Todd Pitts - The Serpent Passage

When he looked at his bandaged feet, he noticed that his shorts had been exchanged for a loincloth wrapped between his legs and tied at his waist. Small ruby-colored stones sparkled along the length of fabric draped between his thighs.

The sound of giggling drew his focus to the arched doorway of his room, where he noticed two Mayan women peering in. Seeing them sparked an odd vision-a foggy memory of a beautiful young woman with long black hair flowing over her shoulders; she was rubbing oil on his body while gazing into his eyes.

The women in the doorway ran off, hollering something he couldn’t understand.

“I guess they know you’re awake,” Betty said. “I’m sure that little king will be here any minute. He’s been checking in on you a lot. He can’t wait for you to wake up.”

“Uh huh,” William mumbled, not hearing a word of what Betty just said, still thinking about the girl caressing his body, wondering if it was a dream. He wiped his hand along his chest, feeling a greasy residue, and he smiled, realizing that the girl really had been there with him.

“They put something on your skin-mine too-to help with our bites. It also keeps the bugs away,” she said, and looked over to the doorway. Fast approaching footsteps drew William’s attention as well.

The boy king charged into the room, out of breath from running all the way there. He approached William with a giant grin on his face, exposing his pointy jeweled teeth.

Betty stepped away from the bed and sat on a stone bench, watching with a smirk as the King began blabbering away.

“Wait, hold up.” William held his hands out in a halting gesture. “Ma’ti naati kech.” He explained that he didn’t understand. “Please speak a little slower,” he said in Yucatec-Maya.

The boy didn’t seem to understand William’s words at first, but he picked up on his hand language to slow down. Yet even at a slower pace, William could only grasp occasional words. He gathered that the King wanted to know how he was feeling, where they were from, and what his name was.

“Ah, let’s start with that,” William said in Yucatec-Maya, pointing to his forehead, “William.” He enunciated each syllable. “Will-iam.”

“Balam,” the boy said, mispronouncing William’s name somewhat. His eyes grew wide in reverence, and he raised his hands to the heavens as though William had just said he was Jesus.

“Sure… that’s close enough,” William said with a laugh. He pointed at Betty. “This is Betty,” he said. “Be-tty.”

“Bati,” the King said. He gave her a respectful nod.

“Yes, Balam and Bati,” William said. He gestured to the boy. “What is your name?”

“Yax,” he said with a big smile. He turned to the doorway and clapped his hands twice, drawing in two chubby Mayan women with baskets of jewelry and accessories.

“No, that’s okay,” William said, waving his hands.

“No use trying, William,” Betty said. “They think they’re doing you a favor.”

“Oh, fine.” He tried to relax as they adorned him with a beaded necklace and a headdress with a colorful collection of quetzal feathers. He glared at Betty. “If my girlfriend saw me like this… that would really be the end of our relationship.”

Betty’s face tightened as she held back her urge to laugh. “No, I think this is your look , Will.”

The elder Mayan woman inspected William’s feet. She seemed pleased with how they had healed and presented him with sandals. As he put them on, Yax explained how they had made them just for his extra large feet. He urged William to stand.

William stepped gingerly on the floor and smiled, pleased to not feel the painful sting in his step anymore. Betty walked beside him as they followed Yax down the hallways of the grand palace. A bit of an entourage gathered behind them as they went-Mayan nobles trying to get a peek at them. William sensed that they had never seen such unusual visitors before.

As they passed by statues of gods and wall paintings of battles and sacrifices, it occurred to William that had he been an archeologist, the experience would have been the highlight of his career. But at that moment, all the beautiful artwork only reinforced the reality of their predicament and brought on a wave of dread.

They arrived at a large courtyard open to the outdoors; a vast spread of food had been laid out before them on colorful embroidered rugs. Giant stone columns supported a thatched roof that protected them from the rain.

Yax sat on a raised stone slab covered with animal skins. “Kutal’ex,” he said, motioning for William and Betty to sit on the rugs beside him.

Other Mayan nobles-men and women-entered the courtyard, gawking at the two strangers as they made their way in. William never liked to be the center of attention. Being treated like some royal Mayan celebrity made him feel awkward.

Servants busied themselves bringing in more food, bowing as they set it down. Large wooden trays contained an assortment of fruits-mangos, papayas, and other food he had never seen.

An eerie melody echoed through the courtyard as musicians beat on drums and blew into wooden flutes of varying sizes.

An unusually attractive Mayan woman, covered in dazzling jewelry, entered from another archway. She was dressed in a tight fitting huipil that clearly displayed her perfect figure. Her feathered headdress looked like a peacock spreading its tail. As she approached, the sun broke through the clouds briefly, causing her to sparkle like a celebrity at the Academy Awards show. She sat to the left of Yax and regarded William with a curious smile.

William felt uncomfortable by the young woman’s stare, and he had a strange feeling that he knew her from somewhere. He shifted his attention away from her, but felt her gaze still upon him.

Yax licked his lips in anticipation of the feast and twiddled his fingers over the platter of food before him, not sure what to grab first. All the others watched, apparently waiting for him to begin. Yax grabbed a single small berry, tossed it in the air, and caught it in his mouth. Everyone laughed and began eating.

The beautiful woman beside Yax rolled her eyes up; she seemed embarrassed. William wondered if she was the boy’s mother. Yet beneath her decorative attire, and the swirly designs painted on her face, she looked closer to his own age.

While feasting and chatting with one another, the courtyard filled with laughter and merriment. William inhaled his meal like a dog chowing down his first ever scrap of meat. He helped himself to plenty of fruit and tortilla pancakes, and he gulped down several cups of a delicious chocolate-flavored drink.

Betty picked at her food, while the chubby man beside her urged her to try the stringy meat from a platter with flies buzzing over it.

After the little king had eaten his fill, he stood, silencing all those around him. His demeanor transformed from that of a boy, to a serious ruler. He began speaking, and the people clung to his every word. At first, Yax spoke in angry and harsh tones. Later, his speech became optimistic and inspirational. He seemed to be grabbing something with his hand. When he opened his fist, he set it on William’s shoulder, staring at him with a sense of deep gratitude in his eyes. Everyone began beating their hands on the floor in applause.

Betty leaned over and jabbed William with her elbow.

“What’s he saying?”

“He went a little fast. But I think the guy who fell down the steps was somehow related to him. That was the family division I had heard before-two in line for the throne. They think the gods sent us to… set things right.”

“Balam! Balam!” the King chanted. The others joined in, even Betty, repeating the new pronunciation of his name. The King sat and motioned for William to stand.