[Galaxy Of Fear] - 02(3)

Zak didn’t hear him. He was too busy staring at the mysterious coffins.

The cloth-wrapped figures stirred. Zak froze in his tracks. One of the mummies had opened its eyes.





CHAPTER 2


They came out of their cases, staggering toward the small group.

“Welcome to Necropolis,” one of the mummies moaned.

Another of the creatures clutched at Tash, and Zak felt a hand grab his shoulder.

“Let go!” he yelled. He tried to push the creature away. To his surprise, the startled mummy stumbled backward and fell to the ground with a grunt.

“Zak!” Uncle Hoole said irritably. “Behave yourself.”

“What?” Zak couldn’t believe it. His uncle and Deevee looked perfectly calm as the mummies formed a tight circle around them. Then Hoole reached out and shook the hand of the nearest mummy!

Zak was even more surprised when the mummy suddenly removed the shroud from his head. He had the face of a healthy, living human-a very sour-looking human face.

“Uh-oh,” Tash whispered.

Zak looked down at the mummy he’d pushed. The rags had slipped off, and beneath them Zak saw a boy his own age, with a big smile on his face.

Deevee shook his chrome-plated head at Zak. “If you spent more time paying attention to my social studies lessons, you might have learned that this is a traditional welcome on Necropolis.”

The boy Zak had pushed stood up. “That’s right. It’s an old tradition. No one really remembers why we do it.”

“I remember,” said the sour-faced man. “Our ancestors did this to scare away the evil spirits that strangers bring. One never knows who might come to wake the dead.”

“Wake the dead?” Zak asked. “Are you serious?”

“That’s another one of our old Necropolis superstitions. The old-timers believe that if proper respect isn’t paid, the dead of Necropolis will rise up.” The boy shrugged. “Of course no one believes the old legends anymore except Pylum here.”

He pointed to the man, who stiffened. “I am the Master of Cerements, Kairn. It is my duty to make sure the old ways are kept alive so that the ancient Curse of Sycorax does not fall on us.”

“What sort of curse?” Zak queried.

Kairn rolled his eyes. “Just a tale-teller’s story.”

“If you don’t believe it, why do you do all this?” Zak asked Kairn.

“Pylum managed to convince our parents that we should learn about the old traditions, so here I am.” Kairn shrugged, then flashed a mischievous grin. “Besides, it’s fun to scare visitors-except when they get violent!”

Kairn and Zak both laughed.

Once Pylum had finished his traditional welcome and made sure that no “evil spirits” lingered around the visitors, he said they were free to go where they pleased in Necropolis.

“Except the cemetery,” the grim man said. “It is sacred ground.”

Hoole told Pylum that they had lost their last starship and needed to buy a new one. They also needed a place to stay for the night. Pylum suggested that they try the local hostel.

“Come on, I’ll take you there,” Kairn offered. “Necropolis is a safe place, but its streets are old and winding, and it’s easy to get lost.”

The streets of Necropolis were dark, but Kairn’s personality was bright enough to light their way. He laughed and chatted as he guided them through the twists and curves of the streets.

He explained the history of Necropolis’s culture as they walked. “The legends say that centuries ago, a witch named Sycorax lived in Necropolis. She claimed to have the power to bring back the dead. The people accused her of being a fake, and they did something horrible. They killed the witch’s son and told her to bring him back to life.”

“That’s awful,” Tash said, shivering.

“Yes, things weren’t as peaceful around here in the old days,” Kairn said.

“Did it work?” Zak asked. He was very interested in the story. “I mean, was she able to bring her son back from the dead?”

Kairn shook his head. “Instead of bringing her son back, Sycorax died of a broken heart. She and her son were buried together.”

“They were what?” Tash asked.

“They were buried.”

“Buried?” Zak repeated. “You still bury people’?”

Kairn blinked. “Of course. Don’t your people do that?”

Deevee, always eager to join a conversation about culture, interrupted. “Oh, quite a few planets inhabited by humans have abandoned that practice,” he began cheerily. “They’ve opted for more efficient methods of body disposal, such as cremation or disintegration. In many cultures, Kairn, burial is considered a bit old-fashioned.”