Hori's Pyramid Selfie
Hori's Pyramid Selfie
The sun beat down on Hori's face as he squinted at the massive pyramid rising before him. Dust swirled around his bare feet, mixing with the sand that had blown in from the desert. Usually, Hori would be inside the scribe's hut, carefully copying hieroglyphs onto papyrus. But today, adventure called.
He had snuck away from his duties, drawn by the sheer spectacle of the Great Pyramid's construction. The air buzzed with the shouts of laborers, the creak of wooden pulleys, and the thud of stone being dragged into place. Hori imagined his father's reaction if he found him idling. He’d say, “Hori! These are the words of the Pharaoh, they must be copied exactly!”
But Hori was lost in the moment. He pictured his friends back in the village. None of them would believe he was here, witnessing this monumental feat. An idea sparked in his mind.
He stretched out his arm, angling it just so. He imagined he had a magical time-traveling tablet, like the ones from stories he heard in the market. The tablet could capture images of things that had happened. If he had one, he would point it toward himself, with the pyramid looming grandly behind him.
- Hieroglyphs:
- Ancient Egyptian writing that used symbols.
- Scribe:
- A person who copies documents by hand.
- Papyrus:
- Ancient paper made from a plant.
- Reverie:
- A state of dreamy meditation.
- spectacle:
- an impressive, striking, or eye-catching scene or display
- idling:
- wasting time or spending time doing nothing instead of attending to required work
- monumental:
- exceptionally great in scale, size, or importance
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Preview questions from this passageShowHide
- 1Why did Hori sneak away from his scribe duties?
- 2Describe the scene at the Great Pyramid's construction site.
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About this fiction passage for Middle School
“Hori's Pyramid Selfie” is a fiction reading passage about Ancient Egypt, written for Middle School. It takes about 2 minutes to read (307 words) and comes with an interactive quiz and a printable worksheet with comprehension questions and an answer key.