Todd Pitts - The Serpent Passage

As they returned down the temple steps, Yax paused behind them, kneeled for a moment of prayer, and then sprinted down the rest of the way. William and Betty, on the other hand, continued down the steep stairway with a bit more caution.

After the tour, they went back to the King’s palace-a massive stone building on a raised platform, covered by a thatched roof. William didn’t recall seeing any ruins of the grand structure during his previous visit, but he remembered reading how most of the residential buildings outside the ceremonial center of Dzibanche had been disassembled over time; the limestone bricks were hauled off by those who could make use of the building materials for their own purposes.

As they approached the palace, Yax spoke to the servants who had been waiting for his return, giving them instructions. He told William and Betty to get some rest and went in through the arched entrance.

Servants ushered them into the palace, taking them down a hallway that opened into a large plaza; an enormous ceiba tree grew from the very center of the courtyard. A sense of awe overcame William as he gazed up at the tree towering above him. It reminded him of the giant redwoods in California. The unusual ceiba tree rose straight up, without any branches along the body of its trunk, and then stretched out like a huge leafy umbrella at the top. William felt mesmerized by the tree. He reached over and touched its bark, running his hands across the big thorns; they looked like oversized chocolate kisses. William smiled, as a peaceful feeling swept over his mood.

“You two need some time alone?” Betty asked with a smirk. Her eyes grew when she saw the red gem glowing on his chest. “William, what’s with your necklace?”

“Oh, wow!” he said, snapping his hand away from the tree. The glow faded as he returned to Betty’s side.

“Okay, that was weird,” Betty said, and then noticed the servants waving at her to follow. “I guess they’re taking us to our rooms now.”

“Don’t get too comfortable,” William said. “Yax mentioned something about a ball game later today. That should be cool to see.”

“Whatever,” she said, rolling her eyes up. “I’m down this way if you need me,” she pointed to the hallway on her right that led deep into the palace. “Your room is straight ahead… same as the King, you big-shot.”

William shrugged. “Try to rest, okay?”

Betty came near with a secretive look. “Actually, I could really use a swim,” she whispered. “I thought I’d sneak off to that cenote down the road… where I bandaged your feet, remember? You want to come?”

“Are you kidding? I don’t think that would be a good idea, Betty. We should stay here where it’s safe.”

Betty groaned. “I haven’t gone swimming for days. It helps me to relax.”

William grabbed her forearm. “It’s dangerous. Promise you won’t go.”

She sighed, nodded, and left with her head down, sulking like a kid who had just been ordered to bed. When William returned to his room, an elderly lady was there waiting for him. She showed him various articles of clothing that he could wear and pointed at the jug by his bed, gesturing that he could drink from it.

William told her that he understood, and the servant shuffled off, leaving him alone, at last. He sat on his bed and let out a heavy sigh, worrying about how to get home. Thoughts of his mother surfaced again, bringing on a wave of desperation. If only he could tell her that he was okay.

He took a drink from the jug, trying to clear his thoughts, focusing on the pleasant lime-flavored water in his mouth.

The sound of a spark-like a match being lit-made him jump. He snapped his head to the left and saw Teshna standing in the corner of the room. She had just ignited the end of a stick from one of the burning torches.

William’s jaw dropped upon noticing Teshna’s figure; she had a sash around her waist that accentuated her curves. Her headdress was missing, allowing her long black hair to flow across her shoulders and back.

“How long have you been there?” he asked in Yucatec-Maya.

Teshna smiled. “Not long,” she said. She moved to the figurine of a Maize god on the stone table in the corner of the room and held the burning stick behind it. The smell of incense filled the room. She raised the burning stick near her mouth and blew it out with a single breath.

Teshna retrieved a small wooden box near the incense burner and brought it to William. She sat beside him as she handed him the box, studying his expression as he opened it.

“Oh, it’s my watch,” he said, but paid no attention to it. He preferred to undress the Princess with his eyes.

Teshna frowned, appearing frustrated that he wasn’t more interested in his watch. She reached into the box, pulled out the watch, and pushed it into his hands.

William latched the watch onto his left wrist, while gazing into her intense brown eyes. She was exotic and beautiful. He felt the urge to kiss her and began to lean her way.

Teshna stood and said, “Uts k’in, Balam.” She made her way to the door.

“Uts k’in, Teshna.”

She turned with a smile and winked as she left the room.

William collapsed on his bed, wondering what that was all about. He felt a little guilty for wanting to make a move on her when he still had a girlfriend. However, it occurred to him that from his current position Jennifer had not even been born yet. So technically, William decided with a grin, he was a free agent in that time period.

While lying there, he detected heat coming from the red gem resting on his chest. He snatched it up, studying it more carefully. The red stone was attached to the necklace by a jade setting that looked like an eagle’s claw grasping it. While gazing into its reddish glow, the morning’s events flashed through William’s head like a slide show. He heard Mayan dialogue churning over in his mind, and he repeated the new words he had learned that day until he drifted off to sleep.

Flutes, drums, and rattles echoed through the palace hallways, waking William from his afternoon nap. After pulling on his sandals and adjusting his awkward headdress, he ran into the Serpent Priest in the hallway. Priest Quisac told William that he would assist him by interpreting.

“I hope I didn’t keep you waiting there too long,” William said, as they walked down the hallway toward the courtyard.

“Too long?” Priest Quisac asked, not quite understanding.

“You know… a long time,” William said. He could see that a large crowd had gathered in the courtyard ahead, and he really wasn’t in the mood to be around so many people just after waking up. He rubbed his eyes to wipe the sleepy look off his face.

“Time is time,” the Serpent Priest said. “It is neither long nor short. It is exactly what it must be in the context of our baktun.”

“Sounds to me like you did have to wait a long time,” William said.

The Serpent Priest let loose a rare chuckle, studying William for a moment. “You have a humorous spirit Balam, yet you portray it in a subtle manner. I find that most amusing.”

They entered the palace courtyard where dozens of Mayan nobles mingled about in scattered groups. The women were preoccupied with buying and selling jewelry, cocoa beans, and feathers of every imaginable color. The men bartered with the merchant traders for weapons and hunting instruments. They all stopped and stared at William when he entered, making him feel conscientious of his every step. He spotted Yax and his hot sister standing on a platform above the courtyard, and he waved to them as he approached.

“Good evening, Balam,” Yax said. “Did you rest well?”