The Janitor’s Closet
by Mia McDonald, age 11
The alarm went off, apparently for the second time that morning. I woke up realizing that I was so late! I’d be tardy for my first day of school. Grabbing my bag with one hand, my books in the other, and a waffle in my mouth, I ran out the door. There is some weird magic about the first day of school. It’s like the whole world is trying to play their part in making you late. When I arrived, the teacher was going over class rules like “be kind,” “don’t touch other peoples’ things,” and stuff like that. “Oh, and one more housekeeping policy,” she said. “The janitor’s closet down the hall to the left is strictly forbidden.”
“Why?” was the first question my friend Alissa asked our teacher. Usually “why” was the first question Alissa asked everyone. “Because” was the answer she was given. Alissa was not pleased with this answer, I could tell, but didn’t speak again until after class.
“Come on, Grace!” Alissa told me. “Please, let’s go!” Alissa already wanted to go into the janitor’s closet.
“Are you kidding?”
“Nope,” said Alissa. “Not even a little bit.”
“Well … I guess a small peek wouldn’t be so bad, as long as we don’t get caught.” And that is exactly where we went. Down the hall to the left, we saw a small closet that looked like it hadn’t been opened since the year the school was built. Its handle was rusted, and I thought it might not even open. But still, there is something very magical about an abandoned closet that is not to be opened.
Finally, I turned the handle. Believe it or not, it opened. As I slowly walked in trying to be aware of my surroundings, Alissa slowly came in behind me, and … BAM! Everything went dark. Alissa had pushed me all the way in and slammed the door shut. I couldn’t see anything.
I tried to call out to her, but I couldn’t see anything and I didn’t want the teachers to hear. I didn’t have the slightest clue on how to get out.
Then I heard something sliding off a shelf, and that was when I had the sudden feeling like I was falling, falling into somewhere different.
When I came to my senses, I realized I couldn’t possibly still be in California. I looked around and saw miles and miles of sand as far as the eye could see. But there also was a great palace, and in the distance, I saw many pyramids. I paced in the sand wondering what to do. If I stayed put, there didn’t seem that good of a chance of anyone finding me. So, I decided to head to the palace.
It seemed a lot closer than it really was. I walked maybe five miles, which is a lot for an eleven-year-old. After that, just when I didn’t know if I could go on anymore, a man in a chariot came towards me. Then I knew this wasn’t California. Who used chariots anymore?!
As the man on the chariot approached, I started to wonder, why was he coming towards me? He got closer and closer, and soon there could be no mistake that the man was headed straight for me. Then he said something in a different language and beckoned me to ride with him.
He took me right to the palace, which if he hadn’t it probably would have taken me a week to get there. Once I was inside, he said one more thing and put his hand up as a halt. So, there I waited until he came back and beckoned me again. This time he took me before who I guess was their king. When I saw him it all made sense. I wasn’t in California; I was in old Egypt! And that was their Pharaoh! We had studied Egypt last year, and it all made sense.
Now that I knew they were Egyptians, it made sense I didn’t understand their language. But I didn’t know any Egyptian customs or religions. And I still didn’t know what they were saying … to me and to each other. I’d never been out of the country and didn’t plan on doing it the first day of school. School! I’d completely forgotten about school! Now I really needed to get home. As soon as I had thought about these things the chariot man and the Pharaoh had finished talking. Then they turned to me. The man from the chariot escorted me to a large room with beautiful art on the walls and gold decorations everywhere. It took me a while to notice the beautiful figure that was sitting in a chair. I determined that it must be the princess, compared to the Pharaoh she was very young.
I didn’t know what they expected me to do in that room, so I stared at the magnificent walls when the beautiful lady addressed me. At least, I think she addressed me. I don’t really know what she said.
Just then, something small came down the river from outside the open window. It was a small basket. The princess saw this and called for one of her maids to get it. Inside was a baby. I didn’t know what to think about this a baby in a basket in a river, and I think her maid felt the same. But she just looked at him adoringly. Suddenly, a little girl not much older than me came and spoke to the princess. The princess responded and the girl left immediately.
Sometime later, the girl returned with a tired woman. She was not old, but she looked with tired eyes and worn hands. The princess handed the baby to the woman and gave her two silver coins and left. I didn’t quite understand this exchange but then again, it was ancient Egypt.
The woman came back a little bit later. She handed the baby back to the princess and left. It was nearly dark, and one of the servants showed me where I could sleep.
The next morning, I woke up early. I really missed my own mattress; straw really wasn’t the most comfortable. I got up and went to explore a little more. It’s not every day you get to walk around in ancient Egypt.
But I really needed to start thinking about how to get home and how long I had been gone. If I did get home, I didn’t know what to do with Alissa. After all, she was the reason I was stuck there in the first place. But I’d determine that later. I needed to get home first.
Just then, I heard a crash similar to when I entered the closet. The world went dark, and I fell again.
Then I heard the familiar voice of Alissa. “Grace, wake up, wake up.”
I was so happy to see her I forgot all about how I was mad at her. “What happened?” I asked her.
“We went in the closet, and this fell on your head.” She held up a metal mop bucket. “I’m sorry,” she said.
“It’s ok, I’m not hurt.”
She helped me up. We ran to our third-period class.
“Where were you two?” my teacher asked. Me and Alissa looked at each other.
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