Chapter 2
The village that Zemti, Tejibi, their co-workers and families are lucky enough to inhabit is relatively small which enables them to be more or less self-sufficient. The village, bestowed by Pharaoh on this fortunate, gifted group, is on the outskirts of what the locals called The Valley of the Kings, on the West bank of The Nile – the lifeblood of ancient Egypt. The Valley of the Kings is the last resting place of the physical remains of all the Kings of Egypt as far back as anyone can remember. The last Pharaoh’s father had decided to house a village of skilled, dedicated and above all trustworthy artisans to permanently cater for the final journey of the man/god, who rules his earthly subjects, towards spiritual fulfillment and all that malarkey. This village is situated close to the site of permanent construction. The experiment, continued by the present Pharaoh, is still relatively in its early stages. The village itself houses 82 of pharaoh’s finest artisans and their families. 30 ancillary staff feed, clean and care for them. There are 3 guards to keep the peace. The guards are little H, H and big H. Son, father and grandfather who have had the prestige of having kept law and order in the village for literally generations. This particular family is unique. There has always been a H in the job and there always will be.
Nobody could say that dragging water from the well every day for temperamental types, who clearly think they’re superior to ‘ordinary folk’, was easy. Cooking for a mob of ungrateful, always hungry moaners every day couldn’t be said to be an envious career opportunity. Washing their smalls every day even less so. But it had to be done. The small army of workers who, if not seeing it as an honor to care for them - the artists of Pharaoh’s afterlife - do it because the pay and conditions could be a lot worse and one day off in 10 isn’t bad. All these workers of course know of other jobs a little less envious and a little more taxing that could have been their lot. The scribes, draughtsmen, sculptors, wood-carvers, plasterers, painters, masons and stucco-carvers, to name but a few, worked on royal sites throughout the kingdom. Mostly though, the majority are charged with bringing to life Pharaoh’s last resting place.
Zemti being the chargehand, for want of a better term, has a job description that gives him the responsibility of supervising all the work that needed to take place regarding the building of royal monuments, royal buildings and royal artifacts. His home is in the center of the village which he shares with his wife, twin sons, 2 daughters and dog. Tejibi is his deputy and best friend who lives opposite him. Even though this chosen village has a far easier life than the majority of Pharaoh’s other subjects, they just can’t help but abuse their privileges and the trust placed in them.
