“You guys are naturals,” said Medhi, rushing back and grabbing a sack from the sand.

“We’re not thieves like you,” said Louise as she crept into the darkness. Frankie followed her, with Max at his heels.

“Wait until you see the mummy’s mask!” said Medhi, heading in last. “It’s solid gold and worth a fortune! You’ll soon forget about soccer.”

With only the sunlight from outside trickling into the passage, it was gloomy. But when Frankie’s eyes began to adjust, he made out smooth carved walls and a tunnel leading deep into the pyramid.

“Be careful,” said Louise. “My library book told me that the people who made the pyramids often set booby traps to stop tomb robbers.”

“I don’t like the sound of that,” said Charlie.

“They just say that to scare us off,” said Medhi. “It’s perfectly safe.”

Frankie heard a scurrying sound ahead. “Is that you, Max?” he asked.

“Nope,” said his dog.

“I don’t like the sound of it, either!” whispered Charlie.

“Just relax,” said Medhi. “It’s just scarab beetles, and maybe the odd scorpion.”

“And that’s supposed to make us relax?” said Max. “No wonder you’re following up at the rear.”

Frankie heard a faint click, then …

WHOOSH!

A shape shot through the darkness straight toward Max, who froze. Charlie dove and stretched out an arm. The object rebounded into a wall with a crash. As the dust cleared, Frankie saw it was a stone soccer ball.

“Nobody move!” said Frankie.

No more balls came whizzing through the air. Frankie slowly crouched by Max’s side. “Lift your paws one at a time,” he said. As Max obeyed, Frankie saw a stone button under his left front paw, almost hidden under a coating of sand.

“Our first booby trap,” said Frankie.

“Let’s go back,” said Charlie. “It’s too dangerous.”

As he turned, Medhi blocked his way, raising a pickax threateningly. “I don’t think so,” he said. “We’re going to find that mask or die trying.”

“I knew we shouldn’t have trusted you,” said Louise.

Frankie’s anger swelled, but he tried to keep a clear head. He looked at the stone ball that had almost squished Max. There could have been dozens of them hidden away, ready to shoot out.

“I’ve got an idea!” he said. He reached over and picked up the heavy ball.

Just what I need, he thought.

“Move it!” said the robber.

Frankie faced the empty corridor, then drew back his arm like he was at the bowling alley. He sent the ball rolling straight down the center of the passageway.

Click … click … clickety … click …

As the stone soccer ball bobbled over more hidden switches, stones shot from the walls like cannonballs. Some thumped into the ground, while others rebounded off the walls. Some collided and smashed each other to dust.

Slowly the cloud of debris settled.

“Good thinking!” said Charlie. “You set off all the traps.”

Frankie breathed a sigh of relief. “Let’s go,” he said.

They set off through the rubble, making sure they walked exactly where the ball had rolled.

“So who else is on King Tut’s team?” said Louise. “We only saw him with a girl.”

“That’s his sister, Princess Cleo,” said Medhi. “The captain is King Tut’s dad … the Menacing Mummy.”

“A mummy?” asked Louise. “You mean, like a dead person wrapped in bandages?”

“Careful what you say,” said Medhi. “He’s very proud. King Tut’s dad was a huge soccer fan. He made sure that Tut practiced every day.”

“Who’s the fourth player?” asked Charlie.

Medhi grinned uneasily. “You probably don’t want to know.”

The passage became darker and darker, until soon Frankie could see barely five paces ahead. “At least there are no more flying soccer balls,” muttered Max.

They heard a deep rumble.

“What’s that?” said Medhi.

The rumbling grew louder, like approaching thunder.

“Uh-oh!” said Charlie, looking back.

Frankie glanced back, too. A huge shadow was rolling toward them — a stone soccer ball as big as a car that completely filled the tunnel.

Medhi dropped his pickax and pushed Louise out of the way. He took off down the passage at top speed.

“I don’t think I can save that!” said Charlie.

“Run!” said Frankie.

Frankie sprinted down the passage, barely looking where he was going. The ground shook beneath his feet. One fall and I’ll be a human pancake.

But the passage seemed to go on forever. Frankie checked over his shoulder and saw the ball was picking up speed. He saw Medhi just ahead of the boulder, throwing back panicked glances. Then Frankie stopped.

“Dead end!” he cried.

Frankie spotted dim light at the side of the tunnel. Another passage.

“In there!” Frankie pointed.

Louise skidded to a halt and jumped into the narrow gap. Charlie went after her, then Max. Frankie followed, squeezing his body through.

“Wait for me!” yelled Medhi. But he was too big. He couldn’t fit. The ball kept coming and the robber looked terrified. “Don’t leave me!” he begged.

Frankie grabbed Medhi’s arm. With a tug, he heaved him through the gap just as the crushing boulder rolled past and slammed into the wall ahead. It blocked the passage completely.

“You saved my life!” said Medhi.

Frankie wiped the sweat out of his eyes and took in the chamber around them. It was a square, and a smoldering torch rested in a metal loop above the door they’d come through. The room was completely bare apart from another stone soccer ball in the center. Louise looked around. “We’re trapped!” she said. “There’s no way out.”

Max did the same, sniffing. “She’s right.”

Frankie took the torch from the wall and ran it along the walls, looking for a hidden doorway. Nothing. But as he lifted the torch to the far wall, he saw it wasn’t bare like the others. It was covered in carved symbols in neat columns and rows.

“Hieroglyphs!” said Charlie, proudly. “What do they say?”

Medhi looked at his feet. “I’m afraid I can’t read.”

“There must be a way out,” said Frankie. He touched the wall. It didn’t feel as cold as he expected. “It’s not stone,” he said. He rapped it with his knuckles and heard a hollow sound. “Wood!”

“I’ll get us out,” said Medhi. “Let’s throw the ball at the wall and smash through it. Stand back, everyone!”

“Are you sure this is a good idea?” began Louise.

Medhi picked up the ball, and at the same moment dust showered down from the ceiling.

Then the roof began to inch closer.

“What have you done now?” Max whined. “You’ve set off another trap.”

Medhi hurled the ball at the wooden wall, but it didn’t even make a dent.

The ceiling shifted again, pressing down.

It’s going to crush us! thought Frankie.

Medhi picked up the ball and threw it again with the same effect.

“I think we need a Plan B,” he said.