by David Bowles
Dropping to her knees, she stared at the well, overcome.
“What?” Johnny asked, crouching beside her, worry on his face. “What’s wrong?”
She looked at him and smiled. “Nothing, Johnny. Nothing’s wrong. Everything’s going to be fine. No matter what comes. We’ll all be okay.”
Her mother tousled her hair lovingly and looked around. “I’m not sure what road we should take, kids. Any suggestions?”
“I’d opt for the Green Road, were I you.”
Carol lifted her eyes. Walking through the entrance along the green path was Xolotl in his human form. His blue eyes twinkled in the shimmering light. Souls streamed past him on either side.
“Nice of you to join us,” Johnny said with a smirk. “I mean, I guess I understand. Mrs. Four-in-One told us you couldn’t make it through Xibalba. But, man, we sure could’ve used some help.”
“Johnny,” muttered Carol. “That’s not fair. We had lots of help.”
“And the rest you handled splendidly.” Xolotl gestured for them to approach him. Carol stood and the three walked in a semicircle around the Well of Souls. “You were incredible. Despite all that assailed you, you held fast to your own identities and to the love that makes your family strong. You are truly heroes, my children, and we are proud of your steadfastness.”
“Yeah, uh, we also kicked some major butt,” Johnny added with a half-smile as they reached Xolotl’s side.
“That you did, Juan Ángel. That you did.”
Their mother was staring at the man with eyes wide. Carol noticed with surprise that her bottom lip was actually trembling.
“Are you…Him?”
Xolotl eyes grew soft, and he reached out to touch her head in a fatherly gesture. “No, Verónica. Or, rather, just a small part of him. But he sees you dear. And so does his mother. They’re ever watchful.”
Carol wasn’t sure what the two of them meant, but there was little time for deciphering. Xolotl nodded firmly and turned away.
“We’ve a need for speed, so you’ll have to cling tightly. Riding the Green can be…treacherous.”
He shifted into his giant hound form, and Carol soon found herself boosted into place upon his broad back, her mother and brother behind her.
“Say goodbye to Mictlan, children. I suspect you’ll never tread this realm again.”
Scoffing, Johnny said, “Good riddance.”
Their mother whispered something unintelligible.
Carol was silent, but as the massive dog began to run along the green path, through the strange caverns of Chicunamictlan, she thought she might not mind taking this road Beyond. At the very least, she hoped that Tezcatlipoca’s hold on the place would loosen now so that its ancient function—preparing souls for the next stage—could continue in peace.
Then they were at the circular lake, and the water surged green and pure from the inky depths, lifting Xolotl high and bearing them at impossible speeds back along the Nine Deserts. Each of those levels of Mictlan became a blur beneath them, muted by speed and the foaming liquid. Carol clung tightly to Xolotl, burying her face in his short, red hair. Her mother’s arms were about her. The wind whistled by loudly. It was impossible to hear anything, except the echoes of that haunting song that had risen from the Well of Souls.
~~~
Finally, the wave slowed and dipped, splashing broadly into the waters of Chignahuapan. Xolotl paddled the rest of the way to shore, where the Green Road terminated in the strange, roiling curtain that divided this dimension from theirs.
“I wish this could be the end of it for them,” their mother said, somewhere between stern and hopeful. “Johnny is very worried about the lies Tezcatlipoca told him.”
Xolotl nodded his shaggy head. “I understand. But they are special. You knew it when they were born. We will work to protect them, to keep the struggle far away. But the Lord of Chaos has designs for them, and they must be prepared.”
“I can prepare them,” their mother said, nodding to herself. “I’ll teach them everything my mother and the tzapame showed me.”
“I had assumed nothing less. But, Verónica, you know nothing of the savage magic they can wield. No one does. Not I, not Tezcatlipoca, not Quetzalcoatl or the Blessed Mother. We have inklings of how it might be triggered, we understand its implications for this world, but we cannot use it directly. Even if were permitted to us, we do not have the lore required.”
Carol could sense the frustration in her mother. The woman shook her head in disbelief. “Well, who does?”
Xolotl glanced upward. “You would have to ascend to uppermost branches of the World Tree, to Omeyocan itself, to find an answer to that question.”
Johnny made a dismissive sound and smirk. “In other words, we’re on our own.”
“In terms of learning to wield xoxal, yes.”
Carol felt impatience rising in her. She touched her mother’s arm. “We’ll figure it out together. But there’ll be time for that. Can we please just go home? Dad’s probably freaking out. Tía Andrea, too.”
Verónica nodded. “So what do we do?”
Xolotl nudged the gray curtain with his muzzle. “Push through at this point. You’ll emerge in the mountains again, close to Monterrey.”
Carol reached out and touched the hound’s short, red fur. “Thank you, Xolotl. We owe you.”
Their guide grinned. “Oh, the debt is mine, child. Ours. You have risen to the challenges and foiled the dark plans of chaos for a time. Now, go. Enjoy your lives. Love one another. Rejoice in the beauty of the world you’ve protected.”
Johnny stepped toward the curtain, reaching back for his mother’s hand. She grabbed a hold of him and clasped Carol’s hand as well.
“Goodbye, Mictlan,” Carol muttered. She felt the slightest inexplicable twinge of regret.
Then Johnny pushed through the gray, pulling them after him.
Chapter Twenty
The world was assembling itself around them, but at the periphery of the gray, Johnny could sense a vast darkness in which enormous monsters seemed to writhe in a mass of serpentine coils, leathery wings, and endless hunger for destruction. Their attention coalesced momentarily, focusing on his awareness of them, but then he dropped into this world, stumbling across rocks on the sandy floor of a cave. His mother and sister emerged from the space between dimensions a split second later.
After the initial disorientation, Johnny became aware of a deafening roar that filled the small space, not so much a cave as an alcove. Water was rushing in torrents across the entrance to the small space.
“¿Qué fregados?” he exclaimed.
“I think we’re at the Cola de Caballo,” his mother shouted above the sound of the cascade. “Horsetail Falls. In Cumbres National Park.”
She hugged them both excitedly and led them carefully through the rushing curtain of water. Down a rugged slope dotted with trees, the three of them made their way to the crowds of tourists visiting the famous waterfall. From there it was relatively easy to grab a taxi and let the warm air dry them as the driver wove his expert way through traffic to Colonia Tecnológico.
More difficult, however, was explaining to the police officers assigned to their missing persons case what had happened. Johnny was perversely proud of the lie his mother spun: she’d been kidnapped by zetas in Donna and taken across the border. The band’s leader had gone missing, however, so the criminals had been awaiting further instructions for months. When they had finally sent their demands to her sister’s apartment, the twins had intercepted the message and had foolishly gone off to rescue her, taking 50,000 of their aunt’s pesos. The criminals had accepted the money and let them go.
The police didn’t exactly buy this story, but they had little choice other than to accept it. Andrea confirmed the missing money and the twins corroborated every detail. Reporters swarmed the area, and Johnny almost broke down crying when he saw his mother quickly slap on make-up to be interviewed for the local news. It was such an ordinary r
itual, but one he had missed more than he had imagined. She’s something else, isn’t she?
In the midst of all the chaos, the phone rang. Everyone was busy, so Johnny answered the old-fashioned landline.
“¿Bueno?”
“Johnny?” It was his father, his voice trembling excitedly.
“Dad?”
“Yes, son, it’s me. Oh, God, I’m so glad you’re okay. You scared the crap out of me, kid.”
“I know, I know. But we got Mom back, Dad. She’s here, right now, safe and sound. Andrea said she called and left a message for you.”
There was a pause. His father’s breath came in ragged snatches. “Yeah, I heard it. Can I talk to her? To your mother?”
“Hang on…She’s outside with a reporter. Let me go get her.”
Johnny’s mother rushed inside when he told her who was on the phone. After about five minutes, she hung up.
“He’s on his way,” his mother explained with a nervous smile. “He had been getting an import sticker for his car to drive down; that’s why he didn’t answer at first.”
She was crying a little, and Johnny hugged her tightly. “We’re going to be together again, Mom. All of us. Don’t cry.”
“But that’s why I’m crying, m’ijo. I’d almost lost hope that I’d see any of you again. It’s a miracle, and these are tears of gratitude to the Virgin. Now, go on, get cleaned up. Your father will be here in three hours or so. He’s going to take us to visit your grandmother’s grave, and then we’ll head home.”
~~~
Oscar Garza nearly swept his wife off her feet in the driveway when he arrived, dashing from the car and embracing her tightly. Johnny turned away as they kissed, more out of embarrassment than a desire to give them privacy, and then he and Carol hugged both of their parents. A few straggling photographers snapped away at their cameras, and the image of the reunited family would appear the following day on the front page of El norte.
Retelling the cover story on the drive to Saltillo made Johnny feel horribly guilty. This is Dad, he thought to Carol. He’s got a right to know the truth.
Yeah, well, that’s Mom’s decision, Johnny. She’ll tell him when the moment’s right, I guess.
He didn’t argue with her, but his father’s pointed questions made it obvious the man knew something wasn’t quite right. Oscar Garza didn’t push too hard, though. Johnny figured he was just too relieved to have his family back together to pursue his suspicions.
Soon they were all four of them gathered around the gravestone of Helga Barrón de Quintero, which stood right beside that of her husband Ramón. Johnny’s mother laid a wreath of marigolds upon the freshly turned earth and ran her fingers gently across the inscription carved into the granite cross: Se alza como una leona.
She rises like a lioness.
Johnny couldn’t take it anymore. Too many secrets. Lies. That’s Tezcatlipoca’s way. Not mine.
He looked around carefully. The cemetery was empty of people.
“Dad, there’s something important you need to know.”
What are you doing, Johnny? Carol’s thoughts were stern, tinged with panic.
He ignored her, stepped back from the grave, and shifted.
Come on, Carol, you too. Now.
She sighed and dropped into her wolf form. Their father stumbled backward, bumping into his father-in-law’s tombstone.
“Ah, cómo serán de tercos los dos,” their mother muttered in irritation. Then she, too, morphed into a jaguar. The three naguales stood shoulder to shoulder, looking up at Oscar Garza.
Unexpectedly, he smiled and gave a nervous laugh.
“Well, that explains a lot,” he said, reaching out to rub his shaking hand against the fur of each of them in turn. “And it means I’m not crazy after all. Wow. Garza family, we’ve got some important things to talk about.”
The adventures of Johnny and Carol will continue in
A KINGDOM BENEATH THE WAVES,
GARZA TWINS: BOOK TWO,
coming in 2016
Guide to Spanish Words, Phrases and Songs
Chapter 1
m'ija— sweetie (literally “my daughter”)
tía— aunt
Chapter 2
ven, m’ijo; ven acá— come, son; come here.
güey— dude
¿Qué te crees?— What do you think you are?
No me creo nada— I don’t think I’m anything.
Conque hablas español, bolillo— So you speak Spanish, white dude.
Güero, sí— Light-skinned, sure.
ese— guy
vato— dude
sancho— lover, boyfriend (of a woman who is already married or spoken for)
se está volviendo loco— he’s going crazy
imbécil— imbecile, idiot
Chapter 3
Ya veo— I see.
gringolizados— Americanized
café con leche— coffee made with milk
abuela— grandmother
tía— aunt
solterona— spinster, unmarried woman
puestos— vendor stands
cajón— drawer
Chapter 4
nagual— shapeshifter
tonal— shadow soul or animal soul
vayan— go (plural)
abue— grandma
mensa—dummy
depósito— small corner store
Gansitos— sort of chocolate snack cake
Chapter 5
norteño— genre of music with accordion
Nahuatl —the language spoken by the Aztecs
Chapter 6
que me abraces ya— put your arms around me now
Chapter 7
¿Qué?— What?
¡Hijo de su Pink Floyd! —nonsense saying along the lines of “son of a biscuit eater”
Chapter 8
fresa— prep; rich, stuck-up kid
Guácala— gross!
O sea, qué asco, en serio— I mean, how nasty, for real!
Chapter 9
Ah, que la…—incomplete interjection along the lines of “son of a…”
papi— daddy
Chapter 10
lechuza— screech owl
Chapter 11
Ya cállate, méndigo mapache— shut up already, you freaking raccoon
Chapter 12
esponjada— unduly upset (equivalent to “with your panties/undies in a bunch”)
abuelita— granny
mis amores— my darlings
Han sido muy valientes, los dos— You have been very brave, both of you.
A la ru ru niño Off to sleep, my baby
A la ru ru ya . Off to sleep you go .
Tus sueños te protegen Your dreams will now protect you
De la oscuridad. From the dark unknown.
A la ru ru niño Off to sleep, my baby
A la ru ru ya, Off to sleep at once.
Porque viene el coco The boogeyman is coming
Y te comerá. And he’ll eat you up.
Y si no te come, And if he doesn’t eat you ,
Él te llevará; He’ll take you to his lair;
Y si no te lleva, And if he doesn’t take you,
Quién sabe qué hará. Who knows what he will do.
Este lindo niño This sweet little baby
Ya se va a dormir Is ready now for bed.
Háganle la cuna Make a cradle for him
De rosa y jazmín. Of jasmine and of rose.
Toronjil de plata, Silvery lemon balm,
Torre de marfil, That drifts from ivory towers,
Arrullen al niño Lull my baby gently now,
Que ya quiere dormir. He’s ready now for bed.
ven acá, amor— come here, love
Chapter 13
lucha libre — wrestling
Chapter 14
Allá en la fuente There in the fountain
había un chorrito, There was a geyser
se hacía grandote Big like a mountain
> se hacía chiquito. Or small like a miser.
Estaba de mal humor— And, oh! it could be such a snot
pobre chorrito tenía calor. When that little geyser felt it was hot.
Chapter 15
chapopote— tar
Chapter 16
Órale— you betcha
Catrina— name of Godmother Death in Mexico
Chapter 17
lechuzas— screech owls
tecolotes— small owls
qué onda— what’s up
raza— Mexican-American people
tacos locos— crazy tacos
calacas— skeletons
La Santísima Muerte— Godmother Death
cochina— dirty-minded woman
Chapter 18
Mamá— Mom
Los quiere aquí— He wants you here
Olvídalo— Forget it.
Pero, ma, si intentáramos… — But, Mom, if we tried…
¡Oh madre querida! Oh, beloved Mother!
¡Oh madre adorada! Oh, adorable Mother!
Que Dios te bendíga, May God bless you
aquí en tu morada. Here in your home.
Que Dios te conserve, May God keep you,
mil años de vida, Through a thousand years of life,
feliz y dichosa, Happy and lucky,
¡oh madre querida! Oh, beloved Mother!
Sí estás dormidita, If you’re fast asleep,