Sisimito II--Xibalba

by Henry W. Anderson

  Yochi had us lined up in single rank on the western edge, facing east. I was in the middle, Rhys, Choco, Robertson and Yochi on my right; Taat, Teul, Choc, and Ichik were on my left, Yochi and Ichik being at either end. The seven guards stood behind us making us a very short column.

  The platform on our right was the Black Platform as that was the side where the black ring was placed. It was filled with embellished seating, including a Baläm Nimalaj T’uyulibal for Hun-Came who sat quietly on it. Vucub-Came sat on a lesser throne to his right and was fidgety. Further along were four of the Demon Lords, the remaining six seated to the left of Hun-Came. Behind the Demon Lords were seated a row of women in highly decorated red or black dresses, a rank of Warriors behind them.

  On the Red Platform were the game officials, other dignitaries including the Ahau Can Mai, the musicians, and other Warriors. The musicians were playing ch’aw-baqs, xuls,413 ocarinas, and la’j-tuns. The musicians played loudly and the crowd cheered continuously. Then the music stopped and the spectators were immediately silent. There were a few seconds of intense beating of la’j-tuns then there was absolute quiet. Töt414 trumpets sounded and Vucub-Came stood.

  “Xibalbans. Before Kinich Ahau leaves on his fiery chariot and return to U Wach Ulew, we will witness what we hope will be one of the most exciting ballgames ever played in Xibalba. Waach has won all trials he has faced.” There was a loud cheer from the crowd and Vucub-Came seemed taken aback. Hun-Came showed no emotions. “Waach and his team, the Black Team, will face the Red Team, a team comprising Xibalba’s most peerless players, unmatched in every aspect of Pitz, unsurpassed in the Ti Pitziil.”

  “Is he trying to frighten us?” scowled Teul.

  “Shut up!” barked Yochi.

  “I will now ask Waach and his team to come to the center of the ballcourt and face the Great Death God Hun-Came,” continued Vucub-Came. There was an immediate roll of la’j-tuns and Vucub-Came sat.

  “It is time,” announced Yochi. “We will proceed as we are. Just before reaching the center-court, Ichik, your individual guards, and I will stop. The rest of you will rotate towards the Black Platform and face Hun-Came. Do not look anywhere else. Do not move your head even when the Red Team approaches. Doing otherwise is not the Way of the Warrior and it could indicate fear. It would also be an affront to Hun-Came and for that alone he could have your heads. The Red Team will line up behind you and you will be told by a game official when to turn around and face them. Remember, do not move until instructed to do so. Also, when you are introducing yourselves to your opponents, look only into their eyes, nowhere else. That is the tradition. That is the will of Hukte’ Ahaw415 to whom you will pray before the ball-game begins. The ballgame, and this one even more so, symbolizes battles between the Gods of Kaán and the Lords of the Underworld. The ol symbolizes Kinich Ahau.” Yochi hesitated before continuing, knowing that Kish had ordered Chiac to lose the game. He decided to carry on with his instructions as if he were unaware of that information. “Play hard and don’t lose or Waach can be decapitated and his skull used as the core around which a new ol is made. Once we have prayed, Ichik, the guards, and I will leave you.”

  “Okay,” shouted Teul. “We’ll march to the center and as soon as Yochi stops, I’ll give the ‘halt’ and I don’t want to hear a madafok typewriter. I want only one bang from those hoofs. Is that madafok clear?”

  “Teul,” we all shouted.

  “And immediately after the ‘halt’, we do our shout, in English and in Ke’kchi. Is that also madafok clear?”

  “Teul!” we shouted again.

  “I will then shout ‘Rotate’, and we’ll move smartly to face the Black Platform, one at a time, and keep ‘marking-time’.” When we’re all in rank, I’ll give the command to ‘halt’.”

  “Is that madafok clear?”

  “Teul!”

  “Well, that’s a new one,” mumbled Choco.

  “What?” snapped Teul.

  “Rotate. I’ve never heard that drill-command.”

  “We’re in Xibalba,” bellowed Teul. “And shut up. Parade! By the left, quick, march!” bawled out Teul; and so, we marched, picking up our legs in unison, sending them down in unison.

  “Parade! Halt!” There was one sound only from us, our feet hitting the court. The noise from the tiers was overwhelming.

  “We are never stronger than when we are one” we shouted. “Ixca junes maka ka metzev!” The crowd stood up and applauded excitedly then sat again.

  “Parade! Marking Time … Mark TIME! Parade! Ro-o-tate!” There were only murmurs from the crowd as we each turned and marched to the position we needed to be in order to form the rank facing the Black Platform, ‘marking time’ as we waited. Once we were all in rank came the command, “Halt!” There was only one striking sound, followed by “Stand at ease!” Louder murmurs rose from the spectators. I suppose it was the first time they saw anything like a military march. I took one step forward and my gold skin glowed. The citizens of Xibalba erupted in cheers, but there were no cheers from either platform.

  Vucub-Came stood again and I noticed that Hun-Came leaned forward a little on his throne. He was staring at us. He carried an impish sly smile and it worried me. I could not help thinking that, perhaps, Hun-Came had waited until now to use the deceit Xibalba was famous for.

  “You have seen Waach and the Black Team,” proclaimed Vucub-Came. “I will now ask Chief Guard and the Red Team to come to the center of the ballcourt, line up behind the Black team, and face the Great Death God Hun-Came.” There was the roll of la’j-tuns and the crowds erupted in cheers, once again. Vucub-Came sat, looking very pleased, and the crowd’s noise continued to fill the amphitheater. We kept our faces forward, as ordered by Yochi.

  Another roll of la’j-tuns was followed by a voice from the Red Platform. “The teams will now face each other and introduce themselves, starting with the Red Team.”

  “On my command,” bellowed Teul. “Te-e-ension!” Again, no typewriter. “A-a-about-turn!” Once again, there was no typewriter, but I didn’t even know how hard or soft my foot touched the court, or if it even touched it. I was frozen. I had anticipated deceit, but not what faced me. I became overwhelmed by deep pain, as if my heart had been cut out and was being held by an ah-nakom416 on the altar that was by the ballcourt in Ox Witz Ha. Control was rushing away from me and I had to battle to retain it. Powerful anxiety gripped me, not knowing how my men would react, not knowing if they would still play the ballgame, not knowing what would happen then, what would happen to our plan of escape. I suffered all the sorrows, fears, and terrors I had known for they were hurled back at me repeatedly. Hun-Came had indeed saved his deceit for that moment and I was ready to accept that I would never kill Mahanamatz and that I would never see Molly again. I fought to come back to the ballgame. I grabbed on to Bas’ Green Scapular and I felt its warmth growing in my hand. Think only of winning the game.

  I stared into Kish’s face, into his deep emotionless black eyes, not believing what I saw in my peripheral vision. Kish’s dark black eyes pierced into mine. “You are Warriors, and you are T’oit’ik-jolom,” he said, quietly, his lips barely moving, then he shouted, “Kish!”

  “Chiac!” I bellowed. No fokin ‘Waach’.

  “Bas!”

  “Taat!”

  “Taylor!”

  “Rhys!”

  “Hulse!”

  “Teul!”

  “Clarke!”

  “Choco!”

  “Anderson!”

  “Choc!”

  “Parham!”

  “Robertson!”

  I kept my head straight as I tried to salvage my sanity. What the fok are they doing in Xibalba? I heard no cries, no sounds of recognition from the men as each looked into the eyes of his opponent. Kish’s eyes were deep in my head, reminding me that we were Warriors, that I was T’oit’ik-jolom.

  An official stood up saying, “The Red Team will begin the game.”
There were loud cheers from the crowd. Another official stood up. He wore an outstanding headdress of black and red feathers surrounding the image of Hukte’ Ahaw which was placed just above his forehead. Eyepieces made from red and black sea shells were about his eyes, and large ya’ax-chich earrings hung from his ears. Layers of ya’ax-chich and seashell necklaces formed pectorals across his bronze and muscular chest. In his left-hand he held a jatz’om.417 He wore a cape made from black pelt, and a spare red loincloth. There were bracelets of gold and silver at his wrists and around his ankles. He wore no lej-xajäbs. He began to speak. “There will be five goals, if necessary, to each game. The ball team that scores the first three goals wins the game. There is to be no cessation of play between the goals. There will be three games, if necessary, to the match. The ball team that wins the first two games wins the match.” The official raised the jatz’om upward. The spectators gave widespread acclamation, shouting, screaming. “Get into your positions.”

  “Let’s set up,” said Kish to his team and they moved away, not hesitating. We just stood where we were, in single rank. There was a growing murmur from the crowd.

  “Get into your positions, Black Team,” ordered the game official.

  Teul was the first to awaken from our paralysis and he came to my side. “Wake to madafok up, Chiac, he said quietly, but firmly. “Come on, Madafoks,” he shouted. “Let’s get into position. We win. Play madafok dirty if you have to, but we win.” As we started to move, a tremendous roar rose from the spectators fully awakening us to what was happening.

  “Pray to Hukte’ Ahaw,” reminded Yochi.

  “Fok that!” I answered. “I didn’t see Kish praying.” Yochi shrugged his shoulders then he, Ichik, and the seven guards walked vigorously towards the western end.

  “Spread out into the Black half-court,” I shouted, and we hurriedly got into the defense positions we had decided on during practice. Think only of winning the game. Because the goal was midway of the court, I had reversed the regular football positioning, the defense being where the forwards usually were, and the forwards being where the defenders usually were. Choco, Teul and I were the defense, close to the halfway line, I in the middle, Choco on my right, Teul on my left. Next were our halfbacks, Robertson on the right and Rhys on the left. At our end, in what would normally be the penalty area, were Choc on the right and Taat on the left.

  Kish had also set up his team. He had used more of a square shape for his offence. Kish was in the penalty arc area and he had three men on either side. Up front were Bas on his right and Taylor on the left. In the halfback position were Parham on his right and Hulse on the left. In the regular defense position were Clarke on his right and Anderson on the left.

  I looked at my men across the halfway line and had to tear myself away from the mountaintop and the slaughter that occurred there. I had to tear myself away from Sisimito’s cavern and the smell of bloodied meat. I had to regard those men, that section, as my opponents, and for that my mind was thrown into disarray and thus into total confusion. Kish had told us to lose so that the focus on us wanting to leave Xibalba could be neutralized and we would more easily be able to put his plan into play. I knew that the penalty for losing a game could be harsh, many times resulting in death. Sometimes, it was the leader of the team that was killed and that would be me. Other times, the whole team was sacrificed. Although I believed that the Lords of Xibalba had future plans for us, I could no longer trust the belief that, win or lose, we would live. They would presumably provide more entertainment for the Xibalbans by having us killed and tortured on the ballcourt after the game. If we won, as Kish had explained, we would still be declared losers using Bas’ Green Scapular as the reason. We would probably still be killed and tortured. I doubted that Kish’s team would lose as those men, my Expedition Bold section, had been in Xibalba probably for a year, and had very likely become very proficient at playing the ballgame. If Kish’s team did lose, my Expedition Bold section, my soldiers that had died before, would probably be tortured and murdered all over again. I could not allow that to happen to my men and Bas, the best friend I ever had. But who knew what would happen in Xibalba? Perhaps the Lords would decide to sacrifice the wining team and Kish would die a second and horrible death. I did not think they were too happy with Kish giving me his support. My previous section would again die because of me.

  I fought the insanity and confusion that was trying to overwhelm me. I had to think clearly and not allow Xibalba to devastate me. Even my gold hue had almost completely disappeared. I had to use the wit, cunning, and trickery of Hunahpu and Xbalanque, and also the deceit of the Lords of Xibalba. I had to plan. Use everything at my disposal.

  A game official walked off the Red Platform, down the stone steps and came onto the court where he handed Kish the ol. He returned to the platform, turned to us and shouted, “Begin play.” I kissed Bas’ Green Scapular, but did not look at my friend.

  Kish picked up the ol and began bouncing it on one knee. He gave a high bounce then, as the ol came down, he used his ankle to send it over to Hulse who passed it over to Parham with great ease while Anderson and Clarke were moving up the court, crisscrossing towards the Red goal. Choc moved towards Anderson and Taat towards Clarke, marking them. Parham had already routed the ol back to Hulse who shot the ol high. Kish was moving down the middle of his players towards the halfway line. I started sprinting towards him while Teul and Choco raced towards Bas and Taylor. The ol came down and Hulse hit it with his ankle, sending it across court to Bas who slammed it with his pix’om, sending it forcefully against the Black wall. The ol bounced towards Kish and he used his wrist to send it towards the Red goal. The crowd erupted, screaming, cheering, shouting, as the ol went through the Red goal. We had moved too slowly. One Red marker was raised.

  “Same positions for offence,” I shouted, racing against Taylor to get the ol before he did. It was still bouncing, not rolling on the floor, so I picked it up with my ankle and propelled it to the Black wall at an angle that would make it ricochet towards Teul. Bas was already marking him as the ol sped towards them. Choco had sensed what would happen and rushed in front of Bas, their bodies touching, allowing Teul to get in position to receive the oncoming ol. There was no indecision on Teul’s face as he caught it with his wrist and shot it rapidly towards and, unbelievably, through the Black ring. One Black marker was raised amidst roars from the spectators.

  Bas and Choco raced towards the Red half-court, but Parham was already in position to receive the ol. He headed the ol towards Kish. Taylor was there, blocking any of us access to Kish who headed the ol towards Hulse. He received it with his wrist sending it towards the Red wall. Kish had run up the incline and received the ol as it came off the wall, hitting it with his wrist, shooting it easily into the Red goal. A second Red marker was raised.

  The ol ricocheted towards Robertson and he volleyed it very high, straight up. Both teams were then concentrated on the Black half-court, each member shadowing another. Kish was with me, Clark with Taat, Anderson with Choc, Parham with Rhys, Bas with Teul, Taylor with Choco, Hulse with Robertson.

  The ol came downward between Robertson and Hulse, and Choc and Anderson. Choco sidestepped Taylor, turned backward and ran to reach the falling ol. He arrived along with the ol and hit it with his forehead towards Rhys who had gotten in front of Parham. Rhys let the ol hit his chest then drop towards the court. He picked it up with his right ankle and fired it towards Choco on his left. Choco had gotten Anderson behind him and he hit the ol with his wrist, sending it upward to a height just above his head. He then stepped backward rapidly, pushing Anderson roughly out of the way and as the ol fell again he hit it with his right ankle sending it directly towards the Black goal. A second Black marker was placed on the Red Platform.

  I glanced at the two Black markers and two Red markers on the Red Platform, but brought myself quickly back to the game. Think only of winning the game. The ol was high above the court, heaved there by
Choc. Bas and Teul were shadowing each other roughly. As the ol neared the duo I saw Teul face Bas, bring his knee up into Bas’ crotch, and push him away by ramming his shoulder into him. Bas went down to the floor, his faced glowering and agonized, holding his crotch. Teul took the ol on his knee and as it came up, he jumped backward, hit the ol with his wrist, sending it directly through the Black goal.

  Nim-tums, large drums, rolled signaling the end of the first game. The markers were removed and a sole Black flag was flying above the Red Platform. We had won the first game, and I was in a very agreeable state of shock. Bas lay squirming on the court, still holding onto his crotch.

  Most of my team were doing better that I expected. Part of that was definitely due to their physical fitness and their knowledge of football, and their ability to extrapolate that knowledge to Pitz. The other part? I had to believe that the blessings of Hunahpu and Xbalanque were playing a role. Deep in my mind, I didn’t believe that Kish and the Red Team were playing as strongly as they could and that worried me. As the game was moving at a reasonable pace, however, it would have been difficult to note if any of the teams were holding back. I was the most experienced player on my team and I knew, but I was spending too much time observing the court rather than getting very actively involved in the plays. I had to change that.

  We stood at the halfway line, facing each other, no expression on our faces. Servants immediately brought cloths with which they wiped off our sweat. Others checked our equipment to see that everything was secure. We were given water to drink and fruits to eat.