Song Title Challenge #12: Walk Like An Egyptian – The Bangles

It’s time for this week’s Song Title Challenge.

Write a short piece of fiction, around 300 words, using the song title as your story title but don’t listen to the song.  You can pick your own genre or use the one suggested to me.  Remember to link back to this post so I can find yours.

If you would like to suggest a song title for a future post, you can do so from the challenge page.  You can also leave a suggestion on the Facebook page.

This week’s song is Walk Like An Egyptian by The Bangles and the genre is Romance.  Thanks to Bumblepuppies for the suggestion.

(I might mention here that when it comes to reading I don’t touch Romance with a ten-foot pole, so feel free to point out the shortcomings of my piece and mock me relentlessly 😉  Also, you’ll notice I didn’t reference the title directly – usually I try to, but it didn’t work this time and I don’t force it.)

Walk Like An Egyptian

There was a puff of dust as the tomb unsealed.  Bryce strained against the beam, his muscles shining in the torchlight, and the door slowly swung outward.

He stood back.  “After you, Doc.”

Susan had already donned a pair of latex gloves and handed a pair to Bryce as she passed him.

“Put these on, please.  I don’t want us damaging anything.”

“This isn’t the first tomb I’ve broken into, Doc.”

She could hear him smirking behind her, but resisted the urge to look back.  She couldn’t believe she had to resort to hiring a treasure hunter to help her find the tomb, but no one need ever know.  What mattered was that she’d found it.  The lost pharaoh was hers and she would never have to beg for a grant again.

She lightly brushed her fingers across the hieroglyphics on the tunnel walls.  No other human had looked on them in three thousand years.  The thought made her heart beat faster.

Suddenly the tunnel opened up.  Susan played her torch around the space and saw the glint of gold.  They were in the first treasure chamber; first of three before they would get to the burial chamber itself.

She became aware of Bryce behind her, standing very close.  She started as his hand brushed up her bare arm.  She spun around.

“Bryce!  I told you to put on the gloves.  If any artefact were to be contaminated…”

Bryce said nothing, but pulled her close to him and pressed his lips to hers.  Susan was so surprised she did nothing at first.  Then she pushed him away.

“What the hell do you think you’re doing?” she said, gasping for breath.

“I’m sorry.  I thought…”

He all but ran back up the entrance tunnel.  Susan watched him go, biting her lip, still tasting him there.  Why did she have to go and react like that?  Stupid.  Stupid!

Copyright © 2013 Herman Kok

11 thoughts on “Song Title Challenge #12: Walk Like An Egyptian – The Bangles”

    1. I try to incorporate the title into the story, but failing that I simply use the title as a source of inspiration. In this case I just couldn’t envision a scenario where I could use the title as is.

      But what do you think? Could I cut it as a romance author?

      Like

      1. I think fantasy and sci-fi is more your speed. Although your piece could probably be found in a romance novel (I don’t read them, so I wouldn’t know), it faded out before any romance took place. So yeah, I could kind of tell that romance writing isn’t your thing.

        “Walk Like an Egyptian” wasn’t chosen to inspire a traditional romance story anyway…

        Like

      2. I am more comfortable with fantasy and SF, yes, but simply because that’s the bulk of what I read so I’m familiar with the conventions. But I think it’s great practice to at least try writing in other genres.

        Like

      4. I saw, thanks. The song, though…it’s so much easier to write something unique if you’re not familiar with the song. Who doesn’t know the one you sent? Writing something original will be the real challenge.

        Like

Comments are closed.