The Egypt Game

The day after Marshall poses his question, Toby confesses to April and Melanie about tampering with the oracle. He says that he left the first two replies but doesn’t know what to tell Marshall about Security’s whereabouts. The girls propose that April should act as the oracle that afternoon and tell Marshall that Security has taken a journey to visit relatives but will return in a few days. That would give everyone more time to search for the octopus and allow Marshall time to accept the idea that his toy might not be coming back.

During the ceremony, everything goes as planned until April turns over the paper containing Marshall’s question. It reads: “Look under the throne of Set” (173). When the children search as directed, they find Marshall’s octopus. As Marshall enjoys his reunion with his favorite toy, the older Egyptians realize that none of them left the answer. The game has suddenly taken an eerie turn into the seemingly supernatural.

In the days that follow, the children continue to puzzle over the mystery of the oracle’s message and where it came from. They also spend an equal amount of time contemplating the murderer still at large in the neighborhood.