When dinner was brought out, the chief and his wife had gone through a touching display of giving thanks to their god for supplying them with sustenance. Then, before anyone was allowed to eat, a heaping plate was prepared and set before an enormous stone statue in the center of the gazebo.
"Their god,” Jon had explained.
The ground at the sculpture's feet was littered with various offerings of pottery and jewelry. No doubt these people gave some token of gratitude for every reward received. Any hardship likely brought forth even larger contributions in a plea for forgiveness.
So caught up in her thoughts about the Huitoto god's effigy, and the primitive behaviors of its servants, Rhea was stunned to look up and find that the female dancers had formed into a straight line, and were heading her way, seemingly on a mission.
As each one passed by, they gave Ashley and her a small gift. Before the assembly had finished, both of them had an armful of necklaces, bracelets, beaded purses, and various other items.
Rhea felt overwhelmed. She wished she had gifts to give each of them in return for their wonderful presents. But as she wasn't prepared for this, she had nothing to give.
"Now what do we do?” Ashley asked out of the corner of her mouth, all the while smiling back at the groups of women before them.
"I don't know,” Rhea returned. “I didn't bring much jewelry."
"Me neither."
Rhea glanced down at the horde of goodies in her lap. Not knowing what else to do, she began slipping the necklaces over her head. They were made of varying materials—beads, grasses, seeds, feathers. But one in particular caught her attention. It was about eighteen inches long, made out of what appeared to be fish scales, and had the jawbone of some sort of creature attached for a pendant.
She gingerly fingered the sharp teeth, drawing back with a muffled yelp when one pierced her skin. Then she glanced at Ashley. “What do you think this is?"
Ashley slipped a similar necklace over her head. “I have no idea. As long as it's not human, I don't care."
Rhea had to agree. She returned her attention to the waiting group. In a gesture similar to Uri's, she placed her hand over the necklaces, nodded her head with appreciation, and muttered what she hoped meant thank you in Huitoto.
An older woman with graying hair separated from the group and stepped forward. Rhea recognized her as the one from the hut earlier—Uri's mother. The woman bowed her head with respect, then placed a headband decorated with colorful feathers on Rhea's head. Ashley got one as well.
"Gifts from Juanita,” the woman announced. “You like?"
"Oh, yes! Very much. Thank you,” Ashley exclaimed, touching the band at her forehead.
Rhea nodded in agreement.
The woman's chocolate eyes sparkled with delight and she clasped her hands together beneath her chin with almost child-like glee. “Is good!"
Then she turned and said something to the others in Huitoto, while making a shooing motion with her hands. The women giggled and rushed off to rejoin the men waiting on the sidelines. Within moments, the dancing and singing started up again.
Rather than leave, as the others had, Juanita seated herself beside Ashley on the log and began to talk. Of course, Rhea understood very little of what the woman was saying. Every now and then, she'd hear a familiar English word, but most of it was indecipherable. Nevertheless, she tried to appear as attentive as she could.
After a few moments, a rustling to their left drew her gaze past Juanita's aged features to the darkened forest behind her. Rhea thought she caught a glimpse of someone standing in shadows. She blinked, and the figure was gone.
Am I imagining things?
She refocused on Juanita, smiling and nodding her head as though following every word the woman said. Then a movement in the brush caught her eye and Rhea couldn't help but lean over sideways to try to get a better look. This time, there was no mistaking the phantom-like silhouette standing just beyond the reach of the fire's glow.
Recognizing the large frame as belonging to none other than her mystery man from before, Rhea jumped to her feet. “There he is!"
She turned to find Jon and quickly spotted him chatting with an elderly man at a table under the gazebo. “Jon, there!"
Rhea knew she probably looked ridiculous, yelling and pointing at the trees, but she didn't care. “You see him?"
Jon hurried over. He stared in the direction she indicated for a long moment, then turned to look at her, a puzzled expression contorting his features. “I think you better go lie down, honey. You've had a long—"
"Don't you see him?” she cut in, pointing once again.
Rhea knew, even before she looked for verification, the shadow would be gone. Someone was playing tricks on her. And she didn't appreciate it one bit.
The man who'd been chatting with Jon approached them. “Is everything all right?” he asked, in perfect English.
Rhea looked blankly at him. Her head suddenly felt funny and she thought she might just close her eyes and go to sleep standing up. She had the same sensation of being on some kind of painkiller, like morphine.
What was in my drink? She veered a little to the side before catching herself.
Jon steadied her with a hand on her upper arm. “I think she's just tired,” he announced, then turned to Rhea. “This is Gabriel, the Huitoto shaman. He knows a lot about the medicinal plants of the rainforest. He'll be going with us tomorrow in search of the Yagana—the plant we think may treat cancer. Which is all the more reason for you to get some sleep."
Gabriel said something to Juanita in Huitoto. She nodded, then took Rhea by the arm and started to lead her away from the group. “Come."
"But ... I saw him,” Rhea protested. “I'm telling you—"
Juanita clucked her tongue in disapproval. “Come. Now,” she repeated, tugging on Rhea's arm.
"You saw him, Ash. Didn't you?” Rhea began to feel desperate. She knew she wasn't crazy. Yet, her lack of evidence looked grim, even to herself.
Ashley started to reply, but a stern look from Juanita instantly silenced her. Helpless, she held out her hands, palms up, and shrugged. “I—"
"No talk. Come. Both.” Juanita waved for them to follow, then started toward their appointed hut at the other end of the village.
Rhea followed along behind Juanita in silence. Her mind refused to accept that she'd been hallucinating again. She quickly glanced back at the shadowed tree line. Nothing.
Maybe I was seeing things...
No, there had been someone there. She'd get to the bottom of this sooner or later. And when she finally saw this man face to face, she was going to give him a piece of her—
"Rhea?” Ashley whispered, cutting into her escalating thoughts. “I did see him. You weren't imagining him. But ... I don't think anyone else can."
The sincerity of Ashley's tone chilled her to the bone. Rhea's brows furrowed with bewilderment as she glanced at her friend from the corner of her eye. How could no one else see him if we did?
"We'll talk privately,” she whispered back. Then gave a slight nod toward Juanita's retreating backside.
Ashley subtly nodded, then fell silent.
When they arrived at the hut, Juanita pointed to the door, much like a mother issuing a command to her unruly children to go to their room. “You sleep now,” she said loudly, as though making sure others heard the command as well. “Feel better tomorrow for big hunt."
Rhea and Ashley entered the shelter without argument, both eager for Juanita to leave so they could discuss the mysterious man they'd seen. But to their dismay, she followed them inside. Rhea glared at the woman, wondering if she planned on staying for no other purpose than to ensure their silence.
Juanita stared back at her for a long while, seemingly trying to decide what to say. “He's ... the Guardian,” she announced.
"The Guardian of what?” Ashley asked incredulously.
"Ashley!” Rhea hissed, indicating for her to shut-up for once in her
life and listen to what the woman had to say.
"The Guardian of the Stairway to..."
Juanita's brow furrowed. She wrung her hands together, seemingly at a loss for the right word. Then she pointed upward. “Stairway to—"
"God? The Stairway to the gods?” Ashley butted in.
Juanita shook her head.
"To Heaven,” Rhea announced, suddenly understanding. “He's the Guardian of the Stairway to Heaven."
Juanita smiled and nodded. “Yes. Stairway to Heaven. Only female see him. No male."
Rhea felt a prickle of unease. Jon didn't see him, but Ashley did. “Did you see him, Juanita?"
The woman frowned, as though not quite understanding the question.
Rhea pointed to Juanita. “Did Juanita.” Then to her eyes. “See him?"
Juanita shook her head. “No. Very few see him. Different for all."
"You see! I told you I didn't think anyone could see him but us,” Ashley exclaimed.
Rhea ignored her excitement and concentrated on trying to make sense out of all this. “Why us, Juanita. Why did he show himself to us?"
Juanita stared at both of them for several long moments. Rhea was just getting ready to re-ask the question when the woman suddenly answered. “Him wants one."
Rhea's heart lurched in her chest. He wants one? One what? Us? The next question that popped in her head was even more disturbing. For what?
Something else Juanita said bothered her as well. Different for all. What did that mean?
She quietly pondered the old woman, who suddenly seemed very uncomfortable in their presence. Juanita's gaze had dropped to the floor, as though she were trying to ... hide something.
"You've seen him before,” Rhea declared.
Juanita backed toward the door. “I go now,” she whispered. The words were almost inaudible.
"Juanita has seen him. Haven't you?” Rhea repeated, almost demanding an answer.
Juanita stopped her retreat. She audibly sighed, then glanced up at Rhea. “Yes. I see him. Long ago. But no more."
"Why?” Ashley cut in. She took a step toward the old woman. “Why can't you see him anymore?"
This time, Rhea didn't intercede. She wanted to know as well.
"I go to him once. Then, no more. Ever.” Juanita glanced out the hut's door, seemingly trying to assure herself of their privacy. When she turned back to face them, her expression was almost pained. “I went for my Uri."
Rhea closed her eyes and rubbed her temples. None of this made any sense. Part of her wanted to go get Jon so he could translate Juanita's words. But she knew if she did, Juanita would leave and then she'd never learn any more about this Guardian.
She could tell the woman was fearful of talking about him, as though it were taboo or something. But she had to know what was going on. And if this man wanted one of them, was she in danger? Was Ashley?
Hold on, Rhea, she told herself. Just calm down.
"Please tell us, Juanita.” She pleaded to the old woman with her eyes. “We must know."
Juanita laced her fingers together, stared up at the hut's ceiling, and began to chant something in Huitoto. Every few words she would raise her hands above her head, then return them to just under her chin. After several moments of this, she fell to her knees on the palm covered floor and kissed the ground.
Rhea and Ashley looked at each other, confused by the woman's odd behavior.
"What's going on?” Ashley mouthed quietly.
Rhea shrugged. “I don't know,” she whispered, then returned her attention to the woman on the floor. “Juanita? Are you all right?"
When the woman finally got up, her appearance was calm, as though she were suddenly at peace with whatever she would tell them. “Come. Sit. We will speak."
They followed her over to a small table and four chairs nestled in the far, left-hand corner of the hut. A candle was already lit in its center, affording them just enough light to safely see their way without tripping, and to vaguely make out the shapes of the two cots against the back wall. Their bags of personals and several crates of supplies were stacked on the right.
Juanita waited for Ashley and Rhea to sit down before taking a seat for herself. Then she launched into her story, telling it to them in a mixture of Huitoto and enough fragmented English that Rhea was able to follow along.
For nearly two hours, the old woman told them as much as she could of the mysterious Guardian, and what his purpose was. By the time she was through, Rhea wasn't sure if she should go seek him out, or run like hell. When Juanita had finished, she merely stood up, walked to the door, and exited the hut without so much as a backward glance.
CHAPTER 5
Unable to sleep, Rhea lay on her bed that night, mulling over what Juanita had said about the Guardian. From what she'd gathered, he only appeared to a select few. And, only because they needed something he could supply.
In Juanita's case, it had been a child. Whether the old woman was barren, or her dead husband had been sterile, Rhea didn't know. But apparently, she had wanted a baby so badly that this Guardian had appeared to her, offered his services, and she'd accepted.
Even though the air in the hut was uncomfortably hot, a strange prickle raced down Rhea's spine, causing her to shiver. An image of Juanita and this man in a passionate embrace popped in her head. She cringed. It was a vision she'd rather not dwell on.
Then something Juanita had said forced its way into her thoughts. Different for all.
"Different for all...” Rhea mumbled into the darkness. Different. What does that mean?
Rhea wondered ... “Hey, Ash?” she called quietly.
A soft snore echoed in response.
Rhea waited. No answer.
"Ashley!” she said a little louder.
Ashley snorted, rolled over, then sat straight up. “What? What is it? What's going on?” Her voice rose an octave as excitement settled in. “Is he here?"
Rhea could just make out her lab partner's silhouette in the darkness. She rolled her eyes and shook her head. “No, just us."
Ashley grunted, then flopped back down on her cot. “What'd you wake me up for then?"
Rhea rolled over and hugged her pillow to her chest, contemplating asking Ashley the question nagging at her gut. If she understood Juanita's words to mean what she thought they did, then she wasn't at all sure if she was ready for the verification her lab partner would likely supply. But the scientist in her refused to let it be.
"Ashley?"
After a short pause, “Hmm?” came her friend's sleepy reply.
Rhea bit her bottom lip. Last chance to back out. “What did he look like to you?"
Although Ashley rolled over to face her, Rhea couldn't make out her friend's expression in the darkness. A long silence followed and she felt that unnerving chill once again.
"Who?” Ashley finally asked.
"You know who,” Rhea shot back, starting to get a little irritated by Ashley's attempt to play dumb. “What did he look like to you when you saw him this afternoon."
"All I saw was a shadow in the brush. I figured it must be the same—"
Rhea sat upright on the edge of her bed and leaned forward toward the other cot. “Ashley! Quit eluding the question. What did he look like?"
Ashley sat up as well. “I ... don't want him to look different from what you saw."
Her words were drawn out in a long whine as if she were a young child trying to get out of trouble. “Because if he does then—"
"Then Juanita is right. He appears differently to each of his ... chosen..."
Chosen what? Victims?
"And that means he also wants...” Ashley's words were scarcely a whisper.
"He wants one of us,” Rhea finished.
They grew silent, both lost in their own thoughts about the Guardian. After several long moments, Ashley spoke softly, breaking the uncomfortable stillness in the air. “Great build, blond hair, and blue eyes the color of a robin's egg. Just like the first
man I fell in love with."
More silence.
"Yours?” Ashley's voice came out as a choked squeak.
Rhea cringed. She didn't want to answer. Now she felt like the little kid in trouble. It seemed the only description their mystery man shared was a hot body. The rest was as different as night and day.
"Brown hair so pure it looked like the finest of stained wood. Eyes of chocolate so decadent I think I gained ten pounds just by staring.” Her voice was equally soft.
Rhea heard Ashley draw in a long shaky breath. “What do you think it means?” she whispered tersely, before exhaling soundly.
"I don't know, Ash. I just don't know.” Rhea laid back down on her cot and stared up into the darkness where she knew the ceiling would be were she to reach up and touch it.
Everything around her was tactile, objective, constrained by the laws of reason. Her whole life had revolved around science, theory, and provable facts. This ... this was a whole new realm of which she knew nothing. She had no bearings, no structure, no security.
This just can't be.
Ashley continued to sit on the edge of her bed, seemingly waiting for her to say something. But what could she say? She had no explanation for any of this, no answers.
For the first time in her life, Rhea felt out of control, and she didn't like it. Not one little bit. And it seemed the outcome depended on this Guardian and his Stairway to Heaven. The next move was his.
"Go on back to sleep, Ash. We've got a long day tomorrow, and I think we've reached a dead end on this Guardian issue. We'll just have to wait and see what happens."
Her partner's silhouette nodded and slowly rolled down onto the cot.
"You think we should barricade the door?” Ashley asked, now lying on her back as well.
"Do you really think it would do any good?” Rhea returned.
Ashley cleared her throat. “I guess not.” Then, as though considering the glassless window beside her bed as a potential place for intrusion, she turned over to face it.
There was a second window over by the table and chairs. Rhea thought perhaps she should follow her friend's lead and turn toward it. But she was torn between keeping watch over the window, and keeping watch over Ashley.
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