Chapter 16 #2
His eyes crinkled, and he smiled warmly as my Monster introduced me to Hiroshi. He shook my hand with both of his and turned to Camazotz, still speaking in the foreign language.
“She speaks only English, my friend,” said my Monster.
“Sorry, sorry. Hello, nice to meet you, Freya.”
“Nice to meet you, too, Hiroshi.” He nodded, still smiling, and we were ushered inside, where a wide ceiling fan was the only newer item in a space built in the last century.
The rest of it looked ancient. It was a circular building with a pitched, thatched roof, higher in the middle than at the edges.
Fascinated, I studied the construction. Using reeds and a stucco-like material made curves more easily possible.
Sparsely placed furniture looked like it had seen multiple campaigns, patched and repaired many times.
The packed earth floor wore several threadbare rugs, but everything was clean and neat.
He didn’t have much clutter. Since I had no idea what they were talking about, I was free to take it all in.
I was staring at the ceiling fan when Camazotz appeared at my side. “He has a solar-powered battery on the roof. That is the extent of his electricity. Just like mine.”
“What do you use electricity for besides lighting?” I hadn’t yet spotted a single appliance at the big house, despite several searches.
“Mostly for when I need to interface with the wider world, the lighting down in the caves, and for the refrigerator we’ll order when we get back. I’m holding you to the promise of making me hamburgers at home.”
I chuckled. “Deal. Where is our host?”
“Out back. He is preparing tea. We are to join him at his pottery tent.”
Pottery tent? How strange. But I liked his friend even though our ability to communicate was limited. “Okay. Lead the way.”
We stepped out into the humid jungle, where the moisture from a brief rain shower pooled on the giant green fronds around us.
I followed my Monster around the hut to the back, where a thin trail disappeared into a wall of green.
I stepped out fearlessly, even as my mind compiled all the various snakes and reptiles indigenous to the area.
I wanted to show him I could be brave, even if I had to pretend.
Around a bend, a wide head covered in jaguar spots broke through the green at elbow height.
I shrieked and backed up into Camazotz. He grabbed me by my hips and whispered in my ear.
“Shh, don’t move. Statues don’t like to be snuck up on.”
“A statue?” It looked real. So real, I hesitated to move toward it.
He chuckled, pinching me. “Look at my brave crow. Afraid of a fake jaguar.”
His mocking motivated me to move closer, and I pulled a palm frond from its side. The creature was life-sized and beautifully crafted. The head came up to my hip. “He made this?”
“Yes. This and many more. I am sure he’ll show you—if you ask nicely and promise not to startle them.”
I smacked his arm, and he chuckled. Convinced the magnificent beast wouldn’t bite my hand off, I reached out and ran my hand along its smooth, hard surface. “How did he do this?”
“He is very talented. Come, let us accept his offer before the tea grows cold.”
I walked slowly down the path, eyes peeled for more wonders as Camazotz teased me.
We came to a large open-air pergola, many times the size of his hut.
The roof was about fifteen feet above the ground, and two long picnic-type tables stood at the center.
Various clay animals of all shapes and sizes covered them.
Gila monsters and iguanas perched randomly, so lifelike I could’ve sworn some moved.
I had to inspect each one, lagging behind.
A large crocodile smiled at me, showing off its thick teeth.
Snakes so brilliant in color, I hesitated to get too close.
If a real serpent hid in their midst, I’d never spot it in time.
The men were engrossed in conversation at the far end of the space, but I couldn’t tear my eyes away from the beauty of these sculptures.
I could hardly believe human hands had made them.
On the facing table, the animals were tamer: jungle cats smaller than the jaguar that had frightened me, small spotted deer, some type of anteater, and a couple of weasels I had never seen before.
“Corvus?” I hadn’t heard him approach, so I jumped. “Careful, the tea is hot.”
He held out a delicate teacup made of such thin porcelain that the sides were almost transparent. I reached out my hand, but instead of handing me the cup, he took my hand and pulled me toward the far end of the open-air “shed.”
“You’re being rude to our host, Corvus.”
“You’re being rude by not speaking English.
” But neither of us was truly annoyed. When we reached the old man, Camazotz placed the teacup on the nearest table, telling me to drink it while it was hot.
I refrained from rolling my eyes and complaining that he could’ve let me admire the animals a little longer, but just barely.
“Your sculptures are amazing, so lifelike, I’m afraid of some of them.” The little man seemed to understand, for his smile grew even wider. He addressed my Monster in his language, who looked embarrassed, but I must have been reading something into it.
Since I couldn’t understand anything they said, I studied our surroundings while sipping my hot drink, which tasted like my favorite green tea from another lifetime.
After sitting still for a while longer, I decided to explore. Another path led away from the house and shed, and this one looked well-traveled. It couldn’t hurt to take a look, and no one stopped me from walking down it.
The ground was clear and level, but the path didn’t take me far. It ended in a small clearing with a giant hole in the ground.
“It’s a cenote,” I said to my Monster, who had followed me after all. “He has it all to himself?”
“Well, yes. This is the reason he lives here.”
“What’s that supposed to mean?”
“He is my spy, Corvus. This cenote leads to a wide web of underground caves, most of them underwater. Many of my kind meet nearby from time to time, and my friend keeps an eye on them.”
“He spies on them? Isn’t that dangerous?”
“Not the way he does it.”
“Are you going to tell me, or should I start guessing?”
“As entertaining as it would be to make you guess, I will tell you. Do you want to see the pool?”
He pointed toward the steps leading down into the earth.
These had been expertly carved out of the side of the limestone walls lining the round hole.
I had read about cenotes and their importance to the people who had lived here before, both ceremonially and as fresh water sources.
The limestone that made up the foundation for the area absorbed water so quickly, there were virtually no streams. All the fresh water was underground.
The cenotes were ancient sinkholes giving access to the water.
While many of them were caves, this one held a deep, gorgeous pool.
“Yes, you know I want to see the water, but I’m not going unless you start explaining yourself. I’m tired of being in the dark.”
“I promise to tell you everything on the ride back, okay?”
“You better; otherwise, no nookie for you tonight.”
He gave me a shocked look. “You would withhold sex?”
“Yes, I will, and the non-dairy creamer. I know you’ve been raiding my stash.”
He struggled not to laugh, and it was even harder for me, so I turned to walk down the stone steps.
They had been carved with such precision that they almost looked machine-made.
We descended carefully, pressing against the rugged wall to avoid slipping on the slick surface, gripping the occasional vine snaking down the cliffside for support.
I soaked in the natural beauty, too awed to worry about him keeping his promise, although I was fairly sure I had enough to barter with to make him tell me the truth.
When we reached the bottom, I gazed up at the hole leading to the sky. Fringes of green blurred the edges. The air was cooler down here, and the water was a stunning sapphire blue. It called to me.
“Will you come for a swim?” I asked.
“What? Willingly walk into the water?”
“Yes, that’s usually how a swim starts.”
“I don’t swim, Corvus.”
“What?”
“You heard me.”
“But you use the pools back at home.” I snapped my mouth shut at calling his land my home, but it didn’t faze him.
“Those are shallow.” He moved closer to the stone wall, and I peered over the edge. Sure enough, there wasn’t much of a ledge, only clear, deep water.
“How old are you, Camazotz?”
“Much older than the name you choose to call me suggests.”
Okay, wow. “And you’ve never gone swimming before? How is that even possible?”
“I have been swimming, but I have also almost died by drowning. I don’t like the water over my head, so I will watch you as you swim. Go ahead.”
I pulled my sundress off and, wearing nothing but my underwear, dove into the crystal-clean water.
I swam down to check the depth of the pool but turned back as the light blue turned dark.
Who knew what was down here with me? Nothing, possibly, or something scary.
And I couldn’t count on the big coward up there to save me.
My hands sliced through the clear water, carrying me up to the surface.
He stood across the pool from me, watching without any expression. Learning of his secret fear changed something between us. It made him more human, less god-like. It also hurt my heart a little.
“Come, Corvus, we need to get back and check on our spies back at the hotel.”
“But I just got in. The water is wonderfully cool.” I floated onto my back and stared at the sky.
A few clouds floated lazily by. The contrast between the bright sky and the dark cliffs made it look like a photograph in an oval frame, all the colors vivid.
The blue of the sky with white puffy clouds contrasted with the different hues of greens and grays of the forest and the gray cliffs, spilling down toward me.