Hieroglyphics
Points of View: April Hall, Melanie Ross
Toby and Ken bring several objects to the storage yard to decorate the "temple", such as rubber insects, a dagger, an animal skull and a stuffed owl. The girls use them to decorate Set's altar. They name the owl Thoth after the bird-headed god of wisdom and writing.
The two boys turn out to be good playmates, and they become good friends of the other four kids. They also finish the hieroglyphic alphabet the girls started to make some months ago, and use it to write secret private messages.
Toby suggests that they should make up Egyptian names and symbols for themselves, and they end up with the following:
- April is Bastet, named after a feline goddess. Her symbol is a cat head with earrings
- Elizabeth is Nefertiti, named after a queen. Her symbol is a heart
- Melanie is Aida, named after the main character in Verdi's opera, a princess captive in Egypt. Her symbol is a bird
- Marshall is Pharaoh Marshamosis. His symbol is the double crown of Egypt
- Toby is Ramose, named after a famous wise man. His symbol is an owl head
- Ken is Horemheb, named after a pharaoh and commander. His symbol is a bloody sword
Some of Ken's and Toby's friends get curious about where the two of them go after school, but Toby and Ken tell the other boys that they work part-time, so the other boys lose interest.