The Purloined Pictograph (The Adventures of Tremain & Christopher Book 2)

by Terry Marchion

  Tents were arranged in a grid pattern, taking up what open space the clearing afforded. All this for a handful of archeology students? Christopher thought as he looked over the tents. The largest in the center seemed to be an office of sorts, where Professor Perlmutter would probably conduct the day's events.

  Scattered around it were smaller tents, containing what Christopher assumed would be equipment and the living quarters for the students and staff members. On the outskirts stood large men wearing coveralls with the Tyndall Foundation's seal. Christopher thought they looked like guards. Why would an archaeological site need to be guarded?

  Directly next to the largest tent in the center was a canopied gourmet kitchen fronted by picnic tables. Apparently the Professor didn't travel anywhere without the ability to feed himself well.

  Tremain guided the vehicle, slowly this time, through a path cut out of the undergrowth to a parking area. The vehicle rumbled to a stop. As they disembarked, a waiting student ran out to meet them.

  "Professor Tremain?" He called out. Tremain waved a hand as he pulled out a bag with the other.

  "Present and accounted for." He gave a tired grin as the student grabbed a couple of their bags.

  "I'm to show you to your tent and then the Professor would like to see you, I'm sure." The trio weaved in and out of the tents, coming to a stop in front of an empty tent near the canopied galley. "The Professor wanted you to have this one,” The student said as he opened the flap for them. "He mentioned you would probably want to be close to the exciting things."

  Tremain gave a snort.

  "Just like Hollis." He sighed as he dropped his bags followed by the straw hat on the framework cot on one side. Christopher plopped down on a similar one. "Well,” Tremain clapped his hands together as he spoke, "let's go see the old scamp."

  Tremain and Christopher were ushered into the main tent, where Hollis was poring over the latest maps and sketches. He looked up when they entered the tent.

  "Oh, Tremain! Christopher!" He exclaimed when he recognized them. Motioning them over, he indicated the small pile of drawings. "We've been having a week! So much to see, so much that we've found!" He gave a throaty chuckle. "Just look at some of these sketches."

  He pulled one out of the pile, showing a jagged piece of what Christopher assumed to be pottery. "We've found many pieces like this."

  Tremain held up a hand to slow his friend down.

  "Hollis, we've only just arrived." He patted Perlmutter on the shoulder as he laughed.

  The Professor, realizing he was being overly excited, sat down and gave a sigh.

  "It's been so long that we've been looking for any sign of these lost people, and here they were, basically right next door."

  "Give or take a few hundred miles” Tremain muttered under his breath, so only Christopher could hear. Louder, he said, "I can see you have many sketches. Didn't you bring any cameras?"

  Perlmutter let out a bark.

  "Cameras? Of course we have those! We take backup pictures as some of the students, while brilliant, are less than talented in the finer arts." He pulled a stack of sketches from the desk and riffled through them. "But when the students are drawing these, they're actually looking at things, studying them. With a camera, they only snap and look later if even that. This way, they experience everything." He tossed the stack back onto the desk. "They grumble, naturally, as the sketches take longer, but it's all for the best." He pointed back at the desk. "We've definitely found evidence that the lost people lived here. We've already uncovered much of a small village."

  "We didn't see any digging sites when we drove up." Christopher piped in, just barely stifling a yawn, exhausted after the long, bumpy day of travel.

  Perlmutter gave him a nod and wink.

  "Very good observation, Christopher." He let out another chuckle. "We set up camp outside the forest line, but all the action is just inside the trees." He waved generally to his left. "I'll show you all that in the morning." Heaving himself off the chair, he lumbered back to the desk and started sorting through the sketches. "It's so good to have you both here. I can't wait to show you." He picked up a drawing, studied it, then looked to Tremain, his eyes ablaze. "So exciting!"

  Tremain, noticing Christopher's weariness, and feeling quite tired himself, stood, and motioned to Christopher

  "Let's definitely meet again in the morning, after a good night's sleep" Perlmutter barely registered their departure from the tent as he was already back studying the sketches, muttering something about the cook saving some food for them.

  "Well, he seems to be in a good mood,” Christopher teased as they walked back to their tent.

  "I haven't seen Hollis this excited in a very long time." Tremain agreed. "It's a good thing to see." They entered their tent and started unpacking the sleeping bags.

  After a trip to the galley area and eating an unexpectedly large and satisfying meal, Christopher lay in his sleeping bag, belly properly full, and stared out through the opening in the top of their tent. It's a nice feature, he thought to himself as he watched the stars twinkle.

  "Do you know what got me so interested in science, Christopher?" Tremain asked quietly. The sounds of the camp had died down, so Tremain's voice was almost a whisper.

  Christopher craned his neck to see his uncle staring up through the moon roof from his cot as well.

  "No, I don't think you ever told me."

  Tremain pulled one hand up and pointed to the stars.

  "Those. Right there. Twinkling as if they have no other business up there but to look beautiful." He rested his arm on his chest, staring up. "I remember being a small boy, lying in the grass outside my house, just watching the stars as they moved across the sky. The thought that some, if not most, had planets around them and that we came from one of those stars was so fascinating to me." He shifted, sitting up so he could see Christopher better. "When I was old enough, my father brought me a telescope. It wasn't very large, but to me it opened up a world that I had only imagined." He spread his arms out as far as he could. "There were nebulae and fuzzy blobs that I later found out were other galaxies and all sorts of wonders that I could now study." He lay back down and sighed. "I became determined to know all I could about the universe. Science was a way to understand everything from the smallest atom to the largest galaxy. I was enraptured."

  "I see what you mean." Christopher said, his words quiet as he was drifting off. "Science is cool."

  Tremain settled back down into his sleeping bag, his eyes on the moon roof.

  "Yes." He said to himself, his own eyelids feeling heavy. "Science is indeed cool." He fell asleep thinking about the stars.

  Christopher woke with a start. It was still dark. He hadn't had a nightmare. He lay still, listening to the noises of the night, ignoring his uncle's snoring, trying to determing what had awakened him. He heard rustling near his tent, as if some predator were stalking its prey. A far off cry of a nocturnal animal sounded. Then he heard voices. Indistinct, but there was definitely someone out there talking.

  The voices never got closer to him, but he could tell by the tone that one voice was low and monotone, the other was more forceful. A woman's voice? Christopher thought about going to see who was arguing, but the thought of wandering in the dark in a very unfamiliar place made him stay put. The voices quieted down and he drifted back to sleep.

  Tremain woke with the sun, Christopher soon after him. They dressed quickly and found the campfire in front of the galley tent, where multiple pots coffee were already being brewed. Students were stretching, getting a quick bite to eat, notebooks and sketchbooks in hand, getting ready for the day's work. The air was warm and already heavy with humidity, full of smells from the campfire and exotic plants. Having nothing yet to do, they found a seat at a table near the fire. Professor Perlmutter found them a few minutes later, stretching and yawning as he lumbered over to them.

  "Good morning to you both!" He said, sniffing the coffee pot as it percolated. "I
trust you slept well?"

  Tremain gave his friend a huge grin.

  "Never better, Hollis. You know the fresh air does us all some good." He poured cups of the rich dark elixir for himself and Hollis. Christopher took one as well, adding more sugar than he should, just to cut through the taste of the thick camp coffee. Perlmutter sat heavily next to Christopher, the camp seat giving a squeak of protest.

  "I hope you're ready to see some sights today!" He tutted and took a sip from the cup. He gave an approving nod as he swallowed. "I have some wonders to show you!" He gave Christopher a wink. "You know, I think I knew your father. A biologist, wasn't he?" Christopher nodded. "You must have been very small when . . .” He looked down into his cup, realizing the sensitivity of the subject. ". . . unfortunate business that was. Sorry to have brought it up." Christopher shook his head.

  "It's okay, Professor. I was very young. I barely remember him."

  Tremain stretched long and hard, giving the biggest yawn Christopher had ever seen.

  "Well, I hope Jenkins is finding enough thesis material," He said tiredly. Perlmutter, happy to change the subject, listed other artifacts they had found, promising to show them later that morning. He went on to describe how the hired help had been so useful in doing much of the hard labor of setting up camp and getting the heavier equipment together.

  Little by little the encampment awoke and gathered about the campfire. More coffee was brewed and breakfast was eaten. Assignments were handed out to the students, making sure they had a handle on what was required of them. Hollis, finished with his professorial duties, turned his attention back to Tremain and Christopher.

  "Are you ready to see the site?" Both agreed heartily. "Very well. Let me grab my gear and we'll be off." Christopher, his backpack already riding his shoulders, followed right behind the professor, Tremain bringing up the rear, smiling at his nephew's eagerness.

  A small walk through the camp brought them to the edge of the tree-line. Hollis stopped and pointed at the growth.

  "It's no wonder we hadn't spotted anything from the satellites. The tree cover is just too dense. Jenkins found his artifacts just inside here. In the few days we've been looking, we've uncovered more. Come along,” He said as he pushed through the undergrowth.

  A thin pathway had been hacked into the bushes and vines, making the walk easier than if they had to fight through it all themselves. Once they entered the trees, an eerie silence descended upon them. The only sound was the whisper of the foliage in the breeze and the occasional call of a bird.

  "Takes some getting used to, I'll say,” Hollis whispered. "It makes this entire site feel like a sacred place." He paused. "Might be why they chose to live here."

  "So you're sure the Mayflower people were here?" Tremain asked.

  Hollis nodded, turning back to Tremain as he did so, then faced forward again.

  "Oh yes. Wait until you see."

  The trees soon thinned and a clearing of sorts opened up. The ground cover, so thick in between the trees, was almost non existent here, giving way to a spongy moss. The knobby, knotted knuckles of thick roots poked through the moss here and there, making the three of them careful of their footing, lest they trip. As they passed the last of the trees, Tremain gave a gasp. Christopher, having been focused on his feet during the short trek, almost walked into the professor. He looked up just in time, stopped and stared.

  "Holy cow!" He whispered.

  Sunlight filtered through the canopy of leaves covering the clearing. To their left, the ground rose at a steep angle, vines, roots and leaves hiding the actual ground. Just a little further in, the vines were cut partially away to show stone. Carved stone. Blocks of it were scattered through the moss. Most were covered in the stuff, but Tremain quickly took note of the regular sides once he knew what to look for. What surfaces were visible through the moss were carved with various pictographs. The floor of the clearing was partially roped off, gridded sections indicating where some excavations had begun, the levels stepping down slightly from each other. Students were filtering in to continue their digging. Off to their right, what looked like the ruins of a stone building. A little further in, Christopher could make out more stone construction with some wooden buildings deeper yet.

  "We haven't yet found where the original pictograph was." Perlmutter said in a muted voice. This area seemed to command quiet. "You know, where the stolen shard came from. But we're still looking." His demeanor was no longer the excited, manic one from before, now he was truly the calm, intellectual Professor. "Jenkins has been poking around where he found it all. I'm hoping he discovers more soon." They made their way to the outskirts of the clearing, where a table under a canopy had been set-up. On the table were diagrams of the dig site. "Here we have what we believe was a village." He shifted the diagrams side-by-side to show them better.

  Hand-drawn lines, with measurements to the side, delineated the area. Each one labeled with what they assumed had once sat there. "You can easily see where the fire pit was, and see there,” He pointed to an area leading away from the pit, "there is a clearly worn path, the dirt was well compacted in that area." Nodding, he looked over at Tremain. "So, you see, we have definitely found them."

  "The Mayflower People?" Tremain asked.

  "Quite. Can't be any others. In all the years we've searched, we've found no evidence of any prior indigenous intelligent life on this planet. Not a sign. So, it has to be them."

  While the professor and Tremain talked, Christopher wandered over to the stones. Feeling along the face of one of them as he walked, he studied the hill in front of him.

  Trees grew almost straight up from the hillside, the roots growing right over the stones. It seemed no little wonder to him why this place was so hard to find. Everything was covered by roots, vines or some other vegetation. Besides, it was hot, humid and generally thick and unpleasant. He wiped the sweat from his forehead as he walked closer to the hill. A depression in the stone caught his eye. Was that a doorway covered there by some roots? Focused on the wall and not watching where he was walking, his foot caught on a root knob and he tripped forward. Giving a little yelp of surprise, he threw his hands forward, which passed through the roots in front of him to hit directly full-force on the stone behind. There was a scraping, grating sound. Surprised, he looked around to see that others had heard it too. Perlmutter lumbered over, followed by Tremain. Students looked up from their digging, saw the professor was investigating, then went back to their dig, brushes in hand. The professor, huffing and puffing as he clambered over the root that had tripped Christopher, gave him an appraising look as he caught his breath, hands on knees, bent in two.

  "You . . . (whooooo) . . . Found something?" He straightened up, still breathing hard. "What was that sound?"

  Christopher pointed to the wall.

  "I tripped and hit the stone under here." He pushed at the roots. "I think the rock moved."

  Perlmutter, making appraising noises in the back of his throat, probed the stones with one hand, while his other held a small flashlight. He played the beam across the rocks as he pushed and prodded. Reaching behind the roots, he pushed the stone and was rewarded with the same grating noise produced by accident by Christopher.

  "Ah!" He said and pushed as hard as he could. The stone inched a little further in, then caught. "I need some assistance here!" He yelled over his shoulder, right at Tremain, who had been standing directly behind him.

  "Ouch, Hollis, I'm right here." Shifting himself around the bulkier man, Tremain maneuvered himself to get some leverage so he could help push. Bracing his legs, he nodded to the professor, and they both pushed at the rock face.

  Slowly, Christopher could see the stone moving inward, dirt and pebbles falling around them, hissing as they fell, angry at being disturbed. The grinding stopped, and both men shone their flashlights into the cavity. They were close enough to detect the cool, dry air inside. It had an old, earthy smell to it.

  "I say, Christopher, it looks
as if you've found something," Hollis muttered, stating the obvious.

  Tremain gave a low whistle.

  "This looks as if it may go quite a ways back." Tremain stepped back and looked up at the hill. "I think we'd better get a group together and explore."

  The professor pulled back, almost tripping over a root himself, and grabbed Tremain's arm for support.

  "Yes, I think that would be a good idea. Let's derive a plan of attack after lunch." Nodding, he gingerly made his way back to the table, pulled out a diagram, and made a few sketches, glancing every now and then at the hillside.

  Tremain, taking Christopher's arm, led him back as well.

  "And here I thought this was going to be a boring day," He whispered to his nephew, who giggled.

  Lunch was an array of cold meats, cheeses and breads, all which had been stowed in the portable refrigeration units in the galley. The group of students sat together, talking excitedly about their findings and speculating what the new find could contain. Tremain, Christopher and the professor sat apart from the students. The hired help, Tremain couldn't help but notice, had taken positions around the perimeter of the camp, as if guarding it. The professor, concentrating on his food, punctuated each bite with some speculation on what could be behind the rock face. Christopher, sitting opposite his uncle, spotted the crew from Tyndall parting to let someone through. A woman walked towards them, confident in her bearing, her eyes fixed on at the back of Tremain's head as she approached. She was dark skinned, with wide, almond shaped eyes and long, wavy hair that cascaded over her shoulders. Christopher was struck by how beautiful she was. Idly, he wondered if hers was the voice he heard the night previous. She came up directly behind Tremain and stopped. Her eyes swept across the table. The Professor looked up and nearly spit out his mouthful of food.

  "Why, here's our benefactress herself!" He stood, wiped a hand over his pants and gestured for a seat. Tremain, mid-turn, froze when she spoke.

  "Hello Tremain." Christopher saw his uncle's eyes widen in shock, a range of emotions crossing his face. Surprise, joy, confusion and fear all in a heartbeat before he caught himself.