Preamble
This gothic horror story was written after the author had read an article in a National Geographic Magazine which spoke of Egypt, the pyramids, and the pharaohs who built these Ancient Wonders of the World. The Great Pyramid at Giza is mentioned as having been constructed by Khufu, a ruler during the period of history known as the 'Old Kingdom'. Although there are numerous depictions of other Egyptian kings from this period, there were thought to be no surviving effigies of this man, an individual who is mentioned as having started his rule around 2589 B.C., until a small statue was discovered. The article which mentioned this one, nine-centimetre, stone carving, and attibuted it to be a probable likeness of the Pharaoh Khufu, had been unearthed not at Giza, the presumed burial site of the great pharaoh, but at Abydos, where the temple of Osiris was located.
Much has been written about the desecration of the Egyptian tombs, including the discovery of numerous plundered sites in the Egyptian deserts in the mid to late 19th and early 20th Centuries. British and other Western archaeologists had taken a great interest in the region, and mankind was hungry for the discovery of an untouched burial site. Finally, in the Valley of the Kings, Howard Carter found the tomb of King Tutankhamen , unopened. This child pharaoh is said to have begun his rule in 1334 B.C., a time history calls the 'New Kingdom', but it was the amount of treasure contained in this tomb that stirred ANTON VON STEFAN’s mind. Tutankhamen died some nine years after his reign began; what, mused our author, would have been the comparison to the gold, silver, and royal possessions of a king who built the greatest of the three pyramids at Giza and ruled for over 24 years?
This thought remained in ANTON VON STEFAN’s brain, hounding him for several years and creeping ever closer to the forefront of his active mind. As a child, one of the few things the author's father was able to afford was a trip to the city’s prestigious art gallery. This building of culture, in the city in which ANTON VON STEFAN lived, was one of the sites chosen for King Tutankhamen’s treasure to be displayed on its first, world-exhibition tour. Awed by the age of the mummy, its blackened, shrivelled skin and its elongated, yellowed, twisted fingernails; spellbound by the rich gold of which the well crafted workmanship of the breastplate was made; and, indubitably held in reverence by the sheer volume of the other precious artefacts, our ever hyperactive author could not be pried from the sealed, glass, display cases. The hieroglyphics which adorned many of the objects (see ‘Twisted Biography') kindled the imagination of the facinated youth. The memory of these inscriptions would come out in more than one gothic horror tale he was to write.
Later, as an adult, after opening his monthly subsription to that aforementioned National Geographic and chancing upon the article containing that vivid, written description of the stern countenance depicted upon a tiny statue’s face, this remaining lone rendition of this powerful ruler, Pharaoh Khufu, ignited ANTON VON STEFAN’s imagination. Coupled with the author’s past, this article kept his mind highly focussed. He repeatedly pondered the countless possibilities of how the tomb might have been kept ‘hidden’ by its creator, Khufu. It simply would be unthinkable that a man who was able to construct such a colossal monument as the Great Pyramid would not have had the forethought that nefarious, unscrupulous, and godless men, with greed driving them blindly onward, regardless of any 'curse', would ultimately triumph in their attempt to desecrate his grave and steal his riches. The author mused that this pharaoh must have left behind some means in a diabolical undertaking to keep thieves from ever locating his final resting place. Once discovered, these larcenous individuals, bent upon the lifting and spoiling of his riches, would think nothing of breaking the seal and plundering the possessions of the dead pharaoh. Perhaps, in a most cunning endeavour to thwart such a nefarious raid, Khufu succeeded!
As this brilliant, yet most heinous thought took shape, the plot of the gothic tale commenced to form in the author’s mind. With a vengeance, the author read more books on Egypt's past. He sought knowledge of the earliest known burial sites, their location and their construction. At long last, when the bizarre idea that Khufu may have successfully hidden his massive treasure had become a plausible theory, he put his pen to paper. Thus, the tale of how a single, nine-centimetre, stone effigy of Khufu had survived, its curious location away from the Great Pyramid, and the various fictional paths as to why no other likeness of this one, particular pharaoh existed, came to be written.
In all, “The Curse of the Red Crystal” took over three years to complete. Our author, ever searching to make this horror story as close to fact as possible, had to become even more acutely acquainted with the history of ancient Egypt. Reading about the 'Old Kingdom' and delving into the timeline of the pharaohs, the dynasties which ensued from the great pyramid builders, he became most knowledgable of the religious upheavals that followed. Pouring over obscure articles and texts, he became enlightened to the historical conquests and the invasions of the land. Finally, and to a much greater extent, the author concentrated on understanding the transitions, over time, as to the process of how the dead were entombed. This comprehensive research was all part of that procedure of developing this gothic story. Yet, in order to fully comprehend a ruler’s thoughts, ANTON VON STEFAN also had to become privy to the belief of how the ancient people of Khufu’s time thought our world had come to be. Thus, to create a true horror story, it was also imperative to fully comprehend the creation theory known to that Egyptian pharaoh and those that had come before him. Khufu could, after all, only draw wisdom from his own past. Not satisfied that the author had gleaned the knowledge required of the factual history available of that time, he completed his research on this subject by also reading numerous volumes concerning the mythology and the legends of Egypt.
Only after he was content that he could do some justice in penning a story that would be worthy of a reader's approval, did ANTON VON STEFAN finally finish this gothic tale, "The Curse of the Red Crystal", now appears in print in a fictional creation which combines archaeological fact with the creative power of the mystical lore ancient Egypt provides, a taste of which, hopefully, you can experience in the pages of this gothic, horror story.
"The Curse of the Red Crystal" is found in:
Volume I, The Curse of The Red Crystal and other Gothic tales
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