The following weeks passed like a much needed holiday for William as he waited with the others in Dzibanche for the winter solstice to come-for the day the Serpent Passage would activate again. The time drifted by in a pleasant procession of sunrises and sunsets as he relaxed and replenished his strength.
However, it wasn’t all fun and games during his vacation. The Serpent Priest insisted that William take advantage of his extra time to study things that would be useful to him in his new life there. He learned how to read the patterns in the stars to make predictions-although much of that still went over his head. Priest Quisac also took him on field trips deep in the jungle to teach him about the plants that could be used for medicinal purposes, as well as those that would kill. Meditation exercises became a part of his daily routine, too. The Serpent Priest said it would improve his ability to direct his thoughts, to better control the bloodstone’s skills. At first, he found meditating to be boring, and he had a hard time clearing his head of random thoughts-especially when those distractions were related to his physical desires for Teshna. He couldn’t wait for his lessons to end so he could run off and spend time with her. Eventually, he found a rhythm to meditating, and he could see the benefit in focusing his mind.
The land began to show signs of recovery. Shortly after the curse had been lifted, the great ceiba tree sprouted tiny buds along all its branches. Later, those buds transformed into bright green leaves. Priest Quisac said the ceiba tree was healthy enough to perform another Binding Ritual. This time, however, their purpose was to extract the seed required to make a new Tree of Life in Chichen Itza.
As they prepared for the Binding Ritual, William studied the dull glow emanating from the bloodstone; he worried that it wasn’t healthy enough for the ceremony. “Priest Quisac, even with the curse lifted, the bloodstone still feels weak.”
Priest Quisac nodded as though he already knew. “Although empowered by the gods, at its physical essence, the bloodstone is still a living heart. The hostile energy it experienced in recent months has stressed it in the same way that such trauma would strain anyone’s heart. The Binding Ritual may help it to recover. If not, we must consider other options to fully heal the bloodstone over the months to come.”
The Serpent Priest had already given William a preview of what to expect on his next Binding journey; so he wasn’t worried about it. He understood that it would be a more enjoyable process than his first mission into the spirit world, especially since he wouldn’t have to deal with the demon, Yum Cimil. Teshna waved incense as she chanted the required prayers, while Priest Quisac sliced the tree and William’s palm. He held the bleeding extremities together, pressing his weight against the back of his hand.
A moment later, William relished in the sensation of being the ceiba tree again. He stretched his branches to the sky, aware of the sun feeding him through his leaves. As Priest Quisac had instructed him, William focused all his attention on the sun, feeling it warm his soul, like the pleasure of taking a hot shower on a chilly morning. While bathing in the sun’s comforting warmth, time seemed to accelerate, for trees perceived the passage of time differently. The sun appeared to move across the sky like he was watching it through time-lapse photography. As the sun reached the horizon, he heard music… like a wispy melody from a flute. His body, in the form of the tree, felt hot… but in a sensual way that was difficult to comprehend. Passion surged through his body and soul as the sensation peaked. When the feeling faded, William fell asleep.
He woke up in his bed later that night with a foggy head. Teshna was there beside him, comforting him with her soft touch. She told William that the ritual had succeeded; the seed had been passed on from the Tree of Life. “But go back to sleep,” she said. “We’re leaving tomorrow.” Teshna kissed his shoulder and closed her eyes, sleeping with her head nuzzled against his arm.
The following morning, William wandered through the palace, but he couldn’t find Teshna anywhere. He came across Priest Quisac in the courtyard, and the Serpent Priest said that she had gone to the Temple of the Owl. William trudged over to the ceremonial center to see what she was up to. He met up with her just as she exited the chamber beneath the pyramid. Her face was solemn and tight; the redness in her eyes indicated that she had been crying.
“Are you okay?” William asked.
She pressed her face against his bare chest. “I just wanted to say goodbye to my mother… to leave her with a gift.”
“Did you leave a plate with an owl painting on it?” he asked.
Teshna pulled back, surprised by his question. “Yes, I did. It was the last gift my mother gave me before she died. But how did you know?”
William shrugged. “That plate was found there in the future… in the tomb, by your mom’s body.”
Teshna smiled, seeming to take comfort in that thought. She took William’s hand, and they went to find Priest Quisac and Betty, to make final preparations for their journey to the Sacred Cavern of Jade.
A short time later, they were ready to go. Their packs were stuffed with the necessities they would need for the trip-food, clothing, and supplies. As they were leaving Dzibanche forever, they could only take what they could carry. William and Priest Quisac also lifted a litter between them; it held the improvised dive gear that the grey men had given them.
Before they headed out, William shot a concerned look over to the ceiba tree. “What about the seed?” In their rush to get going that morning, he had forgotten about the Binding Ritual with the tree the day before.
Priest Quisac smiled. “You carry the seed, Balam.”
“I do? Where is it?” he asked, looking in his pack.
The Serpent Priest laughed and pointed at his forehead. “It is inside you… the seed… the essence of the Tree of Life… it’s there, waiting to bind with a new ceiba tree.”
William rolled his eyes. “Okay, whatever.” Before leaving, he approached the great ceiba tree one last time. He noticed that the bloodstone didn’t glow like it used to when he was near the tree, nor did he feel the same connection that he had become accustomed to over recent months. It felt like an ordinary tree. But that was okay too, for the tree could just be a tree… like being able to retire, he mused. William gave the ceiba a final pat goodbye and followed the others out.
William and Betty prepared to make their way into the Sacred Cavern of Jade alone. Priest Quisac and Teshna decided to wait at the entrance, atop the vine-covered hill. The Serpent Priest thought it best to stay outside with bloodstone; he worried that the energy in the cavern could weaken the stone further. Teshna also wanted to remain behind, telling William that he should see Betty off on his own… or at least that was her excuse for not going in. The uneasy look in her eyes indicated that those caves gave her the creeps.
After lowering the alien dive gear down the steep entrance with the guide rope, William paused in a moment of doubt, wondering if sending Betty back was the right decision.
“Is something wrong?” Betty asked William, noticing his look of concern.
“You don’t have to go back just for my sake… to tell my mom. You know you can stay here, if you would rather.”
Betty laughed. “I think I’ve had enough adventure to last me the rest of my life, Will.”
Yet William was still troubled. He feared Betty might also face danger in the future, at the end of the Mayan calendar in 2012. He regarded the Serpent Priest with a serious face. “You spoke of a cataclysm at the end of the Great Cycle. That’s where Betty is going. What will happen to the people in the future, Priest Quisac?”
The Serpent Priest moved in close, his silver eyes scanning between William and Betty as he spoke, “The foretold cataclysm is not something that Man can prevent. For our world to evolve, a cleansing is required, to remove negative energies, and to promote healing. However, if Man can embrace the final underworld-during the last days of the cosmic plan-and evolve to a higher consciousness… this cleansing may be a positive change, and we may finally live in balance with the land. Yet there will be much death and destruction during this transformative time.”
“What kind of cleansing are you talking about?” William asked.
“The cleansing will come from the heavens, as the cosmic plan exerts its final push-to transform our world into a higher state of vibration. The energy from this event will increase the frequency and strength of natural disasters. But there will be survivors… as there always are. They will inherit the new world.”
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 only tell my mom about all this.”
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.