Far Horizons: Tales of Sci-Fi, Fantasy and Horror. Issue #17 August 2015 | Page 50

was missing in the Congo. Officially the authorities
believed they had stumbled across poachers and met
with foul play although no evidence was discovered to
support the claim. Some workers, employed by Mentz,
when interviewed, said that an ancient evil had been
unleashed after digging in the forgotten tomb of the
once living god. Either way, I wish Mentz was here.
During the x-ray we found mechanical parts within
the stone showing two halves of the rock held together
sealing the skull inside.
“It’s time to open it.” I said.
My assistant brought over an assortment

of tools thin enough to help clean out the years of
ingrained earth that hid the seam running along the
entire circumference of the vessel. Carefully my
assistant and I took turns cleaning. After nearly a
half hour there was a metal on metal grinding within
the stone. At this moment we took a break to calm
ourselves so our hands would be steady for the next
part, one way or another this mask would be opened.
We wore headlamps with high powered LEDs to help
concentrate. The shadow over the horrid face of the
mask in the darkness around us was unsettling. The
first lock seemed to have eroded over time and broke
while the second was only released using two scalpels
and a dental hook.

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