The Ancient Doorway

De: Darlene Zagata

Narrado por: Virtual Voice

The desert keeps its secrets well.

For three months, the Khaemwaset excavation site had yielded nothing but sand, broken pottery, and the slow erosion of academic careers. Dr. Evelyn Reed stood at the edge of the dig, watching the sun paint the dunes in shades of amber and gold, knowing that tomorrow would bring the end of everything she'd worked toward for the past five years.

She had staked her reputation on this place, on the geometric anomalies satellite imaging had detected beneath these particular dunes. Her colleagues had called it a fool's errand—chasing shadows in one of the most inhospitable places on Earth. Perhaps they were right.

The wind whispered across the excavation site, carrying with it the scent of ancient stones and something else, something that made the small hairs on her arms stand on end. In twelve hours, the funding would be gone, the permits expired, and her team scattered to other projects, other dreams.

She didn't know that in twelve hours, she would discover something that would make her question everything she thought she knew about the universe—and wish she had never picked up a trowel.

The desert keeps its secrets well.

But sometimes, the secrets don't want to stay buried.