3197. Pharaoh's curse © Bruce Goodman 6 May 2025

They say that the tomb of the ancient Egyptian pharaoh, Amenemhat, is cursed. Anyone who enters the tomb will die sooner than expected. Fortunately Professor Dwayne Kettle had no such fear otherwise he would never have discovered the pottery pots of perfectly preserved honey in Pharaoh Amenemhat’s tomb. Of course, one doesn’t willy-nilly say “Oh good, this honey’s from Ancient Egypt,” and get stuck into it with a spoon to see what it tastes like. One must first do careful chemical experiments on it to determine its safety. Professor Dwayne Kettle was doing precisely that when his phone rang. Almost instantly, while he wasn’t looking, wasps flew in the window and began sipping at the opened honey jar. Batch after batch of wasps flew in, sipped, and flew away. Professor Dwayne Kettle’s phone call finished. He returned to the honey. Not a wasp was to be seen. Chemical testing of the content of the honey pots showed that the substance wasn’t honey at all. It looked like honey but it wasn’t. It had the texture of honey. It smelled like honey. The professor had no idea what it was. He dipped his finger in and tasted it. It was curtains for him. Contact Author Back to Index Next Story Previous Story