by Ben Hammott
Greyson gripped the panel’s edge as Kramer placed the tip of the nail on the top hinge pin and tapped it softly. Three hits and the pin fell free. Greyson altered his stance as he bore the weight of the half-freed panel. Kramer removed the bottom pin, and together they lifted the panel over to the sidewall.
“It’s not heavy enough to be solid gold,” stated Greyson.
“Probably be wood between sheets of thin gold,” said Kramer. He smiled when he noticed something. “There’s something on the back side.”
They turned the panel and leaned it against the wall. Both men stared at the carvings covering much of its surface.
“It seems to be telling a story,” said Greyson, fascinated.
Kramer pointed at a detail in the top of the left panel. “What do you think that is?”
Greyson peered at what seemed to be a ball of light with lines curving out behind it. “It could be a shooting star or a meteorite.”
“That’s what I thought,” said Kramer. “But look—in the images below it crashes to the ground and a monster emerges from the flames.”
“It’s probably a Maya god myth.” Greyson walked back to the connected panels. “Let’s free them all and put them side-by-side. If it is as I suspect, then the full story will be revealed.”
After they had freed the second panel and returned for the third, they noticed something on the wall the panels had previously concealed. Etched into the stone was the outline of a door covered with Mayan glyphs.
After examining the Mayan writing for a few moments, Kramer turned to Greyson. “It’s a mixture of a warning not to enter and protective chants to keep whatever’s inside secure.”
“A third secret chamber,” stated Greyson excitedly. “It might be another treasure room.”
Kramer wasn’t so sure. “Let’s disconnect the last two panels. They might reveal what’s on the other side of that wall.”
A few minutes later, the two archeologists stared at the four panels placed side by side in the order they were removed.
Kramer swept an arm across the images. “You were right; the story continues across the panels. Here the monster is killing and eating people, and look at this—the monster has changed. It’s bigger, fiercer.”
“Fascinating,” stated Greyson. He moved to the third panel. “Here they are worshipping the monster they seem to revere as a god and bringing it people to devour. We have a good knowledge of the Maya gods in their carved records and the four codices the Spanish conquistadors didn’t destroy, but I’ve never seen anything like this before. It’s as if they wanted it kept a secret.”
They moved to the last panel.
“Here it seems they became fed up with the monster’s demands and rebelled against it,” said Greyson, “but it looks like their crude weapons had no effect and were unable to kill it.”
Kramer peered at the battle scene littered with dead warriors and the triumphant god monster with a torn body gripped in its jaws. He crouched to examine one of the lower drawings more closely. “It looks like they succeeded in subduing it in the end. They seem to be herding it with a net.”
“Strange that their weapons had no effect, yet a net did.”
“Maybe the net is symbolic? Here they are using it and spears to force it into a box and sealing it inside.”
Greyson pointed out the black added to the scene that made the golden warriors and net stand out starkly. It was the only black on any of the panels. “Why do you think they highlighted that particular scene?”
“The flecks of gold we found on the warriors skin might indicate their bodies were once completely covered in gold and they added the black around them to highlight the fact.”
Greyson examined the detail more closely. “It seems a strange thing to do. Though as we have recently discovered, they had no shortage of gold to use.”
“It’s probably symbolic. The Maya twinned gold with the sun and the monster was evil, darkness.”
The following details depicted something being poured into the sarcophagus through a hole in the lid.
Kramer pointed at the image of an insect nearby. Though he failed to recognize the insects name, he knew the species. “Corpse beetles, or to use their collect scientific name, dermestids. Whatever it was they sealed inside, they definitely didn’t want it to survive. The beetles would have stripped it down to its bones in a process called skeletonization.”
Greyson grimaced. “Whatever creature was placed inside, it was eaten alive. How horrible.”
The next image showed a boat with the sarcophagus aboard traveling down a long, winding river.
“They seem to be taking it somewhere,” said Greyson.
The final image depicted the sarcophagus being carried into a temple, taken deep underground and placed in a chamber with what seemed to be a cage around it. Both men deciphered the glyph placed above the chamber the monster had been sealed in—Xibalba.
Slightly shocked, Kramer looked at Greyson. “They brought the monster god here.”
Both men stared at the carved doorway.
“That’s why the warriors were here, they were guarding it,” said Kramer.
“Or to prevent it from escaping,” said Greyson.
“That’s as maybe, but it’s as dead as the warriors charged to guard it now, so how about we take the panels’ measurements so crates can be made and then break through that wall. “Kramer glanced at his pocket watch. “The day’s nearly over. I suggest we get these panels crated up safely and then stop for the day. Tomorrow we can find out what the Maya’s entombed behind that wall.”
Surprised the time had passed so quickly, Greyson glanced at his pocket watch to check. “I must admit I am famished.”
As they headed for the temple exit, Greyson cast his eyes over the crates of golden treasure, the warrior corpses and some of the other items he wanted to take back to England with him. “How are we going to transport everything down to the jetty when the boats arrive? It’s a killer climb and we only have a few men. Some of the crates are heavy and carrying down the larger statues will be impossible.”
“I have already worked out a solution,” Kramer explained. “The crates and objects won’t have to be carried down the steps because we’ll use a block and tackle to lower them down the cliff. The boats are bringing everything we need.”
Greyson slapped his fellow archeologist on the back. “Well done, Kramer. I’m glad you’re here. By the way, will you be returning to England with me?”
Kramer shook his head. “There’s too much to do here. I’ve only explored about twenty percent of the ruins so far. I’ll remain here until I’m done.”
“But you can always return. I know you mentioned you weren’t interested in glory or publicity, but that was before we found the treasure chamber. Surely now you want recognition for what you’ve discovered?”
Kramer shrugged. “That’s more your thing, Greyson. I trust you to sing my praises to all those that matter to ensure my funding doesn’t dry up.”
“I’d be happy to if that’s your preference, but when everyone in the academic world finds out what you’ve discovered, you’ll never have to worry about funding again. Museums will be clamoring for you to take their money.”
Kramer smiled. “Then we’re all satisfied. However, there is one thing, Greyson, which I must insist upon.”
“Insist away. Whatever it is, I’ll agree wholeheartedly.”
“You mustn’t reveal the location of this city. I don’t want treasure hunters, bandits, documentary crews or sightseers turning up.”
Greyson laughed. “That won’t be a problem as I’ve no idea where the hell we are. I only got here because the captain knew the way. I’d never find my way back on my own.”
The two men stepped out of the temple and paused to let their eyes adjust to the brightness of the setting sun casting long rays across the courtyard.
“I know I’ve already asked, but are you sure the captain can be trusted?” asked Greyson, worried abou
t losing the precious cargo.
“As much as one can be. We’ve been friends a long time, and he’s about to receive a nice bonus now I have my increased funding. The second boat arriving soon is, I believe, owned and captained by his cousin, so he shouldn’t be a problem either.”
“Good,” said Greyson, his fear quelled, if not completely vanquished. England was a long way away. “I’ll take these crate measurements to the men, and then how about we get something to eat?”
Kramer suppressed a yawn with a hand. “Sounds good to me. I’ll organize something.”
The two men separated to carry out their tasks.
CHAPTER 2
Sarcophagus
Breathing and sweating heavily from his toil, Greyson stepped away from the ten-inch square hole he had punched through the wall and leaned on the handle of the sledgehammer he rested on the floor. He looked at Kramer and nodded.
“Your turn to look first.”
Kramer glanced at the hole. “Is that because you think the god monster might be inside and will bite my face off?”
Greyson grinned. “Well, mine is the better looking of the two.”
Kramer approached the doorway and aimed his flashlight into the darkness prevalent on the other side. Though the air wafting from inside was dry and musty, it carried none of the decay they had encountered on opening the dead warrior tombs. Dust from the newly formed hole drifted in the light beam he directed around the chamber. The first thing he picked out were the statues set in a circle facing the center of the room. The gloom hid their features so he was for the moment unable to see what the statues were of. He directed the weak light at what they faced and was rewarded by the glint of gold. He turned his head to Greyson, whose face was masked with anticipation. “There’s more gold.”
“You’re kidding! How much?”
Kramer directed his gaze back into the dark chamber and stretched the flashlight farther through the opening. The light reflected off the straight edges of something in the middle of the room surrounding something large, rectangular and fashioned from stone. He stepped away and handed Greyson the flashlight.
“You remember the cage we saw in the story panels?”
Greyson nodded excitedly.
“It’s inside and seems to be fashioned from gold.”
Greyson looked at the hole in the wall. “What about the god monster sarcophagus? Is it in there?”
Kramer grinned. “See for yourself.”
The flashlight’s glow highlighted Greyson’s astounded gaze when it picked out the golden cage and the stone box within. “It’s there and as far as I can tell, remains sealed.” He looked at Kramer. “Do you think there really is something inside—the remains of the creature from the story panels?”
Kramer shrugged. “I guess there’s only one way to find out that answer, but this temple, these underground chambers, the sarcophagus and the cage were depicted in the panels and they are here and real, so…”
An involuntary shiver ran through Greyson. “Perhaps it would be best if we sealed the hole and forgot about it?”
Kramer laughed. “Whatever the Maya trapped inside, if it was some type of real creature, it’s been inside for hundreds of years with no air, food or water and had corpse beetles for company. Trust me, Greyson, its long dead.”
Kramer lifted the sledgehammer and crossed to the doorway. “Do you want to take a photo before I smash through?”
“No, I’ll wait until we’re inside.” Greyson moved back to avoid the swing of the hammer when Kramer started pounding the wall.
Ten minutes later, they pushed through the cloud of dust raised by the demolished doorway and entered the chamber. Their lights swept over the thirteen statues centered around the sarcophagus. They both recognized the Maya creation gods skillfully formed from jade. Again, Greyson was surprised by the jump in quality of the artifacts discovered in this mysterious city. He excitedly snapped off photos of the three-foot-high statues. They were the ideal size for him to take back to England with him and would make for a spectacular display.
Kramer moved over to the focus of the statues gaze, the golden cage formed of gold rods about quarter-inch thick and set a few inches away from the sides of the sarcophagus it encased.
When Greyson had finished snapping off photographs of the chamber walls, the golden cage and the sarcophagus, Kramer said, “Let’s see if we can lift the cage off, so we can get a better look at the sarcophagus.”
Greyson let the camera hang from the neck strap and gripped the end of the cage opposite Kramer.
Kramer counted down. “Three, two, one, lift!”
The cage was heavy, but not unmanageable. The dust collected on the horizontal rods spilled off when the cumbersome object almost overbalanced and crashed to the floor. Kramer halted its fall when he quickly repositioned a handhold. Once it was free of the sarcophagus, they moved it to the side and placed it on the floor.
Their lights swept the waist-high top of the five by almost three-foot stone box. A stone plug sealed the hole the beetles had been poured through. When they noticed an inscription on the top, they blew away the dust collected in the grooves until they could see it clearly.
The message read from one end of the lid to the other.
“It’s not an exact translation, but I read it as, death is inside and must remain here.” Greyson looked at Kramer for confirmation. “Do you agree?”
“I believe a nearer translation would be, death is contained, trapped or imprisoned, here, and always must remain.”
“Either way, I don’t feel the urgent need to open it,” stated Greyson.
“Perhaps you are right. I suppose it is possible there might be something harmful trapped inside. I don’t mean a living creature, but I suspect some Maya myths cannot be taken literally. The panel story might be telling of a deadly disease or virus that a creature carried and spread to their people and perhaps even other animals.”
“Which might explain why their weapons were useless against it, as they wouldn’t kill a disease,” suggested Greyson.
“No, but maybe they captured the animal responsible for spreading the blight and locked it away in this sarcophagus to stop it from spreading further.”
“So, what have we decided—that we won’t open it?” asked Greyson.
“If it was a contagious animal they sealed inside, I think it’s unlikely the disease could have survived the passage of time, but it’s probably better to err on the precautionary side and only open it under safe, controlled conditions, or you could leave it here. You do have plenty of other artifacts to amaze the world.”
Greyson wandered around the coffin adorned with protection glyphs. It was too unique not to take and seemed to be the reason for the temple and everything else that was here. Without it the exhibition he now envisioned would be incomplete. The way he planned to lay everything out would lead to this final, spectacular reveal—the god monster’s sarcophagus. Better still if there was a mummified creature inside that could be displayed in a glass case.
He looked at Kramer. “I’m taking it with me.”
“Okay, now all we have to do is find a way to get my superstitious men down here to help move it out.”
*****
As it turned out, there was no need for the men to descend into the underworld as the two boats arrived with the stores and equipment Kramer had requested. Using one of the ropes and the block and tackle they would use to lower the artifacts to the boats moored at the jetty, they were able to rig up a hoist and lift out the gold-filled crates. Kramer, Greyson and the less superstitious captains used pry bars and wooden rollers to move the sarcophagus through the treasure chamber and beneath the hole that rose two floors.
All available men gripped the rope that passed through the block and tackle suspended from the top of the A-frame constructed from ten-inch-thick tree trunks and hauled on the rope. The A-frame creaked alarmingly when it was forced to bear the weight of the heavy sarcophagus, but it held.
&n
bsp; Greyson and Kramer followed the sarcophagus up and kept it from twisting. They lined it up with the opening that was only slightly larger than the sarcophagus, and in less time than everyone expected, it was resting on rollers on the temple floor.
While two men deconstructed the A-Frame and went to set up a suitable frame to lower everything down to the jetty, the others spent the rest of the day rolling the sarcophagus to the cliff edge. As daylight faded, Kramer praised the men for their hard day’s work and told them the cook was preparing a special meal tonight. Captain Tembi had brought fresh meat with him and bottles of beer packed in ice. The men cheered—alcohol of any kind was always welcomed—and headed back to the city.
Chico glanced slyly at the two archeologists chatting by the sarcophagus and at the nearby ad hoc crane with the rope and hook hanging from it. Now the hoist had been set up, getting the gold to the bottom would be easy. If he stole one of the boats, he could take a few crates. Deciding he had better do it tonight, he began making plans.
“Well, Greyson,” Kramer said. “I think we’ve done the hardest part. All that has to be done now is bring everything you’re taking back with you here and lower it down to the boats.”
“I’ll take as much as the boats can hold. The men can make some boxes for the warrior mummies—six, I think. I’ll pick out the best ones and hope they survive the journey.” Greyson rubbed the base of his spine. “I’ll be glad to get back to my desk for a rest.”
“Come on, Greyson, I think we’ve earned a slap-up meal and a cold beer or two.” Kramer led the way back to the city.
CHAPTER 3
Chico
Chico opened one eye and surveyed the small room so crammed with sleeping bodies that tinned sardines would have complained about overcrowding. The stifling air reeked of body odor and the disgusting lingering farts the snoring men regularly discharged from sweaty butt cracks. An exceptionally foul fart set free to clog the room with its foul scent by the man asleep beside him, caused Chico to gag. He glared at the man as he forced his hand away from the knife he was tempted to plunge into the man’s eye in retaliation.