Waste Not, Want Not Chapter XXV

The two men peered in astonishment at the large and complex inscription.
“Who could have made this?” asked Conrad.
“I have no clue,” replied Paul as he examined the carvings, which had traces of paint on some of the images. “I know of no peoples who are known to have lived in this area that might have done this. Of course I am not expert but it does seem very unusual.”
“We may have made an important archaeological discovery,” said Conrad as he traced his finger over one image which seemed to show a warrior or god of some sort.
“If it is I don’t really want to let the world in on it just now,” said Paul.
“I see what you mean.”
Paul looked at his watch. “It is getting on, I think we should get back before it gets dark.”
They retraced there steps and finally made it back to the surface.
Conrad asked “Do we put the rock back?
“No, let’s leave it open and we’ll get back earlier tomorrow. Let’s go.”
They were soon back at the ranch house and tonight Conrad did the cooking. He was a good cook and they enjoyed a heart supper and a glass of bourbon afterwards.
They passed the evening quietly, Conrad watching TV, Paul working on paperwork.
Paul stretched and said he was turning in. He went to his room.
He slept fitfully, dreaming fast, furtive dreams which streamed through his sleep, leaving him feeling tired and apprehensive.
Visions of the strange creature El Indio had called Palinche Kha, the hideous, feathered demon warrior, were flitting through these nightmares. He woke just past dawn feeling as though he had not slept a wink.
At their breakfast Conrad said “Man, I had some strange dreams last night!”
“Oh?”
“Yeah, they were bordering on nightmarish, strange dreams filled with fantastic creatures.”
Conrad’s dreams were no surprise to Paul, they were nearly like his own. Paul then related his own nocturnal visions.
“How could that be?” Conrad wondered out loud.
“I don’t know, there are a lot of things about this place I don’t know!” said Paul.
They were soon back to the rock and it was covered again! Paul got out his Geiger counter and the radiation level was again very high.
“I think we will be wasting our time if we try to open it right now. Let’s go back.”
They had just fixed a pot of coffee and El Indio knocked.
“Come in” said Paul. “I want to talk to you.”
El Indio took a cup of coffee and joined the two at the table.
“Did you cover the hole?” asked Paul.
“Yes. Remember I had told you that you should not open the hole. It is dangerous,” said El Indio.
“I just don’t believe all that spirit mumbo jumbo and I have a job to do here and I intend to do it,” said a somewhat perturbed Paul. “How did you close it by yourself?”
“I have power.”
“Powers? What do you mean?”
“You wouldn’t believe me or understand.”
“El Indio, I am grateful to you for saving my life and I respect you but please don’t interfere with my wishes on my property.”
They sat reflectively for a while, sipping their cups.

Waste Not, Want Not Chapter XXIV

Paul took a seat in the porch swing,felt the cool breeze and soon fell asleep. There he napped until he was roused by the footsteps on the steps as Conrad returned from his walk.
“Oh…hey,” Paul said drowsily as he regained wakefulness.
“Hey,” answered Conrad.
“So did you have a nice walk?”
“Yes,” said Conrad, “I did. You know this is really a nice place. It’s great out there in the brush land. I saw a deer and a turkey. Pretty neat.”
“Yes, it is always good to get out of the city,” said Paul.
Conrad asked “So what do we do now?”
“We’ll go back and try it again soon. I opened it once, it will open again I think,” said Paul.
The two men passed the day relaxing, reading and Paul, as usual, working.
“Let’s go out and give it a try before supper,” said Paul.
They drove both vehicles back to the stone and once again rigged up their cables.
“Check the rock with the Geiger counter again,” said Paul.
Conrad passed the instrument’s receptor over the stone. There was a marked decrease in the radiation level this time.
“Let’s give it a pull now,” said Paul.
They pulled tight on the winch lines. The stone moved slightly. They then put the trucks in gear and gave the engines some gas and inched forward and then the rock came loose and it slid away from the hole.
“Alright!” said Conrad as they got out of the trucks and peered into the opening. As before, a rush of foul smelling air emitted from the hole.
“Whew! That stinks!” said Conrad.
They peered into the hole.
“Well, do we go in?” asked Conrad.
“Yes, let’s take a peek,” said Paul.
They dropped down a rope ladder, which was tied off to one of the trucks. Both men grabbed a flashlight and they climbed in. The sun was now low on the horizon and they light was dim in the hole. They stepped onto the ledge inside the hole and shined their lights down into the inky blackness.
The stench was overwhelming, a putrid smell of decay and mold.
Their lights revealed an opening in the stone and a narrow pathway descending from into a darkness. They had to get on their knees and just squeezed through. Once through the hole was a bit higher and they could walk, hunched over, on down into the cave.
They could hear sounds, highly amplified, such as dripping water and occasionally a flutter of wings as bats whizzed by. Their powerful flashlights so far revealed nothing ahead nut more darkness. Their forced posture and the close confines made their walk most strenuous but they pressed on. They pressed on without speaking, each man’s senses keenly acute, muscles tense from the strain and some degree of nervous strain as well. Neither man liked closed, dark, cramped spaces so this was not an easy trek. After what seemed a considerable period the two emerged into a large, open subterranean room.
“Let’s take a break,” said Paul.
“I’m for that!”
They sat on a large, flat rock and Paul took a drink from his canteen. He shined his light into the room. Revealed before them was a fantastic scene of incredible stalactites and stalagmites and other incredible crystalline formations. Each man had visited the famous caverns of Carlsbad, New Mexico and Sonora, Texas. This previously unknown spot compared well with those.
There was more. On the wall before them were ancient inscriptions similar to those Paul had seen at Chichenitza and other locations in the Yucatan.

Waste Not, Want Not Chapter XXIII

The two sat and drank their coffee. Conrad spoke.
“It’s good to be out in the country again. So what do you want to do today?”
“I want to go out and open the hole again. I want to climb down into the entrance chamber and at least try to see what is below. I don’t feel like risking life and limb right away!” said Paul.
Conrad sipped his brew and nodded.
“Did you bring all the stuff I asked for?”
“Sure,” said Conrad.
“The Geiger counter?”
“Yep,” Conrad handed Paul a list on a piece of paper. “It’s all in the truck.”
“Good. Let’s get you unloaded and settled in. You can have the bedroom in the front.”
Soon they were driving the two trucks along the trail leading to the rock. It was peaceful and the sky was clear. It wasn’t long before they spied the stone. They pulled to a stop just in front of the large, flat rock. Paul got out and walked over to Conrad’s truck.
“Let’s each put a cable on it and we will line up side by side and pull it. OK?” asked Paul.
“Sounds good.”
In no time they had placed their cables and started to haul in the winch cables. The stone didn’t budge. On his cell phone Paul told Conrad to lock the line and pull with the trucks. They put them in low gear and pulled, slowly the rock budged but didn’t break loose. The trucks spun their wheels but the rock wouldn’t come free. After a while Paul let out some slack in the line and shut the truck off. Conrad followed suit. The two men got of and walked over to the rock and looked it over, walking round and round it.
“Dangdest thing I ever saw,” said Paul. “I don’t see why we can’t move it.”
“Let’s take a break,” said Paul. “I brought some sandwiches and orange juice. Let’s eat.”
So that sat down on the rock and ate. Didn’t talk much.
After a while Paul got up and said “Let’s try it again,”
They climbed back into the truck cabs and again took up the slack and tried to move the rock. No luck! It was exasperating but Paul finally decided there was no point in burning up the trucks.
“Did you bring a Geiger counter?” asked Paul.
“Sure did. I got in the truck,” said Conrad. “”Do you want me to get it?”
“Yes,” said Paul. “I am curious about something.”
Conrad brought over the Geiger counter and turned it on. It registered a considerable amount of radiation. He walked closer to the rock and the Geiger counter got louder and dials shot up. As he held it over the rock it registered an abnormally high level.
“I had thought this might be the case. I know that there is uranium scattered all throughout this area and one of my companies and others mine the stuff not too far from here,” said Paul. “We’ll come back another time and try it again. The first time I moved it was relatively easy. I want to see what happens after a little time passes.”
They climbed back into their trucks and returned to the ranch house.
“What do you think?” asked Conrad.
“I really don’t know but once I moved the rock with my winch. Since then it is unmovable. Why is that? Why is the radiation level so high? Is there a connection?” Paul asked.
They made sandwiches for lunch and sat out on the front porch to eat.
“Well, what’s the plan?”
“I want to go and try again in a couple of hours and if we can’t do it then wait a while and go back,” said Paul.
“Catch it with it’s guard down huh?” Conrad chuckled as he asked the question.
“Something like that, I guess,” said Paul. “Mean while we’ll just kick back for a while. I have work I can do.”
“OK, I’ll take a walk around the place,” said Conrad. With that he walked off.