Page 61 of Ra
“Okay. Where is that?”
“With Ra!”
Azi seemed to almost collapse in on herself. “Are we still doing that?”
“You drank a bottle of wine and fell asleep. It’s only been a few hours not weeks or even days, so yes, we’re still doing that,” Neith snapped.
“I don’t want to do this anymore. In fact, I’m not. I packed some clothes, I’m leaving. I’ve had enough.”
“Yes, I noticed the bags in the living room. But you can’t go until you see to Ra.”
“He’s not my responsibility.”
“Yes, he is. You brought him into this world. That makes him your responsibility. He no longer wishes to live in it, so you must send him back.”
Azi got shakily to her feet, her hand gripping the back of the chair she’d been sitting on. “Wait, say that again?”
“You heard me, Azenath. You need to return him to the temple. He doesn’t want to be here any longer.”
“You are more than capable of sending him back.”
“I’ve washed my hands of the whole thing. It’s up to you to return him, or to leave him wandering clueless, and vulnerable, without any kind of guidance at all.”
“He begged for another chance to live. Why would he give that away?”
“How should I know? It makes no sense to me. He’s ungrateful really. But the point is, he’s at the temple, ancient chants and all, trying to return to whence he came. You could help him if you are as kind as he professes you to be. I, have decided that I will not be blamed if he throws away this chance. So, it falls on you.”
“Dr. Weaver!” Azi exclaimed, taking several steps toward her.
Neith reached out, placing her hands firmly on Azi’s shoulders as she looked directly into her eyes. “Azenath, I am Neith. The goddess Neith. Dr. Weaver is a costume I wear.”
A rush of energy shot through Azi, all the alcohol leaving her body like it had never been there at all. Her mind was suddenly clear, her body rested and strong.
“He is remorseful.” Neith thought about it for a moment, then she smiled at Azi. “I think that maybe he’s turned out to be the best of all of us. It’s a shame to see him returned to nothingness.”
“It sounds like you care,” Azi said.
“They are all, of me, even you. But do what you will, I tire of the dramatics. I have other things that call for my attention.”
“Wait!” Azi called out, so many questions suddenly occurring to her.
But Neith was gone.
Azi sighed as she snatched up the empty wine bottle and took it to the kitchen. She wandered aimlessly around the kitchen, wiping at a spot here or there on the counter top, then meandered into the living room, a sense of fear growing inside her with every passing second. “What is wrong with me?” she whispered, glancing nervously around. She picked up the remote and turned on the TV, flipping channels, looking for anything to distract her from the uneasy feeling overtaking her. But no matter what she did, the image of Ra alone in the temple, trying to return to the other side haunted her. She imagined him pounding on the walls, shouting threats, promising favors. She imagined him still there when the tourists arrived in the morning, still threatening, shouting. Then she imagined him taken into custody, locked in an asylum unable to make anyone believe the outrageous story he told. They’d either drug him into submission, or keep him locked up forever, or both, depending on how irate he became. She pictured him miserable, hurting,trapped, and it almost killed her. “Damn you!” she exclaimed. She grabbed her purse and her keys, and rushed out of the house, on her way to Ra.
Neith materialized almost exactly where Azi had stood before giving in to her need to go to Ra. “Finally!” she said. “I thought I was going to have to push you out of the house with my own hands!” She took a minute to look around the living room, noticed a glass of peach tea and a jar of salted cashews. “Oh! How nice,” she said, taking a seat on the sofa and waving her hand at the TV to change the channels until she found the game show network, where she promptly started shouting at the contestants and their wrong answers. She picked up the glass of tea and the jar of cashews, sitting back, while she propped her feet up on the coffee table. She munched on the cashews, and sipped her tea, laughing when the red balls were dropped and wiped out every dollar the people on the game show had accumulated. “You deserve it! I told you the answer was wrong! But does anyone ever listen to me? Nooooo! They get offended when I try to give them the answers! Hmpf! Idiots! That’s good for you! No money for you!” she yelled at the television as she grinned happily and snacked on cashews.
~~~
Azi arrived at the Temple of Ra, driving her car right up to the closest curb to the walkway before she threw it in park and jumped out. She jogged along the walkway leading from the parking lot to the tomb and the temple beneath, hesitating only briefly when she didn’t see the guards that were usually posted there. She hurried into the tomb, then down the stairs and into the temple, coming to a stop when she saw Ra.
He was leaning against the wall, one forearm resting on the wall itself with his forehead against it. The other hand was pressed to the ghost-like relief of himself on the wall behind the dais the throne originally sat on.
“What are you doing, Ra?” she asked.
Ra turned quickly to face her. “You shouldn’t be here.”
“I came to make sure you’re alright.”
