"They're more than dolls. When the dead go to the underworld in the afterlife they become Kachinas. Hasn't your mom mentioned it?"
Maya shook her head. "She says they're silly stories and not to pay attention."
He looked hurt by the suggestion. "It's our heritage. Take pride."
"Oh, I do. I want to learn more." Maya nodded and stroked his arm as she looked in his eyes.
The corners of his lips turned up. "Well, some of the gods are tricksters, wreaking havoc. They use the bats to cast curses. Sometimes Kachinas leave the underworld during harvest time, but usually the only things coming in and out of the door are bats… or so the legend has it," he finished, side-stepping.
"Have you ever been to this cave?"
"No, it’s hidden. You can’t just stumble into it, but my dad thinks my mom found her way into it once. She never came back." His eyes were pained.
Maya put her arm around his waist to comfort him. It must have been difficult to lose his mother. She wished she could make him forget. She thought of her own mother, and how it was almost like she was lost to her now. They walked through the shallow waters in silence, studying the smooth stones in the riverbed."Oh, look,” Maya said, bending down, “it's the perfect little worry stone." She picked it up, rubbing her thumb into the indentation of the smooth, oval-shaped rock. She placed it into Warren's palm and showed him how to rub his thumb into the divot. “It helps when you’re worried about something.” Their eyes met and she looked away.
"I admire how strong you are about your mom. I know it's tough," he said, putting the stone into his pocket.
She nodded, wondering why he thought she was strong when she felt a wreck inside. She hid it well she supposed. "Thanks... I appreciate you letting me come along."
He chuckled. "Trust me, you made this trip bearable."
The sound of the group running back through the current got louder as they approached.
"Guys, I'm starving," Paris whined, as she and the rest of them made their way past Warren and Maya to the sand. "Let's go eat."
Everyone but Maya and Warren got out of the water and started putting their clothes on over their bikinis and trunks.
Warren and Maya looked at each other and sighed.
They walked back to the canyon wall. Paris held hands with Roy, cautiously jumping away from sticks as if they might turn into snakes, all while casting the evil eye at Maya.
12. All Dreams Spin Out of the Same Web
After the climb, the group made it to the hotel for a late lunch. Maya and everyone else was forced to endure Paris’s boasting in the conversation she dominated at the table. Warren seemed withdrawn, only sitting with them because he was their tour guide.
"I couldn't believe how easy it was to glide down the nylon rope. It was breathtaking. I felt so free and so proud.” She batted her lashes at Roy, then reached under the table, moving her hand up his leg. He sat up straight.
Maya lifted her lip, wanting to kick her, but she wasn’t close enough. If only my brother weren’t controlled by his hormones.
"Um, Paris," Kira said, in a matter-of-fact tone," you screamed the entire way down."
She scowled. "That isn't the way it happened, is it Mindy?"
Mindy was about to take a bite of her sandwich but paused, "Yeah," she lied. "She was a boss at propelling."
Maya found it odd that Kira and Mindy were so desperate to be Paris’s friend that they would sacrifice being real with her. Maybe it was fair to assume she bought their friendship. They were like rodents consuming the crumbs that Paris dropped for them, and Chantal was pining to do the same.
"Last spring break Kira and I went to see Twenty-One Pilots." Paris smirked like she was better than everyone from this bit of information.
Kira sheltered her face, her dark spiral ringlets spilling over her fingers. Her glossy periwinkle nail polish shone. “Can we please talk about something else?”
“Don’t be shy, Kira.” Paris gave her a friendly jab in the ribs. “We had backstage tickets after the show, and we got to meet Josh and Tyler. Tell them what Josh had to say about you.”
She shook her head. “I don’t feel like it.”
“He said,” Paris continued, “that she had the prettiest eyes, and that it was too bad she was only a high school girl. He said ‘Call me when you’re twenty-one’, but that’s not where it ends.”
Kira covered her face with both hands.
“We snuck into his dressing room and we stole a pair of his underwear. Kira sleeps with them. They’re under her pillow. She refuses to wash them.”
Everyone laughed, even Maya, though she tried not to. She didn’t even believe the story was true, but it was funny.
“Lifting doesn’t seem like something you two would do,” Chantal said, pausing before she put a bite of food in her mouth.
“We’ve done it loads of times,” Paris said. “Well, mostly me, at stores.”
Chantal’s smile faded. “But… your parents give you a big allowance.”
Paris rolled her eyes. “It’s not about money. It’s the thrill of sneaking and not getting caught.”
When Kira uncovered her face her cheeks were rose red. She scooted her food around on her plate.
Maya tried not to show her boredom as Paris droned on about how she had single-handedly rescued herself from the jaws of a lion in Las Vegas at the MGM Grand.
⭐⭐⭐
Maya tossed and turned that night. Something was too familiar about the feel of the bed and the sheets. It was the scent of home. She glanced at the other side of the room, expecting to see Chantal, but was startled to find herself in her own bed back home. She sat up, alert.
How did I get here?
She stumbled out of bed and traipsed into the hall. She could smell the ocean breeze-scented potpourri from her bathroom. She flipped on the light.
There was a pop. A spark in the bulb lit the hall and fizzled out instantaneously.
Maya pressed her back against the wall. Nothing to be afraid of. Fear of the dark is only a fear of what you can't see. Light bulbs burn out like that… sometimes.
Maya could see the closed door to Roy's room. She left her post by the light switch and tip-toed into his bedroom, keeping watch for invisible monsters. She turned the knob slowly and pushed the door open. A bright, full moon shone through the window. His room was organized.
Wow, unusually clean for Roy.
His sheets were neatly tucked around the corners of his bed, but nobody lay in them.
Roy… has to be home.
She went to search the garage. The heavy door creaked and she flipped on the light.
No cars in the garage! I'm alone? Fear and anxiety ran through her. No, not alone… Mom's here… She gulped.
Thump!
Maya froze, knowing there was only one place the sound could be coming from—her mother's room upstairs. She looked up to the ceiling above her. Be brave.
Thump, thump!
Goosebumps prickled up her legs and arms. She slowly paced into the living room and headed up the stairs. All was quiet as she turned to face the forbidden door.
Dad said never to enter here… but he isn't here now and he left me alone with her. She lightly touched her fingers to the knob.
Thump, thump!
Startled, she withdrew her hand. Whatever was behind the door was demanding her attention.
Be brave! She took a deep breath, turned the knob, and pushed the door open. Nothing could be made out in the shadowy room. She flipped on the light to see the sheets and blankets had fallen off the bed and onto the floor. A bony, pasty-white hand with long fingernails reached out from the top of the mounded blankets. A dirty foot came out from under the sheets and thudded onto the wooden floor. The heel pulled the blankets, engulfing her mother as she moved toward the door where Maya stood. Thump, thump, thump!
Maya brought her hand to her chest, unable to breathe. She stood motionless in the doorway, succumbing to her fear. Her mother touched her
own head and a clump of hair came out. "It's the curse!" her mother said hoarsely.
Maya screamed.
Her vision blurred as she opened her eyes. Two tiny black beads with a silver shine spiraled in front of her. Her head seemed to be in a fog. They were communicating with her, whispers of the dream, menacing the way they moved. She swatted at them and they burst like bubbles.
Her heart was beating as if it were about to jump through her ribcage. She sat up, trying to pull herself together. She was in bed at Grandma's hotel. It had only been a nightmare. Chantal sat up, rubbing her eyes.
“What’s the matter?” she asked. “Why are you yelling?”
“I just had a nightmare,” Maya said, “about my mom. I was in my house back home. It was so real. I could feel the doorknob to the garage in my hand, and smell the scent of my bathroom potpourri as I walked by. It was like I was there. Then when I woke up there were little black bubbles, like the kind in Ahote’s dream catcher.”
Gusts of wind wafted over them through the open window. She remembered Grandma warning her not to leave the window open at night. Chantal went to the close it, her blond hair flailing behind her as she dragged her feet. “Mud heads,” she mumbled, looking outside, and got back into bed.
“Sorry, what?”
“Mud heads.” She rolled onto her side and pulled the covers up. “You know, trickster Kachinas?”
Maya propped herself up on her elbows. “No, I don’t.”
Chantal let out a sigh, then rolled to face Maya. “It’s early, and we have to get up for our ride in a few hours.”
“Well, yes, but I feel like some sort of explanation is in order. I just woke up from a crazy nightmare and these black bubbles with a silver glimmer were hovering in front of me, and all you have to say is mudhead Kachinas?”
She huffed. “Mudheads are the clowns. They play tricks. They showed you something going on in your life that you’re afraid of.”
“Of course I’m afraid of what’s happening to my mom, but why would they do that?”
“I don’t know, Maya.” She closed her eyes, sounding frustrated. “Why don’t you ask one of the elders? Grandma or Ahote.”
Chantal fell asleep while Maya stared at the ceiling as the sun began to rise, brightening the room more by the minute. There was no way she could go back to sleep after that. She snatched the puzzle box off Chantal’s dresser and laid back down. She had intended to get started on solving it much sooner, but she had been busy ever since she arrived. This was the opportune time.
The rectangular box was made of several smaller pieces of wood that fit together in an intricate design of triangles. She tried pushing left on every little piece. When nothing gave she tried pushing them right. Still nothing. The next thing she tried was to press and pull each miniature slate.
Chantal opened her eyes a few times to check on Maya’s progress, which was nil.
“Grandma ever give you one of these?” Maya asked.
“Nope. You’re special I guess.”
Maya was running out of ideas when she thought of twisting the sides. She tried each of the six sides, and finally the last one did a quarter turn. As it did the triangular design changed. Each of the slats on the surfaces moved into squares with a checkerboard design. It happened so fast it seemed like it was by magic. She felt a thrill in her chest. It even made Chantal smile. She reached out to touch it. Maya tried to turn it back so they could watch it move again, but it wouldn’t budge. She sat in bed playing with it until it was time to get ready for the ride she and Chantal had scheduled.
Maya took a quick shower, and when she got out Chantal was gone. Maya was getting used to her cousin leaving every morning before she woke up, but she figured it was because she didn’t want to disturb her sleep. Obviously, that wasn’t the case.
Maya missed her friend Bella. She thought Chantal would take her mind off things, but she was always with her own friends.
She finished getting ready and slipped out the door. She could see Lance running down the hallway, looking down at an electronic device. Just as he neared the end of the hallway Chase walked in front of him pulling a baggage cart full of luggage.
“Lance!” Maya called, trying to warn him, but it was too late. He fell into the suitcases making them fall out of the opposite side as he tripped and landed on them. One of the bags fell open.
Lance began picking up the clothes when a man who, Maya presumed was the owner, got down on his knees to gather the items. “I’ve got it,” the man shouted, furrowing his brow.
“Sorry,” Lance said, picking himself up. He continued up to the Dining Hall.
Maya found Chantal by Aunt Roslyn who stood by the front desk. Dr. Parker kissed Aunt Roslyn’s hand. She smiled back. Maya thought the way they looked at each other was cute.
Chantal narrowed her eyes at him.
"Good morning, Maya," Aunt Roslyn said, beaming. She had straightened her hair and was wearing a flattering red top with a pearl necklace.
"Pleasant day," Dr. Parker said with a smile.
“Yes, it is,” Maya said.
"We're going riding this morning," said Chantal, attempting to avoid eye contact with Dr. Parker.
"That's great. James and I are going too," he said. “I wish you could come, Roz. Give me the grand tour.”
"Oh, I would if I didn’t have to cover the front desk." Aunt Roslyn said. "I hope you’ll enjoy yourself without me.”
“I’ll try.” They pecked each other on the lips and smiled.
“This will be Maya's first ride since she's been back.” Aunt Roslyn said. “Make sure she gets a horse that doesn't spook easily, Chantal."
"I have my sight set on Fearless Legend," Maya said.
"I think that can be arranged," Aunt Roslyn replied.
Ahote approached the desk, his bandanna soaked up sweat. Aunt Roslyn handed him a list of names for paid customers that were going on the tour.
"So, you're the riding instructor," Dr. Parker said with a wolfish smile.
"Yes," Ahote said. He was wearing a sleeveless blue button-up shirt with blue jeans and boots. He looked at Dr. Parker from head to toe with a frown.
Dr. Parker put his hand out to shake. “Call me William. I would love to have an in-depth conversation with you about your culture. I’ve studied sociology and I majored in archeology.”
Ahote leaned back, raising his chin. Dr. Parker retracted his hand.
Chantal followed Ahote’s lead by folding her arms and narrowing her eyes at Dr. Parker.
James came up behind Dr. Parker. His short sandy-blond hair licked up above his forehead. His oval shaped face was shiny, and his cheeks sunk in.
Chantal's stern look turned to mush at the sight of him, dropping her arms to her sides and softening her hard expression. Maya saw their eyes meet, then they looked away.
"Ready to go riding, Uncle?" asked James.
"Certainly, dear boy."
Lance passed by Ahote on his way to the dining hall and whispered something in another language.
Dr. Parker noticed the exchange, looking back and forth between them.
Secrets of the Anasazi Page 10