I attended a meeting of the Young Egyptian Party today after school. Everyone is wondering how the Americans plan to bring Cleo across the Atlantic Ocean. It seems impossible. But Americans are clever. They must have a plan. There are only three options that we can see:
1.They could slide Cleo onto the deck of a ship. But the weight of the obelisk on even a very large vessel would make it top-heavy and unstable. It would easily capsize in bad weather.
2.They could attach the obelisk to the BOTTOM of a ship with ropes or chains. But then there is the risk of the chains breaking and losing the obelisk. Or it might bump into something under the water.
3.They could put it on a separate boat and TOW it to America. That is what the British did when they took their obelisk. But six of their men drowned in a storm and they nearly lost the obelisk too. And that was just towing it across the Mediterranean Sea. The Americans will have to tow Cleo all the way across the ocean. Much more dangerous.
Whatever option the Americans choose, I believe they will fail. Cleo will most likely sink—like the stone that it is—into the sea. And then NOBODY will own it. It is a fool’s mission.
During our group discussion, I reported what I have observed so far. Then we talked about our plan of action. There was a heated argument about the use of violence. Some members believe the only way to stop the Americans from taking Cleo will be to fight back, with weapons if necessary. One boy suggested it would be smarter to sabotage their efforts—poison their food or something like that. Others said they reject violence entirely, or they are only willing to use it in self-defense.
I am conflicted about this issue. I am not a mouse, and I want to fight back. But I am not an idiot.
Before we adjourned our meeting, a history student at the university stood up. He pointed out that the obelisk did not come from Alexandria originally, so we have no right to claim ownership of it. Many people did not know that Cleo was carved far to the south, in the granite quarries of Aswan. He informed them that the obelisk stood in Heliopolis for many centuries. It was brought to Alexandria by Caesar Augustus when the Roman Empire ruled our land. I knew all these things, because I read.
Another student said we have every right to keep Cleo because Aswan and Heliopolis are parts of Egypt. We didn’t take the obelisk from another country, the way the Americans are doing. Someone else said that didn’t matter because Egypt was not a formal country in ancient times.
These are complicated issues that I don’t fully understand. I do not know if violence is justified. I only know that I am angry. I feel in my heart that it is not right for foreigners to come here and take things that do not belong to them, even if our government has given them permission to do so. But I am not certain the will of our people is to risk their lives to keep Cleo in Alexandria.
NOVEMBER 29, 1879
On my spy mission today I saw teams of divers swimming in the waters near the shore where Cleo stands. I went snooping around to find out what they were up to. I discovered the divers were hired by that Gorringe man.
One of the workers told me the waters around Alexandria are littered with large chunks of ancient temples and Roman ruins that were discarded centuries ago. The Americans are worried that when they remove Cleo, their boat might bump against the debris below the waterline. Some of it even sticks up from the sea. So they are removing it in preparation for taking Cleo away.
We are running out of time.
NOVEMBER 30, 1879
No school today. We held another meeting this morning. The big question is how will this Gorringe man lower Cleo to the ground safely in order to take it away? He cannot simply push it over onto its side. The obelisk would break in two.
Then I learned the answer to that question. When I arrived at my usual spot to spy on the Americans, suspicious activity was going on. A bunch of large carts were on the site. Gorringe and his men were unpacking crates, which were full of iron parts and wood. The Americans are building something.
I watched as Gorringe and the workers put the pieces together. They assembled two identical towers and placed them on either side of Cleo. Gradually, it became obvious that Gorringe is building some kind of device that will be attached to the obelisk and swivel it from the vertical to a horizontal position. A TURNING MACHINE. After the obelisk has been turned on its side, the Americans will lower it to the ground, drag it to the shore, and put it on their boat.
Several of us saw what the Americans are up to, and an emergency meeting of the Young Egyptian Party was called. For many minutes I sat as the leaders complained about the evil Americans. Finally, I stood up.
“The time for talk is over!” I shouted.
All eyes turned to me. Up until that moment I had been quiet during our meetings, letting others take the lead. But I could no longer hold my tongue.
“Any day now,” I said, “the Americans are going to turn the obelisk with the machine they are building. Once they turn it, there will be nothing we can do. It will be too late. We must take action NOW!”
There was silence in the room.
“She is just a girl,” somebody said. “What does she know?”
A few of the others muttered in agreement. But one boy stood up.
“Panya is right,” he said. “We need to stop talking and DO something.”
“We could dump more debris into the harbor,” someone suggested. “It will rip a hole in the Americans’ boat.”
“What do we have to dump?” asked someone else.
“It will be too late by then, anyway,” another man said.
Other suggestions were offered. One man suggested setting fire to the wooden turning mechanism. Somebody else said we should raise money and bribe the workers to stop helping the Americans.
The meeting ended with no firm plan, but there seemed to be agreement among everyone that we need to act, and to do something BEFORE Gorringe turns the obelisk. We are becoming more bold as we become more desperate.
DECEMBER 1, 1879
I told Father I was going to school, but I went to spy on the Americans instead. They are very clever, but I still believe they will fail. Their turning machine looks flimsy to me. Cleo weighs over two hundred TONS. The wooden machine they are building is sure to buckle under that much weight.
Even if they can successfully turn Cleo sideways, it will crack in half. I am sure of that. The weight on either side will be too great for their turning machine. I am afraid that innocent Egyptians will get hurt when the machine collapses. Cleo will fall and possibly land on people.
As the Americans were building their foolish machine, some other members of the Young Egyptian Party joined me to watch and to curse their efforts.
“It is the work of the devil!” I shouted. I could not help myself.
Another member of our group shouted, “It is the work of the devil!” And then another. Soon we were all chanting, “It is the work of the devil! It is the work of the devil!” More people joined in.
The Americans saw and heard us, but they did not stop our protest. From what I understand, free speech is something Americans cherish, so they allowed us to continue chanting. But I have also heard that if anybody tries to take down the American flag from on top of Cleo, they will be shot.
DECEMBER 3, 1879
The turning machine seems to be completed, and the Americans removed the scaffolding around Cleo. Now they could turn it horizontal any time they want.
