AT HOME WITH THE O'CONNELLS
“Good morning!” said Evelyn O’Connell cheerily as she entered the kitchen. Her nine-year-old son, Alex, was slumped on the table staring at his ‘nutritious breakfast’. Alex thought that the bowl bran looked like rabbit food and he was certainly not pleased to be eating it.
Evie began to cook bacon and egg for her husbands breakfast. Evelyn objected to Rick O’Connell’s typical American meat-filled diet, as she was a vegetarian herself. She was also bringing Alex up as a vegetarian but as he was getting older he preferred to choose his own food.
Seconds later, Rick O, Connell stumbled downstairs, heavily hung over.
Evie was appalled at her husband’s and her older brother’s behavior at the gambling party the night before. Rick and Jonathan had spent hours playing cards and drinking whisky. Evie wasn’t tolerable to her brother’s alcoholic nature but she put up with it. Evelyn was also not tolerant of the women Jonathan brought home to their London mansion. The usual blonde girls were not in any way suitable to be in her house yet she put up with her brother’s antics, as he was the only family she had left. Evelyn’s and Jonathan’s mother and father had passed away many years before Evelyn even met Rick.
“Oh man! Does it have to be so bright at this time in the morning?” complained Rick, covering his eyes form the sun. Evelyn grinned mischievously.
“If you spent more time sleeping and less time drinking then maybe you would take notice that Alex and I woke nearly an hour ago,” said Evelyn.
She didn’t mean to snap at Rick but she was extremely tired herself. She had woken many times in the night after awful dreams. Evelyn knew she was a reincarnated Egyptian princess and her visions didn’t occur often. But the visions that occurred last night were not pleasant. Evie saw Imhotep in her dream and that was not a good sign.
Imhotep was once a high priest who served the pharaoh in Evelyn’s previous life. Although, he committed an awful crime. He was buried alive and he horrifically returned millions of years later as a mummy with powers and evil plans. Rick and Evelyn managed to defeat Imhotep twice but Evie was still incredibly wary of these visions.
“Mum!” whined Alex, dropping his spoon.
“Yes Alex?” asked Evie, looking up from the frying pan.
“Dad and Uncle John were drunk last night!” replied Alex, with a glint of mischief in his eye.
“Please eat your cereal Alex,” said Evelyn with the hint of annoyance in her voice. Alex swallowed a mouthful of bran before speaking again.
“Can we go to the museum? Please Mum?” begged Alex. Evelyn and Rick sighed exasperatedly.
“But Alex, we went there last week!” said Rick, taking his seat at the table. Alex stuck out his bottom lip and began to sulk. Evie and Rick ignored his actions as they carried on with their breakfast preparations.
“Morning chaps!” said Jonathan as he entered the dining room. He seemed extremely cheerful and Evelyn was suspicious.
“Morning Uncle Jon!” said Alex, also acting very cheerful to see his uncle.
“Alex! Just the lad I wanted to see!” said Jonathan and he took a seat next to his nephew. “How about you come out with me today? To watch a bit of football, eh?”
“Alex is not going to any sports matches Jonathan. You know I object to those type of things,” said Evelyn, jumping form her seat.
“Oh Mum!” whined Alex, “Why can’t I go? I’m only watching!”
“Evie, you can’t treat him like a baby forever!” Rick said, agreeing with Jon and Alex.
“But Rick, it can be violent!” argued Evelyn.
“Evie, the boy has been chased by a mummy, watched an evil scorpion king rise from the grave, and nearly killed by a cursed bracelet. I think he can handle a little soccer,” said Rick. Evie knew she couldn’t argue with that.
“Oh, all right then,” said Evie. Alex jumped up in excitement and started chanting. But Evelyn began to feel worried. What if he got hurt or lost? She knew she was being overprotective with Alex but after he was kidnapped months ago, she worried dearly about her son’s safety.
“Great! Petunia is waiting in the car,” said Jonathan and he grabbed Alex’s jacket.
“Petunia? No, Alex is definitely not going with you and some…bimbo!” said Evelyn angrily. Rick, Alex, and Jon gasped at Evie’s bad language.
“Come on Evie! Alex is a strapping young lad, he’ll be safe!” said Jon. Alex nodded in agreement.
“No way!” argued Evelyn, turning her back on Jonathan. “He is staying here with me.”
“Oh, so you don’t want Alex to leave your side?” asked Rick. Evelyn nodded, thinking she was victorious.
“Well, why not come along too? It will be a family trip!” said Rick.
Evelyn smiled; it was the best idea Rick had come up with in a long time! But she couldn’t go, not after the visions she had encountered the night before. It was far too dangerous for her.
“No, I mustn’t go. There is too much to do around the house. Jonathan, please look after Alex and make sure that woman doesn’t influence him,” said Evelyn, sighing heavily. Jonathan and Alex both nodded simultaneously and raced to the front door. Evelyn smiled at her husband as the door slammed shut and then sighed again, feeling worried about her visions.
In her visions, she encountered Imhotep and his secret lover, Anck-su-namun, Evie’s future stepmother, whom betrayed her father and murdered him. Evelyn still could not shake that awful scene from her head.
But in that particular vision she dreamt last night, there was another woman with her. A dark haired girl with big dark eyes who was dressed similar to Evelyn, like a princess. But she couldn’t be…her sister, could she? No one had ever heard of Nefertiri (Evelyn in her past life) having any siblings.
“What’s wrong Evie?” asked Rick, putting a comforting yet strong arm around Evelyn. Evelyn shook her head, stuck for words.
“I had a vision…there was another princess. I think she may have been my sister,” said Evie, turning to face Rick. Rick furrowed his brow, looking puzzled.
“But there is no historic evidence that you ever had a sister,” replied Rick.
“I know, but it’s all so strange. I can’t seem to make any sense of it,” said Evelyn, thinking hard, trying to remember what exactly happened in her vision. She wracked her brain but came up with no answer.
“Don’t worry yourself,” said Rick and he kissed her gently. Evelyn nodded unsurely but she was still confused. What did the vision mean?
Meanwhile, Jonathan, Petunia, and Alex were riding in Jonathan’s beaten up car to the football match. Alex watched Petunia the whole way as she shook her hair and tossed her scarf.
“Alex, this game is going to be spiffling, what do you think old chap?” asked Jonathan, taking his eyes from the road to turn to Alex.
“Uncle Jon! Watch out!” shrieked Alex as the car came out of lane and went speeding towards a market stand. All three passengers screamed as the car crashed into the stall, knocking the whole think down as fruit rolled across the road.
“Uncle Jon! You crashed the car!” shrieked Alex, trying to get up from the seat. They were all unharmed but the car wasn’t. Also, the market stall’s owner was not too pleased.
“Honestly Jonathan, you must be more careful with this child in the car!” said Petunia, tossing her scarf again. Alex, who was angry at her remark, leaned forward to speak to her.
“I’m not a child!” argued Alex rudely.
“Goodness boy, I have make-up older than you!” commented Petunia, forcing a deafening high-pitched laugh right in Jonathan’s face. Jonathan scrunched up his face and put his hands over his ears.
“I am not a child! You’re a bubo!” snapped Alex, beginning to sulk.
“I’m a what?” asked Petunia, turning around.
“I think he means bimbo,” muttered Jonathan. Alex began to giggle as Petunia turned around, looking shocked. She slapped Jonathan across the face before getting out of the car, walking away. Unfortunately, the floor was littered with fruit from the market stall. When Petunia stood on an orange, it burst, shooting orange juice all over her. She shrieked before running away, horrified.
“Bloody good show Alex! I’ve been wanting to get rid of Petunia for a long time!” said Jonathan, holding his hand to his red cheek.
“Thanks Uncle Jon! She was a bubo though, wasn’t she?”
“The word is bimbo Alex, but never say it in the presence of your mother, she will not be pleased,” said Jonathan and he ruffled Alex’s hair, grinning.
“Well, we better be going!” said Jonathan and in a flash, he reversed his damaged car from the wreckage of the market stall and drove away without the slightest apology.
TO BE CONTINUED . . .
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