WRITING PROMPT: Scribbled on the back of a bookmark, she read the most interesting thing ... --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Modern technology has its place, but there's nothing like the feeling that you're connecting with old souls and interesting places when walking into a public library. Every book on the shelf is an adventure. It doesn't matter the subject, because it was someone's thought at one time or another, and inspiration for what falls into print is personal. Taking a moment to watch others is a story in and of itself, for you never know where their minds are traveling, or how many people before read the same book, and for what reason. Where is my mind today, what is the driven moment, where do I want to go to connect with time and space of the past. Egyptian culture has always been an interest, so let's see what we can find that might spark an interest. Here's one, an introduction to the language and culture of hieroglyphs. The ancient Egyptian language appeared in writing shortly before 3200 BC and continued to be used until the eleventh century AD. With a lifespan of more than four thousand years, it made it the longest continually attested language in the world until 641 AD when the conquest of Egypt by the Muslims occurred. Arabic eventually became the dominant language and replaced Egyptian, but it is still spoken in the rituals of the Coptic (Egyptian Christian) Church. What I find fascinating is that ancient Egyptians used a world of imagination to depict thoughts and ideas through pictures in order to communicate, and when this is done, it's referred to as an "Ideogram" (idea writing). I have to chuckle a bit because we still do this today (I you ... that should be the heart graphic, but I don't see it anywhere). In contrast, however, the English language uses what's called "Phonograms" (sound writing), almost exclusively, with each letter of our alphabet representing a sound rather than an object. The English language though also uses what is called the "Rebus Principle" where we can actually spell out a message using pictures that represent sounds as opposed to how the ancient Egyptians used pictures in their messages. For instance, when using a photo of an eye, a bee and a leaf, it would become "I believe" rather than what the photos actually represent, which is a method often used in some games. Wait, what is this? Neatly snuggled between pages 9 and 10 there's an oddly-shaped bookmark of Cairo, Egypt but on the back of it there's a note written in hieroglyphics. The only thing I can make out is something about a warehouse on Pier 9 at the Cairo Ship Docks, but the note is dated "Thursday, May 22, 1941, 20:30 hrs" and written in English. The only other thing that I hope I'm wrong about is something to do with an Assassin's Code. This is quite the mystery. I will have to employ some detective work to find out what happened back on this date, but there is something else that has caught my attention as well. Would there be a record of this book ever being signed out of the library, but more important than that, this book was written long after the indicated date on the bookmark, so the plot is thickening. This may take me some time, but I know there's a tale to be told and I have to know what happened. --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- There's an actual story that goes with this Writing Prompt that is rather cool, and it all came together quite by accident when I allowed my mind to wander to places here and there, but it will be posted at MSM ... so that's where the follow-up will be. In the meantime, I will be writing the other 16 Writing Prompts that I listed in my other thread "A New Section at MSM" ... there is much to look forward to.
