by Rai Aren
They ran back in through the teeming mist. They were breathing heavily as their eyes slowly adjusted to normal.
“Damn, that hurt! What was that?” Rick asked, wiping his face. He pressed his hands to his eyes. The pain subsided into a dull ache.
Sergio hunched over. He shook his head. He had one hand pressed to his eyes, the other on his knee.
Rick thought for a moment. “Well, we can’t stay here,” he said as he glanced back towards the tunnel exit. The light seemed to shimmer and sparkle through the churning fog. “Sunglasses,” he said. “Put them on. I know you carry a pair. And let’s put our hats on, keep the brims low.”
Sergio grunted his agreement, still rubbing his eyes.
They both placed their sunglasses and jungle hats on. Taking a deep breath, they slowly walked forward, each man keeping close to the wall of the tunnel. Three feet from the edge of the exit, they placed their arms up protectively over their sunglasses, and inched forward the way they had last come.
“Holy crap!” Rick said as the brightness hit him again. He squeezed his eyes shut for a moment, and then slowly opened them. The brilliance was incredible. The shading from the glasses and hat helped him to make out what he was seeing. The sunlight was glinting off the surrounding rocks, which were not really rocks at all.
Sergio stepped beside him, shielding his eyes from the glare.
They moved to beneath a rocky overhang, which shaded them a bit.
“Crystals...” Rick said, breathlessly. He looked around. Crystalline formations were everywhere. Huge outcroppings of crystals. Some of the individual rock crystals were over a foot wide, and four feet tall. Various shades of yellow, amber, clear, and smoky grey quartz shone intensely, reflecting the sun’s rays. They were multifaceted, clustered in groups of three, four and five, interspersed with thick, squat bushes and reddish rocks that littered the ground. Leafy tall trees outlined the perimeter. Small clumps of wild grasses were poking up all over the area and surrounded each of the groups of crystalline minerals. The area was warm, several degrees warmer than they expected.
“Si, crystals,” Sergio said, “asombroso....”
Rick nodded. It was astonishing. He had never seen anything like it. Beyond the crystal formations, huge mountains thrust up to the sky. Several large waterfalls cascaded down the mountainsides. The air was warm and humid, carrying a welcoming scent of jungle foliage on it.
“Where are we?” Rick asked.
Sergio looked around. A flash of recognition crossed his face. “Cristal Quebrada...” He turned to Rick. “It is only a legend. I did not think it was an actual place.”
“Crystal gorge?” He thought for a moment. “Manuscript 512...” Rick said. “The Portuguese expedition.”
“¿Qué?” Sergio asked.
“There was a record of an expedition into the Amazon jungle back in the 1700s. It’s what motivated Percy Fawcett to head out on his last exploration. It talked of crystals and a range of mountains. This has to be it.”
“What else did it say?” Sergio asked, looking at him closely.
“Well,” Rick said, holding his arms out and surveying the ethereal landscape, its reflected light burning like fire, “they came to place just like this, filled with crystals that glowed, but at first they couldn’t find a way out.”
He thought for a moment, recalling the details. “By accident, one of the members of their expedition came across a man-made road that led up and out through a mountain pass, about a three-hour hike I think.”
Sergio squinted as he gazed over the area, thinking.
Rick checked his compass. Once again it was spinning wildly. “Guess I should’ve known this wouldn’t work here,” he said. “These crystals must be what had been causing it to spin this way before.”
Sergio nodded.
* * *
After discussing their approach, they decided to set out and explore the gorge. They would try to stay in the scant shadows as much as they could to avoid the dazzling glare of the crystals.
Rick was grateful that, at least for the moment, Sergio wasn’t trying to convince him to go back. That wasn’t really an option at this point anyway.
“Stay close,” Rick said. “Remember, we do not venture out of each other’s sight. We don’t know anything about this place.”
“Si,” Sergio said, nodding. He sighed heavily.
Rick patted his shoulder. “Don’t worry, I think we’re meant to be here. This has to be the way.”
Sergio looked at him, but said nothing.
They branched off from one another, heading out into the exotic crystal-laden landscape to search for signs of the ancient road mentioned in the manuscript.
The nearby ground was wet and slippery, and they were drenched from the spray of the falls.
Rick moved purposefully as he looked around. Even keeping to the small shadier areas, he felt increasingly warm. In spite of the cooling spray from the waterfalls they had walked through, sweat now dripped down his face and back. He took his hat off and wiped his forehead on his sleeve. He drank some water.
He put his hat back on, carefully trying to avoid the intense glare of the sunlit crystals. It was blinding at times. He stepped slowly around the short patches of grasses dotted here and there.
He knelt down for a closer inspection of one of the crystal outcroppings that was somewhat shaded. This one was made up of two amber and two light yellow crystals. He noticed their surfaces were rough, pitted, and they were fairly opaque. He ran his fingers over one of them. As he did, his hand felt warmer.
“Strange,” he whispered to himself as he pulled his hand away. The warming sensation waned. He looked up to check on where Sergio was. His guide was stepping around the crystal groupings, bending down to have a closer look, but not touching anything.
Rick looked back at the crystals before him. His curiosity got the best of him. He touched another one of the crystals in the grouping. Same effect. His hand felt oddly warm. He pulled it away and rubbed it against his thigh. “Very strange,” he said. He wondered if the crystals were just warm from the sunlight hitting them.
Just then, he spotted a lone crystal, partially hidden behind a big mottled boulder. He got up and walked over to it. He bent down, intrigued. This crystal was larger and brighter in color than the rest, and there were no grasses growing around it. It was surrounded by bare ground, the dirt a burnt reddish color. The crystal was a deep amber hue with thin veins of gold and white elements in its otherwise semi-translucent form. Rick stared at it for a moment. His vision blurred slightly and his heart rate increased. He felt almost magnetically drawn to it. He reached out with his right hand to touch it.
“Aaaghhh!” he yelped as the mysterious crystal delivered an electric-like shock that shot up through his fingers and into his arm. He flew backwards, landing hard on his back. “Owww...” he moaned.
Sergio spun around just in time to see Rick flying through the air. “Señor Rick!” he called out. He raced over.
Rick lay on the ground, clutching his arm, which tingled and now felt slightly numb.
Sergio skidded on the ground, and then knelt by Rick’s side. “Señor Rick! Are you OK? ¿Qué pasó?”
Rick coughed. He was slightly winded. He stretched his fingers out, and then shook his hand. “I don’t know...I just touched one of those crystals.”
Sergio frowned.
Rick sat up, moaning, his back aching from hitting the ground. He coughed some more, and then looked at his hand, turning it over palm up. His fingertips appeared slightly red, but other than that there were no other outwards signs of injury. His hand throbbed. “I half-expected to see burns.”
Sergio helped him to his feet.
Rick wobbled slightly, but Sergio held him steady. “Breathe,” his guide said.
Rick nodded as he straightened up. He took a deep breath, and then closed his eyes for a moment. At once in his mind’s eye, he saw a tunnel made of spinning white and amber light. In the center of it a
formless black shape came speeding straight for him carried by a ferocious blast of deafening wind rushing past. He gasped. “No!” he cried out, as he tried to shield himself from the imaginary onslaught.
Sergio stumbled as Rick suddenly collapsed backwards into his arms. “Señor Rick!” he shouted.
Rick blacked out.
He awoke a couple of minutes later to the sensation of water splashing on his face. He coughed as he inhaled some of it.
Sergio rolled him on his side and repeatedly smacked his back to help him cough the water up.
Rick put his hand up to stop him. “I’m good, I’m good. Thanks,” he said, pushing himself up.
“¿Qué pasó?” Sergio asked, kneeling next to him.
Rick shook his head and wiped the water from his face. “It was the weirdest thing.” He tried to explain the strange vision and sensations. “It was like a strobe light going off in my mind, followed by a powerful wind tunnel.” He felt slightly nauseous. He dipped his chin to his chest, trying not to get sick. “It felt so real for a moment, like it was actually happening.” He looked up at Sergio.
His guide had a peculiar expression on his face.
Rick felt slightly embarrassed. He had no idea what had just happened. “Maybe I just have heatstroke,” he said, half-smiling.
Sergio pursed his lips and narrowed his eyes.
Rick thought for a moment. “It was that crystal there,” he said, pointing to the lone amber crystal next to the boulder with the mottled surface.
Sergio craned his neck to see what Rick was pointing at. He tensed, his eyebrows raised.
“You know,” Rick said, grinning as he thought of an idea, “we could always see what happens when you touch it.”
Sergio recoiled from the suggestion. “No, no touch!” He made the sign of the cross. His face was filled with apprehension and fear. He looked at Rick. His expression changed to one of seriousness. He pointed directly at Rick. “And you no touch, no más!”
Rick sensed something in the man’s voice. Sergio’s warning of no more felt like something he should heed. It beat out his curiosity for the moment. His skin crawled. Just then he felt pain, like sharp little pins and needles, poking his skin all along his right hand and arm. He rubbed the area, and slowly the sensation lessened. “Maybe you’re right,” he said. “Since I’m relatively in tact, I probably shouldn’t tempt fate any more at this point.”
CHAPTER
4
Sergio hadn’t wanted to speak of the incident with the crystal any further. He seemed spooked and withdrew anytime Rick tried to broach the subject. He could tell it made his guide very nervous, but he didn’t know why. ‘I was the one who got zapped, not him,’ Rick thought. ‘Why is he so freaked out about it?’ Rick gave up and decided to let it drop and focus on the task ahead. They needed to find a way out of this place.
They had continued to search the gorge for signs of the ancient passageway, this time being careful not to touch anything that appeared strange or unusual.
Eventually, the sun began to dip below the mountain peaks, dimming the reflection off the crystals, making it easier to see. But it wouldn’t remain that way for long.
Rick spotted Sergio. He went over to him.
“We’re going to have make camp here tonight,” Rick said. “Daylight’s fading fast, and it’s going to get cold and dark soon.”
“Si,” Sergio said. “We should sleep back in the tunnel, we will be safer.”
They searched the gorge as long as they could, until the light left them.
Rick expected it to get dark fast, but instead of being cast into the black night, the crystal gorge had yet another surprise in store. The moon, half full, rose over the mountain peaks. It appeared enormous and bright, making its craters and valleys easy to make out.
Rick and Sergio stood watching the night spectacle, both in awe of it. The evening sky was clear and the stars were out in full force. As the sky grew darker, the sun’s light reflecting off the moon had another effect. The crystals on the ground glistened in the moonlight. It gave the area an otherworldly glow. It was as though they had stepped into an alien realm. The roar of the waterfalls seemed louder now. It was as though they were in a world all their own, one cut off from the rest of humanity.
As the night drew in more, the Milky Way became visible over the mountain peaks. It was a spectacular sight.
“Wow,” Rick whispered. “This place is something else. Nature really knows how to put on a show.”
He absentmindedly rubbed his right fingers together, recalling the powerful electric effect from touching the crystals. The pins and needles had stopped, but the vision of the whirling tunnel returned for a split second. He shuddered.
Sergio was quiet, lost in his own thoughts. His face filled with reverence for what he was witnessing.
They sat there in silence for a time, watching the moonlight dance off the crystals.
Rick glanced around, taking in the surroundings that were illuminated by the moon’s silvery glow. The crystals looked as though they were lit from within. Just then, something caught his eye. He noticed an area far off towards a mountain on the left. It looked like there was a faint glow beyond the jungle tree line, separate from the crystal gorge. He squinted. He wasn’t sure if it was his eyes. He took out his binoculars, peered through them, and found his focus. It wasn’t his eyes.
“Sergio,” he said, tapping his guide on the shoulder and pointing, “do you see that glow over there? It seems set apart from the rest. Take a look.”
Sergio followed the direction Rick was pointing to. He peered intently, scanning the area.
Rick handed him the binoculars.
Then Sergio saw it as well. An almost bluish hue was barely visible beyond the tree line and within what appeared to be a narrow mountain pass. “Si, Señor Rick, I see it.”
“I wonder if that could be the ancient road the manuscript talks about?” Rick said, his hopes for the Lost City growing once again. “That glow is probably from more crystals, they were described in the manuscript.”
“Perhaps,” Sergio said, “it is a well-hidden path.”
“Do you think we could try for it tonight?” Rick asked.
Sergio shook his head vigorously. “No, too dangerous.”
“But we haven’t seen any other wildlife here. Maybe it’s safe.” Rick thought for a moment. The fact that they hadn’t seen any wildlife here was very strange in and of itself.
“The jungle life you don’t see is the deadliest. It is there,” Sergio said, looking warily into the trees, “be warned.”
“Yeah, I suppose you’re right.” Rick was disappointed though. The distant glow was compelling. He felt powerfully drawn to it.
* * *
After memorizing the location of the distant crystals, they sat down to eat some rations, and then refilled their canteens in the clear water of the falls. Finally, they retreated into the relative safety of the tunnel, at the second bend, so they could be aware of anything approaching from either direction. It was cool and quieter there and offered good shelter.
They made their beds on the floor. They had gathered palm fronds to cushion the hard rocky floor and to keep some of the moisture off of them. They didn’t want to get their sleeping bags wet. The mist of the waterfall didn’t carry back this far, but the walls and tunnel floor were still damp.
Sergio soon fell fast asleep, his rough snoring echoing through the tunnel. The big man’s chest rose and fell. His hand, which was draped across his ample belly, twitched every so often. He was in a deep sleep.
Rick lay there, staring at the ceiling, listening to Sergio’s snores. He wished he could fall asleep so easily, but he had been plagued by bouts of insomnia for the last two years. Ever since Valerie left him.
Rick had fallen hard for the dark-haired, green-eyed beauty, without even realizing it. She’d found his rogue, gypsy lifestyle charming and fun at first, but after the first blush of romance wore off, as it always does, it
began to grate on her. Like most women, she began to think about settling down. Maybe not the getting married, buying a house in suburbia, and having kids kind of settling down. But the kind where you saw each other regularly and shared meals together, and slept side by side most nights. He had never been too good at sitting still. And that cost him Valerie.
But now that he was here in this strange place in the middle of the Amazon jungle, not knowing what was ahead, he missed her. He felt alone. If he died out here, he wasn’t sure who would really care.
He wasn’t close to his family any longer, and his friends had long since given up and grown out of the adventurer’s lifestyle to forge lives of their own.
None of them had anything of substance to show for themselves and their years of amateur expeditions into places steeped in antiquity, places rumored to hold hidden treasures and other secrets. Just a few broken trinkets here and there, but nothing to base a career on or make money from. His friends had long ago wised up to that reality and had found real jobs. Rick just couldn’t bring himself to make that same move. It felt like giving up and selling one’s soul. But with a steady paycheck. He was the last of his kind amongst his social circle.
He had also met women since Valerie, but had been too wounded to get close. Each quick fling left him feeling emptier than the time before. No one really knew him anymore. Not since Valerie.
Since then, he had become more and more of a loner. In his wounded state, he became a lost, wandering soul. He also drank more. Lots more. He knew it wasn’t good, but he wasn’t ready to stop. This trip, though crazy and reckless as it was, was at least good for that problem. There was no room for dragging flats of beer or bottles of whiskey along. He hoped when he got back, if they got back, the booze wouldn’t have the same appeal for him. Maybe this was his rehab.
Rick looked towards the tunnel’s exit. The reflections off the moonlit crystals cast a silvery glow through the ever-present mist. The specks of gold in the walls shone out from their rocky captors.
‘This place is incredibly alluring,’ he thought, ‘and something significant happened when I touched that crystal. I just don’t know what it means.’ He sighed heavily. ‘I wonder if I’ll ever know.’