The Curse

The phone call disturbed my otherwise uneventful day.

"Doctor Elizabeth Harmon."

"Hello, this is David Yates."

"David ! Nice to hear from you again! How are you ?" I was genuinely happy to talk to my former colleague. After he had left the university, I had missed his rigorous mind and dry humor.

“Very well, thanks. And you ?”

“Fine, thanks. What can I do for you ?”

“I’ve been hired as an archeological advisor for a movie.” His voice couldn’t hide the excitement.

“That’s great !”

“It's called The Curse, a bit over the top, but it should do well. It’s about an ancient god that takes a human as host and starts conquering the planet.”

“Not very original but I’m guessing lots of special effects ?”

“Yes. The original part is the director wants to use a real historical site, and not a set with props.”

I was surprised. Very few directors want the real thing because it is so much easier to build everything to the specifications required by the script.

“I thought right away about Al-Waead and you.” David went on. “I know the site, I’ve read the publications even if I haven’t been there in a while. And I know it would be perfect.”

I remained silent. In my mind I was seeing the city, its temple, houses and streets, everything that had been uncovered in the last two decades. 

David continued. “And I want you to lead the archeological team. What do you think ?”

“Can you give me a little time to think about it ? Do you have any other site lined up ?”

“I wanted to talk to you first, so I don’t have any backup plan for the moment. All I can give you is twenty-four hours, I have to report to the director next month with everything set up.”

“All right.”

“Great. Do you have an email where I can send you all the details ?”

We talked a while longer, exchanged contact information and I hung up with the promise to call back the next day. I printed the file David had sent me and put it in my briefcase to study at home. It was an exciting idea. This city, my city in a way, pictured in a movie, alive again. 

I went back to grading papers with reluctance, my mind full of Jordanian landscapes. 

A few hours later, I made myself a cup of tea, put on my “Sweet’n Slow” playlist and sat down on my couch to study the file. As advertised, the plot was simple enough but the movie would be packed with fight scenes, action and special effects so it would appeal to a large audience. And there was also a romance, which would appeal more to the female viewers. Well directed, it should be a success.

The technical part was more detailed. There was a list of requirements : a city, a temple, a forum or large area, some city walls or battlements, and enough space in the streets to put a rolling camera. David was right, Al-Waead was perfect. Most of the streets had been uncovered, some houses had been dug up and were in good enough shape to be used, and the temple had been partially reconstructed. As for the large area, they could use the forum at the entrance of the city. They also wanted hills overhanging the city, and a path through them, well, no problem there, they could even have canyons if they wanted.

And what was very interesting for me was the benefits I could get from this opportunity. The lack of funding had kept me from going back on the site for about two years. When the Dean at Wharton University learned my pet project was going to be featured in a film, they would jump on the occasion and pay for a new campaign where I could finally search for the temple of All-Uzza I was looking for. 

The filming was supposed to begin the following year. I had to advise David to go either in April or in October, where the weather could be good enough, and not too hot. I went to my library to pull my publications on Al-Waead and my gaze fell on a sculpture of a face. I had been allowed to keep it on my last expedition and once again I felt the connection that linked me to the city and its people.

The phone call to David was a formality. He knew the dig, and he knew me, and he was already sure I was going to agree. I hadn't been so excited about a project in a while. I couldn't wait to go back.

The next three weeks felt like torture. I had to lead a normal life, classes, lectures, meetings, but my mind was thousands of miles away, in a city that was millennia old. David had told me he'd sent the file to the director and producers, so there was only to wait, but the hold-up was killing me. I went over everything ever written about the Nabataeans, the people who'd built Al-Waead not very far from the well-known city of Petra. I took notes and made sure everything was ready for the next phase. If it ever came.

I was starting to despair when the call finally came in. The production had sent a location scout in Jordan and they had been blown away by the site. And on David's recommendation they had chosen to hire me to lead the archeological team. I was ecstatic. I had been part of many teams, but it was the first time I would lead one. Of course it wasn’t an ordinary dig-and-discover expedition but it would do. And if I did a good job, it would bring me more opportunities, more money and more time in my favorite place in the world. I promised myself I would offer David a bottle of his favored whiskey as a thank you. 

After we hung up, I started to list all the things I had to do, think of and prepare to make my part a success. I hadn't pulled an all-nighter in a very long time, but I thought it was very much worth it. And I was so excited my students noticed something was up the next day. Impossible to share the news for now, naturally, but it gave my lecture a definite tone of enthusiasm that had been lacking lately. 

The producer, Tom Elling, and the director, Dan Kingsley, wanted to meet me as soon as possible, so I asked my assistant to take over my next class so I could fly out west. From the cab, I watched L.A. bustle like always. I had been there on several occasions, visiting friends or for professional reasons, but I was so used to my little country town the crowds seemed unreal every time. 

The studios were a labyrinth where carts driven by people in headsets darted left and right without consideration for pedestrians. My guide was no different. After almost crashing twice, we arrived at Tom's office just as another man was walking in.

“Dr Harmon, nice to meet you !”

“Nice to meet you too, Mr Elling.”

“Have a seat. This is Dan Kingsley, the director. Sandra, coffee !”

His assistant dashed in with a fresh pot, topped off his mug and offered Dan and me one.

“Dr Gates will be arriving in five minutes.”

“Always late ! So, Gates told me you’re the expert.”

“I am. I’ve been on Al-Waead fifteen times over the past eighteen years, I’ve been part of all the major expeditions, uncovered most of the houses.”

“Are you free next April ?”

“I plan to be. As soon as the contract is signed, I will inform the board and make myself available at the required dates. I haven’t told anyone yet.”

“You didn’t want to jinx it ?”

“Something like that.”

His laugh was like a bark. At that moment, a man walked in.

“Dr Elizabeth Harmon, this is our line producer, John Silverster. Sandra, where is Gates ?”

We shook hands and he handed me a pile of papers.

“Nice to meet you, Dr Harmon. Here is a copy of your contract. Don’t hesitate to have it reviewed by a lawyer. If there’s any change you want to make, we can discuss it over the phone or by email.”

I started to pear through. “I have no idea what that says, so I will definitely contact a lawyer. And please call me Ellie.”

“The first thing you have to do once everything is in order is assemble a team. How many people do you need ?”

“I don’t know yet. It depends on what I have to do. David didn’t tell me much about my job there, except being the expert.”

“Okay. First, you have to be there with the Head Decorator Sabrina Morales, ahead of filming, to prepare the site. You’ll work with her to set everything up and make sure the site is secure.”

John intervened. “The actors will have some archaeology and digging training here during pre-prod, so you just have to get them up to date, and show them how to work on this particular site.”

“All right.” That seemed straightforward enough.

“Then you’ll be there during filming to supervise the site. If everything goes well, you won’t have much to do. And then you’ll stay behind with the techs to clean everything up once we’re gone. We have…” Tom turned to John. “Ten days of filming ?”

“Actually we had to extend to twelve.”

“When did that happen? I want to see the schedules. It costs one million per day to film.”

Astonished, I saw Tom Elling turn dark red, his assistant rush in with a pill and a glass of water, Dan look at papers and John grab his phone. It seemed like an usual scene because two minutes after it started, all the yelling stopped and Tom resumed.

“So that’s twelve days of filming, one week before that to set up, one more to clean up. That makes it twenty-six days on site. Is that good for you ?”

“Yes. I'll probably get there before the decorator crew arrives, to see if the site is all right.”

“What do you mean ?”

“Seven years ago, when we arrived, there had been a sand storm and half the city was buried. We had to hire more people to dig and uncover what was there the year before.”

Tom, Dan and John exchanged an alarmed look.

“Do you think it can happen again ?”

“It may. But it happened only twice in eighteen years, so chances are slim.”

Tom sighed. “All right, you come in early with your team.”

“About that, what will their duties be ? Just supervise with me, or something else ?”

“I’d like them to chaperone the actors. I’ve talked to Gates… Sandra, where is Gates ?”

On those words David rushed in, out of breath and flushed.

“Traffic is always murder here. Hello Elizabeth.”

“Hello David, nice to see you again.”

“You too.”

“Finally !”

[After a first meeting in L.A., I thought I would have to come back multiple times, get through multiple interviews, before any decision could be made. I was very surprised to receive the job contract by email and to be able to attend the weekly reunions by video. That made things much easier. I was also able to choose my own team. Six people would accompany me. I knew who I wanted for my main collaborator, but I had to call David first.]

“Hi David !”

“Ellie ! How is it going ?”

“Perfect. I’m trying to select the best people for the job, and I have someone in mind.” 

“Somebody I know ?”

“Yes, Jerry Williams.”

There was a silence at the other end. I was a bit uneasy talking about personal stuff, but this was unavoidable.

“I know you were seeing each other on the first expedition, and that you broke up. Is it okay if I ask him to join the team ?”

I heard David sigh. “He’s still the best, isn’t he ?”

“Yes. But if it’s too hard to work together again, I can hire someone else.”

“No, you need the best. I’ll be fine.”

“Thanks. You still have a few months to prepare yourself.”

David had a sad laugh. “I’ll make do. Thank you for asking me.”

“Of course. I know how hard it can be to work with your ex.”

“You’re hiring Jacob ?”

“Hell no ! I’m not suicidal ! Plus it’s not his area of expertise. He’d be in the way.”

David laughed again, more happily this time. “And he would end up with his name on the credits.”

“No way that’s gonna happen !”

“Have you anyone else in mind ?”

“Jordan Baker and Sally Flynn.”

“Good choice. Can I give you a few names ?”

“Sure ! Send me their resumes, I’ll give them a call. I have to give my list to the producers next week.”

“I hope Tom’s nice with you.”

“Yes. We’re visiting Al-Waead in ten days. I can’t wait to be back. I hope the sand didn’t bury anything again.”

“Filming is supposed to start ten months from now, in April. There’s enough time to dig out what’s needed, or even better, maybe they’ll want to dig the city out themselves on camera !”

“We'd have to train the actors, or to hire more diggers. Anyway, that should be fun.”

“Yes. But what’s less fun is working with the scriptwriter to make the archaeology more like it’s in real life.”

“Good luck with that ! I’ll wait for your email with the names of your people.”

“You’ll have it by tomorrow. I’ll get in touch with them to know if they’re interested.”

“Great. I’ll talk to you soon !”

“Bye !”

One less problem on my mind. Jerry would be an asset if he was able to work with David. He was my next call, and fortunately it went pretty much the same way.