Week 5 Story: Sibling Rivalry

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Osiris was a great and wise king. He was rich in wealth and treasure so much so that he had followers and family members alike that wished him ill. One person in particular that disliked him was his little brother Set. Osiris was the reason for a lot of unrest in Set. His brother was jealous of his fortune. His brother wanted his throne. His brother wanted his fame and recognition. There was not much in Osiris' life that Set did not feel overshadowed by. Set's jealousy towards Osiris was consistent with that of being the younger child--an experience rooted in having to see his sibling as older, bigger, and better than him. Set, however, did not let that fuel for anger blind him. He bided his time patiently and looked for opportunities to undo the mighty Osiris.

Osiris one day had returned from a successful raid, full of pride and joy. Osiris' happiness and success meant unhappiness and complacency on Set's part. So naturally, Set recognized this and wanted to knock his brother down a peg. As was the usual custom, Osiris had a city-wide party arranged for his welcome. Set, up to his usual antics, decided to put on a magic show. His show revolved around a disappearing act that would result in Osiris being trapped in the contraption. He could play it off as an accident, and although people would mourn for Osiris for a while, Set would be the one in power.  Little did he know, Osiris had his own plan set in stone. He knew what kinds of things his brother was capable of and how his envy drove his personality. For this reason, Osiris decided to go along with Set's plan--but instead of actually being trapped in the instrument and being impaled by its hidden blade, he developed his own plan to fake his death. Osiris was able to get a mannequin made specifically to his body, including all the features he possessed. When it came time for the disappearing act, Osiris came forward on stage and did everything Set had planned, while also pretending as if he had no idea what Set was up to. After Osiris stepped foot into the instrument that Set had planned to kill him with, Set closed the instrument and began waving his hands to keep the audience engaged. While in the box, Osiris only had about 20 seconds to quickly open the secret compartment in which he had hidden the mannequin in and switch spots with it. He was successful in doing so. He clicked the secret compartment shut as soon as Set opened the actual compartment to show the mannequin stuck inside the contraption with the blade that impaled it. The audience immediately gasped, then began shouting, running around, and crying profusely for their beloved king, as they believed that Osiris had been killed in a magic show accident. Set tried to control his happiness and put on a grave face until he was able to get out of sight behind stage and jump for joy. He thought he had successfully killed his brother and that all the fame, gifts, and praise that was once Osiris's would now be his. 

It had been a few months since the magic show incident, and Set was now in power. The people were still grieving for their lost king, with no idea that he had actually escaped his brother's devious plan. Set had just finished dining with his fellow knights, and as he walked back to his chambers, he felt as if he were being followed. He quickly ran to his door and pulled out his sword as soon as he was able to get inside his room and turn around. H couldn't see the attacker until they sparred for a few minutes and the attacker was forced to step into the light. As the shadow across his face slowly disappeared, Set was able to distinguish his features. 

Set gasped. "It can't be..." he stated, in shock.

"Hey little brother. Miss me?"

Author's Note: I kept the basis of the original story, which was the backstory about Osiris the King and how Set envied his brother. In the original story, however, Set brought forth a beautiful chest and claimed that he would give it to the person that fit in the chest perfectly, knowing that the chest was only made to Osiris's body. Many people tried to fit in it but to no avail. Finally, Osiris stepped forward and laid in the chest, fitting perfectly, as Set intended. Before Osiris could get up, Set's followers closed the lid, nailed it, and smothered it with lead to kill him. The beautiful chest now became Osiris's coffin, while the joyful town soon became overwhelmed by sorrow and Set's tyranny. In my story, I decided to add a plot twist. I like the idea of one character thinking he got the best of the other, then realizing he was outsmarted. So, I had both brothers develop their own plans against each other, which resulted in Osiris getting the best of his evil brother Set.

A beautiful ornate Egyptian chest. Source

Bibliography: Donald Mackenzie, Egyptian Myth and Legend, Source