“Life becomes a melted day, I surrender to the cosmic Clout.” Jasmine said slowly as she began to translate the gliphs.  “What is it, what have we found Jasmine?” asked Juan. “I think this is it, this is what we have been looking for. Fifteen years of searching through the jungles, searching ruin after ruins. I believe we found the answer to where the ancient Mayans went”

 

“Look.” Jasmine directed the little light the torch gave off, the torch only being a piece of cloth torn from her blouse and wrapped around a dried Banyan branch. “Look” as she pointed to faint glyphs on the wall. “Hundreds of Mayan people jumping through that radiant alter. It looks as if the chief is speaking into it and there, you see, beyond it? The constellation Plerades. The Mayans believed that is where they came from and ultimately where they will return to at the end of the world.” “Can you translate the rest of it” Juan said nervously. “I think so” replied Jasmine

 

“Time will be the chains that bind, My word the key - the path to the stars”

 

“Life becomes a melted day, I surrender to the cosmic clout.

Time will be the chains that bind, My word the key, the path to the stars!”

 

Just then they heard a soft humming that quickly turned into a roar and the walls began to shake. “ we need to get the hell out of here, the walls are caving in!” screamed Juan, quickly taking Jasmine by the hand to lead her down the narrow pathway.  “ quickly, run!”  screamed Juan. Jasmine in her haste dropped the torch and the halls became dark. All they could do is follow the screams of their guide, the child Rodolfo who’s voice was echoing from the opening of the cave. “ This way, I see the lightning now!” Juan said franticly. They both run out of the cave just as it completely collapses in, sending a cloud of dust and debris out around them. 

 

“Senior, Senora, look!” said Rodolfo. In the distance, through the trees and vines they see a beam of light shooting into the sky from the top of  “El Castillo”, The main pyramid in Chichen Itza, that was just visible over the tree line. The three began to run towards the ruins, The wind and rain hammering down on them. Finally they reach the clearing to see the beam of light regress atop of  the pyramid. “It has to be the Throne of the Jaguar at the top of the temple”  Said Jasmine. She and Juan quickly start racing up the steps, Lighting and thunder surrounding them as if  Chac, the God of rain and storm himself was climbing with them. 

 

As they reach the top they begin to see a glow. A blue and purple haze softly blowing around the Throne which it’s illumination was of splendid colors unimaginable to them before this night. Juan and Jasmine step on opposite sides looking down onto the glowing pulpit. Rodolfo, finally reaching the top of the steps, looking from a distance, said “What is it?”  Jasmine replied “My god, I think it’s a portal.” “Can this truly be? Is this really happening?” whispered Juan, as if saying it any louder would waken him from what he was still unconvinced was  not only a dream. “This is it, this is my destiny Juan.” Jasmine said lifting her face to look at him with tears in her eyes. “This is what all those dreams I had as a child meant, I know it!” 

 

“I can’t follow you” said Juan, looking down into the alter.  “This is your journey, your  destiny.”  Jasmine with a quiver in her voice, replied “but you’ve been with me all this time, how can you now, in this moment stop short , how?”  “ Jasmine, my destiny was always to be your guide, your sage. Hell, someone is going to have tell the story” he said with a chuckle.

 

 Suddenly the roar around them began to grow and the wind, rain and storm intensified. “Look, the doorway is closing!” yelled Rodolfo. “You have to go now Jas! This is what you were fated to do!” yelled Juan through the storm. Jasmine ran over to Juan and gave him a last embrace and a kiss, knowing it would be her last. “You have to go!” again yelled Juan still holding her by the arms. “it’s time to go, Jas” he said again with a smile.  Jasmine quickly ran to the head of the Alter and climbed up to the head of the Jaguar. She looked down into the pathway and closed her eyes. “ I surrender to the cosmic clout” she whispered as she let herself fall into the doorway, an image of herself  falling onto her bed as a child passing through her mind. She vanished into an explosion of  color and light that threw Juan off his feet to the edge of the pyramid, almost sending him down the long steep steps. The earth shook violently causing the alter to collapse into itself  and  just as spontaneously as the tremors and storm started, it regressed and all was calm. The clouds parted to show the bright light of the moon shine down onto them. The blue and grey shadows of the ruins and the sounds of the jungle their only companions now.

 

“ What happened to Jasmine, Senior? Do you think she died?” asked Rodolfo. “ No son” Juan said, picking himself up and dusting himself off. Putting his hand on Rodolfo‘s shoulders, “No, she’s alive, more alive then any of us can ever dream of being” he said as they stood next to the remains of the alter. “Come on, let’s get out of here, it’s a long way back to the city.” Juan told Rodolfo “ race you to the bottom of the steps” he said again chuckling. “No, I’m kidding, that’s dangerous.”

 

THE END