âMummy Monday at the museum?â Josh said. He peered over Dinkâs shoulder at the Sunday newspaper. âSo whatâs the next day, Tummy Tuesday?â
It was summer vacation, and Dink, Josh, and Ruth Rose were lying on the lawn behind Dinkâs house. Joshâs dog, Pal, was snoozing under a tree.
Ruth Rose took the paper and read the article quickly. âNo, Josh, the next day is about dinosaurs,â she said. âItâs called Tyrannosaurus Tuesday.â
âThe museum is having programs for kids all week,â Dink explained.
âSo what happens on Wednesday?â Josh asked.
âKids go to the Connecticut River and study plant and animal life,â Ruth Rose said. âItâs called Wet Wednesday.â
Dink took the newspaper back from Ruth Rose. âAnd the next day, you get to make a horror movieâthatâs Thrilling Thursday. The last day is Frog Friday. Each kid gets to study a frog.â
âSo letâs sign up!â Josh said. âHow much does it cost?â
Dink scanned the page. âA dollar for each program,â he said. He looked at Josh and Ruth Rose. âThatâs five dollars for all five days.â
âI donât have five bucks,â Ruth Rose said.
âMe neither,â said Josh. âBut I know how we can earn it.â
âHow?â Dink asked.
âMy dadâs been trying to get the barn cleaned out,â he said. âI bet heâd give us the money if we did it for him.â
âGreat idea!â Dink said.
The kids ran to Joshâs house and spent the rest of Sunday working. Brian and Bradley, Joshâs two little brothers, helped by playing with Pal.
Joshâs dad gave each of the kids seven dollars for their hard work.
After lunch the next day, Dink, Josh, and Ruth Rose got on a bus to Hartford. Fifteen minutes later, the bus dropped them off on Main Street, in front of the Wadsworth Museum.
Across the street was a bank. A digital sign over the bankâs entrance said MONDAY, JULY 10, 82 DEGREES . Then the sign flashed the time: It was nearly two oâclock!
âCome on, guys,â Dink said. âWe only have a few minutes to sign up.â
They ran up the museumâs front steps and through the wide doors. Inside, the museum was air-conditioned and quiet. The floor was made of marble. Tapestries and large paintings covered the white walls.
âWelcome to Mummy Monday,â said a woman standing behind a counter.
Across the lobby, a bunch of other kids and a few grownups were already waiting. Ruth Rose took a map from a rack just inside the door. Then the kids walked over to join the group.
They each gave the woman behind the counter a dollar.
âI wonder where they keep the mummies,â Josh whispered.
At exactly two oâclock, a door behind the counter opened and a tallman walked out. He was wearing a tan jacket and shorts, knee socks, laced boots, and a white helmet.
âIâm Dr. Harris Tweed,â the man said. âToday, I will take you on a journey to ancient Egypt.â
Dr. Tweedâs face, hands, and knees were deeply tanned. Dink wondered how much time he had spent in the Egyptian desert.
âWhoâs ready to follow me into a tomb?â Dr. Tweed asked. He smiled, showing big white teeth that made his tanned face even darker.
âWeâre going in a
tomb?
â Josh muttered. âI think I want my dollar back!â
âShh,â Dink whispered.
Dr. Tweedâs eyes narrowed. âIf youâre afraid of mummies, nowâs the time to speak up.â
âUgh!â a girl with red hair said. âWonât the mummies smell?â
âToday, you will learn precisely why mummies
donât
smell,â said Dr. Tweed. âNow please, follow me to the tomb!â
They walked to an arch at the rear of the lobby. Through the arch was a room with rows of benches facing ablank stone wall. The wall was