Page 1 Page 2 Page 3 Page 4 Page 5
His mood changed immediately. His face darkened. “It’s a puzzle book. Yes, I call it the Mayan Puzzle Book. It’s pieces of me and you and all Mayans. I am putting us back together. Every scrap that I come across that is authentic information goes in here. Anything I find, it goes in here.”
“Like what, for instance?” she asked.
“Well, let’s see,” he said, thumbing to the middle of the book. “How about an ancient Mayan poem? No published book holds this. Listen.”
And he read the following to Yaxche`:
The most alluring moon has risen over the forest;
it is going to burn suspended in the center
of the sky to lighten all the earth, all the woods,
shining its light on all.
Sweetly comes the air and the perfume.
Happiness permeates all good men.
We have arrived inside the woods
where no one will see what we have
come here to do.
We have brought plumeria flowers,
chucum blossoms, dog jasmines;
we have the copal, the low cane vine,
the land tortoise shell,
new quartz, chalk and cotton thread;
the new chocolate cup, the large fine flint,
the new weight, the new needle work,
gifts of turkeys, new leather,
all new, even our hair bands,
they touch us with nectar of the roaring conch shell
of the ancients.
Already, already we are in the heart of the woods,
at the edge of the pool in the stone
to await the rising of the lovely smoking star
over the forest.
Take off your clothes, let down your hair,
become as you were
when you arrived here on earth,
virgins, maidens.
“That’s beautiful,” Yaxche` said. “Who wrote that?”
“I’m not sure, but I think the author’s name is lost,” Gustavo whispered.
Gustavo impressed Yaxche` with his depth. By the time I returned to the table, the two of them were chatting and smiling. I tried to not appear jealous, but I think Yaxche` saw that I felt a little left out of the flow of their words. Cold beers had been ordered for each of us.
“Cervesas, Amigos! I salute you, my friends from Izamal!” Gustavo said. Our dinners arrived, and we ate with gusto. “You see, Luca? ‘Best in Town’! I told you!”
When we had finished, Gustavo quietly announced he knew why we had sought him out. “When we have finished here, go to the steps of the University’s library. There you will find a man in a Guayabera shirt that is worn tucked into his pantalones. No one ever tucks in such a shirt, so you will know it is him. Tell him I sent you. Stay here; I will be right back…” And he went out the back way of that little restaurant.
“I don’t like this, Luca,” Yaxche` said.
I hadn’t told her of my real reason for coming to Merida. I wanted to find out what I could about Friar De Landa. I had to discover the truth for myself. “Time is short, and I must go to the University. Why don’t you go back and find the truck and go home with the driver?” I asked.
One fierce look from her was reply enough. Yaxche` would stay with me. We waited for Gustavo’s return for quite a while before we got up to leave. Gustavo had left us with a clue to follow and a bill for three dinners. “The Best in Town,” no doubt about it. Our gracious host would not be seen again.
(continued in the next issue; read part two)
About Wes Oldham
2 Comments
I can,t wait for the next installment. It seems like a lot of research went into this. WELL DONE!
Vividly told. I could see the yellow walls and hear the clip clopping of the horse. Looking forward to the rest of this story.