After sundown, when the evening meal was over, the family gathered as usual on the rooftop terrace of their home. The air was cooling, the two youngest daughters set out lights and an elderly male servant adjusted a panoply to shield them from any chill winds which might descend from the western mountain range.
The waters of the river glittered, reflecting the many lights which were turned on along the stretch of river bank occupied by the homes of Hut-Sekhem. MeritNit sighed, content for the moment to sit with her family but soon her thoughts turned back to her resolve of telling them about the last months´ happenings around the temple precinct. She looked at her father, clean features though sometimes shaded with a streak of worry out of his dark eyes . His well-shaven pate glimmered faintly in the light of the lamps as he sat relaxedly sipping a beaker of wine, grown on his own land.

How can I tell them that there are those in their revered priesthood not as virtuous as they have always believed?

MeritNit thought about the incident some months ago, when she had been waylaid in the dark corridor behind the main temple halls. As she had passed through it, on her way to the offerings store room, a dark shadow had emerged out seemingly from nowhere, grasping with a strong hand around her wrists, making
her stop in her tracks.

"Shhh!"

She felt a hissing voice close to her ear as she was being pulled into an adjoining small chamber. It was pitch dark and at first she could only feel that her attacker was a big man, much stronger than herself. She was kept in a tight grip and the voice continued:

"Listen carefully: Tonight when you leave the premises you are to go to the second pillar on the western side of the outer courtyard. Behind it there´s a basket. Pick it up and bring it through the main gates. Then leave it by the tax collector Tjebi´s house."

MeritNit managed to wring herself free enough to squeak:

"What... why are you doing this! Who are you?!"

"Never you mind!" the voice hissed again and she thought it was familiar. "Just do as you´re told and nothing´s gonna happen to you."

She fought to get out of the man´s grip, this was disgusting and scary and she could not understand what was happening. The cold stone behind her back scraped against her skin under the thin tunic and the odour from the man´s sweat made her want to choke. Suddenly she felt very angry.

"How dare you do this! I´m going to tell on you, I will go directly to the high priest and say that you are unduly attacking -"

A hard hand clamped down on her mouth. Again the voice sounded close to her ear, it chuckled coldly:

"What are you going to tell Iirwy? That you were caught in a compromising situation inside the temple? Close to the Sacred Shrine?"

And to seal this unsavoury fact, his hand began roaming along her body. With a frantic effort she pulled his hand away, his other one still not letting go of its grip around her.

"You don´t want to risk missing your waeb traing, do you?"

She could only moan in fear and rage. So this man, whoever he was, knew that she wanted to be accepted for that? He must be someone with connections inside the temple...

"Remember - the second pillar, bring the basket to Tjebi´s house. Just put it
down by the corner and leave quickly!"

With that she was pushed out into the corridor again. She didn´t remember how she had gotten away from the place, but she had done as told; found the basket and brought it to Tjebi´s house without any trouble. It had been closed tight and there was no way of telling what was inside. Something heavy, she could tell. No one seemed to notice her as she wandered off, a girl among many, with a basket in one hand. It could contain her part of the daily offerings and didn´t look suspicious at all. If her eyes were a bit more wary than normal, it might just have been that the hour was late as she left the temple precinct.

MeritNit shuddered at the memory. That time was only the first one of several which she had acted a messenger for a purpose she didn´t know, nor for whom it was. She was always to either pick up a basket somewhere and leave it at a given spot in town or to leave a door ajar inside the temple as she passed in and out of the different buildings on her errands. But she never met the man again, instead little notes on ostraca came her way, or small pieces of papyrus with scribbled instructions were found among her clothes by the pool where the temple staff made their ablutions. And never could she find out who it was, no matter how well she tried to keep alert.

Why had she agreed to do it? Was she really afraid of someone who didn´t dare to show himself? Why didn´t she go straight to the Overseer of the Temple Dancers? Was it the prospect of the shame and disgrace which would fall on her if she was blamed of having been found in a 'compromising situation' as that man had theatened her with? That indeed could make her lose the chance to waeb priest training. For how could she prove her case? So fear had kept her submitting, hoping that this was only temporary, that those ostraca shards and papyrus strips would stop to sneak their way into her life.

Here and now, with her parents and sisters surrounding her, it all seemed so unreal, almost as if it had not happened at all. But during these weeks it had eaten up her joy of life, she had become moody and those who knew her had noticed. It could not go on, she just could not let it go on. Truly - she would be safe if she confided to her father. Himself a hem-netjer, he would certainly know what to do to set things right again.

"Father," MeritNit said and pulled her chair closer to his. "I have something I want to tell you. It´s a strange story..."