Bubba And The Mayans

Nice Day for a Night Wedding

We sat on the dais with Chief Rugaru. Osned and Dahlia were in the crowd. Osned was two foot taller than the average villager and had a direct view from just about anywhere. Dahlia was reconnecting with distant relatives whom she knew by name only. The center chair on the dais was open for Bubba. They had wanted Mikimo to remain in a hut until the wedding ceremony, but we had insisted she be there with us.

She was stunning! Her dark black hair flowed around her head in snake like braids. That seemed to be very fitting for the occasion. The dress fit wonderfully. She was an amazingly beautiful bride.

Bubba emerged from his hut in the loincloth and fresh body paint in a mix of serpent symbols. Bracketed by warriors he walked to the edge of the pit. After a few seconds of silence, he raised a hand and waved it over the edge of the pit.

A few seconds later everything in the pit disappeared. That included every snake. It also included about three inches of soil and rock just to be safe. The stone chair in the middle of the pit was gone too.

Danny Boy had dropped all the snakes and dirt into an abandoned quarry about ten miles from where we were. I had covered the plan with Bubba while we had a couple of short glasses of scotch.

Another wave of Bubba’s hand and the stone chair reappeared, unharmed. When it did, I turned to Chief Rugaru and nodded. He had his people extend the steps into the pit. The snakes in the rooms were still there. We had no way to get to them with the stones covering the entrances. It was something we would worry about later.

Once the steps stopped moving Bubba and the warriors entered the pit. Bubba went to the stone chair and sat down. Chief Rugaru and several other men then went down into the pit and performed a ceremony naming Bubba the reincarnation of Waxaklahun Ubah Kan.

Symbols were painted on his skin, covering some of the other symbols there, and hand gestures and archaic words were spoken. Overall, it was actually quite nice.

A live goat was brought into the pit and sacrificed. Its blood was collected and poured over Bubba’s head. He did not seem to really be bothered by this and I began to wonder how much of the bottle of scotch he had consumed after I left him. He had gotten the hand gestures right for removing the snakes though.

Once all the rituals of the ceremony had been completed Bubba stood up and Chief Rugaru declared that Bubba was a god. He was to be accorded all honor and obedience from the tribes. According to the prophecy he would bring peace to the people and rebuild the ancient cities. That last part might be the biggest problem. The tribes were already pretty much at peace.

The tribal chiefs left the pit and then Bubba walked out of it, still bracketed by the warriors. He came over to sit where we were. I noted he had a very dazed look.

A few minutes later chief Rugaru approached us and asked when we would like to begin the wedding ceremony.

“I thought it had to be at moonrise,” I noted. “Maybe he should bathe and change,” I suggested, indicating Bubba who was covered in paint and blood.

“He is his most glorious and majestic at this moment,” Rugaru countered.

I looked at Mikimo to gauge her reaction. She simply nodded at me. “I better not get any blood on this dress,” she said a bit nervously. “Or there may be a lot of blood spilled,” she directed towards Chief Rugaru.

“Ubah Kan,” I said as I touched Bubba’s arm. “Do you wish to change before the ceremony?”

It took Bubba a moment to realize I was speaking to him. He slowly turned his head towards me. “They poured goat’s blood on me,” he said. I realized he was somewhat in a state of shock.

“Do you want to get it off of you?” I asked slowly and concisely. He nodded his head.

“Ubah Kan will take a ceremonial cleansing bath.” I announced to Chief Rugaru. “The same as before his testing will suffice. No body paint?” I asked Bubba.

“Not a bit,” he said more confidently.

“After that,” I directed, “the wedding ceremony can begin. How long do we have until the moon rises?’

Chief Rugaru was unpleased with this development, but who was he to question the desires of a god? “We have about forty-five minutes,” he answered.

Several women came and escorted Mikimo away to make final preparations for the ceremony.

I waved down the boy who had come to our hut to ask about the virgins and he approached our seats cautiously.

“You said there are stories about El Mirador, you could tell us,” I reminded him. “I would like to hear what you have to say.”

The young man approached slowly and looked at Chief Rugaru for a moment before he began to speak. “Jack asked me if there were stories about El Mirador,” he explained to the chief.

“There is no truth to them,” the chief reprimanded lightly.

“I’d still like to hear what he has heard,” I urged.

“Some say that the gods who were killed by Xbalanque and Hunahpu have arisen again,” the boy began.

“Which gods were these?” I asked, unfamiliar with the story.

“Our history includes the story of these twin brothers” Chief Rugaru stated. “They are twin sons of the goddess Xquic and the god Hun H’unahphu.

“They were called to the underworld because they made too much of a disturbance on the surface of the earth,” the chief explained.

“After they entered Xibalba, they had to overcome many challenges presented by the lords of the underworld,” the young man continued with excitement. “The lords would not let them leave though. No matter what challenge they overcame a new one was presented. The brothers disguised themselves as travelers and began to entertain the lords with a variety of games and tricks. One of the things they could do was bring people back from the dead after they were sacrificed.

“The lords wanted to experience this. After the lords were sacrificed the twins did not revive them. They were able to escape the underworld. They made the underworld a place for the spirits of the dead to roam.

“Many believe that the twins and the lords are now stars in the sky,” the boy finished. I could tell that he was not finished though as he looked to Chief Rugaru again.

“What do others believe?” I asked.

“Some,” he glanced at the Chief, “some say that the lords have been revived. They walk in the underworld and cause mischief and harm. We have not seen them here, but many strange things have been told about the area around El Mirador.”

“What kind of strange things?” Arlo inquired.

“There are lights in the jungle that come up from deep in the ground. There are strange noises in the night and sometimes the jungle goes completely quiet. People have disappeared.” He finished ominously.

“Many fools get lost in the jungle at night.” Chief Rugaru responded. “These are stories told to children to keep them from wandering off by themselves. There is no truth to these things,” he said dismissively.

“We were heading to El Mirador before all of this began,” I answered, waving my hand around at the village. “I know Ubah Kan plans to go there as soon as possible.” I added.

“He will not have time,” Chief Rugaru said. “There are many things to be done here now that he has passed the test.”

“Do you want to tell him what he can and cannot do?” I asked with slight menace.

I thought I saw a slight bit of fear slip across his face before he shook his head negatively.

Our discussion ended as Bubba exited one of the huts wearing his loincloth with the ceremonial beads. He was freshly washed. His high and tight hair cut seemed to glisten in the firelight from the torches that had been lit after sunset. As soon as he started towards us, he was again bracketed by warriors on each side.

I noticed Osned and Dahlia walking towards us. I assumed Danny Boy had dropped them off somewhere close by. They approached the dais and we made room for them to join us. Osned had a case of his special brew Chicha with him.

Chief Rugaru looked at the sky. In the distance we could see the barest hint of the moon rising into the night sky. He stood and walked to Bubba where he said a few words we could not hear.

Together they turned and walked towards the pit. A bamboo box had been placed around the stone chair. It had a few small steps in the front. It was about eight-foot square and four foot high. Chief Rugaru and Bubba climbed the steps. When they stopped at the top and turned around a slow drumbeat began.

A group of women appeared dancing and singing softly with Mikimo in their midst. Burning incense was carried in small clay bowls in their hands. The smoke rose into the night as they danced rhythmically to the drumbeats. Little by little they shuffled forward to the entrance to the pit.

I rose from where I was and made my way to the steps of the pit. When Mikimo arrived the drumbeats and singing stopped and Mikimo took my arm. Together we walked down the steps and across the floor of the pit. She released my hand and gave me a small kiss on the cheek before she climbed the stairs and stood next to Bubba.

Chief Rugaru explained the tenets of Mayan marriage and Bubba and Mikimo made vows to each other. I presented the rings when they were asked for and then left the pit to watch as they shared their first kiss as husband and wife.

Several other village chiefs came to offer their support and pledge loyalty to the couple. It was almost like they were crowning a king and queen. Chief Rugaru led them out of the pit and back up to our table.

Food and drink were brought out again and music began to play from several instruments near to where we were sitting.

Conversation was difficult between the noise and all of the people who were approaching to offer congratulations and words of wisdom for the couple. Osned told me they were going to stay in the area for the night and swap out with Danny Boy a little later so he could enjoy the festivities. We were able to talk briefly about the encounter with Janet and he warned me to be especially careful with regards to her.

Bubba drank very lightly. I could see Mikimo was doing the same thing. They had been together for over two years now, but this was different. They were married. They were bound to each other. I hoped they would remain happy and blessed.

After dinner toasts were made, speeches were given, and around the village the drink began to flow heavily. It was a huge party in the jungle and would likely be talked about for years to come. People would ask if you were there when Ubah Kan was elevated to the status of god. What did you think of his bride Mikimo? It was a wonderful day and night.

And then, the fireworks began. Somewhere among the three thousand or so villagers, there were some people who knew how to set them off and what the assorted sizes and symbols meant. It was a brilliant display. Chief Rugaru confided in me between the booms that some of the people had never seen fireworks.

I looked to see how Arlo and Dingo were reacting to everything. I could not explain it with words, but I knew something significant had just changed in our dynamic.

Dingo was nowhere in sight. I guessed he was being his usual self and had wandered off with some woman who had caught his eye.

Arlo was still at the table, but he was not looking at the fireworks. He was not sweet talking some young lady. Oddly, he was not in some deep discussion with someone regarding any number of scientific, historical, or religious beliefs. He was simply staring at the crowd.

I watched him do this for several minutes before I got his attention.

“What’s the problem my friend,” I asked as I searched to see what he was searching for.

“We’ve painted a huge target on Bubba’s back,” he said with worry.

“He’s a god now,” I answered. “After the thing with the snakes and Waziki today and the ceremonies tonight no one would be stupid enough to attack him.”

“I don’t have to remind you of the stupidity of some people,” Arlo warned.

“There is that” I agreed, “I think he is safe for the moment. There are warriors around the table,” I said as I pointed to a couple,” and they are ready to defend him.”

“Yes,” Arlo admitted, “but a single person or two could walk right up to us or them. There have been a hundred people up here tonight and those warriors have not stopped a single one of them.”

Now I too began to scan the crowd. Waziki was the only enemy I could think of at the moment. Arlo’s musings had me somewhat worried too. We would need to think about Bubba and Mikimo’s security.

We also had to convince the people that Bubba and Mikimo needed a few days away to celebrate their marriage before coming back to start the work of building a council and whatever else would be needed.

I hoped that time away would give me a chance to form an extraction plan. Whatever else I knew, I was fairly sure Bubba and Mikimo did not want to spend the rest of their days in the Guatemalan jungle. It would not matter how revered they were.

I was also quite sure Mikimo’s dad would not allow her to do so, even if she had wanted to. He had allowed her to run the universe with us. However, I knew the marriage to Bubba would not be well received on Lakanica. For the remainder of the night Arlo and I scanned the crowd for threats. Luckily, none came.

Everyone slept late the next day. I do not have the words to describe the intensity or the volume of the hangovers in the village.

As people began to awake and ascertain that food and other supplies would quickly be depleted by such a large number of humans, some groups came to say their goodbyes and head back to their own villages.

We explained that soon a council would be forming. News and input would be exchanged. It would be at least two weeks to a month away at the earliest.

Osned called and inquired about Danny Boy. I could not locate him immediately. We decided Osned and Dahlia would take the shuttle back with them. He said he had a place to keep it out of sight and just to call if we needed anything. He could be back in fifteen or twenty minutes.

It seemed like a promising idea. Danny Boy was probably bored out of his mind sitting on the ship and monitoring us anyway. The ship was set in a high earth orbit and the cloaking device was on. The computer would alert us if anything needed our attention. With so many satellites between the earth and the ship we hoped no one would notice it.

Bubba and Mikimo had not made an appearance by noon, but I did not want to disturb whatever peace they could find. Arlo and I spent the day accepting gifts and pledges of loyalty on their behalf as the village began to empty out.

In a lapse moment I looked at Arlo. “We need to find Waziki and put him in charge of something,” I suggested.

“Why would we do that?” Arlo wondered. “I am sure you saw the rage in his eyes yesterday. He was the one I was most worried about last night.”

“Keep your friends close and your enemies closer,’ I reminded him. “We have to give him something to restore his standing in the village. I hope he does not try to undermine Bubba’s rule.”

“Yeah, about that,” Arlo said thoughtfully, “how exactly is he supposed to rule these people?”

“I’m not sure yet,” I answered truthfully. “I think it would be better at a distance. All my plans for the last two days have been on how make Bubba a god. My alternative plans were on how to survive if Bubba failed. Now that he has been elevated to god status I’ve got to figure out a whole new plan.”

“And we need to get out of here and up to El Mirador,” Arlo reminded me.

“I know,” I responded as a new group approached us to bid us farewell.