. He did not know who his murderer was, and perhaps that was also what pained him: he had to die, yet he did not understand why, did not understand what crime he had committed. The brave warriors who fought to protect him must also fulfill their oaths in this cruel form—losing their lives. But he could not give them a reasonable reason, nor did he know who his murderer truly was. Akhenaten dragged his heavy steps, continuing to walk into the narrow crevice of the rocks. The dazzling sunlight nearly blinded him. Every step consumed immense energy, and every breath was a torment, like a burning arrow piercing his body. He knew he could no longer endure this suffering. He was not a strong man, compared to his predecessors as pharaohs, he rarely went hunting and had never participated in warfare. Yes, during the five times the Nile flooded in the past, he had not even left his royal palace in Akhetaten. Perhaps these neglects were now his retribution. Behind him was the desert scorched by the sun. A strong man might have been able to endure the journey to the capital of Thebes, the original destination of his trip. Akhenaten thought this might not only be the purpose of his journey but also the root of this baseless attack. In the process of establishing a new kingdom, he had abolished many old systems, which had angered both the outdated gods and their priests. He was not as foolish as some thought: of course, he knew that many of his people still secretly practiced the old religion and could not shake off the old superstitions, including some influential figures, some priests, and generals. But Akhenaten believed none of them dared to rebel, dared to kill the pharaoh! He suddenly realized he had been treating himself as a dead man. If he still had the strength now, he might laugh, but now he could only twitch his lips slightly. What appeared in the end was not a smile but a twisted expression of pain. He reached the end of the narrow crevice, paused for a moment, and looked back. The canyon was shrouded in dense smoke and dust, making it almost impossible to see the tragic scene below.