"Okay! Now, this should do the trick!" said Professor Omkar. "Ram, bring me the hammer!"

"Okay, sir." Ram, as afraid as a mouse, carried on helping Professor Omkar with his all-new invention.

It was a bright summer's morning in Mohenjo- Daro. The temperature was above 30 degrees Celsius and the Great Baths were packed. There was a lively buzz in the market place and a stocky market woman said: "Gee, I do wonder what Professor Omkar's all-new invention is! Look, Laxmi, it's all over the papers!"

At the laboratory, Professor Omkar had just finished making his all-new invention. "Ram, the time machine is ready!"

"Very good, sir."

"Ram, just let in the reporter from the Indus Times, so that he can interview me about my time machine."

"Okay, sir."

When the interview was over, Ram and Professor Omkar stepped into the time machine. And they were off to Egypt!

But danger awaited them in the time machine.

***

"Okay, Ram. When I tell you to press the red button, you will press the red button with the 'Stop' sign on it, and not the red button with the 'Land' sign on it. Clear?"

"Yes, sir."

"Good."

But Ram was not clear about the 'Stop' and 'Land' signs at all.

"Ram, press the red button," said Professor Omkar.

"Okay, sir."

Ram pressed a red button. But it was the one with the 'Land' sign on it. Oh, dear. The time machine immediately started to fall through time.

"Ram, now look at what you have done!"

"Ssssory, sssory, s-s-s-sir!"

Then with a crash and a bang the time machine fell on the dry desert of Egypt. At least it had not fallen on Mohenjo-Daro. Had it fallen in Mohenjo-Daro, the time machine would have been a failure because it would have returned to where it had taken off from. Here, despite Ram's mistake, it had travelled through time.

A kind scholar walking along the bank of the Nile saw them, came to them, and said: "Hello, gentlemen. Is there any way in which I can help you?"

"Hi, my name is Professor Omkar. And this is Ram, my assistant. Yes, there is a way in which you can help us. If you could find us a place to stay overnight and some food and water, it would be very kind of you."

"Yes, you can come to my home. My wife will cook you a hot meal. And we have two extra beds for you to sleep in. What about that big box of yours?" asked the scholar.

"It is no box, kind gentleman…"

"My name is Amun Rast. Please don't call me kind gentleman."

"Yes, as I was saying," continued Professor Omkar, " it is no box, Mr Rast. It is a time machine that travels through time!"

"A time machine, eh? Never heard of it," Rast said.

***

Soon after arriving at Mr Rast's home and eating lunch, Professor Omkar and Ram set off to explore Egypt. First, they saw the mummies being mummified. Then they saw the hieroglyphics. Last, but not the least, they saw the pyramids.

After their long tour of Egypt, they went back to Mr Rast's home. They had collected some souveneirs to show to the people of Mohenjo-Daro that their trip had been successful and that they had truly travelled through time. They were so tired that they went straight to bed.

The next morning, Professor Omkar and Ram ate breakfast and went back to Mohenjo-Daro in the time machine. This time, Ram made no mistake with the buttons that said 'Stop' and 'Land'.

Yippee!

Everyone in Mohenjo-Daro congratulated Professor Omkar and Ram when they arrived. They were very thrilled.

"Least that's a successful invention," Professor Omkar smiled.

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