Iseis stood back and surveyed his handiwork. It had taken longer than he had originally thought but now, outlined against the pink sunset, he felt satisfied it had been worth it. The magnificent structure towered over him. The sun was almost over the horizon now, taking with it the heat of the day but Iseis could still feel the warmth radiating from the stone monster in front of him. He settled down on the cool sand and, listening to the gurgle of the Nile behind him, lay back. The chisel dropped from his blistered fingers. Its blade was worn down to just a nub, barely the width of his finger.

Above him the stars began to come out.

The block of stone had been the biggest yet, he remembered. It had frightened him when he first saw it, a huge, solid, square slab, almost the size of a mountain, but he knew he was the greatest stone mason in the kingdom, if anyone would be able to do the pharaoh justice it was him.

He had started to carve.

He had started from the top, just like always, creating the point that would face the heavens. This was the most difficult bit. It had to be central, with the four sides exactly the same. Otherwise, when you were finished, the structure would look as if it was leaning at an angle. This time Iseis had got it right.

After the point, you had to work your way down the sides. These had to be carved in stages, to make it look as if they were steps leading to the top. By carving vertical grooves, Iseis managed to create the impression the whole thing was constructed from lots of stone blocks, all piled on top of each other.

He had taken particular care with the corners. He wanted each of the four faces to be perfectly triangular and the only way to do that was to get straight edges. Now, in the last of the fading light, he felt proud.

His eyelids felt heavy and turning onto his side, he let the babble of the river lull him to sleep. He had another long day tomorrow. The pharaoh had, before he died, described in detail how he wanted the interior of the tomb to be laid out. It would take Iseis time to hollow it out.

In the final fleeting moments before sleep, he wondered briefly how long it would stand beside the river and what people in future years would think. He hoped his efforts with the chisel would be remembered.