I cannot recall how long I was lost in that vast unforgiving wasteland known as the African desert. I was a foot soldier in the American army trying to push back both the Italians and the Germans back to Europe. For weeks me and my company fought off the heat with little food and shelter. Our commander , a man of incredible intelligence and a veteran of the first world war , constantly kept our spirits high reminding us that we were fighting for our loved ones back home. Unfortunately his pep talks began to falter and even he began to lose faith though he did his best not to show it to his men.

After about a month or so of trotting the scorching dessert , we were ambushed by a German tank crew of some four or five panzer tanks. With our low number of ammunition and tired men , we never stood a chance against those lurching giants. I myself have no exact knowledge of what happened once the first shots where fired but I woke to find total devastation around me. My entire regiment was wiped out and I alone was left in the dessert. I looked around hoping to find some one who like me was lucky enough to survive but after half an hour I gave up. I searched the bodies for any materials that would be useful and only found a piece of flint , a knife , and a half empty canteen of water. Knowing that it would be pointless to stay here amongst my dead brothers in arms , I decided to take my chances and go out into the dessert aimlessly.

For two days I managed walk through the dessert without any knowledge of where exactly I was. The days were brutally hot and the nights deathly cold. Around the second day I believe is when I suddenly lost all hope of ever being found. My water was long gone , I was terribly tired , and I had no real sense of direction. I staggered here and there with my tongue hanging out like that of a dog. “This is it” I mumbled to myself, “the end”. It was at that moment that I tripped over something hard half buried in the sand. I quickly got up for the sand which was more like hot coal, burned my face and hands. I went over to see what I had tripped over and saw it to be a small pyramid shaped object. I cursed at it and kicked it with what little strength I had. I began walking away when I noticed something. The ground under my very feet began to tremble! The sand around the strange pyramid shaped rock began to sink as if some force from beneath the sands was sucking it down. Then instantly I saw the rock rise to the air and with in minutes a tall tower stood before me with the pyramid at its top. I began to back away from the tower when my back hit something hard. I turned around to face yet another of these strange towers. Now all around me, half a dozen or more of these sprang from under the sand. Then about 30 of 40 feet away from me, a large building came out of the earth in a massive burst of sand. Just as it had began, it stopped. The shaking had seized and I was surrounded by those towering giants of ancient masonry.

I stood stupefied for the longest time trying to see if what I had just witnessed was in fact a reality. Had these strange things just sprang from the sands before my very eyes? I walked around and studied each of the towers. All had strange carvings unlike any I had ever seen before. I had read about Egyptian hieroglyphics in school but these were in no way the same ones I had seen in my books. These strange symbols seemed to represent something far more sinister. Once I was done looking at the towers, I made my way to the large building. This one was also riddled with the strange hieroglyphics. At the top of this grand

edifice , was a rather large statue of some gruesome looking beast. It looked like the product of a large reptile and an eagle mixed together to form a new hybrid race of horror. There was something else; a door! Yes I could feel cold air seeping through the cracks of the door. I desperately gave a push but the large stone door would not budge. I stood back and looked to see if there was some sort of switch or button I could press that would grant me access to whatever lied behind the barrier. Finding none I was again filled with hopeless dread. I no longer knew what to do so I just sat in the shade that one of the large towers provided and slept.

When I awoke, I found that it was sundown. It would be getting cold soon and I had no materials to make a fire. I looked at the stone building and found that it stood wide open! The door must have some how opened while I slept. How it opened I wasn’t sure but I didn’t care for tonight I would have shelter. I walked inside the grand building and was hit with a faint smell of decay. The inside was covered in cobwebs and those alien looking carvings that also decorated the towers outside. At the far end of the room there was a faint glow. That only meant one thing to me: fire! I ran to the other side of the room and discovered that the glow came from a door way. The smell of decay was stronger here but it was not strong enough to differ me from attaining fire. Sure enough there on the wall was a flaming torch. I gratefully plucked it from the wall letting the warmth flow through my body. It was at that moment that I noticed I was at the top of a grand spiraling staircase. I stood there thinking about going down the stairs when I heard a loud rumble. I looked up to see the door of the building beginning to close! I ran as quickly as I could but I got there in time to see the door close on my face. Panic began to set in almost instantly, I was now trapped in this structure that would surely now become my tomb. It was at that moment that I heard a soft whispering coming from the depths of that staircase. I listened closely to hear what the voice was saying but realized that it spoke in a bizarre tongue. I can still recall those awful sounding words “Ithmar-orlath gufnack marmothep”. I don’t know why these words frightened me as they did, but as I stood there listening to these words being whispered over and over again, I could not move. After a while though, I was able to calm myself and started down the stairs. Down and down those steps went, on and on without any end in sight. Finally, after what seemed like an eternity, I was at the bottom. My surroundings where completely consumed in darkness save for the small bit of orange light that my torch provided. I carefully walked about realizing that I was inside some sort of chamber; and something else, a throne! Yes a throne in the middle of the large empty chamber. It sat in a large platform of black marble and upon further inspection, I realized that it was made of gold and studded with precious stones. I removed the cobwebs that adorned the gold throne and stared at it. It was quite a find indeed. Surely such a thing would become the prized possession of any museum fortunate enough to own it. But why there was just a throne and nothing else of value in the chamber I did not know.

I walked toward the throne and then sat down. The throne felt cold on my body and then with out warning, the whispering started anew. With my discovery of the chamber, I had forgotten all about the accursed whispering. This time it was louder as if the voice was right there in the chamber with me. “Ithmar-orlat gufnack marmothep” the disembodied voice said. It was at that instant that I felt a surge of energy run through out my body. I felt sick to my stomach, my body began to shake violently and then…peace. I felt tranquil and even tired. It must have been at this moment that I fell into a trance of some sort for I had closed my eyes and opened them to find my self in a completely different chamber. I was no longer in the pit of darkness but in place of vibrant light. All around me I saw a plunder of great treasure. There were chests full of gold coins and jewelry. There were dozens of statues the height of your average man made entirely of gold and other things of wealth. Suddenly I heard a horrifying scream coming from the direction of the staircase. Suddenly a man came tumbling down the stairs. I saw him lying there on the floor moaning in pain. Two other men came down the stairs laughing at the man on the floor. They yelled something at him and began kicking him mercilessly. I tried to get up and help the poor man but found myself unable to move. Then someone else came down the stairs. A tall dark man wearing a long white robe. He had on a fabulous head dress which identified him as some sort of priest or sorcerer. His chin was broad and square, his lips, thin and black, his gleaming eyes seemed to have the ability to look into a man’s soul, and above these eyes were wild busy eyebrows and a great broad forehead. He carried under one of his arms a large worm eaten black book. The two goons stopped harassing the man on the floor and stood back to make way for the priest. He stared at them both until they went on their way up the stairs from which they had came. The priest then turned his attention to the black tome by opening it and turning to a page near the middle of the book. The man on the floor then crawled toward the priest and clung on to the man’s robe. He then began to cry hysterically and kiss the priest’s feet. The priest looked down at the man as if looking at some meaningless animal and stepped back. He then read aloud from the black volume; “Itmar-orlath gufnack marmothep!” The man on the floor began to scream horribly “Ithmar-orlath gufnack marmothep!” The man began crawling toward the stairs. “ITHMAR-ORLATH MARMOTHEP!!!” he said again. The chamber began to quake horribly. A strong gust of wind came from inside the room and a vicious growling was heard; then from nowhere a horrid monstrosity pounced on the man on the floor. It’s gigantic bird like wings fluttered madly, the powerful talons ripped the man to shreds, and the dark green lizard head removed the man’s head from his body. I began to scream. I screamed as that blasphemy fed itself on the torn remains of the sacrifice, I screamed as the priest watched the unholy feast with approval. I screamed in darkness. I looked about and realized that I had returned from that horrific vision to the pit of darkness where I had found that strange throne of gold. I caught something in the corner of my eye. I turned around to see to huge blood red eyes that seemed to glow with the flames of hell. I got up from the throne and ran as fast as I could. With my eyes now adjusted to the darkness, I was able to find the staircase and ascend them telling myself not to look back and see if I was being pursed. I made it to the top and then from there saw that the door stood ajar! “Blessed lord in heaven!” I said and ran out of that horrific crypt.

After that, I don’t remember much. I remember running as fast as my legs could carry me and still refusing to look back. Then nothing; I awoke in a hospital room in Cairo, Egypt in a great deal of pain. My throat was incredibly dry, my body pulsated with pain and my skin was badly sun burned. I was told by the doctor there that I was found by a tribe of nomads and brought to this hospital about two days ago. “You are very fortunate to be alive my friend” the doctor said. “Not many people who get lost in the dessert live to tell the tale”. With in a couple of days, I left the hospital which had contacted the U.S. army and told them about me. Three weeks later I was back in New York and ready to continue on with my life. I was contacted by several magazines and newspapers who wished to interview me about how I survived in the dessert. To this day, I refuse to meet with anyone in regards to the events that took place while I was lost in that dessert. As hard as I have tried, those horrid visions refuse to die. I still wake up screaming, drenched in cold sweat, screaming like a mad man. I just hope that no man ever uncovers the horrors that I uncovered while I was lost. I quiver with fear for I know that under the sands of Egypt, there is a horror buried; waiting to see the light of day once more.

Copyright 2007 Pablo Flores
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