ATIONe
ru
MATIZ
Readers Theater Play
DRA y based on t ast
stor
he p
a
from t
events
The (Possibly)
true story of a
mummy’s wrath
By Spencer Kayden
illustration by lisa k. weber
CHARACTERS
Circle the character you will play.
*Narrators 1, 2, 3 (N1, N2, N3)
LORD Carnarvon: a wealthy Englishman
Lady Evelyn HERBERT: Lord Carnarvon’s
daughter
Doctor: Lord Carnarvon’s physician
*HOWARD Carter: an English
archaeologist
Reis AHMED: an Egyptian worker
on Carter’s team
Tarik: another Egyptian worker
Alan Gardiner: a hieroglyphics
specialist
Arthur Mace: a member of Carter’s team
GEORGES Bénédite: an Egyptologist from
France
Tony: a truck driver
Jake: a truck driver
* Starred characters are major roles.
TURN THE PAGE to read this
supernatural tale.

scholastic.com/scope • OCTOBER 10, 2011
11
as you read, THINK ABOUT:
THE CURSE
This play is about one of the
most famous mysteries of the
20th century: a curse supposedly
unleashed by the opening of an
ancient king’s tomb. As you read,
decide whether you think the
curse is real.
Doctor: Yes, all of Egypt has
N3: Just then, the lights flicker
been speaking of it.
and go out. The room is
HERBERT: The treasures inside have
completely dark.
not been seen for more than 3,000
Doctor: Perhaps the curse
years.
has claimed its first victim.
Doctor: Forgive me, my lady, but
perhaps they should not be seen.
HERBERT: What do you mean?
N1: Flashback to five months
Doctor: Many believe that the
earlier, in Luxor, Egypt.
final resting place of a pharaoh is
N2: Archaeologist Howard Carter
sacred, and that those who enter
believes an undiscovered tomb lies
an ancient tomb will be cursed.
in the Valley of the Kings.
HERBERT: Could it be true? Father
N3: It is a desolate place full of sand
N1: Cairo, Egypt, April 1923.
fell ill soon after he entered
N2: Lady Evelyn Herbert sits
Tutankhamen’s tomb.
at her father’s bedside.
N1: Lord Carnarvon’s body begins
LORD Carnarvon: I’ll be fine,
to tremble. He reaches for his
my dear.
daughter’s hand.
LADY Evelyn HERBERT: But Father,
Carnarvon: Dearest Evelyn, tell
your skin has turned so pale. And
Carter he must continue to
that red mark on your cheek looks
excavate the tomb no matter what
like it’s on fire!
happens. I . . . I . . .
Carnarvon: It is nothing. Just an
N2: Lord Carnarvon gasps for
infected mosquito bite.
breath. He dies.
2
HERBERT: Are you sure? You look
like you’re having trouble
1
breathing.
Carnarvon: I’m euphoric! My
archaeology team just made one of
the biggest discoveries in history.
N3: Lord Carnarvon starts to cough
violently. A doctor arrives.
HERBERT (quietly): Doctor, what’s
wrong with him?
Doctor: I can’t say. This is a very
mysterious illness.
HERBERT: My father must get well.
He and his partner, Howard Carter,
recently discovered the tomb of an
ancient pharaoh named
Tutankhamen (toot-ahn-KAHmen). The tomb has rooms full
of gold and untold riches!
12
Scholastic Scope • OCTOBER 10, 2011
1. Outside the tomb of King Tut in the Valley
of the Kings, Egypt. 2. Howard Carter examines
the sarcophagus. 3. Artifacts from Tut’s tomb
being removed. Though Carter stated that they
should remain in Egypt, many relics ended up
in museums and private collections around the
world. Today, most have been returned to the
Egyptian Museum in Egypt’s capital, Cairo.
From left to right: Rue des Archives/The Granger Collection;
The Granger Collection; Rue des Archives/The Granger Collection
and rock. Temperatures there can
is the one place in the valley
Are you all right?
exceed 120˚F.
I haven’t looked. Let’s clear away
TARIK: The cobra is a symbol
N1: Carter and his team have spent
all this debris.
of protection for the pharaoh.
years in this scorching valley,
N1: One of the workers, Reis Ahmed,
This is a warning: You must not
searching for the tomb of
finds a smooth stone surface under
disturb the pharaoh’s tomb!
Tutankhamen.
the sand. He keeps digging and
Carter: My good man, that’s
N2: Tutankhamen became
uncovers another stone below it.
nonsense. If we have found
pharaoh around 1333 b.c., when
REIS AHMED: Mr. Carter, I think
Tutankhamen’s tomb, just imagine
he was only 9 years old. He died
I’ve found something unusual.
the immense treasure inside!
mysteriously at age 19.
N2: Carter brushes off the stones.
TARIK: But, Sir . . .
N3: His tomb has never been
Then he gently probes the sand
Carter: We may be able to show
found.
around the stones.
the world a perfectly preserved
HOWARD Carter: Gentlemen, this
Carter: It seems to be part
piece of ancient Egypt. And, we’ll
of a structure.
be famous for doing it! What could
N3: The crew keeps working and
be bad about that?
uncovers a staircase that leads
down to a door.
Carter: This door has royal
N2: A few weeks later, Lord
symbols! I must summon Lord
Carnarvon arrives at the site from
Carnarvon before we go any
England. Carter’s crew finishes
further. We should make this
digging out the staircase and
discovery together.
breaks through the door.
N1: Carter goes to his tent.
N3: The team makes its way down
Tarik is waiting for him.
a dark passageway filled with stone
Carter: What is wrong? You
and rubble. At the end, they find
look as if you’ve seen a ghost!
another sealed door.
TARIK: I just came from your
Carnarvon: This door has
house. A cobra crept inside and
hieroglyphics on it! What does
killed your beloved canary.
it say?
Carter: I’m sad to hear that.
Gardiner: Let me have a look . . .
Tut . . . ankh . . . amen!
3
Carnarvon: By Jove, Carter,
we’ve found it!
N1: With trembling hands, Carter
makes a small breach in the door.
Holding a candle in front of him,
he sticks his head through the
opening.
N2: A sudden blast of hot air
escapes from the chamber,
causing the candle to flicker.
N3: As Carter’s eyes grow
accustomed to the light,

scholastic.com/scope • OCTOBER 10, 2011
13
emerge—strange animals, statues,
N1: After Lord Carnarvon’s death,
world travel to Egypt to see
and gold, everywhere the glint of
Carter and his crew continue the
the tomb.
gold.
laborious task of identifying and
GEORGES Bénédite: Carter, what
Carnarvon: Can you see anything?
cataloguing everything in
are the chances we can bring
Carter: Yes . . . wonderful things!
Tutankhamen’s tomb.
some of these marvelous treasures
N1: The crew widens the hole, and
N2: More than 5,000 artifacts are
to France?
the men slip through.
found inside. The workers take
Carter: I do want to share this
N2: The room is packed with
great care with each one.
extraordinary discovery with the
glittering treasures: statues,
N3: Inside the burial chamber, they
world, but it does not belong to me.
chariots, ornate chests, furniture,
use pulleys to lift a gold coffin out
Bénédite: Would it really matter if
urns, and jewelry—everything the
of a stone sarcophagus.
one or two artifacts were missing?
ancient Egyptians believed Tut
Carter: Careful now. Keep it
Carter: The contents of the tomb
would need in the afterlife.
steady. Let’s not jostle the mummy.
must stay in Egypt. Say, are you
N3: Gardiner picks up a gilded
Mace: Why is it so heavy?
OK? You look flushed.
wooden cobra.
Carter: The coffin seems to be
N3: Bénédite collapses and dies.
Gardiner: Carter, I can’t help but
solid gold! Just
wonder if these serpents have real
think—soon we will
power. People have warned me
be looking into the
that a curse will be unleashed if we
face of an ancient
enter this tomb.
king.
Carter (whispering): Keep your
Mace: Can someone
superstitions to yourself, Gardiner.
take this rope? My
If the workers believe there is a
body feels weak.
curse, they won’t help us excavate.
Gardiner: I’ll get it.
We can’t do it ourselves.
N1: Gardiner takes
Gardiner: You have studied
the rope just as Mace
ancient Egypt most of your life.
collapses.
You don’t believe the curse could
Carter: What
be real?
happened?
Carter: I think it is a load of
Gardiner: I’m not
hogwash.
sure. One moment
Gardiner: Carter, I do hope you’re
he was fine, the next,
right. I would hate to incur the
he fainted.
wrath of the Egyptian gods and
N2: Museum curators
goddesses.
from all over the
14
Scholastic Scope • OCTOBER 10, 2011
top: The New York Times; bottom: The Granger Collection
details of the room within slowly
tired with a very high fever. Now he
respect the pharaoh or our people.
N1: Ahmed
is dead. We have not seen the end
AHMED: But, Tarik, our ancestors
sees Tarik in
of this curse.
believed that their souls were kept
the market.
AHMED: But Mr. Carter works in
alive when their names were
AHMED: Tarik,
the tomb every day. He is healthy
remembered. You must admit,
why haven’t you
and robust.
because of Howard Carter,
been working at
Tarik: Others are paying for his
Tutankhamen will live forever.
the tomb?
greed with their lives. Entering the
www.istockphoto.com (book);
Underwood & Underwood/Corbis (Carter)
Tarik: I will not
tomb was bad enough, but now he
go back there. I heard that a tablet
is removing every last item.
N2: Texas, 2011.
was found in the tomb that says,
AHMED: Mr. Carter is taking them
N3: Two men travel down a dark
“Death will come to those who
to the museum in Cairo. Is that
highway in an 18-wheeler.
disturb the sleep of the Pharaoh.”
wrong?
Tony: Thanks for giving me
AHMED: That is a rumor. And if it
Tarik: If Mr. Carter is willing to
were true, it was probably written
desecrate Tutankhamen’s tomb,
to scare away tomb robbers.
he does not truly
Tarik: Didn’t you hear
about Sheik Abdul
Haman?
AHMED: No.
Tarik: He went to visit
Tutankhamen’s tomb.
The next day, he became
Carter (left) examines the
mummy of King Tut. According
to rumor, the mummy had a mark
on his cheek in the same place as
Lord Carnarvon’s mosquito bite.

Diary
Journal of
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27, 1922
November
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scholastic.com/scope • OCTOBER 10, 2011
15
This coffin found inside King Tut’s
tomb held his mummified liver!
that. When I took this job, they told
me that a bunch of other drivers
had already turned it down.
Tony: Why?
Jake: People say there’s a curse on
anyone who disturbs King Tut or
anything that was buried with him.
They believe that what’s in the
back of this truck should never
Tony: What do you think?
Jake: I think it’s getting late and
we should stop for some coffee.
N1: Jake changes lanes and steers
Experts have been studying Tutankhamen for decades. They’ve figured out what
he may have looked like (rendering, above) by studying his mummy (below).
They’ve also found several possible explanations for the “curse.”
One of the most accepted theories is toxic mold spores inside
Tut’s tomb. These can be deadly for someone with a weak
immune system—someone like Lord Carnarvon, who had an
infected mosquito bite. Today, Tut exhibits around the world
continue to attract millions of tourists every year.
the truck onto the exit ramp.
N2: In the middle of the ramp, the
truck’s headlights catch something
long and thick, with a flash of
yellow eyes.
Tony: Watch out!
N3: Jake slams on the brakes.
a ride to Houston, Jake. What are
the creeps?
jake and tony: Aaaaaah!!!
you hauling tonight?
Jake: What do
N1: The truck skids into a ditch.
Jake (laughing): Just a bunch of
you mean?
Jake: What was that thing?
ancient treasure. I’m bringing
Tony: Well, would
N2: They look out the window and
it to a museum.
you want someone
see an enormous cobra slithering
Tony: Are you kidding me?
digging you out of the ground
across the road. It turns its head
Jake: Nope. It’s stuff from the
thousands of years after you died?
and flicks its tongue at them.
tomb of that Egyptian mummy
Whatever happened to “Rest in
Tony: So, now do you think the
guy, King Tut.
peace”?
mummy’s curse is real?
Tony: Doesn’t that give you
Jake: It’s funny you should say
Jake: I don’t know. Do you?
contest
Write About the Curse
Get this
activity
Online
16
Scholastic Scope • OCTOBER 10, 2011
•
clockwise from top left: Kenneth Garrett/National Geographic Stock Images; Andreas F., Voegelin/Antikenmuseum/The Field Museum; Mike Nelson/EPA/Corbis
have been taken out of his tomb.