TEZCATLIPOCA “Smoking Mirror”
Mexico, Present Day
Miranda Young stood before the stone column gazing up at its crumbling and weathered surface.
“Magnificent.” She breathed, swatting away a mosquito from her sweaty face. Pausing a moment to catch her breath and gulp down a mouthful of water from her water bottle she listened to the tell tale sounds of the expedition members following her trail. A distinct crack of twigs and leaves underfoot and the swish of sapling branches being pushed from their path made their approach all too easy to detect. Unsurprisingly the locals had vanished well and truly before they’d arrived. Well, on a second thought, almost vanished. The insects had remained, buzzing and biting incessantly no matter how much Aeroguard she smeared across her skin.
“Miss Young you should not wander too far ahead.”
Miranda turned to find Tlaco, a local guide and archeologist himself, pushing his way up the slight mound to where she stood. Amy and Tim were close behind him. Miranda enviously noted he had breath to spare when he reached her and not to mention a relatively sweat free complexion.
Behind Tlaco Miranda’s student Amy Clarkson straightened up, wiping her forehead with the back of her hand. Miranda watched her study the stone pillar momentarily. She opened her mouth;
“So. . . How old is it?”
Miranda fought back a laugh and tried to appear professional as she stepped to closer inspect the stone idol. “Hmmn, at a rough guess it’s from the late Aztec period.”
Beside her, friend and college Dr. Tim Bennett pulled a thin pair of glasses from his pocket and placed them on his long sun burnt nose.
“Are there any more of thesestelas-nearhere?” He queried, the last of his words leaving his mouth in a jumbling rush of breath. Though well disguised, he lacked the ignitable energy of the younger generation. Last night’s visit to the pub had seen to that and Miranda watched him brush away a portion of moss covering the stone before him marveling at how well he disguised his hangover.
“There’s another four,” Tlaco informed them, by way of reply to Tim’s question; “one in each quadrant and one at the center. This one’s the North Acantun.” He motioned a hand at the stone idol before them.
“Acantun?” Amy asked as she stood on tip toe to study the idol’s weathered face.
“A protection god.” Miranda clarified. “Each village had four of them placed around their boarders and one in the center of their settlement. They were supposed to ward off demons and evil spirits,” she added mysteriously, hoping to draw a look of wonder out of her student. To her disappointment the most she got was a raised eyebrow.
“What about the others?” Tim asked Tlaco. He’d left off his inspection of the statue and was now using the five hundred year old relic to prop himself against as he caught his breath.
“Are they as intact as this one?”
“The South and East pillars have collapsed and the Western pillar’s foundations are crumbling. But the center Acantun has survived surprisingly well.”
“Shall we go for a visit?” Miranda suggested.
“Aye, Aye, Captain.” Amy threw he hands up before her in a motion for someone to take the lead. “Show us the way.”
“Magnificent.” She breathed, swatting away a mosquito from her sweaty face. Pausing a moment to catch her breath and gulp down a mouthful of water from her water bottle she listened to the tell tale sounds of the expedition members following her trail. A distinct crack of twigs and leaves underfoot and the swish of sapling branches being pushed from their path made their approach all too easy to detect. Unsurprisingly the locals had vanished well and truly before they’d arrived. Well, on a second thought, almost vanished. The insects had remained, buzzing and biting incessantly no matter how much Aeroguard she smeared across her skin.
“Miss Young you should not wander too far ahead.”
Miranda turned to find Tlaco, a local guide and archeologist himself, pushing his way up the slight mound to where she stood. Amy and Tim were close behind him. Miranda enviously noted he had breath to spare when he reached her and not to mention a relatively sweat free complexion.
Behind Tlaco Miranda’s student Amy Clarkson straightened up, wiping her forehead with the back of her hand. Miranda watched her study the stone pillar momentarily. She opened her mouth;
“So. . . How old is it?”
Miranda fought back a laugh and tried to appear professional as she stepped to closer inspect the stone idol. “Hmmn, at a rough guess it’s from the late Aztec period.”
Beside her, friend and college Dr. Tim Bennett pulled a thin pair of glasses from his pocket and placed them on his long sun burnt nose.
“Are there any more of thesestelas-nearhere?” He queried, the last of his words leaving his mouth in a jumbling rush of breath. Though well disguised, he lacked the ignitable energy of the younger generation. Last night’s visit to the pub had seen to that and Miranda watched him brush away a portion of moss covering the stone before him marveling at how well he disguised his hangover.
“There’s another four,” Tlaco informed them, by way of reply to Tim’s question; “one in each quadrant and one at the center. This one’s the North Acantun.” He motioned a hand at the stone idol before them.
“Acantun?” Amy asked as she stood on tip toe to study the idol’s weathered face.
“A protection god.” Miranda clarified. “Each village had four of them placed around their boarders and one in the center of their settlement. They were supposed to ward off demons and evil spirits,” she added mysteriously, hoping to draw a look of wonder out of her student. To her disappointment the most she got was a raised eyebrow.
“What about the others?” Tim asked Tlaco. He’d left off his inspection of the statue and was now using the five hundred year old relic to prop himself against as he caught his breath.
“Are they as intact as this one?”
“The South and East pillars have collapsed and the Western pillar’s foundations are crumbling. But the center Acantun has survived surprisingly well.”
“Shall we go for a visit?” Miranda suggested.
“Aye, Aye, Captain.” Amy threw he hands up before her in a motion for someone to take the lead. “Show us the way.”