Before the Throne

7

HORUS SHOUTED, “Amenemhat the Second!”

Thoth then read aloud, “He followed his father’s policies.”

Summoned by Osiris to speak, Amenemhat II said, “I was thoroughly versed in all of my father’s ways. Finding no better path, I followed them loyally and to the letter.”

“But not to take a step forward is to take two steps backward,” Abnum protested.

“I deepened Egypt’s ties to Nubia,” Amenemhat II rejoined. “And I forged new bonds with the land of Punt, from which we imported incense and perfumes.”

Abnum asked a question of Osiris. “My Lord,” he said, “shall all the Immortals be equal in the Other World?”

“You must learn, Abnum, that you are no longer a revolutionary,” Osiris said dryly. “But there is no harm if I describe Destiny for you. Be aware that my trial sends souls to three different abodes: Paradise, the Inferno, and that which lies between the two, the Place of the Insignificant — for those who are not guilty, and merit neither Hell nor Heaven. In addition, there are distinct ranks in Heaven, among them kings and servants, according to the kind of work each performed in the world.…”

“For this king’s sake,” interrupted Isis, “take into account that the nation was blessed in his age with that which had graced his father’s — safety and prosperity that could not be denied.”

And so Osiris decreed, “Take your seat among the Immortals.”