It has been a busy season for Venus. Not only has she been performing as New Age Venus, but with the start of bikini season, she was also involved in a lot of modeling sessions with the rest of the ASM. While she had shown off her bikini body back in winter, here she was really able to display her full potential. Being a hairless breed allowed her to show off more of her muscles and make her not so different from human models. Of course, that also meant plenty of sunscreen and skin lotion, both provided by Goldbond.
Though Venus wasn't the only Goldbond model who was having an eventful summer. After her big concert on Animalia's birthday, she got on Skype to talk with her friend. "Hey, Xochi," said Venus, "How are things in the Land of the Pharaohs?"
"Well, it's cooler right now," said Xochi, "It's early morning right now."
"You're up awful early," commented Venus.
"Well, there is a lot stuff that have to be done in a day," said Xochi, "Besides, if you want to be able to talk to a guard, you need to catch before he goes out on patrol."
"Still got it bad?" asked Venus.
"Abbas is such a great guy," said Xochi, "But trying to adapt to his culture...it's very confusing. All those different rules about what's appropriate or not. I'm still not even sure if I could date him without risk of being stoned."
"People don't get stoned in this age," said Venus, "At least not in the traditional sense. Anyways, if Abbas is open-minded enough to become a jackal, I'm sure he figure out ways to make you and him work."
"I'm just glad that Adi is here right now. She's such a good advisor," said Xochi. Xochi had been cultivating a friendship between herself and Adi ever since the Arabian mare joined the ASM. It wasn't just because Adi was a good friend, which she was, but because Adi knew far more about Islamic law and customs.
"How is she and the others liking New Zerzura?" asked Venus.
"Well, the fish decided to skip New Zerzura and go straight to Skull Island," said Xochi.
"Well, yeah, that makes sense," said Venus. Sun-dried fish sounded delicious, but she doubted the deep-sea fish would enjoy that.
"But the others are making the most out of this place. They particularly like the movie you were in," said Xochi.
"That's good," said Venus, "I'm not sure if that movie will win any awards though."
"I'm sure it'll win something," said Xochi, "I need to go. Abbas will be going out soon."
"Ok, talk to you later," said Venus before disconnecting. She felt a strong sense of pride regarding that movie. She could clearly remember the work behind it.
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Her trip up to Giza had been memorable for more than one reason. The sight of the Great Pyramids, the last of the Wonders of the Old World, was pretty humbling. It was amazing how a civilization of thousands of years ago made such gigantic monuments that withstood the passing of time. (Though people who claim extraterrestrial assistance were politely ignored at best.) The Sphinx itself was an impressive monument itself, even if the details had been worn away. Personally, Venus didn't think she looked like the Sphinx at all.
On the bus ride back, Venus got an unexpected surprise. She and Thea were sitting one side of the bus when a Japanese man sat on the seat right next to theirs. "Excuse me, you are returning to New Zerzura, yes?" he asked.
"We've spent the day in Giza," said Thea, "It will be good to go back home."
"Ah, then you do live in New Zerzura," said the Japanese man eagerly.
"Well, she lives in New Zerzura," said Venus, "I'm just staying here for the winter. Cold weather is not good for my skin."
"I see, I see. I am J.J. Hakimoto. You may have heard of me," said the Japanese man.
"It rings a bell..." said Venus uncertainly.
"Have you heard of the movie about the Fernando?" asked Hakimoto.
"Oh, now I remember," said Venus, "You were in Costa Rica with Animalia Ambassadoria visited."
"It was not a trip that went according to plan, but I received much inspiration there," said Hakimoto.
"So what are you doing here?" asked Thea.
"Looking for new inspiration," said Hakimoto, "The film industry demands new ideas and I've had a bit of writer's block. I was hoping this colony will help inspire me." He held up his fingers together like a camera frame. "Has anyone told you have a face for the big screen?" he asked Venus.
"Well, I am a model for Goldbond lotions and I'll be a pop star soon," said Venus, preening.
"Excellent, excellent," said Hakimoto, "I can feel the muse filling me with new creativity already."
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Things happened in a whirlwind of activity after that. Before long, Hakimoto had gotten cameras and costumes set up. It wasn't going to be a big production movie, it was mostly a documentary about the tombs of Egypt and the 'Curse of the Pharaohs'. Though Venus definitely brought a lot of appeal to the movie, dressed an alluring, yet tasteful costume of Bastet. Venus had been worried she would be too pale to play the role. But thanks to some cosmetics and a little digital editing, she had a nice bronze color in the movie.
Venus was the narrator/host for the movie. She talked about the importance the ancient Egyptians put into proper burial rites, particularly regarding the pharaohs. After all, the pharaohs were supposed to be gods incarnate and were due much respect both in life and death. Of course, that respect has waned in more modern times and there were thieves who tried to dig up these tombs for the treasures inside. Many thieves died afterwards, seeming to indicate there was a curse protecting the tombs, particularly those of the pharaohs. In reality, their deaths were probably caused by something far more mundane: molds and bacteria that have lain dormant inside the tombs for centuries and infected those who entered the tombs without waiting for the ancient air to clear out.
The movie talked about the more notorious curses. The biggest one was the curse of King Tutankhamen. Many deaths quickly followed the opening of the tomb that didn't seem related to molds and bacteria. Even the pet bird of one of the archeologists was eaten by a cobra, known to be a protector of the pharaohs. It was even rumored that King Tut's mummy was aboard the Titanic when it made its doomed voyage. But surely all this talk about curses and vengeful mummies was superstition...or was it? The end of the movie lingered on a darkened corridor until the horrible visage of an undead mummy sprang out of nowhere.
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While Venus enjoyed acting in that movie, she didn't think it was as high-quality as the ones that National Geographic did. But plenty of people have praised her for performance and the jump scare at the end. Venus wasn't sure if she'd be in another movie, but she wouldn't say no if someone offered a good role.