Ch8-Through the Underworld

CHAPTER EIGHT Through the Underworld "Soon we will enter the Underworld," said Heartof-the-Wind. She led Jack and Annie through the mangrove forest until they came to a river hidden by trees and vines. As the leafy branches swayed in the breeze, moonlight danced on the silvery water. "This is the Sacred Well," the Mayan girl said. "Our journey to the Underworld begins here." She stepped over to a hollowed-out log canoe at the

water's edge. She picked up a wooden paddle lying beside the boat. As Heart-of-the-Wind pushed the canoe into the Sacred Well, Jack turned to Annie. "Remember how the travel guide mentioned sinkholes filled with water?" he whispered. "This must be one of them." "Sacred Well sounds way better than sinkhole, doesn't it?" whispered Annie. "Definitely," said Jack. Heart-of-the-Wind slipped down into the dugout canoe and picked up the paddle. "Please, climb in," she said. Jack and Annie carefully lowered themselves down into the rough interior of the boat. Jack held their bag on his lap. Heart-of-the-Wind began paddling through the waters of the Sacred Well. As she shifted her paddle from side to side, the log canoe glided over the shimmering river. It curved down a shadowy passageway between rocks and then arrived at the yawning mouth of a cave.

"Now we enter the Underworld," said Heart-ofthe-Wind. Moonlight shimmered on the underground river as the canoe glided in and out of light-filled passageways and tunnels. Water dripped and trickled down the cave walls. Soon one of the tunnels opened into a huge chamber that had a giant hole in the ceiling, letting in the full light of the moon. "Oh, man," breathed Jack. Huge columns of white rock stretched down from the ceiling of the cavern. The columns looked as if they were made of gleaming ice, and thousands of tiny icicle-like strands covered the craggy walls. "What are those?" Annie asked. "Stone sculptures made by the Rain God," said Heart-of-the-Wind. Jack knew from a geology book that the formations were called stalactites. They were made by centuries of dripping and trickling water in caves. But he liked Heart-of-the-Wind's answer better.

The Mayan girl carefully steered the canoe around the gleaming columns. "Look there," she whispered. She pointed to a ledge in the chamber. On the ledge was a platform that held carved wooden statues. Some looked like snarling jaguars, others like coiled serpents. The largest was a statue of an angry king with a terrible scowl. "They guard the Underworld and protect the ancestor spirits," Heart-of-the-Wind explained. "Cool," said Annie. Heart-of-the-Wind steered the canoe around a corner and into another cave tunnel. This tunnel was completely dark, without a trace of light. The air was cold and clammy. The canoe bumped against the rock walls. Jack reached out and felt the slippery, drippy stone. He pulled his hand back and shuddered. As Heart-of-the-Wind paddled on through the black tunnel, Jack clutched his bag and tried to still his racing heart. The Underworld frightened him a little now: the tireless drip-drip of water, the strange statues of serpents and jaguars, and now the dank utter darkness of the tunnel.

"Where are the ancestor spirits?" whispered Annie. "They are all around us," Heart-of-the-Wind whispered back. "They are watching everything we do." Oh, man, Jack thought. No wonder the king's warriors were afraid to enter the Underworld. "Do not be afraid," said the Mayan girl, as if she had read his thoughts. "I will protect you." "Thank you," whispered Annie, sounding a little nervous herself. Heart-of-the-Wind paddled through the twists and turns of the Underworld, until finally the canoe emerged onto a glistening pool that was open to the moonlit sky.

"Whew. We made it," said Annie. "And lived to tell about it!" Jack said, only half joking. "That was great," said Annie. "You are both more brave than my father's men," said Heart-of-the-Wind. "Not really," said Jack. But he secretly liked thinking of himself as being braver than an ancient Mayan warrior. "That was an incredible ride."