Stories · Curiosities · Questionable Ideas · Rather a Lot of Imagination · Farah Sam · Author & Creator ·
Great Aunt Ariadne and the Valley Secrets
Deep inside the Valley of the Kings, Aunt Ariadne showed us the creative side of history, while Tilly muddled my straight lines with charcoal.
MAX SPARKLY DIARIES JOURNAL
Max Sparkly
6/13/20261 min read
Max’s Diary-Style Journal Entry
June 13th — The Valley of the Kings We spent the morning deep in the rocky valley with Aunt Ariadne, who is artistic, dreamy, and the absolute youngest of all the Sparkly sisters. She sat on a wooden stool, sketching the ancient tomb entrances with charcoal-stained fingers. I tried to tell her that her geological cross-sections were not mathematically straight, but she only smiled.
"Max, dear," she said gently, "shadows can tell a beautiful story just as well as the brightest light. You must look with your heart, not just your ruler." She then reached into her satchel and gave me a beautiful papyrus scroll painted with a "Brave Brother" symbol, alongside a fresh charcoal stick for my collection.
"Eee, she's right, lad. Life isn't a straight line like a railway track!" Granny Maple called out, sipping her flask of tea.
Tilly immediately began smudging charcoal all over her own face to look like an ancient warrior, giggling wildly. Suddenly she looked at my diary and said, "Max, your lines are so straight because your thoughts are afraid of falling over." I was struck dumb. It was a frightfully sharp, psychological observation that made me look at her with sudden suspicion.
Sir Bark-A-Lot then decided to help by knocking over Aunt Ariadne’s water jar, sending a stream of blue-painted water straight onto my satchel. He then licked her charcoal stick, turning his tongue entirely black.
This is very artistic.
And highly messy.
Crumbs. My notebook is turning into a watercolor painting against my will.
Explorer’s Notes
OFFICIAL LOG: Stratigraphic analysis of the Valley tombs.
Gift Acquired: Papyrus scroll and charcoal stick from Aunt Ariadne.
Dog Status: Tongue currently pitch black. Looks like a queer sort of lizard.