Trees Hold Up the Sky 19 William James Johnson

The entrance to the cave was up a gradual slope of grassy terrain, about 400 yards from the camp site. As Hank had described it, the opening was similar to an abandoned well shaft, or a surface mine in the side of a hill. He wanted to give everyone a brief tour of the cave before getting down to the actual work.

"How was the cave discovered in the first place?" asked Laura.

"More by accident than intent. Seems a retired Mexican archaeologist and his wife were in San Fernando searching for ancient artifacts of the original natives of this area," said Hank.

"Chibchas," said Jess. "They were known as Chibchas."

"I'm impressed," said Hank. "Someone has done his homework."

"They're supposed to be extinct from what I've read," Jess continued.

"Before the Spanish Conquest, the Chibchas ruled from a central government located in Bogota," added Estrelle. "It was a matrilineal society. Rulers were selected from the female side of the family, but land was passed on through the males. They built many temples and their priests could take up to twelve years of fasting and rigorous training before they ascended to the priesthood."

"And they were the original natives of this area?" asked Laura.

"Yes. They even existed before the Incas," continued Estrelle
.
"You really know your history," said Jess.

"I am my history."

"Thanks Estrelle for that background. Apparently the Mexican doctor, Alfredo Mendez, was told there was an old Indian woman who lived about a mile outside the village who might be able to tell him where he could find artifacts. She had a map on which the cave opening was shown. He spoke her language and after a long talk with the native, was certain the map was authentic. To make a long story short, he went up river with Barbarosa and across land to the cave. He was expecting a man-made temple or pyramid. Instead he was disappointed to discover he had been taken to a small opening in a rock formation. Well you can understand his excitement after he entered and saw how enormous it was. The old woman had told him this was supposed to be the ancient cave used by the natives to escape the Spanish. As the story goes, about 17,000 people disappeared overnight. Mendez wasn't sure what he had found until he got further into the cave, and saw the inscriptions. This was the mother lode; what archaeology was all about."

"So where is he now?" asked Estrelle.

"I'm not sure. They say he returned to his home in Mexico and died of a strange wasting disease," said Hank.

"Like your two men?" asked Jess. He was sorry now that he had told them.

"But that was because they were not aware of the toxic radiation in the cave. At least our men did not die in vain. We now have the proper protective gear. Don't forget, the amount of exposure time determines the severity of the radiation poisoning. My men, and Mendez spent hours in the cave, excited about their discovery, unaware of the dangers."

"Then why are we going in now without our protection?" asked Laura.

"The radiation problem is much further inside the cave, where the inscriptions are located. Our lab in Washington found that the pigment used in covering the walls was of an unknown origin. Apparently it is indestructible, and manifests a high radiation rating."

"Then you are saying we are not in any danger entering the cave now?" asked Estrelle.

"None whatsoever. Do you think I would be so cavalier as to put any of you at risk?"

As they entered the darkness of the cave, their lights cast great shadows of themselves across a vast vaulted ceiling. The power of the interior space was akin to that experienced within those enormous baroque domes found in Spanish cathedrals. Awestruck by its immensity, no one spoke. For hard-nosed scientists, this was as close as they might ever get to a genuine religious awakening.

"What can I say?" queried Jess. "There's no way mere words could describe this magnificent structure."

"Made by nature, and the eroding power of subterranean rivers," said Hank,
Delighted they felt the same as he had when he first entered the blackness of the cave.

"And where are those inscriptions we have to study?" asked Laura.

"About two hundred yards further into the cave, in a corridor on the left. You and I will go there tomorrow in our protective clothing."

"And Estrelle and I are just supposed to wait until it's our turn," asked Jess, eager to begin his part of the mission.

"We could all go in together Jess, but I think it's safer to take turns outside as backup for those in the cave. I'm only trying to play it safe for all our sakes. I don't want anyone else to be harmed like those other two."

"You're right. I would probably be doing the same thing if I were the chief honcho."

They left the entrance of the cave to return to the tented area. It was amazing how hot and humid it felt after having been inside the rock structure, where the temperature was a constant 67 degrees Fahrenheit.

"Oh that's another fringe benefit we have. With this special clothing we are going to welcome the cooling breeze inside the cave. You guys are just going to have to decide how much clothing you can do without." laughed Hank.

Before retiring, Laura said she would like to have a talk with Jess. They sauntered away from the light of the campfire and began speaking in a low voice.

"I was telling Hank that Obispo knew about our setting up of our camp on the same day we finished moving all our supplies. Someone obviously is keeping him in the picture on what we are doing. I just thought you should know," said Laura.

"Thanks for telling me. It was probably Estrelle."

"Estrelle! Why would you say that?"

Jess explained about her father being in prison, and Obispo having her under his control.

"That poor woman. I can imagine the terrible pain she must be going through," said Laura.

"What do you think I should do?" asked Jess.

"If I were Estrelle, I would be so relieved if you told me the truth. Deception is a two headed monster as far as I'm concerned. You not only destroy the person you are deceiving, you continue to erode your own sense of self-worth."

"Then that's that. I'll select the right moment and tell her everything. Thanks for being so interested in my safety."

They returned to their tents; Hank with Laura, and Jess with Estrelle. Arumba checked on his men who were guarding the camp. The wind in the trees and the distant sounds of night searching animals, lulled them to sleep.

They were awakened by the sound of a light gentle rain striking the taut canvas of their tents. Scurrying through the puddles they gathered in the mess tent for breakfast and Hank's morning briefing. Arumba reported no sightings of intruders during the night watch. He cautioned everyone to be especially observant of any native activity which might be suspicious.

"Did your men get the protective gear and video equipment up to the cave entrance?" asked Hank.

"Everything is ready. I've hired a few native porters who will get the lights and electronic equipment to the work area in the cave," said Arumba. "You can trust the local natives. They haven't been contaminated by the cartel people in this part of the forest."

"Did you tell them about the risks?" asked Jess.

"Yes, but they seem to think that this energy in the cave is actually what makes it so special."

"I don't care if they believe in miracles, you be sure that none of the natives is allowed to get too much exposure."

"I'll keep a written record of the time they spend inside. I don't want anything happening to them either," replied Arumba.

Jess checked the supplies remaining, and saw that the ultraviolet lights had not been taken up to the cave.

"Hold on Hank. You're going to need these today when you start filming."

"Arumba said the lights are already at the entrance."

"Not these. They're the ultraviolet lights for the special effects."

Laura could see that Hank had no idea what Jess was talking about.
"We need them to check the florescence of the symbols," she explained.

"Which means?"

"Under ultraviolet, certain radio active substances glow at different frequencies, giving us a spectacular light show, plus spectral analysis material."

The morning drizzle had stopped by the time they reached the opening. The jungle sun lit up the sea of green of the Amazon rain forest. It promised to be another sweltering day for the Atabapo Project. Hank and Laura struggled into their protective suits supplied by Dr. Ama Khan. They took up the slack in the over sized equipment, by fastening velcro strips at their ankles and wrists. The visor and helmet was a single piece, which overlapped the neck of their suits. Eager to get out of the sun and into the cool interior, they checked each others equipment and entered the blackness of the cave. Hank turned on the portable generator, and suddenly the magnificence of this natural wonder was realized.

He explained that caves generally are natural cavities in the ground formed by the eroding of minerals by the passage or seepage of underground water. "This cave should more accurately be called a cavern because of its chamber like structure. In fact it is composed of a number of interconnecting chambers. We should call it the Atabapo Caverns ".

Leading the others down a limestone path Hank headed for the gallery where the symbols were first discovered. A native moved the portable generator along with the scientists, each step revealing more and more of the beauty which water and time, had left for future generations. It was obvious this immense structure had been formed eons past, by the chemical dissolution of a soluble, weakened host rock. The solution process creates great voids. The rates of reaction and solubility are dependent on temperature, pressure, and concentration of added salts. Trickling water seepage in a moderately mild temperature tended to cause the release of CO2 which deposits calcite in magnificent draping patterns.

In all directions Laura could see one chamber after another, each more fascinating than the one just traversed. Long sheets of ivory coloured limestone appeared like stage settings. Stalagmites and stalactites seemed to support the broad domed ceiling, like the handiwork of a divine sculptor. It took several minutes to reach the symbol wall in the gallery on the left. Like first entering the cathedral built into the mountain outside of Madrid, this was a moment to be cherished. About ten feet above the surface of the cave, the symbols began. Laura was pleased to observe that the intelligent creatures who had left this treasure from the past had provided a large index to the meaning of the pictographs used to express their message. It went on and on into the blackness beyond the reach of the lights.

"I think we should send these porters back," said Hank.

"I agree. There's no use having them wait while we start our recording. We can leave our generator and other equipment here. Nothing is going to happen to them."

"What about the video film?" asked Hank.

"We can take it out of its protective wrapper when we need it and put it back when we are finished. I think we should take it back to camp at the end of each day. It'll give us something to study at night."

When the natives left, Laura located the ultraviolet lights and hooked them up to the generator. "My God. What is this stuff?" As far as the lights could reach, the symbols on the cave wall began to vibrate in an hypnotic fashion which mesmerized the two scientists.

In the stillness of the depths they could hear a low hum as though the energy of the lights had brought the wall to life. They were experiencing the music of the spheres, natural rhythms which scientists believe provide the basic material of the universe. They were earthlings being subjected to alien influences from other worlds.

Laura began filming the magical phenomena of the mystery wall, while Hank narrated the effect this was having on him. "Truly this discovery is not of our earth. Never have I ever seen or even read about an inorganic structure bursting into life. There is a throbbing throughout my body as though there is a low level electrical shock being generated by some unknown power."

"That's great Hank," said Laura. "I got it all on tape."

"That is if the force doesn't somehow distort the magnetic tape."

"The technicians in Washington gave us a special material which records radioactive images, without depending upon a magnetic base. I think we'll be okay."

"And you think this area is sort of a glossary?" asked Hank.

"I think so. In all the decoding assignments I've been on in the past, the most important achievement was to identify a symbol which unlocked the meaning of the puzzle. I'm convinced whoever left this message wanted it to be understood by all men. There was no way they would have been able to predict what future generations would be bringing to their message, so obviously they made use of the objects in their environment at the time the message was formulated."

"Show me what you mean," asked Hank.

"Well there for instance is their symbol of a tree. They are showing it with a sizable stem and branches spreading out from the top."

"Couldn't that mean other plants rather than trees?"

"But look over here. These lower pictographs of groups of grain, with actual particles of seeds would more than likely be their way of depicting plants. It's all a matter of interpretation. This is not going to be the easiest code I've ever worked on. It's a matter of time and patience."

"The nice thing about it though is that if we can get it all recorded, we can go back home and work on it in the comfort of our own labs," said Hank.

The day passed quickly before they came out of the cave with their cassettes. The outside air had cooled again after a mid-afternoon downpour. The sun was slowly creeping down the distant valleys west of their camp.

"So how did you make out?" asked Jess, coming out to meet them.

"I'll know better when we set up the viewing equipment."

They followed Laura and Hank to the work area where they had prepared a darkened chamber for looking at their filmed results on a television monitor. Hank unwrapped the protective cover of the cassette and slipped it into the special VCR which had been altered to conform to the new tape the Washington scientists had provided. For several seconds the screen flickered in electronic snow and wavy lines, then suddenly a perfectly clear picture of the interior filled the screen. When the first scene of the wall pictures appeared, they gasped with excitement.

"Wonderful," said Jess. "You've sure earned your rations today."

"I can't believe how clear the pictures are," said Estrelle.

"With results like this, it's going to be a pleasure working on understanding the meaning of the wall," added Laura.

"You think that was something," said Hank. "We are coming to the part where we turned on the ultraviolet lights."

Again they were stunned when they saw the brilliance of the wall as it revealed a different level of meaning under this energy field.

"What's happening?" asked Jess.

"What do you mean?"

"The pictures aren't as sharp as they were before."

"That's because the ultraviolet exposure is having a physical effect on the mural."

"I don't understand."

"You will. When you and Estrelle go in the cave tomorrow, and turn on the ultraviolet lights, you'll understand."

"It's almost as though there is a special energy release which takes place," said Laura. "There is actually a humming vibration you become aware of when those lights are on. You can feel it in your body, even when you are wearing the protective clothing."

"But if you are aware of an energy field being released, isn't there the chance that you are degrading the mural by activating it this way," asked Jess.

Hank and Laura had not considered this. They were so overwhelmed by the experience, their scientific objectivity had been corrupted momentarily. "Jess has a point," agreed Hank. "Maybe we should contact our experts in Washington and let them try to solve the question. For now, we'll continue taking turns recording everything we can, so that we can do our serious work when we get back home."

When everyone had settled down for a well earned rest, Estrelle moved quietly out of her tent and went to the communications section of the working area. Quietly in the stillness of the night, her beautiful face was bathed in the soft light emitted from her laptop computer. She hurriedly sent a brief fax to Obispo in Bogota, telling him about the success of the day's work. The message was sent by satellite which linked the project with all the concerned participants.

Nervously she closed down her equipment and listened carefully before departing.

"So he already knows everything?" asked Jess.

"Oh my God Jess! You scared me."`

"I'm sure I did." He grabbed Estrelle and pulled her towards him. Her body was trembling and her breathing was laboured. "I know about you and Obispo. And if it means anything, I can understand why you are doing this."

"It's my father Jess."

"I know darling. You are in a very difficult situation. If it was my father who was suffering in prison, I would probably do whatever I could to help him."

"He says he will kill him if I don't cooperate, and then he will kill me."

"Keep sending him these messages. He has no way of knowing anymore than we want him to know. He is probably going to use the information to try to squeeze more aid money out of the government. Just keep doing what you are doing. In time, hopefully we will figure out a way of saving you and your father. In the meantime, believe me when I say you can count on us."

The faint moonlight trickled down her cheek with the tears which expressed more than words how much she loved him.

Read other novels by William James Johnson at www.noozoon.blogspot.com.