From Gary, Tucker has borrowed an ankh. His story is full of ancient symbols, whose meaning isn’t immediately obvious. While the ankh means life, the implications thereof aren’t necessarily benevolent... Submitted for the approval of the Midnight Society, he calls this story "The Tale of the Guardian’s Curse."
In a museum basement, builders excavate a walled up chamber, in which they find a huge wooden crate, marked with hieroglyphs.
Widower archaeologist Professor James Dugan, with teenage children Josh and Cleo, in preamble to a skiing holiday, visit the museum. Dr Capel-Smith accosts the Professor with news of a momentous find: an Ancient Egyptian sarcophagus, entombed for years in the museum basement. Josh and Cleo wearily anticipate another holiday to be cancelled.
In the 1921 ransacking of the Egyptian Temple of Light, Mina the Guardian vanished without trace. A purported goddess said to have brought, with her Ring of Eternity, life from the earth every spring, her sarcophagus has just been found in this very museum.
Professor Dugan dislodges the lid of the sarcophagus, and they behold the mummified corpse.
That evening, hard at work in his study, the Professor excitedly tells Cleo and Josh of his recent translations: apparently, in aid of fruitful harvest, blood sacrifice was made to Mina. As well as the Ring of Eternity, the inscriptions mention an elixir of life. Finally, a curse of death and torture is offered all who disturb the peace of the tomb.
The busy Professor requests his children to take his spare key to the museum for the extra photos of the sarcophagus.
In the museum lab, Josh irritably kicks the side of the sarcophagus, and unexpectedly dislodges the lid of a small compartment. Among the bed of string inside, Cleo unearths a silver vial and a golden ring.
On the bottle is an ankh, symbol of life. As they argue who will take the discovery to their dad, the vial is knocked into the open sarcophagus, and spills a trace of clear fluid onto the mummified hand. Alone in the dark lab, the left hand of the long-dead mummy twitches, and slowly lifts…
In the deserted corridor, Cleo realises them to have forgotten the photos.
As Cleo searches the lab’s desk, Josh sees the mummy to have vanished. They stare in astonishment, and run.
Back home, Josh and Cleo find the hallway to have been roughly searched. The study had been ransacked, with papers all over the floor. A note from their dad announces his unexpected visit to the museum.
In the museum lab, their dad is nowhere to be seen. Josh fears mystical vengeance. Cleo tries to rationalise the bizarre affair, but is distracted by a low, laboured breathing. In the far wall, the double doors part. Through the crack peeks a skeletal hand. Josh and Cleo run.
They flee to the basement, in search of the fire exit. Josh notices a nasty smell. Atop a stack of crates lies their dad. He groggily wakes, and climbs down. Just then, Dr Capel-Smith strides into view. Having searched their house for the Ring of Eternity, he followed the Professor to the museum, chloroformed him, and followed his children down here. The crates are soaked in kerosene - which will ignite from one touch of the doctor’s torch. He demands the Ring.
Cleo hesitantly urges them to surrender the ring. Josh cautiously slides it across the floor to Dr Capel-Smith. Wary of their report to the Egyptian authorities, he decides to torch the place after all. Cleo makes a last request: let them see if the Ring works.
Dr Capel-Smith slips the Ring onto his finger. A deep blue glow blooms around him. As the glow turns sickly green, he realises his sudden immobilisation. Within the glow, his clothes and body fade to succession by stone, until, with a despairing groan, his head transforms into a stone, helmeted sculpture of itself.
As he drops the torch, Josh nimbly stops it from igniting a nearby crate. Cleo explains the meaning of the inscriptions that the "ring" brings eternity, while the "elixir" brings life. So that using the ring without using the Elixir first will bring the wearer eternity....by turning them to stone.
Josh belatedly mentions the disappearance of the mummy. Just then, the ancient, animate corpse slowly emerges from behind a stack of crates. Its hoarse, weary voice gasps a prompt. Having been revived by the Elixir, the mummy, Josh realises, requires the restorative effects of the Ring. He approaches, and slips the ring onto her finger.
A blue glow blooms around the mummy, who reverts to her living, exotically garbed form of Mina the Guardian. Professor Dugan slowly approaches the restored Ancient Egyptian, softly echoes her name, and is met with a smile.
As Egyptologist and Egyptian get acquainted, Josh wonders if Mina might enjoy skiing.
As Sam and Gary appraise the story, Tucker slips away through the trees. As Gary runs in pursuit of his ankh, Sam douses the flames.
This episode provides examples of:
- Artifact of Doom: The Ring of Eternity, to the living, grants immortality by turning them to stone.
- Doom as Test Prize: Acquisition of the Ring of Eternity grants immortality - but by turning the wearer to stone.
- Grave Robbing: In 1921, the sarcophagus of the Egyptian Temple of Light was stolen, and is eventually discovered hidden in the basement of a museum.
- Immortality Seeker: Dr Capel-Smith sincerely believes in the supernatural power of the Ring of Eternity, and ruthlessly seeks to claim it.
- Literal Genie: The Ring of Eternity grants immortality by turning the wearer to stone.
- Mummy: Mina, purported goddess of life, is discovered to have been hidden in the basement of the museum. Stored in her sarcophagus are a vial of the Elixir of Life and the Ring of Eternity. While a spilled drop of Elixir animates her corpse, the Ring of Eternity restores her to youth.
- Parental Abandonment: Josh and Cleo’s mother died when they were little.
- Parents in Distress: Professor Dugan, shortly after the house is raided, goes missing. He’s found chloroformed in the museum basement, in a ruthless bid for the Ring by Dr Capel-Smith.
- Red Herring: The viewer is led to believe the mummy trashed the house and is trying to force open the door when Josh and Cleo are in their dad's office. It turns out, the mummy is not the villain...
- Second Love: Implied. Mina and Professor Dugan seem to fall for each other at first sight.
- Seductive Mummy: On her restoration to full life by the Ring of Eternity, Mina and Professor Dugan take an evident liking to each other.
- Shout-Out:
- Tucker addresses Frank as Godzilla.
- A ring which, on promise of immortality, transforms its unscrupulous claimant into a statue, somewhat recalls The Five Doctors.
- Taken for Granite: The fate of those who steal the Ring.
- When You Coming Home, Dad?: Josh and Cleo are sometimes despondent and frustrated by their dad’s absorption in his demanding work.
