The Egyptian Box

Tee (Leticia) Woodie and her family have moved into a big, old house that is part of her father's inheritance from Great-uncle Sebastian. While exploring the contents of Sebastian's antiques-and-junk store, they find a parcel marked "For dear Leticia, my Shabti Box." The decorated box holds a colorful wooded figure of a girl in mummy wrappings.

Chapter One Tee Woodie, sitting in the fifth row of the Oasis Empire theater, watched the screen in a trance. Her fingers felt at the bottom of the jumbo tub for the last handful of popcorn, and fumbled it into her mouth. Like Princess Maryam, up on the screen, she looked in dismay from the princely green-cloaked figure in the middle of the palace courtyard to the short, pudgy young man in purple pantaloons who peered out from behind him.Thatwas the real Prince Farad? If it was, Tee wondered, who was the tall, handsome one Maryam was in love with? On the screen, Princess Maryam was asking the same question."If that silly puppy is the prince, who are you?"Whoever he was, he was growing taller by the minute. Maryam, the dweeby real Prince Farad, and Tee in the audience all stared as he grew, until he towered as high as the palace gates."I? I am the unhappy djinn Fasilbar, who was servant to this Farad."A "djinn"?...Agenie?But -- but he had been such a wonderful Prince Farad of Allibas! He had rescued Maryam the sweetmeat-seller from her wicked master, and revealed that she was the daughter, stolen as a child, of the Caliph of Khaibar. He was kind, and brave, and funny. He was agenie?And now that he had granted Farad's last wish, he was free, and returning to the Mountains of the Afreet?As the djinn Fasilbar touched the jewel in his turban, bowed, and vanished, Tee clasped her hands over her breastbone and tucked her chin down against them, afraid almost to breathe. Why hadn't Maryamsaidsomething? But -- wait. Now she was pushing the doofus Farad away and calling out loudly for her horse. Tee drew in her breath as Maryam sprang onto the saddle."Why? Why?"the poor, pudgy Farad was asking."Why? Because you are not the Farad who won me. If Fasilbar the Djinn could be a man once, now he can be one again, and for good!"Then her golden horse sprang through the gates, and she was racing out through the moonlit city and onto the silver road that led to the Terrible Mountains of the Afreet.THE END.At the fade-out, Tee wasn't the only one in the audience who jumped up and cheered, but she sat down again quickly, embarrassed, even though there were other cheers and hoots and applause, and a scattered boo or two. Seats banged up. There was the usual bustle of a crowded Saturday afternoon audience gathering up belongings, stretching, talking, and shuffling sideways toward the aisles. Tee sat with her eyes closed, spellbound, while the names of actors and makeup artists and electricians and camel herders and parrot trainers rolled up the screen. The music swelled around her, and she did not open her eyes until the last note faded away and the lights came up. Most of the audience had already filed out. Tee sighed, brushed salt and popcorn crumbs from her shorts, and stood. Chin in the air and shoulders straight, she moved along the row to join the stragglers. With a Princess Maryam flick of her bushy ponytail, she moved up the aisle with Maryam's gliding, graceful walk toward the real world. And smack into it.The boy ahead of her let the door swing back without looking behind him.Tee, still dreaming her way across the moonlit desert, woke up just in time to catch at the door's edge and dodge sideways. Off-balance, she tripped on a worn carpet edge and fell facedown on the lobby's blue-carpeted floor with her nose on a yellow star.Everyone in the lobby turned to look. Tee saw all their feet turn in her direction, and her face burned scarlet with embarrassment. She scrambled to her knees to gather up the sunglasses, the half bag of peanuts, and the video ofDragonheart,and other bits and pieces that had spilled from her shoulder bag.One young woman crossed the lobby to her. "Are you okay?" she asked.Ignoring the ticket-taker's grin and the smothered giggles from a group of boys and girls her own age, Tee clambered t