A boy and his gods

Once upon a time, a time not so long ago, lived a thirteen-year-old boy called Shakir, and his best friend Asim. Both were from a beautiful little village in Hwt-ka-Ptpt. This was before all the pyramids and other tourist traps littered the land, so “not so long ago” is, admittedly, relative. If you are one of the old gods, like me, it feels like only yesterday. If you are human, unlike me, it was a very, very long time ago.

Asim was only two years old when he lost his best friend. But that is fourteen in dog years and, as Asim was only the smallest part god, and mostly terrier, it is perhaps best to imagine him as Shakir's age.

Shakir and Asim went on many adventures and caused much mischief. Asim loved knocking over food displays at the outdoor market. Shakir learned to run almost as fast as his four-legged friend from being chased by angry vendors. In other words, life was grand.

One night, like many nights before, Shakir went to sleep with Asim at the foot of his bed, but when he woke up, Asim was gone. Asim was never gone, and Shakir did not waste any time waiting for Asim to be not gone. The poor boy was in a panic. Asim was not only his best friend, he was also his only friend.

Shakir was a strange boy for his age, in ways that do not matter to this story. But if anything is true today that was true in ancient times, it is that different people are usually lonely people. It is the way of things. Shakir had never felt alone until this moment, and he did not like the feeling. He grabbed his lucky wishing agate and went to see the dog people. 

The dog people always gathered at the dry drinking well every morning, mostly to talk about their dogs and complain about how expensive everything was getting. They gathered under the shade of a cedar tree while their dogs barked at things on the other side of the small stone wall and did other dog things. All the dog people knew Shakir, and so knew something was wrong when he came without Asim. The oldest of the dog people was called… Tim. Yes, Tim.

Tim stood only 5 feet tall. His back had gone bad a million years ago and caused him to hunch over so far that he was forever on the verge of falling forward. Tim took Shakir’s hand and led him to a small altar on the other side of the small stone wall, next to the cemetery. They stood at the altar for a long minute until the old dog person handed what might have been a sticky lemon drop to Shakir. He closed Shakir’s hand over the candy and whispered in a raspy, papyrus-thin voice, "It's worth a shot." Then he turned and stumbled forward back to the shady spot.

Shakir knelt before the altar and gently placed his prized agate next to a pair of old silk slippers and a fired clay jar at the foot of the altar. Shakir thought his wishing agate was a bit much to offer, especially compared to a pair of dirty slippers and a junky vase, but when it came to Asim, he would spare no expense. Shakir sighed and popped the lemon drop that was more than a lemon drop in his mouth and sat down on the dead grass to wait. The sun was hot and he was nowhere near the shade of the Cedar tree, which would be largely gone by high sun, along with the dog people and their dogs. Shakir became hot and sleepy, finally drifting off as the last of the lemon drop dissolved on his tongue, the last of the barking dogs grew quiet and the dog park fell away into darkness, leaving only the altar, Shakir, and Anubis.

Anubis stood more than seven feet tall. He was blacker than the Nile at midnight, with the head of a fearsome Jackal, with a rictus grin filled with too many sharp teeth. He carried a gigantic golden staff which glowed with its own inner light. His growl was thunder, and his voice was the sound of despair. The god bent down and picked up the agate, saliva dripping from the tip of his long beak and onto the stone altar.

"Nice."

Shakir bowed his head. "Great Anubis, I beg your help in finding my dog, Asim." 

Anubis looked at Shakir in disbelief. "You what? I am the god of the underworld. Seer of things unseen! I am not the finder of lost dogs, stupid mortal!"

Shakir knew Anubis was more of a guide to the underworld than the actual god of it, but he wisely chose not to press the issue. "You are the only god I can trust. The only one wise and powerful enough to help me." Shakir did not say that Anubis was also the closest, and the nearest altar to another god was a full day's hike from here.

Anubis held up the agate, and it flew little circles above his head. "I care not. I am not the guardian of the lost and found." His eyes remained fixed on the flying agate, watching its gold and dark blue colors catch the starlight, forgetting that Shakir was even there. 

Shakir stood up and held out his hand. "If you will not help me, I will take my treasure back." Anubis snatched the agate from the air and held it against his huge chest. "No! No givebacks!" Shakir flinched at the god's anger, but only for a moment. He would be brave for Asim. Shakir stood his ground, keeping his hand out, looking straight into the pits of Anibus' eyes. His heart was pounding in his chest, but his hand remained steady. The god growled. The god roared. The god said, "Okay, I'll help." 

He turned his massive jackal head. Your dog chased the cat god Sekhmet into the graveyard over there. The two of them made enough noise to wake the dead. I know because I received several complaints. Shakir sucked in his breath. "Sekhmet is the warrior goddess. She will kill poor Asim." 

Anubis was playing with the agate again. "That would surely be the outcome if Asim had come upon Sekhmet in the real world, but he chased Sekhmet in the dream world. Sekhmet is more forgiving there, or at least more indifferent. I am sure if you bring her an offering she will grant your wish and return Asim to you. At least, I think I am sure. One can never tell with cat gods.” Just then Shakir heard Asim barking, and his heart was filled with joy. A moment later, however, it was empty again.

"I have no more offerings. I gave you my prize wishing agate.” Shakir felt like crying. 

"And I thank you for it.” Anibus turned to go but then saw how sad Shakir looked. The Jackal God sighed. "I will never get any peace with that stupid dog barking for all eternity. Take my prize silk slippers and offer them to Sekhmet. 

Shakir took the slippers and hopped the fence. "Thank you!"

The jackal god’s smile widened, exposing more teeth.

“But don’t let her know you are regifting, or she will kill you both,” Anubis roared after him.

The boy searched the graveyard until he found Sekhmet. Sekhmet had the head of a cat and the body of a .. well, of a cat. A very big cat. She lay at the bottom of a steep grave, curled around a large bowl of milk and honey. One big paw held Asim to the ground by his tail. She looked completely uninterested in Asim, Shakir and the slippers.

“Great Sekhmet,” Shakir began, I have come to ask… to beg, for the return of my dog. It is my wish that you can forgive him and-”

“He chased me in my dream world,” Sekhmet hissed softly. “All the other gods saw. They laughed. Laughed at me.” The cat’s eyes glowed and faded, like the fading beat of a sacrificial heart.

Shakir swallowed. “I am sure my dumb dog –“

“He is a dumb dog,” Sekhmet said, smiling. Her great paw pressed harder on Asim’s tail, causing him to yelp.”

“My dumb dog is sorry, and if you let him go, I promise he will never bother you again.”

Sekhmet yawned. “If I kill him, he will never bother me again.”

Shakir had nothing to say to that. So he began to cry.

Sekhmet sighed. “Mortals. Fine. Give me the slippers and your word that I will never be bothered by either of you again, and I will grant your wish and release the cur.”

And so a bargain was struck. Sekhmet released the dog, and Shakir tossed down the slippers. But before they could even hit the ground, Asim snatched them out of the air and leapt out of the grave. Sekhmet let loose a mighty MEOW that shook the gravestones, but the two scamps ran faster than they had ever run before until they were safe in Shakir’s bedroom.

Shakir had lost his prize agate, but he had his best friend. Asim lay at Shakir’s feet as he had done every night for the past two years. 

"You owe me a wishing agate," Shakir said.

"Woof," Asim agreed.