♪ Demons come from every side ♪
♪ In the darkness is the light ♪
♪ Out of the shadows of my life ♪
♪ In the darkness is the light ♪
♪ Surrender will win the fight ♪
♪ This girl's walked on fire and ice ♪
♪ But I come out On the other side of paradise ♪
♪ Paradise ♪
Cats were revered in ancient Egypt
as living symbols of a cat-headed goddess
named Bast.
This particular cat was the beloved pet of Princess Meryt.
[Annie] Museums give us a chance to get to know people
who lived thousands of years ago.
[kids] Oh!
When the princess died,
Bast guarded her tomb until the end of her days,
at which time she too was mummified
and placed beside the princess for all eternity.
[children whispering]
Okay. Over here...
[Annie] When we see the tools they used and the clothes they wore,
we can imagine what it must have been like to be them...
Ugh...
[Annie] And that they weren't all that different from us.
[egyptian music playing]
[cracking]
[laughter]
[Annie] In a way,
museums are where the dead speak to us.
[moaning]
[both screaming]
[Annie] Of course, some speak louder than others.
Jack, Jack... corn.
[Carey] Corn bread.
Corn flakes.
Corn on the cob.
-Corn. -[Carey] Corn.
Hello... any signs of life back there?
Well, there's lots of corn out there.
It all looks the same.
-[chuckles] -Actually, Mom, I hate to tell you,
but we aren't exactly where we're supposed to be.
Really?
Well, I think that depends on where you think we're supposed to be.
No, seriously.
We've headed off the main route into St. Louis,
and we're going towards a town called Cairo, Illinois.
-Cairo? -You got it, baby.
Oh, my goodness, Molly. Thank you so much!
What? I don't get it.
I can see getting excited about Cairo, Egypt, but--
Well, we are about to see a little bit of ancient Egypt
right here in the middle of America's heartland.
The road guide doesn't mention anything like that in Cairo.
-Don't tell Jen that. -Who's--
You guys are going to absolutely love Jen.
She's an egyptologist
I met on an archaeological dig with my parents.
[Annie] She rocks.
-Egyptologist? -[Annie] Yeah.
Cool.
When Annie told me about Jen and the museum that she founded in Cairo,
I thought, "Well, we're nearby. Why not?"
Why not?
[engine revs]
-[knocking on door] -[Annie] Jen?
[Carey] Well, looks like the surpriseis on us.
[Annie] Hello?
[knocking]
[woman] Excuse me.
We're closed.
Annie?
Jen!
[Jen] What are you doing here?
[gasps]
Your parents sent me photos of you by email,
but I still had no idea you had grown so beautiful.
And you're taller than me! [gasps]
You must be Molly.
-[Molly] Yes. [Jen] I've heard so much about you.
Uh-oh.
-Nope. All good. -[Molly laughs]
I've heard about you guys, too.
I believe that's where you're supposed to say "uh-oh."
[laughter]
Look, I hope you don't mind us barging in on you like this.
Are you kidding?
This is the best,
the greatest surprise...
But your timing is impeccable.
The museum lost its county funding,
and I'm in the process of selling off the collection.
Oh, my gosh, that's really awful.
Well, you are kind of off the beaten path.
No, no, we were getting plenty of visitors,
mostly school groups...
But then there were reports of strange occurrences.
Shadows and noises and kids getting scared.
You'd think they'd pay extra for the entertainment. [laughs]
Yeah.
Well, I had to let the staff go,
and I'm here removing the displays by myself.
Well, how about giving us the last, best tour this museum's ever had?
[sighs] All right, most of the artifacts are already packed away,
-but you know what? I'd love to, so... -Yes!
-[Molly] Great. -[Jen] Come on.
This is beautiful.
Yeah... I designed and assembled every bit of it myself.
It's just so cool when someone from my old life
can meet the people from my new life.
It's all the same life, kiddo,
and we fellow travelers are never very far apart.
Not in here.
All right, all right, enough mush. Let's see some dead stuff.
[all] Yeah!
This one was used for the funeral ceremonies
in the fifth and sixth dynasties.
Oh, that's the Eye of Horus.
Very good.
Ancient Egypt was by far the coolest part of high school history.
[chuckles]
What are these?
These are replicas of a tool
thought to be used during the mummification process.
Used how?
Well, it was inserted up through the deceased's nose
to help extract their brains.
-I'm so glad I asked. -[chuckles]
-[grunts] -[laughter]
[eerie music playing]
Jen?
Jack?
Where'd you guys go?
All of my favorite pieces were in this room.
[Jen] It breaks my heart to see it so empty.
Yeah... it's really sad.
But your artifacts will live on.
What do you mean?
Through the eyes of new museum-goers.
Oh, sure...
Just scattered across the country.
Thanks.
[wind swirling]
[eerie moan]
Jack, what if we live again and again?
I could have been an ancient Egyptian king in a past life.
Ah, but what if you were a peasant?
Like a pyramid builder.
Pushing big, heavy stones up ramps?
I was a king.
[scoffs]
[Annie] Come on, guys.
If you're trying to scare me, I just want to let you know it's working.
[gong]
[man] Oh, Amon-ra.
-Oh, God of Gods. -[snake hissing]
Death is but the doorway to a new life...
We live today.
We shall live again.
-[Annie gasps] -[man] In many forms shall we return.
-[meowing] -Oh, Mighty One...
[Annie] Meow.
Meow. Come on, kitty, kitty.
Meow.
Here, kitty.
Here, kitty, come on.
Kitty?
-Kitty? -[meowing]
Here. Come on. Come here, kitty.
[door opens]
Annie, how on earth did you end up in here?
I turned around and you were gone,
and then I followed Jen's cat.
My what?
Your cat...
The one with the big red jewel thing hanging off its collar.
It chased a mouse in here, and now it's gone.
Wait. First of all,
if I had a big red jewel, I wouldn't give it to a cat.
[laughs]
Second, I don't have a cat.
-But-- -[stutters]
In a way, I do, but it's...
A mummy.
[Jack] The feline, Bast, was the beloved pet of Princess Meryt.
Oh, I've heard about this.
Ancient Egyptians used to have their pets buried with them.
They fully expected to be reunited with them in their afterlife.
Hey, what if the pet wasn't ready to be buried
when the owner was?
I think that's one of those questions you'd be happier not asking.
Yeah.
Oh, gosh...
-Sorry, sorry. -[Jack exhales]
Jen, there's not actually a dead cat in there, is there?
-You want to see? -[Carey] Uh-huh, uh-huh.
No, thanks.
Come on, Jack, I think we should.
Bast here is one of the few preserved bodies still left on display.
[Jen] I haven't been able to sell her yet.
Oh, poor thing.
Oh, no, no, I wouldn't say that.
Cats were highly revered in this one's day.
Alive, it was treated like royalty, and when it died,
its owners shaved their eyebrows as a sign of mourning.
Looks like they fed it pretty well.
[Jen] Mm-hmm. It was a custom to put food in with a beloved pet.
-Mmm -[Jen] Put...
Is that milk?
That is disgusting.
[Carey chuckles] It's fresh milk.
For a 3,000-year-old cat?
[sighs] Probably just some local kids playing pranks.
It's-- With the staff gone, it's hard to keep an eye on things.
This is the sort of thing that got me closed down.
Meow, meow. Come on, kitty, kitty.
Meow.
I swear I saw a cat run in here after a mouse.
If there were a cat around, believe me, I would know,
because I would be snee...
[gasping]
[sneezes]
I would be sneezing.
Among the many gifts I've been blessed with
is a late-onset allergy to cats.
I knew it.
Here, kitty, kitty... Come on, here. Meow.
[meowing]
[exhales]
[Annie] There you are. Come here.
There you are.
How'd you get back there?
[Annie] See, what did I tell you? Jeweled collar and everything.
Wow, that is some collar for a cat.
Please, can I keep her just one night while we're here?
She can sleep in my room.
And I may not get another chance like this, so please?
[smack]
-[meowing] -Okay, fine...
-Yes! -But just for tonight,
and please keep him away from me.
-Okay. -No, no.
[gasping]
[sneezes] Oh...
[rumbling]
[creaking]
[birds chirping]
[meowing]
[Annie] What's the matter, kitty? Did you hear something?
[meowing]
Okay. Shh.
It's okay.
[Annie] What's this?
[meowing]
Morning.
Morning, kiddo. You sleep okay?
Not really.
Can I show you something?
[Jen] Yeah.
This is genuine, and from one of my mummies.
Where'd you get this?
Well, something was moving around outside the bus,
and I found this cloth in the window.
Sorry-- Sorry I snapped.
It's just those local pranksters don't give up, you know?
Maybe we should go check out the storage room.
The windows are all locked.
Does anyone else have a key to the door?
[scoffs] Were you always this inquisitive when you were back in Egypt?
Probably.
[thump]
[hammering]
What's wrong?
Nothing.
[Annie sighs]
-[eerie music playing] -[rattling]
[Molly] Ooh, "Painting of Princess Meryt and her beloved cat, Bast."
All hail...
Princess Meryt.
Oh, um... I was just...
[snaps hands]
Pretending I was an Egyptian princess.
-Well, the look suits you. -[Molly] Thank you.
Hey, wait a second.
Do you see what I see?
I see someone who isn't allergic to their cat.
[Annie] No, I mean it.
It's the collar on that cat, Bast.
It's just like the one I found on the cat here in the museum.
[Molly] You're right. It is pretty similar.
No, that's not similar. That's identical.
Well, honey, they probably sell the cat's jewel as a souvenir
in the museum's gift shop.
[Annie] I don't know.
That's just a little too weird.
Well, why don't we ask Jen?
[Molly] We'll find her.
[swishing]
[Annie] Okay, let's find out what this means.
[beeping]
-[beeps] -[knock on door]
Suppertime. Let's go.
-Yeah, just...in a sec. -[beeping]
Jen got chinese take-out, Annie.
Come on, we don't wanna be rude.
Well, just go ahead. I'll be there in like two minutes.
-Promise. -[Jack] Okay.
Your loss is my chow mein.
Ooh, that was bad.
[Annie] Come on...
-[meowing] -[computer beeps]
[Annie] Yes!
"They that would separate us...
will suffer for eternity."
You belong to Princess Meryt, don't you?
You're Bast.
Here's to new friends and surprise visits.
[all] New friends and surprise visits.
[laughs]
[rattling]
Annie, is that you?
Not a chance. Annie said two minutes.
That's, like, half an hour in Annie time.
Well, if that wasn't Annie I heard, then who was it?
[Jack] Everything else here is dead.
Well, now, Jack, there's dead,
and then there's dead.
Come on, Carey. We're eating.
Would you stop it with that lame voice?
Ancient Egyptians believed that a person's spirit double,
called Ka,
would leave their tomb
and roam in search of loved ones or food.
[clears throat]
Well, then, maybe one of them would like an egg roll.
[laughter]
[whispers] Yes, please...
All right, that's it. En garde.
Touche.
[rattling]
[clank]
[door rattles]
[grunts]
-[Annie] Great. It's locked. -[meowing]
Ouch, ouch!
Ow! Wait, kitty!
Here, kitty.
Come on, kitty.
I'm cursed.
You know,
I'm actually getting a little bit worried about Annie.
[Jen] Oh, no! It's my fault.
The door automatically locks when it closes.
She could be locked out.
[Jack] Um, we'll go find her.
Okay.
Mmm, save me a fortune cookie.
[crickets chirping]
[eerie music playing]
Here, kitty, kitty.
Here, Bast.
Boy, I thought this place was scary with all the lights on.
Did you know cats could see in the dark?
Then perhaps we should ask the mummy cat where Annie lies.
Oh, mummy?
Hey, don't touch that. Maybe you shouldn't do that, man.
[screams]
All right, what did you do with it?
Oh, you mean the 3,000-year-old cat wrapped in 20 pounds of bandages?
What do you mean, what did I do with it?
Well, it didn't just get up and walk away on its own.
Well, I know it didn't.
It couldn't...
Could it?
No, no.
Okay, okay...
Jen must have packed it away in storage already.
Probably while we were washing up for dinner.
Wait. Why would Jen pack away a mummy without its sarcophagus?
Well, unless you have a better explanation...
-She packed it away. -She packed it away.
[laughs] 'Course she did.
[crashing]
Hello?
Is anybody home?
Is anybody living?
Kitty?
[floor squeaks]
Hello?
[eerie music playing]
[swishing]
[screaming]
[Annie] Oh...
-Oh, oh, God. -Oh, my God.
Annie, it's okay.
Honey, it's just us.
Annie...
Annie, you have to tell me what's going on.
Look, kiddo, I love you with all of my heart,
but you are making me crazy with all of this wandering off
and chasing cats and weird scraps of linen...
Come on, Jen.
It's not just me, and you know it.
Okay, what's going on, you two?
Tell us about Bast.
Bast was Princess Meryt's cat.
[sighs]
They were inseparable.
Until now.
You're splitting them up.
What could I do, Annie?
There was no place that needed them both.
I just figured I could keep Bast
and a few of the smaller artifacts that were left
until another situation presented itself.
But you knew about the curse.
Curse? What curse?
In the hieroglyph,
it promises eternal suffering for anyone that separates Meryt and Bast.
Look, if I believed every curse there was,
I never would have succeeded as an archaeologist.
[Annie] There he is.
-Annie, wait! -[Annie] I'll show you.
There she goes again.
[door squeaks]
[meowing]
[moaning and growling]
Okay... It's not what it looks like.
[Annie] I...I was just trying to help you two.
I'm trying to help you stay together. I really am.
[Annie screams]
-[gasps] -[Molly] Annie.
Honey, it's okay. I've got you.
-[exhales] -Annie?
I'm okay.
I'm fine... I think.
I'm okay.
Honey, can you tell us what happened?
Well, I was hoping you could tell me.
What was the last thing you remember, Annie?
It was... the mummy, Meryt.
She was standing over me with Bast.
She was so angry.
Are you sure you're okay?
Did you maybe hit your head on something?
What? I'm fine, okay?
You asked me what I remembered, and I'm telling you.
Annie, honey, Meryt's mummy is in here. It's packed in this crate.
I want people to have vivid images of Egypt's past,
but mummies, human or feline,
do not get up out of their coffins
and walk around threatening young girls.
Okay, well, if that's true,
can you tell me why the nails were on the floor
instead of in the wood?
[tinkling]
Help me open this crate.
The painting on the sarcophagus is different.
In what way?
Bast is with Meryt. The princess and her cat are together.
This isn't right.
They died separately and had separate coffins.
You saw the cat's coffin.
This indicates that they're both in here.
There's only one way to find out.
No, no, no.
We don't need to know.
Yes, we do.
They'll never be separated again.
They're safe now.
Thank you.
[purring]
So...
Everything turned out okay, didn't it?
[Annie] Bast was one pretty determined cat...
Kind of like you.
[Annie] You're always with me, aren't you?
You're mine.
[engine revs]