Trees Hold Up the Sky 6 William James Johnson

After eating lunch in a small cantina, Jess and Laura arrived at the Antiquities Museum suggested by Hank. They studied the ornate carvings on the huge doors, before entering.

"Makes you think a little of Bernini doesn't it?" asked Laura.

"Yes it does, only instead of scenes from the life of Christ, these are apparently episodes in Colombian history."

"Look at that scene up top Jess. It's a cave with primitive creatures sitting by a fire?"

"Wouldn't it be something if that was a replica of the cave we'll be studying?"

"Or maybe it's a cave which hasn't even been discovered yet."

Inside the grand gallery, there was a silver quality to the noonday light which filtered through the thousands of squares of leaded glass in the vaulted ceiling. Standing on the marble floor were larger than life sculptures of equestrian heroes. Knightly ghosts in suits of armour lined the cold grey walls. Suspended from the ceiling were intricate tapestries portraying in incredible detail the struggle for independence. Studying the map in the main foyer to orient himself, Jess discovered the museum housed its collection of primitive stone carvings in an alcove on the bottom floor.

"That's what I want to see."

"What's that?" asked Laura.

"Downstairs, off the corridor on the right, apparently there are some ancient carvings from pre-Colombian history. Let's take a look."

They walked the full length of the main gallery to the staircase at the rear of the museum. Surprised to be the only visitors, they felt apprehensive going down the well worn steps to the lower level. There was a mustiness pervading the air in the dark corridor at the foot of the stairs.

"Reminds me of Kargil," said Laura.

"Why's that?"

"The smell. The tablets we were given were dug up in a tomb in the basement of an old monastery. The place had the same dank odour there is in here."

"Probably underground water seeps through the cracks in the stones, and all this rock never gives it a chance to really dry out."

A small sign in Spanish, identified the alcove they wanted. Entering the low doorway Jess was startled by the expression on a squat stone idol, about shoulder high, with a spotlight enhancing its powerful face.

"Holy God. That is some face."

Laura grabbed his hand as they slowly approached the figure.

Obviously a female depiction, it held the bullet shaped nipples of its breasts with powerful hands, offering them to the viewer. Her vulva was wide spread, its lips touching the ground between her ruggedly carved legs. Her face had the high cheek bones of a Nefertiti, with the insouciance of oriental eyes. Extending out of both sides of her mouth was the half eaten body of a child. The ancient carver had included drops of blood which crept down her ample belly to the arched opening below her mons.

"So what do you think the artist was trying to say?"

"It's a deity figure," said Laura.

"And God is a woman?"

"In some societies yes. In this idol, the divinity offers herself to man to partake in creation."

"And the child in her mouth. What's that supposed to mean?"

"She's God, and if man does not obey her, she will consume their creation. Now I'm only guessing at this interpretation Jess. But you know what religion is like. God is always superior to man, and even though we speak of his love for us, it's God's power which ensures our worship."

"In other words we want to be on his or her good side to avoid punishment."

"That's one way of saying it. Christians call it grace. Some faiths call it cosmic consciousness."

"This idol then is religious in your opinion."

"I would think so."

"And those tablets from Kargil, they too were religious?"

"We don't know for sure. But they were found in what was considered religious ground."

"Do you know what I think?"

"What's that?"

"I think we're always too quick to give religious interpretations to ancient things."

"Well let's face it. There's a good reason for that."

"Which is?"

"Archaeologists haven't had much success discovering really ancient writings. Most of the things we've had to study have been within the last 10,000 years, and they're supported by oral traditions. So when we identify something as religious we usually have a means of verifying it."

"But don't you think that's because we go at these things with a religious bias."

"I've never given it much thought. Why do you think we would do that?"

"Simple. Both religion and ancient history are imbued with mystery. By giving our interpretations of past events a religious slant, we acknowledge that the findings may be beyond our understanding, but based upon what is available, it's the best we can do. It's like trying to explain the meaning of faith to someone who has never believed. Our discipline requires as much faith as any religion. And it's because of this I believe we link the two so often in our interpretations. We're too subjective in our approach."

"Okay Dr. Martin, I'm going to test your theory."

"Fire away."

"If this idol is not a religious symbol, how would you interpret it?"

"I think the statue is a copy of an actual person."

"Oh come on Jess. You're not getting off that easily."

"You wanted my opinion, that's it. She's a real woman, not some ancient god of feminists."

"And you're going to ignore the fact she's eating her child?"

"How do you know it's her child? Maybe she was a cannibal. It could be that in her time there wasn't enough food to feed everyone, and the women ate the children to keep the population down."

"My God! What a specious interpretation."

"No more specious than a divine woman punishing man by devouring his creation. That's what I've been trying to make you understand. You're coming at the problem from your own cultural bias, and it doesn't apply to ancient treasures. We need more evidence to make such judgments."

"I can see we're going to have a great time interpreting the cave symbols," said Laura.

"That's why I wanted you to come and work with me."

"But I thought you said it was because you had a thing for me," she said smiling.

"That too."

Laura made a point of checking the darkened corridor. "Well we seem to be all alone. Why don't we try it out now."

"Try what out?"

"That thing you said you had for me. I've never done it in the presence of an ancient idol before."

Jess was shocked by her proposal. Joe Frum had insisted the rumors about her were true, but this was crazy. This was their first day together.

"You're not serious?"

Laura put her arms around him and pressed her hips against his, moving gently, feeling him react to her sensuousness. "Of course I'm serious. I wouldn't have said anything if I didn't want to do it with you."

She didn't wait for him to reply. Her hand squeezed his throbbing passion, and before he could stop her, she dropped to her knees and opened his pants. He wanted to end this, but as with his young female students, once it's put in front of him, what can a man do. Her mouth devoured him and the wet sucking sounds in this dark alcove, watched over by a pagan idol, made his fulfillment one of the most bizarre experiences of his life. She continued wiping his flaccid organ with her face until his knees gave in, and he dropped beside her.

"Oh Laura. What can I say?"

"Just tell me you liked it."

"It was fantastic. My God...just fantastic."

"That's what I wanted to hear."

"But it's not fair."

"What's not fair?"

"I didn't do anything for you."

"Of course you did. I really needed that Jess. Put your hand inside my panties. Feel for yourself. I'm soaked."

She put his hand between her legs and he could feel the heat coming right through her safari trousers.

"I've never known a woman like you."

"Well now you know the real me."

"If it had been someone else here with you, would you have done it with them too?"

"Not likely. I've had this fantasy about you for years dear Jess. The mystery of the idol, her licentious pose. I just couldn't see myself passing up a chance to do something which I will remember forever."

"You know what I was thinking?" said Jess.

"What's that?"

"I was wondering who taught you how to do that. That's not something you learn all by yourself."

"My former husband. He was fantastic with his mouth. I'll have to teach you."

His imagination was in overdrive as she spoke. He didn't care what Frum had said. If this is what he meant about her being voracious, he was willing to swim with the piranhas. Her obvious skill outweighed any risk he might have to take.

"Thanks Jess."


"For what?"

"Letting me do it. I really needed it darling."

"The pleasure was all mine."

They left the idol and went into an adjacent room where there was a segment of wall carving installed. It appeared to be a portion of a temple arch.

"So if I agree with you it's from a temple, we would both be interpreting the carving from a religious point of view?" asked Laura.

"Forget what it might have been and get a close look at the carvings."

The figures were consistent with the native legends that man in pre-history was unisexual. Some mysterious force split the original human into two separate beings, and they mutated into male and female. The figure of a white god, pulled the original man into two separate beings. It is for that reason that legend has it, that man roams about earth looking for his better half.

"It's a good example of the duality of man and the origin of that belief," said Jess.

"And that powerful figure pulling man apart, is that God?" asked Laura.

"God, or some creature from outer space."

"Now who's doing the imagination trip?"

"Behind him is a large fiery ball. I think it may be the vehicle used to arrive on earth."

"Or a natural phenomenon," said Laura.

"Now do you see my point?"

"Which is?"

"We use our cultural bias to interpret our findings."

"But isn't that understandable Jess. After all, we are what our culture has made us."

"True. But as scientists, we have to rise above that."

"Easier said than done."

"I can't wait to get in that cave with you. Hank says it's enormous."

"This could mean a lot of time together," said Laura.

"God I hope so."

"So do I, Jess. Don't you think we should get going. Hank will be here soon."

"Okay...But I'd like to ask you something before we go."

"Sure. What is it?"

"Promise you won't be mad."

"Ask me anything."

"When you were in Kashmir, on the Kargil expedition, what was you're involvement in the death of that old Sherpa?"

"How did you know about that?"

"Frum pointed it out to me, and gave me a ridiculous story about you and the guide."

"First of all Jess the guide wasn't old, unless you think early forties is old."

"Better not be. I'm that age myself, and I'm sure not ready to pack it in."

"As I was saying, he wasn't that old. But apparently he was a virgin. He had been a monk at one time. Over there they start when they are young boys, some as early as seven or eight years of age. Well we were at about 14,000 feet, and the weather was terrible. We had left the others at base camp, and went on alone. For the sake of sheer survival, I coaxed him to link our sleeping bags together, so we could share our body heat. He was so innocent. And the rest is history."

"He actually died of heart failure making love to you."

"Not exactly. I made love to him. I guess it was more than he could take. I had to go back to the base camp alone and tell them he had died. It was a combination of the lack of oxygen at that altitude and his extraordinary output of energy. No one accused me of killing him, but it doesn't take long for a thing like that to get around, and soon people will give it any explanation they think fits. Oh I know Joe Frum has been telling everyone I'm some kind of sex maniac. But to be fair, I wish he would also tell people how I had to struggle against his advances to get my appointment at Roosevelt. I'm not saying I don't like sex. I really like it. Thanks in large part to my former husband, but I'm not going to jump on any man who comes along."

"You didn't have to tell me this, you know. I would've been just as happy with a lie."

"I won't lie to you Jess. I do love you. And if you'll let me, I'll love you as much as you want."

"Come on sweetie. Let's go and find Hank."