by A. K. Smith
Scout took a deep breath and said, “I’ve heard old fishermen tell stories, legends if you will, of a tribe of people whose king lived an extraordinary long time. People of Mayan descent lived unusually long lives, and because of this their population doubled and tripled. Historians and researchers document the existence of over one million descendants of the Maya, and then poof, they dwindled to non-existence. Gone.”
She propped her chin on her hands. “I remember reading something about that.”
Scout continued, “There are many thoughts and conspiracy theories on how this large civilization vanished. Today 30,000 Mayan descendants live in Central America; if you talk to them, they will tell you stories about the disappearance of their people. One of the old Maya legends is about two kings. One found a way to live an unusually long and healthy life, the other had a village of sick and dying people. The king of the diseased people asked the other king to share his cure, his secret, but the powerful old king would not share, proclaiming it was sacred only to be used by the royalty, not common people. His greediness, his selfishness ignited violence among the tribes, destroying him and the secret of the cure. This is what many say caused the extinction of the Maya.”
Scout took out a piece of paper and drew four symbols. “Hunkul Yax,” he said.
Kendall looked at the drawing blankly. “What?”
“Hunkul Yax in Mayan,” Scout repeated. “My drawing is not too good but I’ve seen it several times, and it looks something like this.”
“What does it mean?”
“When translated to English, it means ‘forever young’. A Mayan phrase passed around and used in reference to a specific tribe of Maya people who possessed an ability to lead exceedingly long lives.”
Kendall and Ryder were transfixed. He went on, “Research exists documenting skeletons of women and men who lived to 150, 180, even 200 years old. The carbon dating of these skeletons has been disputed for years, but the majority of them found in burial grounds and caves in the Yucatán peninsula, are not too far from where we are going.” He paused to take a breath, then added, “When folks talk about the ancient skeletons they are usually drawing symbols and using the words Hunkul Yax. It’s a legend that’s been around for centuries.”
She pulled out her tablet, and inserted the zip drive she wore around her neck. The photos flashed on the screen. She repeated what she knew about the old man Tobias and Conrad Nathaniel’s great-great-grandfather.
“I think Tim had something to do with helping the old man escape. I think they had him in the lab and then they didn’t, and somehow Tim was mixed up in it.”
****
Outside the boat’s portholes, the glassy sea reflected the sliver of the moon. Light winds carried the boat toward its destination. Scout, Kendall, and Ryder poured over every document on Tim’s USB drive, including the video message to Kendall. Ryder’s eyes glazed as he watched his father in perfect health and totally alive on the screen. As soon as the clip ended, his hand reached out to touch the play button again. She stepped away from the computer and took a bathroom break, giving Ryder the privacy he deserved in watching his father on the screen. She could hear him play it several times.
****
Scout was mesmerized. Here was a man, whom he had met, so full of life and energy, talking to his wife, his voice echoing on the boat, as if he were eerily there. Tim brought Kendall and Ryder into his world. Because of him they were on this boat, caught up in this unusual situation. He watched the video in total silence, listening intently to every word, trying to decipher the meaning in it all.
He stepped out and made his way to the top of the boat. He took in a deep breath, his head tilted back, amazed at the star-packed sky. Roberto came up next to him and they stood in silence, the vastness of the sea and sky surrounded them.
“A few more hours to shore,” Roberto said.
“Okay, then I guess we all better catch a siesta.” Scout stretched. “We have a long journey ahead of us.”
It was another hour before they took their sleeping berths and the lights went dark in the cabin. With Scout’s head full of the what if’s, sleep seemed impossible. The methodical slow rocking of the boat won the battle. For the sea that night was like a loving mother cradling her children in safe and strong arms.
In what felt like minutes, Scout’s eyes slowly opened. The night had passed silently, and the dawn’s soft light snuck into the boat’s staterooms and galley nudging him awake, alerting him the shoreline was close.
Chapter 53
Kendall’s love/hate relationship with the sea was being tested yet again. The plan, according to Scout, was coming in from the ocean would save a few days of thick jungle hiking and make an easier trip back to the cenote. Ideas are not always reality. The gnarly reef guarded the shoreline with vengeance.
In order to cross the jagged reef without ripping the bottom or getting hung up, only two options existed. One was to find a natural opening where a boat could fit through without damage. Trolling back and forth for an hour, they found no opening, so, Jorge, the Captain, went to plan B. Timing the swells. As the waves came in, they counted in Spanish. Finally, Jorge went for it, as Kendall held her breath. The waves rolled them delicately over the sharp black teeth of the jutting rocks and landed them near the shore. Kendall exhaled a long breath and a squeal adding, “We made it!”
Once the boat was at anchor, it took a long time to bring all the supplies and tanks to shore in the dinghy. Anyone who happened upon the scene might have thought the boat was shipwrecked as they worked together transporting the supplies to set up camp on the minutest stretch of white soft sand, so fine Kendall named it sugar beach. Luckily, no witnesses existed, the sea was empty, no other boats on the horizon.
On the voyage over, Scout outlined the trek, painting a picture of poisonous plants, bugs, and snakes. He described in detail how unmerciful the jungle can be. He wanted to make sure they understood the journey. He just wants us to be prepared, and realize this is a completely different outing than their first cenote trip.
There were no trails or roads leading into the destination pinpointed on Tim’s map. Roberto and Enrique would lead the way with machetes, and they would help carry the gear.
Scout estimated with luck it would take four days and three nights to reach the cenote from the shoreline; coming in from the land would have taken at least a week, if not longer.
Fortunately, the weather was on their side, and the typical May humidity that starts creeping in and closing up the air was staying away for now. Their gear was checked and double-checked. Scout was a safety man and thanks to his new satellite phone and GPS, the well-planned and thought-out supplies, the five of them should be able to survive for at least fourteen days in the jungle.
Jorge and Lily would stay on the boat, anchoring in different coves each night but close enough to keep radio contact.
The first day went remarkably well, Kendall received a few cuts and scratches but the humidity stayed low and the group was determined to reach their destination. Roberto and Enrique found a suitable place to make camp for the night. With machetes, they chopped down a tiny circular area, large enough to set up three tents and an area for a semi-private bathroom. Scout hated chopping down clearings, Kendall could almost catch him wincing as the machetes in front of them destroyed the natural habitat of the jungle. He reminded them several times he wanted to leave the area with the least human impact.
As nightfall entered the jungle, the air teemed with background sound effects. Chirps, buzzing, and rustling of leaves and trees occurred in random order. An illusion of the sound of water filled the empty pauses. Even the sky seemed to press its own depth of thickness against the trees. The fire made by Enrique and Roberto warmed the small clearing. Scout mentioned it was necessary to provide light and to keep any curious predators of the night away from their space. Everyone knew it wasn’t their space, but they were borrowing it from the Yucatán in order to experience its remote beauty and
reach their destination. Even in the wildness of the jungle Kendall wasn’t alarmed.
After a quick meal of vegetables wrapped in flour tortillas, Scout passed around a bar of dark chocolate. Enrique and Roberto were so excited by this that Kendall gave them her share. They were appreciative and their eyes shone with curiosity and warmth toward the only female of the group. After years of working with Scout, she knew they trusted him, but they carried a different cautiousness than in the last cenote trip. Their eyes constantly circled the jungle and they conferred in Spanish.
She and Ryder would be sharing a tent. Kendall was grateful. The idea of sleeping alone in the middle of the jungle seemed like the limit of lonely. It had been a long hot day, muscles were sore and sleep was inevitable. She lingered by the fire with Scout, giving Ryder some space in the tent, hoping he would be asleep when she turned in.
It was the first time they had been alone. She had been waiting for this moment, thinking about being together, seeing each other one to one after weeks of communication.
Her hands clasped around her knees, staring at the embers of the fire, she spoke softly, “It seems crazy, doesn’t it? All the secrets and lies, a hidden map…” She turned and took in his handsome, rugged face. “And you’re helping us, you’re helping Ryder and me figure this out. Why?”
Scout gazed at her. “How can I not? I liked your husband from the moment I met him. I’m sure you have heard this many times. Tim was a unique and special human being. I believe what he wanted to show you and Ryder in the cenote will be special as well. One of my deepest regrets is I was not honest with you about the last cenote…” He paused as if he wanted to say something else. “I had no idea of all this.” He ran his hand through his hair. “And I’m doing it for you, as much as I respect your husband, my heart hasn’t felt like this for a long time. You make me feel emotions I almost forgot existed.” He looked at her and swallowed. “I couldn’t wait to see you again.” He exhaled a loud breath and turned to face the fire.
She took his clasped hands in hers. “I don’t know what to say, there are so many things going on, my life doesn’t make a lot of sense, but I do know I’m so happy to be doing this with you, and you’re here for me…for us.” Kendall paused. “Thank you.”
He sat still and looked at the fire. “I am here for you.” He pulled one hand out of hers and placed it on the side of her cheek. The silence seemed like minutes as he looked into her eyes. He smiled and offered a hand to pull her up. “We should try to get some sleep, it will be another long hike tomorrow.”
****
Morning in the jungle is alive with energy, with birds of different varieties cawing, chirping, and whistling, and a repertoire of buzzing insects completing the symphony. The early morning sun creates a hazy filter through the green trees, exposing shimmering cobwebs as it slowly wakes the untouched wilderness.
The smell of coffee floated through the air, nudging Kendall to an awareness of light and sound. Ryder was out of the tent, as she looked down at her watch surprised at what time it was.
After their jungle routine of waking up and quick personal hygiene, they consumed coffee and breakfast bars as Enrique and Roberto packed up the camp.
Today they would have to cross several rivers, reminding her of the river crossing on the last trip when Scout saved her. The group had a good rhythm. They traveled together for days before, but Ryder’s attitude had changed and he was working together with an underlying excitement about reaching their destination.
Ryder asked questions regarding Conrad Nathaniel, the Professor, and the underground tunnel that led to Camp David.
“Do you think my mother knows about The Collective?” Ryder was walking behind her.
She thought about her words carefully. “I’m not sure, I doubt it—no one outside the government is supposed to know. Is there anything that would make you think your mother knew your dad was still involved with the government?”
He was silent for a moment as if he was thinking, the tone of his voice like steel. “No, nothing, she wouldn’t have been able to keep it from me. I can’t believe he never told me, his only son.” For a moment the pissed-off Ryder emerged. “I thought I knew everything about my dad, or I used to.” He swung his walking stick and cracked the branches beside him.
She understood. She stopped, placed both hands on his shoulders and looked him in the eye. He started to pull away but she held firm. “He was probably going to tell you. This was the trip for you and your dad to experience something that was vital to him, he may have just been waiting for the right time. He wanted this for your eighteenth birthday, maybe he thought when you were eighteen he could explain it all to you. You, his only son. He obviously wanted to share something special with you.”
Ryder’s unsmiling eyes were full of water. He looked away. “I just miss him so much,” his voice wavered, “why can’t he be here to explain all of this to me?” He wiped his face. Scout stopped up ahead and yelled back, “Is everything okay?”
She tried to give Ryder a hug but he stepped in front of her and kept walking. She yelled back to Scout, “Yes, everything is fine.”
They were coming up to the second river of the day; this one was about four or five feet deep with pretty slow rapids. Enrique and Roberto were organizing the dry bags getting ready for the crossing. As Scout started out to test the depth of the river and make a safe path for everyone else, Ryder came barreling through the water, past Scout to the other side.
Scout turned and looked at her with a scowl. She shrugged and raised her eyebrows. Luckily, the crossing went easily and with Ryder in front and Enrique and Roberto following, she and Scout had a chance to talk.
“So what do you think they are saying about your sudden trip to Belize at the college?” he asked.
“Well, I think Steve Crawford is going to be upset I didn’t meet him and give him the briefcase, and I think Conrad Nathaniel is too smart to think I just needed some time away. Then there’s the Professor. I feel bad about not telling him but I just don’t know whom to trust anymore. I think that’s the worst thing of all—realizing I have no one to trust.”
“You can trust me.” His voice was softer. “I’d do anything I can to help you figure this out.”
She glanced at Scout with his hair pulled back and a sincere look on his face. “I know, I believe that, and you are helping. I’m not sure if this trip will help me fill in the blanks about what Tim wanted us to know, but at least I honored his wish and brought Ryder to see his cenote and then I will be done with all of this. Well, sort of done, I just don’t know whom to trust—the government or Conrad Nathaniel.” She took off her sunglasses. “Do you think we would know it if we found it, what is so important?”
He answered the best he could, “I have no idea what we’re looking for, but maybe we’ll know it when we see it.”
****
The sun was hanging low in the west and the sounds of the jungle were changing with the light. Enrique and Roberto stopped in front and put a finger to their lips. Frozen like statues in silence. The sound of the howler monkeys reminding Kendall again of the dinosaurs from Jurassic Park. A slightly human sound but eerily fierce as it echoed through the jungle. As in Africa when the lions roar in the distance, announcing the king of the jungle, in the Yucatán the roar of the howler monkeys is the sound of their king.
They found a small clearing up from the third river and camp was set up for the second night. Ryder, Scout, and Kendall decided to walk back to the river and take a bath. The humidity was moving in and the air was tight against their bodies. The mosquitoes so thick in the air, you could clear them with the palm of your hand.
Back at their small camp Enrique and Roberto were sweating profusely over the small fire grilling up vegetables. After two days of not eating anything cooked, the smell of onions, peppers and squash was delicious.
“Won’t the smell bring in all the animals of the jungle?” Ryder frowned as he studied Scout.
Scout smi
led. “Well, maybe, but with all those vegetables sizzling at least they would be vegetarians, we don’t want to attract any meat eaters.”
Ryder inserted his headphones and turned away.
The thick veil of darkness blanketed the jungle and the evening sounds filled the air. Enrique and Roberto were further away from the fire, but all five of them were sitting on the ground on tarps, Scout and Kendall talking about the next day, Ryder lying on his back with his headphones on.
A snap sounded in the distance. Enrique and Roberto stood searching through the thick trees. Instinctively silence and stillness washed over them. Ryder rose, his earbuds in and Scout put his finger to his lips and motioned for him to turn his iPhone off. They were all at attention when they heard the snap again. Enrique and Roberto using hand signals slowly entered the jungle.
A shiny flash from the jungle, they both had knives.
Scout stood and crept to the edge of the trees listening intently. It went on like this for what seemed an eternity, and then Enrique and Roberto came back, nodding their heads and speaking in Spanish.
Ryder whispered, “What was it? Do you think it was a jaguar?”
Scout shook his head. “No, they are stealthy; it was probably just another animal checking out our fire.”
He spoke with Roberto in Spanish and then turned to Ryder and Kendall. “Well, if it makes you feel any better, Roberto and Enrique will take turns staying up a little longer tonight and watching the fire.”
Ryder shrugged. “Whatever, I’m going to sleep.”
Kendall pulled the rubber band out of her hair, letting it fall loose around her neck. “I think I’ll stay up with you for a little bit.”
Scout went over to speak to Enrique and Roberto, then came back and plopped down next to Kendall on the canvas tarp. Enrique and Roberto moved facing the other direction, with Roberto lying down and Enrique propped on his elbow.
“What did you tell them?”
He moved his leg until it touched hers, whispering, “I told them I wanted to kiss you good night so would they please give us some privacy.”