6 Inside the Great Pyramid

Chapter Six INSIDE THE GREAT PYRAMID Gustavo and Kiki made their way along the dark, stuffy tunnel. They had to stoop to avoid scraping their heads on the rough stone ceiling. Apart from the light flickering from the lamp, it was as dark as the darkest night. Gustavo was glad he didn't believe in Bunefer's evil spirits. If I did, he thought, this would be very creepy.

The ground sloped steeply downward and they had to be careful not to slip. "I thought it would be cold in here," Kiki said. "But the farther in we go, the warmer it gets." "You're right," said Gustavo. He could feel his hair sticking to his damp forehead. The tunnel flattened out and turned a sharp corner. Then it curved to the left and sloped upward. Ahead, a tall, dark shadow was blocking their way.

"It's rubble left by the pyramid builders," Gustavo said when they reached it. The lamplight showed a huge mound of stones. "It's to stop robbers." Kiki squashed up beside him. "Do you think it will stop us, too?" "I'm not sure…" Gustavo held the torch high. "Hey, there's a little gap at the top! Let's see if we can squeeze through it." Kiki started scrambling up the pile of rubble. Gustavo kept the torch held as high as he could to help her see. Kiki's movements made shadows jump all over the walls of the tunnel. Gustavo waited nervously. "Just… need… to move… some… of these rocks…" Kiki panted when she reached the top of the pile. "So

we'll… fit through…" There was a crash as she pushed them off the top of the heap. Gustavo passed the ropes and poles up to Kiki. She pushed them through the gap she'd made, then held the torch so Gustavo could climb up. His sandals slipped on the rocks, but soon he was at the top of the pile of rubble. "I'll go first," he said, and wriggled into the

gap Kiki had made. Gustavo felt hot and cramped as he crawled along the top of the rubble, trying not to scrape his head on the tunnel roof. He held the torch in one hand and pulled himself along with the other. "It's tight," he called back to Kiki, "but we can fit through!" He could hear Kiki starting to crawl after him, pushing the poles and ropes ahead of her. Gustavo was sweltering from the effort. He couldn't help but give a "Whoop!" of relief as he reached the other side of the rubble heap and scrambled down to the ground. Kiki passed him the ropes and poles and jumped down next to him. "We did it!" said Gustavo. Then he saw that Kiki looked very annoyed. "What's up?" "Look at that," she said. She pointed ahead of them.

Gustavo groaned. The light from the lamp flickered over a blank wall. "All that effort," said Gustavo, "and it's a dead end." Kiki laughed. "Well, it is a tomb." Gustavo moved the torch from side to side. "Hey! It's not a dead-end—it's a junction! The tunnel continues around both corners." "Which way should we go?" wondered Kiki.