“Hi my name is Tego.  I am an Israelite.  I was taken to Egypt when I was 5 years old.  For 8 years I have been working nonstop.  Right now, I am working on the new Pharaoh’s tomb, the Pyramid.  We heard a trumpet.  I put my last brick on the pyramid for that day.  I walked down the wood platforms with my grandfather.  We met up with my mother at our house.  Our house was not much of a house.  It was made of dirt walls and the roof was made of straw.  The dirt would some time get so dry the dirt would crack and the house would cave in. 

I walked in with my grandfather and mother. I ran to the beds that were made of grass.  There asleep was my sister.  I hugged her.  Then we heard footsteps.  It was soldiers.  My mother walked to the door and opened it to the soldiers.  My mother is a slave but she is very polite and kind and never ever complains.  She asked very warmly, “Can I help you with some thing?” 

The soldiers asked, “May we come in and see your children?”  My mother opened the door widely.  She told me to get my sister and come here.  I did as I was told.  The soldier asked, “Are these your only kids?”

“Yes sir but I do have one more.  His name is Mod but he is 16 and is working for one of the priests in Egypt.”

“Okay.  Thank you for your time ma’am.”  Then the soldiers left.  I wonder what that was about but I did not ask my mom until dinner.

“Mom why did they ask to see us?”

“Because they are taking all the baby boys under 2 to be thrown into the Nile because we are growing and the Pharaoh thinks we might over throw him.”  That Pharaoh has a big imagination.  We don’t have enough time to do that.

After dinner of rice we all layed on the grass.  I prayed to have a good night’s sleep. The next day we woke up and counted our money.  We were so happy we had enough money to let one adult not be a slave anymore. Grandpa didn’t do it because he was going to die soon so that would be a waste of money and kids need more money to be free.  So mom could go.  She did not want to but we insisted she get a better life.  So she left to be free of slavery.

  We ate breakfast then left to go work on the tomb. 

Many women were crying for they had lost their babies. But our family was happy for one of us were free. 

Later I was taking a brick up the wood platforms. 

When I saw my grandfather being whipped because he was working too slow.  When one of the prince pushed the Egyptian that was whipping my grandfather.  The prince ran for the man he pushed and my Grandfather were dead.  I watched as the prince ran.  The Egyptians ran to kill the prince.

A few years later I walked out of my house with my 5 year old sister to go work on the new pyramid.  When I saw a man with a beard and was riding on a camel with a women on the back.  My sister watched with delight.  When a soldier pushed me and my sister.  We fell to the ground.  The man looked over at us.  He slid off the camel.  The soldiers started to yell at us but I was watching the man.  He walked over to us and helped us up. 

“Move out of the way,” said the soldier to the man. 

“I must whip them for they are not listening.”

“Leave us alone for I am Moses your old prince of Egypt.” The man looked stunned and backed away. Then Moses looked back at me and said, “Hello, I am Moses. I am here to free you from slavery.” 

Then he climbed on his camel and went towards the palace. I smiled and grabbed my sister’s hand and began to walk. For God had answered their prayers. They would be free soon.

That night a soldier knocked on our door at dinner time.  I opened the door.  The soldier asked, “Are you and your sister’s names Tego and Mary?” 

“Yes sir,” I said. 

“You will have to come with me.  You just might be one of Pharaoh’s new slaves.  His older slaves died and he needs new younger slaves.”

We walked out to the slave stage where slaves are shown off and are sold to others.  Pharaoh went back and forth, back and forth, thinking when he went to us and asked are you two together. 

“Yes, your Majesty.”  Me and my sister bowed.

“Then I will take you two.” 

We got up and walked beside his chariot.  We walked for an hour.  But we made it.  We walked in.  There were pillars.  Some of the Egyptian gods.  Statues of the Pharaohs sitting. Hieroglyphics on every wall.  The color and texture was outstanding when we were shown to our room.  There was a veil over our queen size bed.  We flopped on to the bed and went to bed. 

In the morning, we followed the Pharaoh to his son’s room.  I was going to be his new slave.  I walked to the prince’s room.  He reminded me of Moses the other prince but his brother was Pharaoh now.  The prince had a lock of hair on one side. 

The boy walked up to me and examined me. He sighed and said, “He will have to do.”  He walked back to his dogs which he was playing with when we went in. We left. The Pharaoh told another slave to show us the rest of the palace. My sister was a slave that took care of the animals and garden each day.

After the tour, we got to work.  I walked right back to the prince’s room.  He was still playing with his dogs.  I walked up to him and asked what there was to do. “Maybe hide and seek,” said the prince, “but first, what is your name?” he asked. 

“I am Tego and what is your name?”

“Mio. My name is Mio. Now where is your sister? We need her to play.” We smiled at each other and ran to the garden. We ran outside and looked around. Then I spotted her. She was picking carrots. We ran over to her.

I yelled.  “Mary! Mary!”  She turned and smiled at us. 

Mio said "Mary, would you like to play hide and seek with us?”

“Okay," she answered.

We all ran inside.  I was last so I counted to 30.  When I was done there was no one.  First, I ran into the kitchen.  I looked under the table.  I looked in the pantry.  I ran into the throne room when I saw a pig tale behind the throne.  I ran up to it and looked behind it.  There was Mary.  We ran through the halls.  When we ran into the prince’s room, he was hiding under his bed.  It was Mary’s turn to be it.  We walked out.  We saw Moses walking to the garden. 

We all forgot about hide and seek.  We all followed Moses.  Mio’s dad was on a boat sun bathing.  In the water sat the boat and he was with the two highest priests and some guards too.  Moses spoke up.  “Pharaoh, let my people go by the power of God,” he said.

Moses put his staff in the water.  Immediately the water turned into blood.  The Pharaoh laughed and told his priest to turn the bowl of water into blood.  The priests did as they were told.  They turned the water into fake blood.  Because I know there is one true God.

Mio smiled and then laughed at Moses.  Then went to the edge as the boat sailed up to Mio.  Moses walked away.  I walked up to Moses with Mary and said, “Try again.” He smiled and walked away.  I smiled back then ran to meet Mio. 

The next day Moses came back. We were playing tag in the throne room when Moses came in. Then said “Let my people go.” I smiled at Moses and his wife. 

But Pharaoh said, “No.” 

Then Mio said, “Yay, tell him Dad.”

Later frogs came and came.  There were frogs everywhere.  A couple of days later, the frogs left.  Then Moses came back and told Pharaoh to let his people go.  But Mio’s dad refused.  So Moses set with God’s power the 3^rd plague—lice. 

The Egyptians itched and itched but still the Israelites were protected by the one true God.  Then the lice was taken care of.

Moses came back and asked Pharaoh to let his people go but Pharaoh disapproved.  This went on for days but the Israelites were all protected by God.  The 5^th plague all the Egyptian animals died. 

The 6^th plague was the boils on the Egyptians.  The 7^th plague was hail that were huge but the Israelites were fine.  The 8^th plague was locusts.  They ate bark leaves, grass, and more.  The 9^th plague was darkness.  But only at the houses of the Egyptians. 

But the last was the worst.  Moses for the 10^th time went into the crumbily palace.  Then asked Pharaoh again, “Please let my people go.  For if you don’t you will regret it very much.”  But still Pharaoh said no but that was the last no he would ever say to Moses.

So I watched as Moses walked by my window. Moses looked back at me and told me to kill my best lamb and paint the blood of the lamb on the outline of your door.  I smiled and went to go kill a lamb. 

After we did, me and my sister ran to Mio’s room to tell him to kill his best lamb we owned and paint the blood of it on the rim of his bedroom door.  But Mio refused because he did not want to listen to Moses but he wanted to listen to his dad.  Eventually we gave up and went back to our room and went to bed but we prayed that Mio would be safe.  But he was not.

At night the angel of death went to every door but if it saw the blood of the lamb it would pass by but not for the people with no blood. For the angel of death took the lives of every firstborn in the house without blood. For it also took the life of Mio. 

In the morning we found out Mio was dead.  Then Moses came in for the last time and asked Pharaoh to let his people go.  And for the first time Pharaoh said, “Yes, take your people and leave.” 

Moses walked over to me and told me and my sister to pack up it was time to be free.  We ran to our rooms and packed once again.  Then we ran to follow Moses.  Moses went on every door of the Israelites and told the Israelites to pack, then tell more people to follow me for we are free.

The Israelites jumped for joy for they were free. 

When all the Israelites were together we marched to get free from Egypt.  All the children were running.  I was watching Mary so closely I did mean to bump in to a man. 

“Oh, sorry sir. I was watching my sister.” Then I stopped talking.  I looked up at the man, then said “Mod.”

Then the man said, “Tego.”  We hugged.  Then I called for Mary.  Mary was by my side in a second. 

“Yes, Tego?” she said. 

“Mary, this is your older brother,” I said.  “His name is Mod.”

“Hi, Mod,” Mary said very kindly. 

“I did not know mother got pregnant again,” said Mod.

“Surprise!” Me and Mary said.

“It is a surprise but another surprise is that we found each other but we are behind the group,” said Mod. 

“Then let’s catch up,” said Mary.  We all started to run.  When we caught up, we told each other what has been happening in each other’s lives. 

A little later, we all stopped to camp for the Red Sea was in front of us.  We set up our tents and then we all went to bed.  In the morning, it was like a normal day.  But then we heard chariots and shouts of men and women.  I pushed my way to the front.  There in front of me was the Pharaoh’s army.

I watched in horror as they came towards us. Then I heard shouts at Moses from the Israelites saying “Have you brought us here to die?  It would have been better to work in Egypt then die here in the flaming desert.  Then a pillar of fire appeared.  Mary and Mod ran up to me to watch too.  The pillar of fire made a wall of fire that blocked the Egyptians.

Then we turned and looked at Moses standing on a big rock.  Then he lifted his staff and the Red Sea parted.  We ran to the front where Moses was and I walked right through for the dirt was not wet or runny.  It was smooth and hard for land was dry.  Then Mary and Mod walked up to me and began to walk through with me and Moses.  Then the rest of the Israelites started to walk.

On each side was walls of water. I could see sharks with blood on his teeth. Then I saw a sperm whale and a giant squid fighting and clown fish. Then gray fish, yellow fish, orange fish, green fish. Many more too. I saw a star fish too. 

I stopped and reached in the water and grabbed the star fish.  I pulled the star fish out.  I looked at it.  It was orange but I knew it would be dead if it was out in the open so I put it back in the water.  I saw corral—orange, green, yellow, and blue.  Then I saw a ball of light.  I laughed. It was an angler fish.  We went on for hours until I saw the end of the walls of water. 

Mod, Mary, and me grabbed each other’s hands and ran.  We ran all the way to the end of the water.  We stood on a tall rock with Moses and looked at the Israelites walking through the walls of water. 

But back at the Egyptians, the wall of fire disappeared and the Egyptians charged right through the water.  The Israelites looked behind them and saw the Egyptians coming.  They ran. 

Then when the last Israelites came on we saw all the wheels on the chariots come off.  Then God closed the water on the Egyptian army including the Pharaoh. 

All the Israelites stared at the calm sea, then praised the Lord.  For they were free.  Then we set up camp.