Mongoose on the Loose

"Safiya! Safiya!"
Safiya jumped as she heard her older brother call her name. Tjety sounded mad. Safiya ran upstairs to the roof where Tjety was practicing his writing lessons under the Sunshade.
"Whats wrong?" asked Safiya.
"That wild animal you call a pet just ran right over my papyrus. His nasty little footprints go from one side to the other!" yelled Tjety.
Safiya looked at the footprints on the papyrus and tried hard not to laugh out loud.
""I'm sorry, Tjety. I'll find Mehi and make sure he doesn't bother you again."
Tjety tried to rub the footprints off of his carefully painted hieroglyphics but it was useless. He looked at his sister with anger.
"You better keep Mehi away from me. I dont understand why mother and father let you keep that ugly thing as a pet."
Safiya was mad; she didnt think that her pet mongoose was ugly at all. She thought he was lovely with thick, gray fur and brown dots. On his short legs he had feet with five claws that looked almost like fingers. His face was the cutest part. His pointy nose, small round ears and rings of pink skin around each of his dark, shiny eyes gave him plenty of personality.
Safiya laughed to herself as she thought about the footprints across her brother's writing. She knew she shouldn't laugh but she could not help herself. It wasn't nice of Mehi to ruin Tjety's papyrus but he should not be so serious all the time. He thinks he is grown up because he is twelve and studying to become a scribe like their father. Safiya wished that she could study to be a Scribe, but only boys can be Scribes.
Mehi was not on the roof so Safiya went outside into the walled garden. Sometimes Mehi looks for rats and mice in the garden. Mehi is a very good hunter, better than a cat. A cat could not kill a cobra snake! Cats are not fast enough and their fur is not thick enough to protect them from the bite of a cobra. Safiya knew that Mehi had once killed a cobra. Her mother found a dead cobra in front of their house one morning. Her mother knew Mehi had killed the cobra because he was still standing over it, proud of the good job he had done.
Down in the garden it was very hot and still. Safiya did not see Mehi. Maybe Mehi went down to the Nile river to find crocodile eggs. Mehi loved to eat crocodile eggs. It was starting to get dark and Safiya did not want to go down to the river now. She knew Mehi would be fine but she still hoped that he would come home soon. She walked back into her familys white, mud brick house. Their house and most homes were white to reflect the heat and strong rays of the sun. Soon they would eat their evening meal. Later, up on the roof where it would be cool, maybe her father would tell them stories about the Pharaohs.
The next day Mehi was still missing. Safiya worried about Mehi. Maybe he was hurt. Tjety told her not to worry but he didnt really care about Mehi. After lunch Safiya listened to Tjety and his friend play in the garden. She missed Mehi and didnt feel like playing with them. Suddenly she heard her brother scream. Safiya ran to the garden. Tjety and his friend were standing over a dead cobra and there next to it was Mehi! Safiya picked up Mehi and gave him a big hug.
"What happened?" she asked her brother.
"I ran over to get our ball. It rolled under this bush. Just as I reached for the ball, I saw the cobra. Then, Mehi ran out of nowhere and killed it!"
Safiya just smiled. She looked at Mehi and then at her brother.
"So, do you still think Mehi is an ugly wild animal?" asked Safiya.
"No, he saved my life and ... ...I think he's the most beautiful little fellow Ive ever seen!" replied Tjety.