Invisible Touch (standard:Suspense, 3370 words)
Author: TJC	Added: Feb 23 2006	Views/Reads: 4237/2532	Story vote: 0.00 (0 votes)
In 1510, a Spanish ship arrives off the Mayan City of Tulum. The crew aboard her are all found dead, except for one mysterious woman who stowed away....

INVISIBLE TOUCH 

The Mayan City of Tulum, 1510 AD 

Kanutzu was in his eighteenth year on the morning that the great ship
appeared on the horizon.  As the only son of the great priest and king 
of Tulum, Chaluta, he was heir to the throne and as he was now in 
adulthood it was time he began to perform duties of a more senior 
nature.  So it was that when the ship on the blue sea appeared 
lifeless, it was he who led the four canoes out to investigate.  It was 
quite obviously a vessel of the Spanish fleet, bringing more of the 
cursed men who were overrunning and destroying their culture, but he 
was just a young man and his father wanted peace with the visitors and 
thus far that had meant prosperity for their village. 

The canoes raced out, led by Kanutzu's in the front.  As he got closer
to the huge vessel, it was apparent something was terribly wrong.  
There weren't any voices to be heard and nobody  was moving about.  It 
was as if the ship simply appeared out of the sea during the night.  
When all four of the boats were alongside the massive wooden hull, he 
stood up and struck his most regal posture as a future Mayan King, 
taking great pride in his muscled physique and shoulder length mane of  
dark curled locks.   He wore a clean white robe with a brightly 
embroidered collar and was every bit the son of the great Chaluta. 

“Hello,” he called.  There was a language barrier, but it was a simple
greeting.  No response came, however, and so he called out again and 
again.  Finally he nodded to the men in his canoe.  “We'll board her.  
Throw the ropes.” 

As the fifteen men in the other three canoes watched, Kanutzu and his
four mates climbed up into the giant galleon.  Within seconds, two of 
his men were sick, throwing up over the side, while he and two others 
walked around, gathering in a scene of horrific violence. There were 
men all over the ship, all dead. Some just staring out with lifeless 
eyes, but others hacked up from broad swords.  It was evident that 
they'd killed each other.  Some terrible war had broken out on the ship 
and murdered the crew who had sailed her.  He walked into the cabins 
and found two men naked, on their backs, their eyes staring out in 
surprise and gaping holes in their chests.    When he found the 
Captain's cabin, the Captain was inside, his throat cut seemingly by 
his own hand.  The last thing he appeared to have done was to write an 
entry in his log.  Kanutzu couldn't read what it said, but he would 
bring the book back and perhaps someone could decipher it later.  He 
ordered the men to the boats but then heard something. 

“Quiet,” he ordered.  “Listen.”  A woman was crying. He followed the
sound to a closet in the outer room of the Captain's cabin. The door 
was locked so he tried pulling it open.  As he fought to open the door, 
the crying became the loud screams of a terrified woman.  Finally he 
and his mates smashed the door through and on the floor, huddled and 
shaking with fear, was a young white woman of stunning beauty.  The 
filthy, white gauzy dress and the layer of dust and dirt on her did 
nothing to hide that fact. She was crying and speaking in the visitor's 
language, so 

Kanutzu held up his hands in an open gesture and tried to assure the
young woman that they meant her no harm.  After a few moments she 
slowly came out of the closet with him and they helped her down the 
ship's ladder and into the canoe. 

“You will be fine,” Kanutzu assured the woman who managed a weak smile
as he covered her in a blanket.  “I just wish you could tell me what 
happened up there.  Was the Captain hiding you?  Keeping you prisoner?” 


“Sir, she doesn't understand,” said one of his mates.  Kanutzu just
nodded. 

It was in the great castle, El Castillo, that Kanutzu stood with his
father overlooking the blue Caribbean, the ship still sitting out there 
silently.  The castle was the prominent building in Tulum, towering 
above the main square and it was here that the great priests and 
warriors developed policy and laws for the Mayans of Tulum to live by.  
Kanutzu felt in his heart that he would be a good ruler, even better 


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