Secrets of the Anasazi

by Sky Whitehorse

  "How would a horse get down here?"

  Chantal looked at Maya. "We need to send the horses back to the stables before they blow our cover. We'll be able to climb the fixed anchors on our way back. I just have to wait until Dr. Parker and James are far enough away that they can't hear the flute."

  Dr. Parker and James headed in the opposite direction of where they hid.

  "I knew they were headed west," Chantal whispered, narrowing her eyes into slits.

  They hung back until the English pair had traveled far ahead. Chantal played three notes and Fearless bolted up the dirt slide, ducking under the shrubs. She repeated this with Ancient Orange and he followed. A cloud of dust swirled out of the passage.

  "We have to catch up," Chantal said, hustling through the dark shadows.

  Maya stumbled over stones in the path. A howl echoed far behind. "What was that?" She looked behind her but didn't see anything.

  "Just a coyote."

  She latched onto Chantal's arm.

  She chuckled. "They won't hurt you unless you try to corner them."

  Maya let go. "I knew that," she said, with a smile.

  They walked onward, following the glow of light from James and Dr. Parker's headlamps. It seemed like an awfully long walk. After fifteen minutes, Dr. Parker sat on the ground in the middle of three large boulders that were three times the size of him. He pulled out a large stone tablet from his backpack. James crouched behind him, looking over his shoulder. The lights from their hats cast shadows on the rocks that seemed to dance on the canyon walls each time their heads moved.

  Maya and Chantal crept behind a sandstone rock, close enough to hear their conversation.

  "Where did you get this broken tablet, Uncle?" James asked.

  "From an Indian at the reservation," Dr. Parker replied. "I'd like to get my hands on the other piece of this brother tablet. It would make the artifact that much more valuable."

  "There are a lot of birds drawn on it."

  "They aren't birds."

  "What are they?"

  "Bats."

  "Why do you think that?"

  "Simple. The shape of the wings and there are more bats than birds around here." Dr. Parker pointed at the petroglyph.

  "How old is this tablet?"

  "By the look of it, I would say it dates back to 650 A.D."

  At that moment, some droppings fell from the sky and plopped into the sand.

  "Ahh, more bloody bats!"

  Maya looked up to see about twenty of them passing under the glow of the starlight.

  "Why do you think the Anasazi people made petroglyphs of bats?" James asked.

  "I recon it could be because of their firm belief in spirit animals. They believe everyone has their own special animal that has passed over that guides them. When they see their spirit animal in the wild or in a dream they think their spirit animal is trying to tell them something.”

  “Like what?”

  “Any number of things. I read recently when I was studying it that if you see your spirit animal dead it means change is coming. But let’s discus things that are much less silly. In order to determine what this writing means we must understand what the culture creating this tablet believed. They were a culture that took much time observing nature. They knew the habits of the animals and what qualities they possessed. There are an awful lot of things to know about bats. They are a clue to where the Anasazi believe their treasure's hidden. Look overhead." Dr. Parker reached into his pocket, pulled out a ring full of keys, and jingled them.

  The bats circled in the air above, as if the jingling disturbed their flight. They swooped down slightly and then continued their route west.

  "Why did they circle around like that?" James asked.

  "Bats hear sounds that are inaudible to the human ear. They hate the sound of rattling keys because to them it's deafening. Most bats are nearly blind, but they maneuver in the black of night and catch hundreds of tiny bugs. They don't see the way humans do. The noises they hear create pictures in their brains of what lies ahead. It's called echolocation. Fascinating creatures, really. A clue to discover what this petroglyph means. I reckon there is a cave to the west of here where they roost. Find the cave and we find the location of the lost Anasazi ruins. Judging from the way the medicine man doesn't want guests trespassing to the west of here, we're on the right track." Dr. Parker laid back with his hands behind his head.

  "I really like that guy. What’s his name? Aho-? Well, whatever it is, he was real friendly. He showed me his dart collection."

  “Him? Friendly? He’s a big, dumb oaf if you ask me,” Dr. Parker said, sarcastically.

  Chantal stood up from behind the rock, balling a fist. Maya grabbed the back of her shirt and pulled her down.

  “Do you think he knows where the ruins might be?”

  "Of course he knows," Dr. Parker replied.

  A twig snapped under Chantal's foot, making a loud pop. The beams from the flashlights on James and Dr. Parker's heads turned in their direction.

  Maya and Chantal huddled behind the boulder.

  "Shhh… Someone's followed us."

  Maya and Chantal looked wide-eyed at each other.

  Maya cast a stone into the river, making a big splash. The beams of light moved away from the rock they hid behind to the river. Maya peeked around the rock and saw James and Dr. Parker were now facing away from them.

  "Let's head back," Maya whispered. "You found out what you wanted to know. Happy?"

  Chantal nodded.

  Hunched over, they tiptoed to the canyon wall. Once they were out of range from the beams of light, they stood up and walked in the open. Now that they were out of earshot Maya decided to tell Chantal about what she had witnessed.

  "There were three men that came to Ahote's hut very angry earlier tonight. They were shouting in another language and they wanted something from him."

  "What do you think it was?" Chantal whispered.

  "I'm not sure. At first, I thought it might be the dream catcher Ahote gave me."

  “I doubt it,” Chantal said. “He’s had that ever since I can remember. I can’t imagine they would want it.”

  They walked on until the fixed anchors came into view. They were no more than twenty feet away from them when Maya toppled over, face first, and landed on her elbows. She had tripped on something. A rattle and hiss sounded at her feet. Panic spread throughout her body as she felt the coiling of a snake under her legs.

  "Don't move!" Chantal said, her voice wavering.

  Maya saw a rattlesnake's head swaying back and forth in the moonlight from the corner of her eye.

  Something whizzed by her ear like the humming wings of a bustling dragonfly. Instantly, a dart punctured the serpent's scaly head and it dropped to the sand, lifeless.

  Ahote moved out from the shadows of the canyon wall, clutching his blowgun and darts.

  She felt the blood drain from her cheeks. She was grateful he had been there watching out for them but there was a sinking feeling in her stomach; they had been caught.

  Chantal drooped her head.

  Ahote grabbed Maya's hand and pulled her from the ground. "Humph," he grunted. He outstretched his palm to Chantal.

  She lifted the flute from around her neck and placed it in his palm. She looked down at her feet as he arched an eyebrow at her and pressed his lips together.

  "I would appreciate it if you got permission to borrow my things." He turned toward the fixed anchors.

  Chantal caught up to him and grabbed his arm. “James and Dr. Parker are headed west.”

  He looked down upon her face. "I'm not worried about them finding anything as of now. They have to find the key before they are able to stumble upon anything, and they don't have it." He grabbed the first anchor and started his way up.

  Maya and Chantal exchanged inquisitive looks. It hadn’t crossed Maya’s mind that a key would be needed for entry, and by the look on her cousin’s face, she hadn’t known either.
/>   They followed him up as twilight descended over the gaping canyon.

  18. Early Morning Breakfast

  July 4th arrived and every room at the bed and breakfast was booked. The hotel staff would be busy preparing for the night's festivities, setting up chairs and tables by the stables. Aunt Roslyn made out a check to the fire department. They would be standing by while a crew was ready to light fireworks at dusk. She also called in pastry and popsicle trucks to vend treats, a clown that twisted balloon animals, and a face painting table.

  The phone on Chantal's nightstand rang early that morning. She snatched the receiver and placed it by her ear, her eyes still closed, and mumbled, "Hello? Ugh... MAYA!"

  Maya jumped out of bed. "Wha–"

  "Phone." Chantal passed the receiver to her.

  Maya grabbed it. "Hello."

  "Good morning, sunshine," Warren's deep, rich voice came from the other end.

  "Uh... morning." She rubbed the sleep from her eyes and sat up.

  "I was wondering if you were meeting us?"

  She peeked at the clock. It was 6:10 a.m. She was late. "I'll be right there." She hung up the receiver then changed into her clothes and hurried to the Dining Hall. She grabbed herself a breakfast plate, noticing many of the guests were dressed festively in red, white, and blue. She filled her plate and looked around the crowd until her eyes came to rest on Warren. The sight of him made her remember their first kiss. It had been a week ago, but it still hung in her mind- the smell of his cologne, and the feel of his strong arms around her. Roy was laughing and carrying on a conversation with him while they ate. Maya took a seat across from them.

  "That lady yesterday cracked me up," Roy was telling Warren. "She tried to tell me she only weighed 200 pounds. Yeah, more like each of her legs weighs 200 pounds."

  Maya looked around the dining hall, wondering if anyone had heard. “Roy, quit being so rude. You’re embarrassing.”

  He jeered, almost choking. “Don’t lecture me. The horse can only carry twenty percent of its weight without breaking it’s back. Isn’t that right Warren?” He nudged him.

  "It’s true," Warren confirmed, "we had to put a horse down once. I won’t let that happen again. Everyone wants to take a ride to the Valley but we can't risk the horse's health."

  “In other news,” Roy joked, putting his arm around Warren’s shoulder’s, “Fearless stole Warren’s hat yesterday and flung it into the trough. It sunk to the bottom and he had to dive in for it.” A smile spread over Roy’s lips.

  Warren didn’t look amused as he looked up with a blank expression, chewing his breakfast. “I’m surprised you noticed that happening when Paris was twerking on you.”

  Roy laughed, his cheeks burning. “Boom, roast!”

  Warren took his napkin and began creasing and folding it in several directions. Maya watched with interest as it began to take shape. One corner of Warren’s mouth turned up as he focused. When he finished he held up a little origami hummingbird and passed it to Maya. “The hummingbird is a token of love, peace, and happiness.”

  Maya smiled at it, feeling special, even if it was only a folded napkin.

  “Dude, where’s mine?” Roy smacked Warren in the arm, sarcastically.

  Warren ignored him, taking another bite, and meeting eyes with Maya.

  Roy eyeballed them suspiciously. Maya looked around the room as if there were more interesting things to see, all the while feeling drawn to the looks Warren gave her. He made her feel special, like she mattered where no one else noticed her.

  "Have you ever tried the crepes?" Warren motioned with his fork to the food on his plate.

  "No," she replied, looking down at them. They looked like thin pancakes with whipped crème and strawberries wrapped inside.

  "Here, try a bite." He pierced a piece with his fork, looked into her eyes, and fed her a bite.

  Roy narrowed his eyes.

  She looked away quickly like it was no big deal. "Really good.”

  Roy leaned in with a devious look in his eye. "She used to leave teeth marks in the sticks of butter when she snuck into the fridge as a baby.”

  Maya glared at him.

  "Really?" Warren asked, flatly.

  "Well, at least I didn't eat a spider running across the floor like you did," she mused.

  "Oh! How about the time you swallowed Mom's wedding ring and we had to wait three days to get it back?" He laughed.

  Warren's eyes darted between the two of them.

  She leaned in toward her brother, her nostrils flaring. "It wasn't my fault. I was two. Mom shouldn't have left it where I could reach it."

  The cook approached them, not noticing their heated discussion.

  "Good morning, Mrs. Morgan," Warren said politely.

  "Good morning." She reached for Warren's plate which still had a few bites left on it.

  "Uh... I'm not quite–" Warren started, but Mrs. Morgan grabbed the plate and walked away. "–done," he finished.

  "She does that every day," Roy laughed.

  "Yeah, I think she does it on purpose," Warren said, wiping his mouth with Roy’s napkin.

  "That's ok. You can have some of mine," Maya offered.

  "Oh, can I have some of yours too?" Roy said sarcastically.

  "No."

  "Why not?"

  "Because Helga didn't take your plate."

  Warren lifted an eyebrow at her. His leg gently brushed against hers under the table. The touch electrified up her leg, making her go quiet.

  Roy left the table to look at the wooden clock on the wall. "Well, it's time to get to work." He brought his plate to the kitchen.

  Maya let out a breath as Warren walked around the table and sat beside her, leaning in toward her. "Tonight, I get off early for the celebration.”

  Her pulse quickened. "Oh. What time?"

  "Before the fireworks. I'll meet you there, ok?"

  She nodded, looking into his eyes that reminded her of polished brown jasper. Roy came out of the kitchen and Warren popped out of the seat. Roy hadn’t been paying attention to how close they were sitting. Maya looked down at her plate in order to not bring suspicion as Warren caught up to Roy and they walked downstairs. Maya followed him with her eyes until he disappeared from view.

  Later, as she came down from the Dining Hall, Aunt Roz held the phone out towards her. "It's for you."

  Maya grabbed the receiver. "Hello?"

  "Hey, how are you?" her father's voice boomed.

  She smiled. "I'm ok. I think I overreacted after our last conversation.” She meant it, although she still didn’t like the idea of her dad leaving her mom alone for poker night. “I miss you."

  "I miss you too, honey. Sorry I've been really busy at work and writing a lot of business at the insurance company. I haven’t been able to keep in touch the way I wanted to."