“What kind of
“The
Betty understood a little of what was being said, and after William filled in the gaps, she let loose a big grin.
“Hey, those disasters have already been happening and I’m still here.” She pretended to knock on wood. “Whatever will be, will be… I’ll roll the dice and see what happens.”
Betty was right, of course. Natural disasters had been occurring with more frequency; he only had to think back on recent news reports of earthquakes, tsunamis, hurricanes, and tornados that had killed thousands in the years before they left. Yet according to Priest Quisac, even more destruction was on the way-at the end of the Great Cycle-possibly worse than his modern world had ever seen. However, Betty knew the risks, and she still wanted to return.
William stepped through the circular opening and headed down; the sacred flashlight illuminated the way. Partway along, he paused, waiting for Betty to finish saying her farewells to Priest Quisac and Teshna. A moment later, he saw Betty’s hand clutch the rope. She climbed through, looking a bit teary-eyed, and followed behind him. When they reached the bottom of the tunnel, Betty had the same flabbergasted look as William did when he had first seen the immense chamber of the crashed spaceship. But on this day, William noticed something different; yellow and red sparks flickered within the green triangular crystals on the walls, creating a strobe light effect in the chamber.
They carried the litter with their equipment through the passages until they came to the ledge overlooking the cenote. Ropes had been secured in place from years before, which extended the distance to the base of the underground cavern. After they lowered their gear, they climbed down using a rope that had been tied with knots for a better grip. Water from the creek above trickled over the limestone walls, making it a slippery trek down.
When they reached the bottom, they dressed in their rubbery suits-being careful to not tear the material against the jagged rocks along the shore. The light from the sacred flashlight emphasized the milky yellow colors of the stalactites and stalagmites, in comparison to their first visit when the dim greenish glow of the fluorescent algae lit the area in gloomy hues.
“Are you sure this is the right day?” Betty asked, while pulling her arms through the sleeves. The suit was a little too long for her body and bunched up around her elbows.
“Priest Quisac says it’s the winter solstice today,” William said. “I’m sure he would know. Besides, didn’t you see how the green stones in the jade cavern sparkled? They only do that on the solstice days.”
They had practiced getting geared up a few times before, and followed the same routine to finalize their pre-dive preparations. After their suits were on, he tied the flashlight to the disk-shaped sacred item.
“What’s that for?” Betty asked.
“It’s an anti-gravity device,” William said. “It can help you to move heavy objects… or it can propel you in the water. I tested it in the cenote last week. It really works! After I send you on below, I don’t want to get sucked through the Serpent Passage too. So I’ll use it like an underwater scooter to come back.”
While William adjusted the breathing container on Betty’s back, he sighed. “It’s hard to believe that after all we’ve been through, you’ll be gone in just a few minutes.”
Betty turned back and gave William a hug. “I’ll miss you too,” she said, with tears in her eyes. She forced a smile. “But now that you have this suit, you can come for a visit any time, right? I’ll just be on the other side of this tunnel.”
William smiled. It was a comforting thought to know that each year he would have the option to go back home, if he ever wanted to. He finished connecting the tubes to her helmet and gave her a serious look. “Remember what we agreed, Betty? You can
Betty held up her hand like she was saying a pledge. “I know… I promise. I won’t tell anyone else about the Serpent Passage. They would think I was crazy, anyway. I’ll just say I hit my head… that I had amnesia all this time.”
“Do you have my letter?” William asked. It had taken him a while to write the note to his mom, painting words on the thick bark paper that they used in those days. He discarded several initial drafts until he found the fewest words to capture his story-what he wanted to tell his mom on just a few pages.
Betty patted her stomach, hitting a firm object inside her suit. “Right here,” she said.
William held the edge of Betty’s helmet just over her head, looking one last time into her green eyes. He tried to memorize the contours of her face, realizing it was likely the last time he would see her. “I guess this is goodbye,” he said.
“You take care of yourself, William.”
“I will.” He lowered her helmet, locked it into place along her shoulders, and pressed a button on the side of the breathing container on her back-initiating the airflow system. Betty helped William with his final connections and turned his air on as well.
He picked up the anti-gravity device-with the flashlight secured beneath it-and moved down the rocky shore. Betty followed behind him, and they descended to the bottom of the cenote.
William already knew which way to go. He headed straight to the entrance of the Serpent Passage, where the ghoulish carving of an angry serpent greeted him. A flash of red light beamed out of the serpent’s mouth, providing William with a final assurance that the passage was awake. He maneuvered through the entrance and grabbed Betty’s hand, helping her in. A current pulled them forward, and he locked his arm around a stalagmite; he didn’t want to risk going any further.
As he drew Betty near, she grabbed hold of his shoulder for support. He pointed down the long circular tube, just as another red flash lit up the tunnel. Betty nodded her bird-like helmet, seeming to understand which way to go. The directions were pretty obvious at that point, as there were no other options but to go straight ahead. She gave his hand a gentle squeeze before letting go and allowing the drift to carry her through the Serpent Passage.
While watching Betty’s progress through the tunnel-lighting her way with the sacred flashlight-he became aware of the pivotal moment before him. He could easily choose to go through the passage and return to his simple life as a kid back home in the future; he only had to let the current take him. Or, he could turn back and take responsibility for the challenges of the past. Of course, he had already made up his mind long before. He loved Teshna, and he would have stayed there just for her alone. Yet his decision to remain in the past was much more involved than young love. At the core of his soul, William sensed that he was supposed to be there, with the ancient Maya… to achieve something great.
He was tempted to wait until flashing lights whisked Betty away, but figured he had better get out of the passage while he still could. Once Betty passed a certain point in the tunnel, the Serpent Passage would activate, and he worried that it might pull him through.
With the click of a button, he started the anti-gravity device; it made a muffled rumbling noise. He pressed another button with his left thumb, and the device propelled him ahead. After angling his body in the opposite direction, William maneuvered out of the Serpent Passage.
He glanced back, noticing how the red flashes came in faster intervals. The light brightened to orange and then to yellow. Just as he had feared, a strong current pulled him back. While fumbling with the controls, the tunnel drew him back. He braced himself at the entrance of the passage, pressing his feet against the teeth of the serpent carving. William pressed the accelerator button to the maximum setting, and he began to pull away, feeling like his arms might rip clean off his shoulders at one point. He aimed the device upwards and broke free from the suction with the suddenness of a rubber band snapping, launching him out of the water like a dolphin leaping from the sea. William landed with a hard belly flop; the device shut off when he lost his grip on the handles. As he paddled to the shore and climbed out, a dazzling white light from the cenote lit up the cavern. In that moment, he knew that Betty had completed her journey through the Serpent Passage; she had made it home.
He shut off the air supply, popped the pressure seals, and pulled his helmet off; he set it on the ground. After shifting the breathing container off his back and crawling out of the suit, a content smile spread across William’s face. He felt a sense of satisfaction for finally accomplishing what he had set out to do six months before, when he tried to save Betty from drowning in the Cenote Azul. At last, he had rescued her.
