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Leesa cocked her head. “How come?”
“That style was typical of many pyramids built during the Fourth Dynasty. It’s still worth a visit provided you’re prepared to walk hunched over at times and don’t mind uneven stairs, tight spaces, and big crowds.”
“Sounds like the Gardens,” said Georgie, trading her half-eaten muffin for a serviette and another batch of fan letters. “So if the Great Pyramid’s interior is underwhelming, which pyramid is worth a visit inside?”
“Several are, but I’m most fond of the Pyramid of Teti at Saqqara,” said Oliver. “Its exterior is nowhere near as picturesque as the structures at Giza. Erosion makes it look like it could be washed away at any moment, but you’ll find wall upon wall of engraved pyramid text inside its antechamber and burial chamber. It’s well preserved and impressive.”
“Well, that’s me sold,” said Kaitlin. “I could really use a little mystical help in my life right now.”
Georgie slipped a trio of photos into an envelope. “Remember when the Leafs dabbled with pyramid power?”
Oliver raked his hand through his hair and held it off his forehead for a moment before letting it go. “You’re joking, right?”
An amused grin ran riot across Kaitlin’s face. “Nope!”
Leesa’s jaw dropped. “How did I not know this?”
“Was years ago,” said Georgie. “April 1976 when we played Philadelphia in the second round of the playoffs.”
“Boo!” snarled Kaitlin. “The Broad Street Bullies.”
“I take it they weren’t the most gentlemanly.” Oliver reached for a chocolate-glazed Timbit.
“Yeah, they were dirty,” said Georgie. “The first two games in Philly were riddled with elbows and high sticks, minor penalties for roughing. It worked, too. The Leafs looked rattled and came home without a win.” She ran the glue stick along the envelope’s flap. “If things didn’t change, we’d be knocked out of the playoffs. That’s when our coach, Red Kelly, looked to his daughter for inspiration. She’d been dealing with severe migraine attacks and, on a whim, started to sleep with a small pyramid under her bed. Within days, her attacks stopped.” She pressed the envelope closed, sealing it. “Red figured if pyramid power could help her, maybe it could help his team, too.”
Is this for real? Oliver held his tongue by biting into the Timbit. Sugary and densely chocolatey, it was finished in two bites.
“So what’d he do?” asked Leesa.
Georgie added the envelope to the outgoing mail box. “He hid several plastic pyramids under the team bench and in the Gardens dressing room for Games 3 and 4, and we won both.”
“Go Leafs Go!” cheered Leesa, wide-eyed.
“But Red didn’t pack his pyramids for Game 5 in Philly and we lost, leaving us on the verge of elimination,” said Georgie. “So he came clean about his secret. Told the players and press. They thought he’d lost his marbles, but he didn’t care. At that point, down three games to two, he had nothing to lose—”
“Except the series,” Kaitlin interjected, glancing up from a letter.
Georgie nodded. “So for Game 6, Red ignored the teasing and hung a huge twelve-foot pyramid from the dressing room ceiling. The players sat under it. Darryl Sittler left his stick beneath it, and that night he racked up a playoff record five goals and an assist, forcing a deciding seventh game back in Philly.”
“Which Toronto won?” asked Oliver.
A wry smile tugged the corners of Georgie’s mouth. “Nope, we lost the game and the series, but it was quite the ride while it lasted.” She let out a laugh.
Wow. She knows her hockey. Georgie’s undying enthusiasm and impressive knowledge roused Oliver’s grin. “Pyramids and hockey. I never thought I’d hear a story combining the two.”
“I share it with my students and sometimes they think I’m making the whole thing up, but then I pass around the yellowed newspaper clippings…” She laughed. “Listen, I know it’s a ridiculous slice of local sports history, but if it helps my students remember something from my classes, it’s worth it.”
“Has pyramid power helped your migraines, Georgie?” asked Leesa.
“Haven’t tried it. Maybe I should!”
“Should she, Oliver?” Leesa pressed. “Is it real?”
He blinked. “Well, I’m no medical expert, but I do know there’s no scientific proof pyramid power exists.” He winced sidelong at Georgie. “Sorry.”
She shrugged. “Sleeping on a pyramid wouldn’t be comfy anyway.”
Kaitlin blew out her lips. “Hell, it’s worth a try. I’m gonna stash one under my pillow and see if it brings me a boyfriend. I’m so done with being single.”