The Monster and the Archaeologists (short story)

The Monster and the Archaeologists was the fifth story in the Bernice Summerfield anthology The Dead Men Diaries. It was written by Kathy Sullivan.

Summary
Benny has arrived on Wyzyn, searching for archaeologist Uzua Jindah, who had discovered a vase on Wyzyn that interests Benny. She meets Jindah's twin daughters, Uzua Faham and Uzua Faris, who are excavating a village. They take her to their mother. Jindah is honoured to meet Benny, whose book she has read.

As they take tea, Benny shows Jindah a holoprojection of the vase found by Jindah. Depicted on the vase is a "monster" in the Zulawy, and Benny thinks it is actually a Mtongl. Jindah shows Benny the mural she is working on, and Benny gets to work, helping to clear it.

Jindah's mate, Uzua Tihad, contacts the group with the news that he has found a spaceship in the nearby cliff. Benny investigates, and recognises it as a Mtongl ship. Meanwhile, Jindah is dealing with Administrator Biima, who is trying to convince her to allow Professor ais-Ido Niwlog access to the site. Jindah, who has the rights to dig here, says she will allow Niwlog access as a tourist.

As Tihad, Benny and the twins make their way into the spaceship, Jindah continues her work on the mural in the area under the village. She is interrupted by Professor Niwlog, who is accompanied by cameras and claims that he has evidence that this culture was visited by the Mtongl. He is taken aback when Jindah informs him that Benny already made that connection.

Benny is acquainted with Niwlog, who had earlier rejected her claims about the Mtongl. She allows him access to the ship, but when he tries to explain the discovery to the cameras, Tihad directs attention to Benny, who rejects Niwlog's claims that the Mtongl invaded the Zulawy.

While Jindah continues her work on her mural, at the ship Niwlog, having been through the ship and finding no treasure, fires a weapon at a door that cannot be opened. Tihad is worried that Jindah was hurt in the blast, but Niwlog starts to claim credit for the discovery inside the door. Suddenly something charges out of the room and pins Niwlog to the wall. It is Jindah, who was working underground. Niwlog's blasting destroyed the mural she was working on. Inside the room, the archaeologists discover that it was stripped of its metal and used as a tomb. Niwlog stomps away, leaving his "discovery" to the Uzuas.

Characters

 * Bernice Summerfield
 * Uzua Jindah
 * Uzua Faris
 * Uzua Faham
 * Uzua Tihad
 * Administrator Biima
 * Professor ais-Ido Niwlog

Continuity
to be added