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"I’m so proud of you both," she said "Come, we’ve prepared a feast"

I was in a daze as they led us ashore Bes took charge of carrying the sun god, who see a nap Ra gave everyone a toothless grin and said, "Oh, pretty Feast? Zebras?"

Ghostly servants in Ancient Egyptian clothes ushered us toward an outdoor pavilion lined with life-size statues of the gods We crossed a footbridge over a moat full of albino crocodiles, which ht be happening back at Brooklyn House

Then I stepped inside the pavilion, andtable from the house in LA I could even see the notch I’d carved in the ith etting really mad at me The chairs were stainless steel with leather seats, just like I remembered; and when I looked outside, the view shi blue sky of the afterlife, now the white walls and huge glass s of our old house

"Oh…" Sadie said in a small voice Her eyes were fixed on the center of the table Aarcoated strawberries, and every other kind of food you could iine was a white-and-blue ice-cream cake, the exact same cake that we’d exploded on Sadie’s sixth birthday

"I hope you don’t ot to taste it Happy birthday, Sadie"

"Please, sit" Dad spread his arms "Bes, old friend, would you put Lord Ra at the head of the table?"

I started to sit in the chair farthest fro all over ummed his food, but Mom said, "Oh, not there, dear Sit by uest"

She said the last tords like they left a bitter taste in her mouth

I looked around the table There were seven chairs and only six of us "Who else is co?"

"Anubis?" Sadie asked hopefully

Dad chuckled "Not Anubis, though I’m sure he’d be here if he could"

Sadie slumped as if someone had let the air out of her [Yes, Sadie, you were that obvious]

"Where is he, then?" she asked

Dad hesitated just long enough for me to sense his discomfort "Away Let’s eat, shall we?"

I sat down and accepted a slice of birthday cake frory, with the world ending and ourin the Land of the Dead at a dinner table frohost next to me and my dad the color of a blueberry But my stomach didn’t care about that It let me know that I was still alive, and I needed food The cake was chocolate with vanilla ice cream It tasted perfect Before I knew it, I’d polished offods stood behind us--Horus, Isis, Thoth, Sobek--all keeping silent watch as we ate Outside the pavilion, the lands of Aaru spread out as if the cavern were endless--green hills and rain, orchards full of date trees Streams cut the marshes into a patchwork of islands, just like the Nile Delta, with picture-perfect villages for the blessed dead Sailboats cruised the river

"This is what it looks like to the Ancient Egyptians," Dad said, as if reading htly differently"

"Like our house in LA?" I asked "Our fa table? Is this even real?"

Dad’s eyes turned sad, the way they used to whenever I’d ask about Moood, eh?" he asked "My little girl, thirteen I can’t believe--"

Sadie swept her plate off the table It shattered against the stone floor "What does it ates--we failed!"

She buried her face in her aran to sob

"Sadie" Moht"

"Moon pie," Ra said helpfully, a beard of cake frosting smeared around his mouth He started to fall out of his chair, and Bes pushed hiht," I said "Ra’s in worse shape than we iet him back to the mortal world, he could never defeat Apophis--unless Apophis laughs to death"

Dad frowned "Carter, he is still Ra, pharaoh of the gods Show some respect"

"Don’t like bubbles!" Ra swatted at a glowing servant light that was trying to wipe his mouth

"Lord Ra," Dad said, "do you reht, resting before your journey toward the dawn Do you recall?"

"Want a weasel," Ra said