From stories passed down through generations in the Faery village, Lance and Ani believed the ancient pyramid was located in the marshy area of a small island near the mouth of the river. First order of business was getting to the island.
After numerous stops along the way and questions to the friendly Cajuns in the small town of Buras, the group, heavy with supernatural talent, was directed to a little store, no more than a shack, on a side road. Lance, disguised in a fisherman’s glamour, walked into the store. He came out of the store smiling and carrying a red metal gasoline can. Lucky followed Lance’s directions to a small dirt road about a half a mile from the store. They turned and Kumira’s car followed closely. Lucky pulled the van up and parked next to a group of palmettos. They stepped out onto the marshy earth, stretched and breathed in the briny scent of the river.
Three canoes were pulled up on the marshy ground. A large boat with an outboard motor was tethered to a tree in shallow water. Lance pointed to the motor boat. “I paid for the bigger one plus gas for the trip back.” Within minutes they were heading straight across the Mississippi River.
As they grew near the island, Lucky saw a pier jutting out into the water. A green metal boat, its’ engine askew, sagged in the water near the shore. “Hey, are ya’ll sure this island is uninhabited?”
Lance and Ani muttered, “Don’t know.” The rest of the group shrugged. Lucky steered the boat next to the pier and threw a rope over one of the posts. He gave Roland a hand up out of the boat and they helped their fellow travelers onto the pier. The group stood together on the rickety boards, surveying the wide swath of tall grass before them and the jungle forest in the distance.
Lance led the way with a swing blade, cutting a path through the hip high grass. Lilly and Roland held hands and followed close behind the rest of the crew. The men had machete’s in hand and small shovels strapped to their backs. They took turns hacking a path through the tall grass.
James moved ahead of the group with his swing blade. He stopped suddenly and called out, “Hey, come see this!” It was a post about six feet high with a sign nailed across the top. One end of the sign was formed in the shape of an arrow pointing towards the South. TOUCH POINT SOUTH was painted on the sign in faded red letters. “Let’s see what this is,” James said as he followed the direction of the arrow. Ten minutes later they came to an old, abandoned house.
“There is strong aura of magick around this place,” Kumira said.
James looked around with a raised eyebrow. Everyone nodded when he said, “Lets go check it out.” It was obvious, by the size of the house and furnishings, a large family had once called it home. There were seven bedrooms, a huge kitchen, dining area and one large bathroom with several out house style circles cut in an enclosed wooden bench. The group wandered through rooms strewn with mats and pillows rotting in the dampness. Baby beds and playpens, children’s toys and dolls were scattered throughout the old house.
Kumira and Jolene found a long low table in one room. Brushing away cobwebs, they found a box of incense, candle stubs and a brass statue of the three Graces. Rubbing off dust and debris, Kumira sat the statue on its base. “This was a sacred place, a sanctuary of some kind. Where did the inhabitants go?”
“It looks like they left in a hurry,” Jolene observed.
“Yes, it does. How do a group of people with kids leave an island in a hurry?”
“If the motor boat we saw at the pier belonged to them, they didn’t leave by water,” Jolene observed.
“We know they didn’t leave in the boat,” Kumira agreed. Shrugging, Jolene said, “Maybe they had another boat.”
Kumira shook her head from side to side, “With a pyramid nearby, there may be an inter-dimensional portal on the island. The people at Touch Point house may have left through the portal.”
Lucky and James came in on the tail end of the conversation. “They aren’t here now and it looks like they have been gone for a while. I’d like to come back to explore more of the island and do some sketching,” Lucky said. “But for now, let’s get on with the business at hand.”
James addressed the group standing together on the sagging front porch, “If we get separated, if anyone gets lost, try to make it back to this house.” Everyone agreed as James took Jolene’s hand and lead the way.
The group walked toward the thick tangle of woods with heavy undergrowth, massive tropical plants, and a tangle of vines blocking their way. The going was difficult. The men used machetes to chop through curtains of thick vines, stinging plants, and huge palmettos. A half mile or so into the woods they came to a clearing, everyone stopped and looked at Lance and Ani. “Which way?”
The Fae brothers stood together and slowly turned in a complete circle, simultaneously pointing west. The group trudged through the jungle for over an hour taking circuitous routes around impenetrable areas of thick foliage. The earth beneath their feet turned into sticky dark mud the further west they walked.
They came to a sudden halt when Lance and Ani raised their arms, “Stop. We are near the pyramid. We can feel the energy.” Ani pointed directly into the dark, thick, jungle growth, “That way.”
Jolene quickly cut off a moan as they continued to walk through the dark, humid jungle like forest. The heat of the day was at its zenith when the group stopped,
