As the night deepened, the museum became as silent as a tomb.

The artifacts that had endured the gaze of countless people during the day regained their silence one by one in the darkness, and I walked slowly through the familiar exhibition halls. Every time the flashlight beam brushed against a glass display case, ancient times shimmered faintly.

Then, I headed to the innermost gallery for the final patrol.

The place where a mummy that had endured thousands of years lay sleeping.

As always, atop the display stand, lay a man wrapped from head to toe in old bandages. As if time itself had settled upon him in layers, he remained without the slightest movement.

But today, something was different.

A single strand of bandage visible through the glass was trailing long onto the floor.

There was no wind.

Nevertheless, the end of the bandage swayed very slowly.

I stopped in my tracks.

And at that moment,

The eyes of the mummy, which had been sleeping as if dead for thousands of years, slowly opened.