Akhom took his new friends through his home. To Mandy and Vinnie, the one-room house seemed quite empty. Then he led them up the stairs to the roof.
The roof was flat and square, just like the house. It had straw mats, a wooden chest and baskets filled with fruits and grains.
"There are more things here on the roof than inside the house," Mandy commented.
"During the hot season, we sleep and eat up here," he explained.
"Why?" asked Vinnie.
"It’s very hot inside the house. On the roof, it’s much cooler," Akhom explained.
"What a lovely house," said Mandy.
Akhom bowed proudly. "My father, brothers, and I made all the bricks ourselves."
"How?" asked Mandy.
Akhom brought over a pan. "In this pan, we mix mud from the Nile River with straw and stones. We shape the mixture into bricks. Then we take them out into the sun to dry."
Akhom held out a basket. "Are you hungry? Would you like some dates?"
"Thank you," Mandy replied. She bit into the dark soft fruit.
"What other foods do you eat?" asked Vinnie, taking another date.
"Mostly bread . . . Oh no!" Akhom cried, looking up at the sun.
"What’s the matter?" asked Mandy.
"I must take lunch to my father and brother." Akhom grabbed a small basket. He filled it with bread, figs, and dates.
"We’ll come with you," said Vinnie.
"We must hurry," gasped Akhom. "My brother has to eat before removing the organs."
Puzzled, Vinnie and Mandy said together, "Organs?"
"They just received a new dead body today," Akhom said, nodding. "Today Tau, my brother, will embalm his first body."
"Embalm?" Vinnie repeated.
"That means preparing a dead body to make it into a mummy," explained Mandy. She had read about this in one of her books.
"Mummies?" Vinnie’s eyes got big. "Cool!" He ran after Akhom. Mandy had no choice but to follow them.
Akhom and Vinnie raced through the village market. Mandy followed, but soon stopped to catch her breath. The outdoor market was crowded. All kinds of things—fruits, vegetables, spices, pottery, wigs, and jewelry—were displayed on mats and stools.
Curious and no longer afraid, Mandy wandered more slowly down the street. She saw a woman trade a cucumber for a small bag of spices. Another man traded a sack of grain for a skinny cow. Smiling, Mandy stopped at a fruit stall.
"What’s this?" Mandy picked up a large red fruit. She had never seen anything like it before. It was bigger than an apple. The skin felt like an orange.
"How many do you want?" The fruit seller barked at Mandy. She was so startled that she dropped the fruit. It rolled down the road. The skinny cow that was being led away stomped on it. Red juice burst everywhere.
"My cow is bleeding! You sold me a sick cow!" the owner yelled at the merchant. The two men started to argue loudly.
"You better pay for my fruit!" the fruit seller shouted at Mandy.
Mandy was in big trouble.