by Clare Revell
Jim laughed. “I’m sorry? I thought you were only sixteen. I forgot for a minute you turned fifty a couple of months ago.”
Lou poked her tongue at him. “Ha, ha. Very funny. You know I find the whole archaeology thing fascinating. I’ve spent hours studying Egyptian and Mayan hieroglyphics and pictographs. Apparently some kind of disaster struck the people shortly before the temple was begun. As a result the temple took a many years to complete.”
“What happened?”
“I’ll need a lot longer to study them if you want the whole story.” She crossed over to one of the statues. “This guy looks familiar.”
“It’s Jim.” Staci said.
Lou laughed. “It does look like him, doesn’t it? No seriously. I know this guy, but I can’t, for the life of me, remember his name.”
“So until you remember, we’ll just call him Jim.” Staci laughed.
Jim rolled his eyes. “Thank you.”
“You’re welcome.”
Lou turned and her leg gave out. She dropped the crutches and toppled to the floor, crying out as she fell.
Jim dashed across to her. “You OK?”
“Yeah, I’m fine. It’s just this stupid leg. Help me up, please.”
Jim pulled her upright.
Staci passed her the crutches.
Lou looked at them. “Honestly, I’m fine. Just tired.”
“I found some cushions as well,” Staci said. “You can rest properly tonight. I’ll show you.”
“It’s half five,” Jim said. “I’ll get a fire going outside for tea, shall I?”
“Please. I’ll get Lou settled, and I’ll be there.”
Lou sank onto the cushions and closed her eyes. She could control the pain better like this. A thud on her chest and a heavy sigh told her Deefer was using her as a pillow again. She took a couple of deep breaths as she stroked his ears. “Maybe I’ll remember where I’ve seen the statue before, when I’m not so tired,” she told him.
Deefer licked her hand.
Staci giggled. “I think that was him agreeing with you. I’m going to see what Jim’s doing.”
Lou waved a hand. “Sure, Deefer and I will lie here and think about statues.”
~*~
Jim came to tell Lou tea was ready, and found her asleep. He returned out to Staci. “She’s asleep. I won’t wake her.”
“What about tea?”
“We’ll have to eat it. We can’t keep it warm, can we?”
“True.”
Jim divided Lou’s between them.
Deefer ate his and disappeared back inside to Lou.
Staci looked at Jim. “Is there any way we can have a fire inside?”
“Not really. I thought I might light one of those torches later when it gets dark.”
They lapsed into silence and finished tea.
Staci rinsed the dishes in the stream. Then she and Jim sat by the fire and watched the stars come out as darkness fell. Before the fire died completely, Jim carried a piece of blazing wood inside and lit two of the torches in the room where Lou was sleeping.
Jim rejoined Staci on the steps of the temple. He pointed out the constellations to her. There were many they didn’t usually see in England, but most of them were the same, just in different places in the night sky.
Staci yawned. “I’m tired.” She looked around. “Where’s Deefer?”
“With Lou.”
“I should’ve known,” Staci laughed. “I’m going to bed. You coming?”
“In a bit.”
Staci rose. “’Night.”
Jim watched her go. He’d explore tomorrow while Lou took it easy. He took a last look at the stars and walked inside.
Both the girls slept.
Deefer raised his head and wagged his tail in greeting.
Jim patted him and Deefer settled again.
Jim sat on his blanket. He wished he knew what to do and where to go. Of course, there was One who did. Closing his eyes, he began to pray. He’d messed up in the biggest way possible, and didn’t deserve any help trying to put it right and get the girls to safety. But then, he hadn’t deserved his salvation either. He wasn’t asking God to solve the problem, just to guide him in what to do next.
3
The next morning they were woken just after seven by Deefer barking.
Lou sat up and put her hand on his collar. “Shush.”
Deefer shook himself loose and went to the doorway. He stiffened and growled.
Jim got to his feet and motioned to the girls to be quiet. He picked up a stick, and hefting it in his hand, went towards the doorway.
Deefer tried to go outside with him.
Jim stopped him. “Deefer, stay here with Lou. Stay.”
Deefer went obediently over to Lou and sat.
Jim crept out through the door and vanished from sight.
Deefer growled once and then fell silent.
The few minutes Jim was gone seemed to last forever. Footsteps echoed across the chamber.
Lou looked at Deefer. He was wagging his tail.
“It’s all right, it’s me,” Jim called as he came in. “Nothing there,” he reported. “But there was. Some of the grass is flattened.”
“Couldn’t it have been us yesterday?” Staci asked.
“Possibly, but I doubt it. We didn’t drop this anyway.” He tossed Lou a gold amulet.
She caught it and turned it over. “Wow.” she said. “This is gorgeous.”
Staci looked at the gold carving in Lou’s hand. “What is it?” she asked. “Other than a bracelet of some kind.”
“It’s an amulet. It’s supposed to protect the wearer from evil. This is beautiful. The craftsmanship is incredible.” Lou held it up to look at it more closely.
On one side was a very intricate pattern, which seemed to make no sense at all—just lines radiating out from a central point. On the other side was a bird.
“Bird,” Lou said. She glanced over at the line of statues, which included a bird. “Bird. Oh, come on, woman. Think.”
Jim smiled at her. “Hey, I didn’t really expect you to know.”
Lou pulled a face. “No, I’ve seen it. I read something at school—private study.”
“That’s designed for homework you know.”
“We don’t get private study like you did. I used to spend lunch times in the library in the archaeology section. I’ve seen this, but I can’t remember where.”
“Never mind. It means there is a village around here somewhere. I’ll go and explore after breakfast. You stay here and rest, Lou.”
“I’m not going to argue.”
Staci pulled out the last of the bread and they ate in silence.
When they had finished, Jim rose to his feet. “I’m off to find this village. I’ll be back with help later.”
“Are you taking the dog?” Staci asked.
“Not this time. He can stay with you. See you later.” He waved and disappeared outside.
Lou rose. “I might go and have a look at those statues. Try and get my mind working.” She limped into the inner chamber, which she hadn’t been into yesterday. She wandered around slowly.
There were more statues there, including a huge one of the bird, the same as the one on the amulet. Its wings were outstretched as if it were swooping in to protect its young.
Lou clucked in exasperation. She knew this, why couldn’t she remember? She went back into the chamber they had slept in.
Staci wasn’t there.
Lou headed slowly to the entrance of the temple and found Staci sitting on the steps in the sunshine.
Jim came up the path.
“That was quick,” Lou said.
“Been gone two hours. It‘s half nine,” Jim told her. “There’s a village about a mile from here. Shall we go?”
“I thought we were resting today?” Staci asked.
“We can do that in the village. Come on.”
Lou whistled to Deefer, but he didn’t come. “Deefer,” s
he called. “Dee-fer.” Lou glanced around. “Where’s the silly animal gone now? Help me down these steps, will you, please?”
Jim did so.
At the bottom Lou yelled, “Deefer. Come here, now.” Still nothing.
“He’s probably just wandered off for a sec. He’ll be back,” Jim said.
A spear flew out of the bushes and landed upright in the ground in front of Staci. She screamed and jumped backwards.
Another one landed next to Jim. He froze.
And yet another thudded by Lou’s feet.
All three were thrown with deadly accuracy, landing a fraction of an inch from where they each stood.
“Jim?” Staci began.
“It’s OK, kiddo.” Jim said, taking her hand.
More spears landed around them, completely blocking their path.
Two faces peered out at them. Both had some kind of markings on their foreheads.
They look like willow people. Lou didn’t have time to process information about their customs.
“Where’s Deefer?” Staci asked.
“He can take care of himself,” Jim said. “We’ve got more important things to worry about now.”
More faces appeared. Six men climbed out of the bushes and walked towards them. They all had long hair. They wore trousers and a sleeveless tunic, which hung open over bare chests. Each also wore a headband and an amulet like Jim had found. They all had the markings on their foreheads, which Lou could now tell was a tattoo.
Willow people.
One of the men spoke. He seemed angry and gesticulated wildly.
Jim shook his head and spread his hands. “I don’t understand.” He repeated it in Spanish.
The man spoke again. This time his tone was louder and angrier.
Jim shook his head. “What I would give for a universal translator right now. It sounds similar to Spanish, but not quite.”
Footsteps came from behind them. Three more men stood, blocking them in.
Jim immediately raised his hands in surrender. “OK, I think this might be a good idea now.”
Lou nodded. “’Cept I can’t raise mine.”
Staci raised hers, only to have them pulled behind her and tied.
Jim’s hands were tugged roughly behind his back and tied them together. “Hey, there is no need for this. Let us go.”
The leader spoke angrily again. He pointed at the temple. Another began to remove the spears.
“I think we upset them, somehow,” Lou said. “Not a good start. Maybe the temple wasn’t such a good place to camp.”
One of the men picked up their bags.
Another took hold of Lou.
She lost her balance and accidentally knocked him with her crutches.
He yelped in pain.
“I’m sorry. It was an accident,” Lou said.
Another man snatched her crutches away and Lou immediately fell to the ground.
Jim tried to go to her defense, but was held firmly. “She can’t walk without them,” he said. He repeated it in Spanish.
The leader glared at him and spoke again. He pointed at Lou.
One of the others swung her into his arms and set off down the path at a great pace.
The men behind Jim and Staci pushed them and made them follow.
The natives walked quickly.
Staci tripped and fell, unable to put her hands out to save herself. She cried out.
Without seeming to pause, a native scooped her up and carried her.
When they arrived at the village, Jim barely had time to look around before he and Staci were bundled unceremoniously into a hut. The door shut with a bang and was barred from the outside.
“Hello,” Lou said. “What kept you?”
“Well, that went well,” Jim said, not answering her question. “Maybe I should have packed the What to Do When Shipwrecked for Dummies after all.”
“Actually the What to Do When Kidnapped by Unfriendly Natives for Dummies might have been more useful. Or the Where Not to Camp for Dummies.” Lou paused. “Are you both OK?”
“My knee hurts,” Staci said. “It’s bleeding.”
~*~
Jim led her into the single patch of light coming through the barred window. “It’s not too bad, kiddo, just grazed.” He looked out of the window. From what he could see, the village was built around a central raised dais. Rather like a cartwheel, all the buildings were in lines radiating from a central point. He looked at Lou. “The village is built like...”
“The picture on the amulet,” Lou finished. “Yes. I just wish I could remember what the bird signifies or who the Jim statue really is.”
Jim looked back out of the window. “There’s some kind of meeting going on. All the men of the village seem to be there. No women, though.”
Lou laughed. “That’s our crime, then. We’re women and you’ve been consorting with us.”
“It’s no laughing matter,” Jim told her. “They look furious.”
“Well, there is nothing we can do about it. Maybe they’ll let us phone the embassy or something.”
“I don’t see any phone lines, do you? Or phone masts.”
The morning passed slowly and the temperature rose inside the hut.
No one approached or brought them any food or water.
Jim tried shouting through the window, but that resulted in the window being shut for an hour. When it was re-opened, a welcome breeze flowed into the hut.
“Don’t antagonize them again,” Lou told Jim. “Hopefully one of them speaks English and all this can be worked out.”
“Where are your crutches, Lou?” Staci asked.
“Same place as our bags, I imagine,” Lou replied. “Just wish I knew where Deefer was. I hope he’s OK.”
It was midafternoon before the bar was removed from the door.
Two men came in. One carried a tray and the other stood guard at the door. He put the tray down and left without a word, barring the door behind them.
Staci picked up the tray and carried it back across to them. She pulled off the cloth covering it. “Fruit and water.”
Lou took the cup she held out gratefully and sipped it. “It’s not water, but it’s cold. And I’m so thirsty I’d drink it anyway.”
Staci looked at the fruit. “Not much choice is there?”
“Well, beggars can’t be choosers.” Jim picked up one of them and bit into it. “It tastes like a peach,” he said.
Lou took a piece. “My favorite.”
Darkness fell. Inside the hut, they could barely see. Stars shone through the small window and outside they could hear singing and drums beating. There was a fire too, as they could hear crackling and smell smoke. Soon they could smell meat roasting.
An hour later the door opened again. Another tray was brought in and the first one taken away.
Staci took the tray across to the others. “Meat, this time, and more of that drink.”
Again they ate and drank in silence.
Lou wondered briefly if the food was drugged, but she was too hungry to care. A wave of tiredness swept over her. She closed her eyes. Just a few minutes. Her leg hurt and she was incredibly sleepy.
She came to with a jolt. There was a faint light inside the room as the full moon shone straight through the window. She moved awkwardly. “Owww.”
“Hi,” Jim said. “You OK?”
“Yeah. How long did I sleep?”
“Two and a half hours. It’s almost midnight.”
The door rattled as the bar was removed.
“What do they want now?” Lou asked.
“I take it that’s a rhetorical question. Or do you really expect an answer?” Jim leapt to his feet as the door opened.
A lighted torch was carried in, blowing their night vision.
“It’s all right,” a voice said in English. “I’m a friend.” The light revealed a girl in her mid to late teens, with a pair of sparkling brown eyes. Her off-the-shoulder dress reached the floor. Around her neck was a g
old chain, which glinted in the torchlight and an amulet on her arm. Her hair was covered by a veil, as was her face—with the exception of her eyes.
“Who are you?” Jim asked, staring at the girl.
Lou raised an eyebrow. That wouldn’t have been her first question, but she didn’t think Jim was thinking straight right now. Not if the look on his face was anything to go by. Personally, she didn’t trust any of these natives.
The stranger unclipped the veil that covered her face. “My name is Ailsa. I don’t have time to explain. You’re in great danger if you stay here. You need to leave. Now.”
Lou waited for Jim to take the initiative, but it looked as if she’d have to. If only he’d look at her like that. “OK, Ailsa. How do we know that we can trust you?”
“You don’t, but we don’t have time to stand here and debate the issue. I promise I don’t mean you any harm. If you stay here you won’t see the sun rise.”
“What about my dog? Is he safe?” Lou said.
“Your dog is fine. Please, you have to go now.”
Jim shook Staci awake. “Come on, kiddo. Time to get out of here.”
Staci stirred and gradually sat up. “OK.”
Ailsa handed Jim a torn piece of paper, which was faded with age. “Here’s a rough map. If you go to this place you will be safe—until morning, at least. I’ll bring the dog tomorrow. Here are your things. Now please, go. Hurry, before they come to check on you.”
Lou pulled herself up and took her crutches.
Staci got up and put on her rucksack.
Jim took the other bags.
Ailsa put the veil back over her face and opened the door. Having checked that the area was clear, she led them to the edge of the village, by the light of the torch. Once in the trees she looked at Jim. “Keep going. Don’t stop until you reach the clearing. I’ll come and find you at first light.” Then she melted into the darkness and vanished.
4
Jim shone the torch on their map. “We just follow the path, I think. Over the river, down another path, take the left fork and into a clearing.”
“In the dark?” Staci asked skeptically. “It’s hard enough in the daylight. I’m tired.”
“We all are, Stace, but the sooner we get there, the sooner you can sleep,” Lou said. “And it beats being locked up in a hut that is as hot as an oven.”