The Mummy Dream
I return to this hell pit (affectionate) to share a dream I just had that's rapidly spinning into a story idea for a new addition to The Mummy series. I spent hours on this and couldn't focus on anything else until it was out. This would take place years after the 3rd movie. I do not claim anything in this idea to be 100% mythologically or historically accurate.
There's a cold open in 48BC during the burning of the Library of Alexandria. People screaming and crying as the fire spreads. A young woman looks at the fire and mourns the loss of knowledge.
The story starts with Evie at work or a conference about new discoveries. It turns out many translations said to be about Anubis, including their adventures in the second movie, were mistranslated and were actually Set. Evie knowingly pokes at this, hinting at her adventures before being tugged at by the newest addition to the family; her daughter, Holly. She's tired and politely asks to go home, which Evie obliges. I know it's not in fashion to have a calm opening, but we're getting there. At home, Rick is still awake and he greets the two lovingly. lifting his daughter up and down to her uproarious laughter. Kissing Evie softly. The works. They set Holly to bed so the two can discuss matters. Evie explains the new information about Anubis to Rick, which he rejects at first based on their adventures. Evie counters that the tools of translation are getting better. She then goes into how Anubis actually is as a god. Calm but just. How he guides recently departed and weighs their heart (Evie leans forward, touching Rick's chest to demonstrate this). Rick sighs and accepts this and the two go back to light kissing and dancing.
Meanwhile, Holly has a dream of a sandy landscape with a strange sky. She sees Anubis guiding someone. Once the soul is guided, Anubis turns to Holly, to her shock as nothing has interacted with her yet in this dream. His voice is distorted as she is waking but she makes out "Priestess... Danger... the world... sacrifice." Cut to some warehouse where a woman that Evie talked to at the conference enters, demanding an update. I have no idea what to call her, so I'll just call her Debra. Debra's followers meekly say they've located her a suitable power. They perform a ritual, in which the audience hears a familiar monstrous scream from a previous adversary. The sand in the area begins to float around Debra. She falls to her knees as the ritual completes. Debra controls some sand and smiles impishly. She asks how the search goes. They say they believe the new Priestess of Anubis has awakened.
In the morning, Holly is surprised awake by Rick and Evie giving her pancakes and wishing her a happy 10th birthday. The three eat together along with Johnathan, who returned from Peru, annoyed at the discovery of mummies there. Holly's mind is still on the dream. She asks Evie about it. Evie quizzes her about Anubis's process, and she gets every question right. Holly shares Anubis's warning. Rick sighs and puts his face in his hands, suspecting what comes next. He stands up and dryly says he'll contact Ardeth Bay to see if he has any information. Holly raises a brow, thinking Rick and Evie's adventures were just stories. Johnathan remarks on how he wishes they were just stories and that they may have started a new one. Holly sits there stunned. Rick comes back, saying they'll get a response in a few days. He sees Holly upset and swears whatever happens, he's not going to let it interfere with her birthday and asks where she wants to go. After a moment, Holly replies she wants to go to the beach.
Everyone has a good time at the beach until sunset. At sunset, the group hears a scream from a woman nearby. A man washed ashore who had drowned. Natually, a crowd gathers. Without thinking, Holly rushes up to the dead body and gets down on one knee. She quietly prays in ancient Egyptian for Anubis to guide his soul through the Duat. This is before the police pull her and anyone else away from the body. Holly's prayer is noticed by Debra's followers and they blend into the crowd. Evie and Rick ask what just happened, and Holly replies she doesn't know. She felt compelled to do it and her words spilled out. With the mood at the beach soured, everyone decides to head home to finish the birthday.
As they attempt to leave with the crowd, one of Debra's followers snatches Holly. They cover her mouth so she can't scream. After a moment, Rick realizes Holly isn't with them. He calls for her before Johnathan spots her being carried away. Rick bolts after her. Around people, on top of cars before someone tries to shoot at him. It misses and he goes into an elaborate fistfight and calls for someone to get Holly. Evie rushes ahead while Johnathan laments not having his pistol. Though he picks up a rock and throws it at one of Rick's assailants, giving Rick time to counter and knock them down. Meanwhile, Evie catches up to the kidnappers, thanks to Holly constantly wiggling out of their grasp. Just before she was put into a car, she wiggles out and runs behind the approaching Evie. Evie decks the kidnapper into the car, knocking him out instantly with a "No one touches my daughter." for good measure. The driver floors it, leaving their compatriots for the police to clean up. Holly hugs Evie and cheers on Rick as he takes down the last assailant. After a breath, he says they're going home. Now.
As they all pile into the car, the sand on the beach begins to rise. A look of confusion and realization is shared by the adults before Rick pushes Johnathan to drive with Holly in the front seat. As the car drives away Evie and Rick whisper to each other how it could be possible, but Rick dismisses it saying "If it is him, we already killed him twice." before he digs out a couple of hidden pistols, giving one to Evie. The sand wall completes and a feminine face protrudes from it and chases the car throughout the city. Rick instructs Johnathan through many twists and turns. All the while he's looking for minions to shoot, but there are none. Just the wall. Instead, Debra's followers are in various cars trying to lead the car to their hideout instead of escaping. Holly ducks to avoid bullet sprays coming from some of the cars while Evie and Rick fire back, covering each other as the other reloads as needed. Eventually, Rick and Evie deal with all the cars and they instruct Johnathan to go into as many small places as possible. Alleys, tunnels, anything. Eventually, the sand all dissipates from vision, supposedly from all the hits of the tunnels and corners. The O'Connells cheer before they get home.
At home, they find two surprises. One, a package from Alex with a letter saying he's sorry he can't be there for Holly's birthday along with a necklace for Holly from where his current archeological dig is. The second is Ardeth Bay. He was in England when he received the message and decided to come in person. Rick remarks on why he didn't correct them about the Anubis/Set mistranslation. Ardeth remarks that Westerners mistranslate and misname things all the time and he was trying to accommodate them, but he chuckles lightly with the knowledge corrected. He asks why they weren't home and the O'Connells share the experience. Ardeth is also confused and concerned, noting to his knowledge no one has attempted to resurrect Imhotep again. After some back and forth and sharing remarks from the assailants, Ardeth concludes that Holly has awakened as a Priestess of Anubis. He also concludes the ones who chase her might be descended from necromancers of the Post-Late Period in ancient Egypt. Possibly wanting to use her power to summon the dead. Johnathan jokes they may have already done so with Imhotep. Ardeth partially agrees but notes to summon powerful or large swaths of people. The adults agree Holly will stay under house arrest until Ardeth can summon more Medjai to gather information and look for her attempted kidnappers. Evie is prepared to go to her school and claim she's sick.
Days pass. Honestly not fully sure how to handle this part, but I do have these ideas. Holly continues to have dreams of the Duat. And with some guided meditation with another Medjai, they piece together Anubis's full message, "My young priestess. Danger hunts you. They cannot be allowed to bring the dead into the world. They will sacrifice the living.".
This next part was the dream but with more detail. After some time, Debra, using the sand does locate Holly. When she steps outside to stretch her legs, sand soon condenses and grabs her. Rick, Ardeth, Evie, Johnathan, and a couple Medjai give chase, now all loaded with guns. The sand carries her to a set of five cars. They are not able to see which one Holly was stuffed into before they all drive away in different directions. Johnathan managed to shoot the tire of one of them before they drove off. It didn't have Holly, just Debra's followers. The Medjai trade shots with the followers and tell everyone to go ahead. Rick, Ardeth, Evie, and Johnathan all agree to go after separate cars. And since some Medjai had to get to London via car, they all have cars at their disposal. What follows is a sequence where each person tries to follow and stop the cars in their own way. Rick driving and shooting. Evie weaving through traffic and shooting the tires. Ardeth gunning down those inside after getting beside them and observing Holly wasn't there. Johnathan, after failing to shoot them, decides to ram his car into their car. None of them had Holly. Turns out, shortly after the cars were out of sight, Holly was passed on to a sixth car with Debra. Debra greets her saying they will do great things together before driving off to the hideout. The O'Connells all return home and see no one returned with Holly. Rick and Evie are momentarily upset before Rick asks if the Medjai made progress in locating Debra's hideout. They've got it down to a large area, but not pinpointed. Rick notes it's good enough and restocks his guns before he, Evie, Ardeth, and Johnathan all pile into a car and follow the Medjai to the approximate area.
Meanwhile, Debra has Holly chained to a wall while she and her followers prepare their large ritual. Holly asks what they want with her. Debra obliges, prideful that no one could stop her. She seeks knowledge of any kind, but much knowelge was lost since ancient times. From tragedies like the Librabry of Alexandria to someone dying before they could pass on their knowledge. With Holly, they could have all these souls rise from the dead. Holly, remembers Anubis's message saying that there would be a price for this knowledge. Debra notes this is why she came to London. To sacrifice those who have slaughtered and stolen knowledge for themselves. Holly cries, only knowing this would include her family. Debra faux's comfort, saying Holly will realize her true potential because of this before she leaves Holly to complete the preparations. Once complete, Debra drags Holly to the ritual and demands her to read the spell. She tries to refuse, but Debra chokes her with sand. Holly weakly accepts and begins to read the spell.
The O'Connells and Medjai spend a lot of time trying to find the warehouse. They run into security guards for other businesses and eventually Debra's followers. Some of which they chase, some of which they fight. After a few hours, they locate the correct warehouse, but there are many guards. Ardeth directs the Medjai to attack the guards while he sneaks in with Rick, Evie, and Johnathan.
They get inside when Holly is midway through the spell. They split up and Rick calls out for Holly. Holly stops and turns toward Rick and cries out for him in return. Debra summons sand around her and demands she continue. Johnathan took a shot at Debra in a way that wouldn't hit Holly, but it didn't affect her. She turned toward Johnathan, proclaiming she has power beyond their comprehension before sending a sandstorm everywhere other than the ritual area. Rick retorts back they fully comprehend it. Ardeth finally understands that she stole some of Imhotep's powers and notes to Evie that the book Holly is reading from may have a spell to reverse it. Their conversation is interrupted by followers shooting at them through the sandstorm. Rick also deals with his own assailants as he weaves closer to the ritual site while Debra is focused on Johnathan. Johnathan tries to run but Debra taunts him all the while. Rick manages to get close, but when he tries to grab Holly, her feet are bound by the sand. Holly pauses the ritual while Rick tries to rescue her. When this fails, he snatches the necromancy book from Holly and calls out to Debra, "Looking for this?" and books it. Debra focuses the storm on Rick, giving Evie and Ardeth clear shots, and Johnathan manages to run by Holly and snatch her from Debra's sand. Johnathan reunites Holly with Evie before Ardeth notes his plan, but they need the book. They focus on Rick, Evie calling out to him that Holly needs the book. Rick retorts he just got it away from her. Debra notices Holly stopped the spell and pursues her. Ardeth and a few Medjai who came inside distract Debra long enough for Rick to give Holly the book. Rick then gives a kiss to Holly (on the head) and Evie (on the lips) before he joins the distraction. Holly and Evie eventually find the spell and Holly reads it after a few errors, making Debra mortal again. All the sand plummets to the ground as the shots she had just suffered as the spell finished affected her. She falls to the ground dead. Holly once again prays for the newly departed.
Some time passes and everyone returns home. The Medjai are comfortable leaving Holly in Rick and Evie's care now that the necromancers are dealt with. Holly still dreams of the Duat, but for the most part they are passive. In one dream, she hears a distant thank you in Imhotep's voice and does not recognize it. Alex is able to visit and he's regaled about the adventure. The topic soon turns to what Holly will do when she grows up. Holly says she wants to become an Anthropologist. Evie smiles, noting you can't get all the details of history from artifacts alone, you have to speak with the people, which could be a callback to the conference.
END
