During the Roman Empire, Cleo was brought to Alexandria and placed at the entrance to a temple honoring Julius Caesar. Cleopatra had built the temple, so people started calling it Cleopatra’s Needle even though she had died long before the obelisk arrived. The temple is long gone, like so many treasures from the ancient world.

  I am heartbroken and angry. Cleo is part of Alexandria, greeting ships in the harbor from near and far. The Americans want to steal one of our landmarks. It was stated as such in the newspaper, so it is now official. The rumor is that the Americans are going to bring Cleo to Washington, Philadelphia, or New York City.

  NOVEMBER 8, 1879

  The situation with Cleo is even worse than I thought. The Americans are NOT stealing it. We are GIVING it to them! I can hardly believe I just wrote those words, or that they are true. I am FURIOUS.

  Father told me he has been expecting this to happen ever since June, when Ismail Pasha, the khedive of Egypt, abdicated the throne and his son Mehmet Tewfik Pasha became the new khedive. Before he left, Khedive Ismail made an agreement with the Americans allowing them to remove Cleo and take it to the United States.

  Why would he DO such a thing? We are all asking ourselves that question. It has to be money. That is what I think. Khedive Ismail spent a fortune building the Suez Canal and other projects. I know this because I read the newspaper. That is why I am smart.

  Our nation’s crops are failing this year, so there is little grain to sell to other nations. As a result, our government cannot pay its debts. I bet that Khedive Ismail told the Americans they could have Cleo because that will increase trade and tourism with the United States.

  The old saying goes that the love of money is the root of all evil, and I believe that to be true. This is a sad day for Egypt. A sad day for the WORLD.

  Khedive Ismail, ruler of Egypt.

  NOVEMBER 10, 1879

  Father told me that Americans have been snooping around Cleo for a long time. Twelve years ago, when I was a baby, a book writer named Mark Twain visited Alexandria. And just last February the former American President Ulysses S. Grant was here. I thought he was just a tourist seeing the sights. Perhaps President Grant had ANOTHER reason to be here. Perhaps he was sent here to convince Khedive Ismail to give up Cleo.

  Americans cannot be trusted. When they want something, they just take it. That is how they formed their country, after all. Native people lived where the United States is today, and the Americans took their land away. The only difference here is that our government is actually GIVING the Americans our obelisk. How foolish people in power can be.

  NOVEMBER 12, 1879

  This will not be the first time another nation has come to Egypt and left with an obelisk as a souvenir. France took one of our obelisks in 1833. Just two years ago, England took another one. We only have a small number of obelisks in all of Egypt. What will we have left to give to foreigners when all of our obelisks are gone?

  The good news is that most people believe the Americans are going to fail in their mission. Men are even betting on it in the streets. I agree that the Americans will fail. You don’t just pick up an obelisk and put it in your pocket. Cleo weighs many tons. It will not be easy to move. It took the French twenty-five years before they moved their obelisk to Paris. It took the British SEVENTY-FIVE years to move their obelisk to London. Six Englishmen drowned while they were moving it.

  And that was just to sail the obelisk across the Mediterranean Sea. The Americans will have to move Cleo all the way across the Atlantic OCEAN. It will probably take them a hundred years, if they can do it at all. I say it is an impossible task. It cannot be done. Shame on anyone who tries.

  NOVEMBER 14, 1879

  I cried today. The American flag was raised atop Cleo. They have claimed it. It belongs to them now.

  Father says this is partly our own fault, and he may be right. The obelisk is at the edge of Alexandria, near the Ramleh railway depot. That is a bad part of town. Our citizens have not paid attention to Cleo or taken care of it. We neglected it. It seems so lonely standing there by itself.

  When they put the American flag up, we knew we had lost Cleopatra’s Needle.

  Over the years, bad men have come with sledgehammers and broken off pieces of Cleo to sell to relic hunters. That is why the bottom corners are no longer sharp edges like they once were. Worse, I have seen thoughtless men stand at the obelisk and relieve themselves on it. They use it as a BATHROOM! There are disagreeable odors there. Many people do not want to go near Cleo. No wonder our government was willing to let the Americans take it.

  “Egypt has other obelisks, Panya,” Father told me.

  I have not seen other obelisks myself. But it doesn’t matter how many we have. Cleo is OUR monument. I say if the Americans like monuments so much, they should build their OWN. It is wrong to give away our monuments. In fact, I believe we should demand the return of ALL the treasures that have been stolen from us in the past by foreign nations.

  Father refuses to do anything about it. He says it would be dangerous to resist the Americans, and our own government. He will not put his life on the line for a piece of stone. He says, “Calm down, Panya. Relax.”

  Well, I WON’T relax. I want to SCREAM! Father may not be willing to do anything, but I am. We should fight back. I will not be a mouse.

  NOVEMBER 15, 1879

  I saw a poster on a bulletin board near the railway station yesterday. It announced a meeting of the Young Egyptian Party. I will paste it in this book....

  I told Father I was going to meet a friend after school today, but the truth is I went to the meeting of the Young Egyptian Party. It was held in the back of a warehouse. When I walked inside, everyone looked at me. I realized I was the only girl there. That made me angry too. ALL Egyptians should do what they can to prevent the Americans from taking Cleo away.

  I signed a paper that says I am a member of the Party. Somebody asked me what I am willing to do to help the cause. I said, “ANYTHING.”

  The older boys said they were afraid to put a girl in harm’s way. Some of them did not even want me around. But somebody suggested that I could spy on the Americans, who would not suspect a young girl. Fine. I agreed to watch what the Americans do and report my findings back to the Young Egyptian Party. I will be good at spying, as I am an excellent observer.

  NOVEMBER 18, 1879

  I am starting to see articles in the newspaper about what the Americans intend to do with Cleo. Apparently, they have decided they are going to bring it to New York City and place it in a large park called Central. A man named Gorringe, who is a commander in the United States Navy, has been put in charge of removing the obelisk and bringing it to America.

  Suddenly my fellow Egyptians are starting to take notice. There are other meetings like ours being held, petitions being passed around, and calls for action. Where were all these outraged citizens a year ago? Or five years ago, when it could have made a difference? Even today, many people, like my father, do not care if Cleo stays or goes. People only care about their jobs, or the price of bread.

  There is a lesson to be learned here. We must appreciate the things that are meaningful to us, or they could be taken away.

  NOVEMBER 21, 1879

  I went to spy on the Americans today. I pretended to be a silly girl who has nothing better to do after school. They did not suspect me.

  It looks like the Americans are moving fast to remove Cleo. Maybe they are afraid our government might change its mind and tell them to go home. That Gorringe man has hired at least one hundred Egyptian workers by my count. I watched as they started to clear the area around Cleo with shovels and rakes. Some of them look to be boys younger than me, and others are old men who can barely walk. No women or girls, of course. I suppose the Americans do not consider us capable of doing physical labor, just as Egyptians do not consider us capable of fighting back.

  I watched as some of the workers dug with shovels around the obelisk. The older ones filled baskets with dirt. The younger ones carried the baskets to the shore and dumped the dirt in the water. I wrote down my observations and reported them to the Young Egyptian Party. I was thanked for my efforts, but I felt it was not enough. Just watching will not stop the Americans.

  “What did you do after school today, Panya?” Father asked when I got home. I lied. I told him I was doing schoolwork. I feel bad about lying, but I feel good about what I am doing for my country.

  NOVEMBER 22, 1879

  More spying today. I observed that Gorringe man for the first time—the American in charge of moving Cleo. He is hard to miss. He is a tall man, over six feet. He has blue eyes, bluer than I have ever seen. Gorringe directs the workers, with the help of an Egyptian translator. From the moment I set my eyes on him, I DESPISED this man Gorringe.

  I do not know how much Gorringe and the Americans are paying these foolish Egyptians to help them. They work day and night. But today everything stopped for a moment when a stooped-over worker digging with a shovel unearthed some bronze amulets and other ancient objects. The Americans took possession of them and gave the man a few coins as a reward for his discovery. He seemed happy to take their money. IDIOT!

  Henry Gorringe.

  Before I left for the day, a group of protesters arrived. They yelled at the workers to stop helping the Americans. It did no good, of course. But I will say this. The workers do not appear to be in any rush to complete the job for the Americans. They work slowly. They say “the more days, the more dollars.”

  All they care about is money in their pockets. They don’t care about Egypt losing our history. As long as they get paid. People will do ANYTHING for money. That is all we will have left after foreigners take away our treasures.

  When they are not shoveling, I see some of the workers drinking alcohol, gambling, or fighting with one another. Then they stagger back to work looking sleepy. They are a DISGRACE to Egypt. They should be ASHAMED of themselves. I am DISGUSTED by them.

  NOVEMBER 24, 1879

  The area around Cleo has been cleared of dirt, garbage, and rubble. Now I can see the steps and the pedestal below the obelisk, which had been covered up my entire life. It looks lovely. If only the Americans were making Cleo look beautiful for OUR benefit. No, they only cleaned it up so it will be easier for them to take it away.

  NOVEMBER 25, 1879

  Today the workers built wooden scaffolding all around Cleo. After the scaffolding was up, I observed them putting wooden planking on all four sides of the obelisk. They must be covering it with wood to protect it during its long voyage to America.

  I wonder where the Americans got so much wood. We have plenty of stone and granite in Egypt, but wood is a scarce resource. Maybe they brought the wood over from America. I hear they have plenty of it there. We have stone treasures. They have wood. They should build wooden treasures and leave our stone ones alone.

  I fear the Young Egyptian Party must act soon or it will be too late. The Americans are bold. I have seen them walking down the street and eating in our cafes. My fellow Egyptians hiss, curse, and threaten them as they walk by, but it doesn’t seem to bother them. I wonder if they are even capable of feeling guilt or shame. Maybe they don’t even know what they are doing is wrong.

  Getting ready to take Cleo away.

  NOVEMBER 27, 1879

  I attended a meeting of the Young Egyptian Party today after school. Everyone is wondering how the Americans plan to bring Cleo across the Atlantic Ocean. It seems impossible. But Americans are clever. They must have a plan. There are only three options that we can see:

  1.They could slide Cleo onto the deck of a ship. But the weight of the obelisk on even a very large vessel would make it top-heavy and unstable. It would easily capsize in bad weather.

  2.They could attach the obelisk to the BOTTOM of a ship with ropes or chains. But then there is the risk of the chains breaking and losing the obelisk. Or it might bump into something under the water.

  3.They could put it on a separate boat and TOW it to America. That is what the British did when they took their obelisk. But six of their men drowned in a storm and they nearly lost the obelisk too. And that was just towing it across the Mediterranean Sea. The Americans will have to tow Cleo all the way across the ocean. Much more dangerous.

  Whatever option the Americans choose, I believe they will fail. Cleo will most likely sink—like the stone that it is—into the sea. And then NOBODY will own it. It is a fool’s mission.

  During our group discussion, I reported what I have observed so far. Then we talked about our plan of action. There was a heated argument about the use of violence. Some members believe the only way to stop the Americans from taking Cleo will be to fight back, with weapons if necessary. One boy suggested it would be smarter to sabotage their efforts—poison their food or something like that. Others said they reject violence entirely, or they are only willing to use it in self-defense.

  I am conflicted about this issue. I am not a mouse, and I want to fight back. But I am not an idiot.

  Before we adjourned our meeting, a history student at the university stood up. He pointed out that the obelisk did not come from Alexandria originally, so we have no right to claim ownership of it. Many people did not know that Cleo was carved far to the south, in the granite quarries of Aswan. He informed them that the obelisk stood in Heliopolis for many centuries. It was brought to Alexandria by Caesar Augustus when the Roman Empire ruled our land. I knew all these things, because I read.

  Another student said we have every right to keep Cleo because Aswan and Heliopolis are parts of Egypt. We didn’t take the obelisk from another country, the way the Americans are doing. Someone else said that didn’t matter because Egypt was not a formal country in ancient times.

  These are complicated issues that I don’t fully understand. I do not know if violence is justified. I only know that I am angry. I feel in my heart that it is not right for foreigners to come here and take things that do not belong to them, even if our government has given them permission to do so. But I am not certain the will of our people is to risk their lives to keep Cleo in Alexandria.

  NOVEMBER 29, 1879

  On my spy mission today I saw teams of divers swimming in the waters near the shore where Cleo stands. I went snooping around to find out what they were up to. I discovered the divers were hired by that Gorringe man.

  One of the workers told me the waters around Alexandria are littered with large chunks of ancient temples and Roman ruins that were discarded centuries ago. The Americans are worried that when they remove Cleo, their boat might bump against the debris below the waterline. Some of it even sticks up from the sea. So they are removing it in preparation for taking Cleo away.

  We are running out of time.

  NOVEMBER 30, 1879

  No school today. We held another meeting this morning. The big question is how will this Gorringe man lower Cleo to the ground safely in order to take it away? He cannot simply push it over onto its side. The obelisk would break in two.

  Then I learned the answer to that question. When I arrived at my usual spot to spy on the Americans, suspicious activity was going on. A bunch of large carts were on the site. Gorringe and his men were unpacking crates, which were full of iron parts and wood. The Americans are building something.

  I watched as Gorringe and the workers put the pieces together. They assembled two identical towers and placed them on either side of Cleo. Gradually, it became obvious that Gorringe is building some kind of device that will be attached to the obelisk and swivel it from the vertical to a horizontal position. A TURNING MACHINE. After the obelisk has been turned on its side, the Americans will lower it to the ground, drag it to the shore, and put it on their boat.

  Several of us saw what the Americans are up to, and an emergency meeting of the Young Egyptian Party was called. For many minutes I sat as the leaders complained about the evil Americans. Finally, I stood up.

  “The time for talk is over!” I shouted.

  All eyes turned to me. Up until that moment I had been quiet during our meetings, letting others take the lead. But I could no longer hold my tongue.

  “Any day now,” I said, “the Americans are going to turn the obelisk with the machine they are building. Once they turn it, there will be nothing we can do. It will be too late. We must take action NOW!”

  There was silence in the room.

  “She is just a girl,” somebody said. “What does she know?”

  A few of the others muttered in agreement. But one boy stood up.

  “Panya is right,” he said. “We need to stop talking and DO something.”

  “We could dump more debris into the harbor,” someone suggested. “It will rip a hole in the Americans’ boat.”

  “What do we have to dump?” asked someone else.

  “It will be too late by then, anyway,” another man said.

  Other suggestions were offered. One man suggested setting fire to the wooden turning mechanism. Somebody else said we should raise money and bribe the workers to stop helping the Americans.

  The meeting ended with no firm plan, but there seemed to be agreement among everyone that we need to act, and to do something BEFORE Gorringe turns the obelisk. We are becoming more bold as we become more desperate.

  DECEMBER 1, 1879

  I told Father I was going to school, but I went to spy on the Americans instead. They are very clever, but I still believe they will fail. Their turning machine looks flimsy to me. Cleo weighs over two hundred TONS. The wooden machine they are building is sure to buckle under that much weight.

  Even if they can successfully turn Cleo sideways, it will crack in half. I am sure of that. The weight on either side will be too great for their turning machine. I am afraid that innocent Egyptians will get hurt when the machine collapses. Cleo will fall and possibly land on people.