Maya awoke to the sounds of people hurrying past her tent. The Pharaoh had arrived.
She hurriedly made her way to the crossroads, and was just in time to see him approach.
The sight really surprised her, as the Pharaoh was dressed in an ordinary workman's clothes with no gold or gems or jewelry of any kind.
But when the Pharaoh spoke, people listened. As they were doing now.
"My friends. We embark upon a great journey to conquer these lands.
Not with armies and war, but with hard work and dedication. We will not wield swords and spears, but will fight the elements with unity and progress.
I will stand beside you and we will shoulder our burdens together as we work to achieve these goals."
A roar of laughter was heard from the crowd, and many heads turned to see who it was.
Though not as many as Maya had expected. "Step forward, Stranger" said the Pharaoh.
"Show your face. Or are you a coward who prefers to fight from the shadows?"
As the Stranger moved forward, a space cleared around him.
"I am no coward. Nor am I a liar. But, I have lived with those around me, and know you to be a hypocrite.
You are nothing but an oppressive dictator. You abandon your people at the mercy of these wild lands.
You have built us schools and universities, yes. Yet you extort such vast donations and fees from us in the name of research and tuition.
All this when you live your life in luxury with riches beyond what we dream of. And yet, you claim to be a friend. I could not but laugh at it.
Stop oppressing us with your rule. Laissez faire!"
Maya expected the Pharaoh s face to go white with rage. But the Pharaoh was no ordinary man. His expression grew only more determined,
if it changed at all. And he replied.
"Do not speak such vicious lies. The people know how much I work for them. They know what I sacrifice each day.
Do not sow seeds of discontent among us. We are a society. We stand united in all we do.
You cannot succeed in creating discord among us. We will work together, work hard, and perfect the Seven Disciplines of Man.
A few trouble makers like you may appear. But we will take all that in our stride."
"You know, I am beginning to feel that you may really believe that! All right, I shall take you up on that.
I challenge you to demonstrate Egypt s unity and it s perfection in the Seven Disciplines.
I shall work with each Discipline s universities to create Seven Tests. Pass them all and build monuments to each Discipline, and you will convince me.
But meanwhile, I shall not be idle. I will be working to show the people that none of what you claim is true.
May the best man win."
With that he walked off. And whispers in the crowd began to get louder.
The Pharaoh looked around and reassured the people by telling them that the Stranger was powerless against a united people.
Maya's spirits began to rise again, and she began looking forward to making some sweet onions and to find a mate for her new sheep Pluffy.
Little did she suspect how things would turn out to be.
Much time passed from then, and eventually the time came for Pharaoh to announce that the time of the challenge was to come to an end.
The Pharaoh makes a great speech to the people..
"Citizens of Egypt, one year ago The Stranger presented us with 49 challenges.
This is not the first time The Stranger has been in out midst, the Ancients have faced him before.
It is said that if the people can endure the challenges of The Stranger, then that civilization can live forever and it will be immortal.
You have worked hard, and you have prevailed.
Oracles of Architecture, you have shown endurance and strength.
Oracles of Worship, you have shown unity of spirit and cooperation.
Oracles of Art, you have created real beauty.
Oracles of Conflict, you have shown cunning and strategy.
Oracles of Human Body, you know our land.
Oracles of Thought, you have found wisdom and knowledge.
Oracles of Leadership, you guided us through it all.
It is man's nature that he is at his best when challenged. Men reach peaks of virtue only when tempted towards evil, and that is why I invited The Stranger into our land.
Soon our children will rule this land, and they too will need strengthening. They too will need their virtue tested so that they may become powerful and good.
So, we must become The Stranger. We must create new challanges for our children, we must create new tests for them to pass.
The last thing we must do before we pass from this world is leave behind the greatest monuments of our civilization, the tests that will strengthen the next generation.
Each great monuments will be built by a team of citizens. Before you build the monument, your team must work together to design a test for the next generation.
Once the test is designed you will build a massive structure, which will forever house the words of your design.
Some day our children will create tests for our grandchildren.
In this way our legacy will be immortal, our civilization will live forever. "
The stranger reveals himself to Egypt, giving them one final challenge to immortalize their deeds...
"Citizens of Egypt, you know me as The Stranger.
More than a year has passed since your Pharaoh invited me to these lands.
I brought with me 49 challenges, with which to test the worthiness of your culture. Has your "perfect society" lived up to my expectations?
Architects... you've come to personify the act of greed, and learned to revel in one-upsmanship.
Artists... you've shown that a lack of talent is no barrier to those who have friends.
Disciples of Body... you obsess over self-improvement, eschew social contact for sake of personal advancement, and gorge yourselves fat on the delicacies of our land.
Combatants... you have shown that in a system where minimal ability is rewarded, there's no real reason to strive for success.
Leaders... you have demonstrated the qualities of betrayal, backstabbing, and the celebration of your own egos.
Scholars... your ability to create new and interesting ways to cheat, game and exploit the purity of my tests in the pursuit of advancement never fails to impress.
And finally, we come to Worship... the discipline of the lazy... You follow your co-ordinators with sheep-like obedience, and take the low-effort path to success."
"You know me as The Stranger.
Today, my agents bring word that seven great monuments now tower above the lands.
Congratulations Egypt. You have exceeded my expectations.
Alone, each monument represents a great achievement in one of the seven disciplines of man...
But together, the monuments mean so much more:
By completing all seven monuments, you have sent a message to your descendants that will stand for all eternity...
A message showing that in times of great adversity, no matter how hopeless the situation may seem, a society that truly excels itself will always prevail.
People of Egypt, you are worthy of your heritage. Your message will be your Legacy.
Your society has now completed the final challenge set by my generation.
Be proud of your achievements Egypt, and be sure to pass this legacy on to your own children - Society can only demonstrate true greatness in the face of great challenge.
My work here is now complete.
I bid you farewell, and godspeed to the next generation's Stranger!"
Now, we have awakened to a new day, the time of our ancestors has gone, and we are writing our own story.
Much like the last we are being tested. Though this story has been played out before, the characters are different, the setting is different and many of the challenges are unique.
This is what we ask of you . . . are you up to the challenge?