He greeted them with a big smile which hid the sadness he felt inside at their leaving. These turistico had become quite close to him and his relatives in the short space of time they knew them. He considered them very special and he would miss them very much. They jumped aboard the familiar craft and settled down in their seats to enjoy the trip towards the ruins.

They pulled up to the rickety old dock and disembarked. They had decided that Tess would be the one to retrieve the snake bite kit, just in case she had to use a mind warp if she were caught. She had seen where Ahmok kept the extra serum and quickly extracted a vial from the fridge along with an extra syringe. She returned to her friends with her treasure tucked safely in her backpack.

They turned into the jungle and followed the path to the waterfall, their heavy packs filled with extras such as towels and food supplies. They made their way quickly to the cavern as they eagerly stripped down for some skinny dipping. Max and Isabel were understandably uncomfortable about this, so the girls and guys separated as they disrobed, and stayed well away from each other until they had entered the cool depths of the cavern water.

Soon, the couples were splashing merrily in the crystal pool, having water fights and romping like otters. At about this time a seniors tour group was being led to the falls by Chaac. They grumbled as they stood in the sweltering heat, admiring the cool cascade tumbling from its height. As they approached the cavern, Chaac could hear the excited voices of the teens coming from inside.

He tried to steer his group away from the entrance, but they were determined to go inside.

"Dagnabbit, young fella, I paid good money to come on this tour, and I'm gonna see everything I paid for," one old gentleman informed him testily, as he wiped his brow with a hankerchief.

Chaac sighed, suspecting what they might find when they reached the confines of the cavern. He could hear the water splashing and knew that there would be something interesting to see. The seniors swept passed him., glaring as they did so.

"What is that racket?" an old woman complained, as she crept along the legde, her eyes growing accustomed to the slightly darker conditions inside.

Chaac heard a combined gasp of horror from the group as he shook his head and laughed. "Well, they asked for it," he thought, feeling retribution.

As he followed them in, he was met with an amusing sight. Maria was in the water egging Michael on to jump into the water from the ledge. Isabel and Alex were off in the distance, as she rode his shoulders, her bare bottom clearly visible to their unexpected visitors. She was having a wrestling match with Tess who rode high on Kyle's shoulders. They continued their play, unaware of the prying eyes.

Off in the corner, they could see the humping forms of Max and Liz as they fornicated behind some rocks. As usual, they were unable to control their lustful urges, especially when they were faced with such great opportunity.

Chaac couldn't decide which was worse........the horrified expressions on the old ladies faces or the lustful leers of the old men. In any case, he didn't have long to ponder, for Maria finally looked over at them and yelled, "Hit the deck."

All the bodies quickly vanished into the water as Chaac steered his group back out the entrance.

"Now, that was worth the money," the old coot chuckled.

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The kids laughed uproariously at what had just happened. They had dressed quickly and sat on the ledge as tears of mirth rolled down their cheeks.

"D..did you see that old guy with the plaid shirt on?" Isabel gasped as she collapsed on Alex in laughter. "I thought his eyes were gonna pop out of his head! Omigod, that was so hilarious!"

"And that old lady who kept pointing over to the corner?" Maria guffawed. "She had her mouth open so wide I could see her tonsils and she kept waving her finger up in the air like she wanted to shoot somebody. That was you guys, wasn't it?" Maria accused as she looked at Max and Liz. "You were doin' the nasty over there, weren't you?" she laughed.

Liz and Max blushed but couldn't deny the fact as they nodded mutely.

"I almost got whiplash when you yelled out," he admitted, as he shook with laughter. "I've never pulled out so fast before."

Liz whacked him on the arm but had to admit it was funny.

"Well, I needed that," Alex admitted through his tears. "That's the funniest thing that's happened to us in a long time. Whew!" he cried out he wiped at his face.

"I'm starving," Tess spoke up. "What did the kitchen pack for us today? All that romping has made me famished!"

They dug their food out of their packs to see what they could find in there for a snack. As usual, the hotel had supplied them with ample food for their consumption. There was always plenty of fresh fruit and tasty treats as well as hearty sandwiches for their American appetites. They munched on bananas and grapes as they decided what they would do with the rest of their day.

"Well, I've had enough swimming for awhile," Liz admitted, even though she and Max hadn't actually spent that much time in the water. "Why don't we go for a hike? I overheard some of the hotel guests talk about this nice trail up along the river that runs into this lagoon."

It was agreeable to her friends and they packed up their lunches into their bags and started on their journey, leaving their packs, since they didn't intend to wander far. Max led the way as they turned right from the entrance and followed the steep path up the side of the cavern to the trail above. When they reached the top, they stood gazing out over the Oscala River, a tributary of the Otulum, which ran over the cavern roof and down into the lagoon to meet up with the Otulum further down the shore.

It was a much smaller river, not nearly as wide as the one they were accustomed to travelling on, and it meandered lazily over the jungle floor. They walked for about half an hour, watching for signs of more aggressive wildlife as they passed along. Soon, they came to a widening of the shore and sat down to take a rest on the sandy beach. It was approaching noon, and the hot sun was nearing its zenith. They closed their eyes against the glare as they lay down on the gritty surface.

Their eyes drifted shut as they were lulled to sleep by a combination of the heat and their exercise. They must have lain like that for half an hour, when they suddenly heared a loud hiss. They jumped in fright, as they saw the snapping jaws and swishing tail of an angry female caiman who had come ashore to make a nest for the eggs she was about to lay. Max provided a force field for his friends who made a quick escape and he followed closely behind.

He ran up to them, making sure everyone was alright.

"Whew," he exhaled. "That was close....too close. I guess we better be more careful, you guys. We only have another 24 hours. Let's try to make it out of here alive. Afterall." he joked, "the universe is depending on us!"

"Yeah, right," Kyle cracked. "It's a good thing they don't know the fate of the world's in our hands! There'd be a mad rush for the moon, I bet!"

They laughed and joined in on the joking, each coming up with their own unique quips for the ridiculous situation they found themselves in. It felt good to be able to laugh about it now, for deep down, they knew that things were only going to get worse. They were loathe to admit it, but Balam's words had made a lasting impression on them.

They tramped back to the cavern, into its sheltering coolness. At least they would be safe here and enjoy a respite from the unbearable sweltering heat of the jungle environment. They opened their packs again to find some lunch supplies. They ate laconically, the oppressive heat having reduced their appetites.

"I can't wait to get back home," Max sighed. "I've really missed my Cocoa Puffs!"

"Don't worry, hon. I'll buy you a jumbo box as soon as we land," Liz promised.

"And some redi whip?" he whispered, grinning.

"Max!" Liz exclaimed. "Don't tell the world what perverts we are!" she smacked him.

Max glanced around at their friends. Kyle and Tess were busy exploring each other's bodies with their searching hands as they lay down some distance from them. Alex and Isabel had their arms and legs wrapped around each other in a tangled mass, kissing each other greedily and Maria and Michael had totally disappeared. Who knew what they were up to?

"Babe, I don't think we have to worry what this bunch thinks of us," he grinned. "I wouldn't be surprised if they hadn't already explored the pleasures of redi-whip!" he laughed, as he bent over her tiny body to show her how much he loved her.

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They all eventually fell asleep, and woke in straggling numbers around mid-afternoon. They decided to take one last dip in the clear waters before they returned to the ruins. They kept their bathing suits on this time, though, as they spashed about in the refreshing water. Too soon, they were forced to retreat. They dried themselves off and got dressed again, after which, they packed up all the gear into their packs.

They left their cool pleasure palace and headed into the bright jungle sunshine. As they followed the path back to the ruins, dark clouds started forming quickly. They glanced at them through gaps in the thick canopy above, noting that the skies were rapidly growing more dim. They hurried along, not wanting to be caught out here in a downpour.

The rains came quickly, followed closely by fierce winds, which whipped the thorny branches of the thick undergrowth against their exposed flesh. Their skin was soon scraped raw as they covered their faces as best they could against the unrelenting attack. They stumbled along the now muddy trail, holding onto each other as the wind roared around them, forcing them off balance.

Their feet slipped continuously as they fought the storm, feebling reaching in front of them to clear a path through the torrential rain. The path started to give way beneath them and then they were lifted up off their feet by a powerful blast of wind and hurtled down a steep slope to their left. They tumbled head over heels where they eventually landed about 100 feet below. Then they felt the ground beneath them give way and they sank 25 feet to the base of an old cave.

Uprooted trees and jungle debris followed their progress down the slope and covered the opening through which they had fallen, effectively hiding their location from view. They were trapped beneath tons of mud and twisted trees.

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It was now 4:30. For the tenth time Brody exclaimed, "Where are those kids?" as he glanced at his watch. He had wanted to get back on time because they had received a dinner invitation from the Chiam's for tonight. When Liz had phoned Itzel the day before to thank her for the flowers, she had kindly extended the invitation since they would be leaving on Saturday.

Brody turned to Ahmok, as they stood in the shelter of the staff quarters out of the rain. "Is there anywhere they could have gone to get out of this storm?" he asked him anxiously.

"No," he shook his head with certainty. "Other than the cavern , there is no other shelter along that trail."

"Well, I think we better go find them then," Brody decided. "I'm starting to get worried."

Ahmok, too was concerned for their safety. Once the heavy rains came, the jungle trails were no longer reliable and could easily be washed away in a sea of mud. He gathered up some rope and other rescue supplies and took off into the jungle with Brody close behind. They travelled for about 20 minutes when Ahmok stopped abruptly.

Brody wonderd why he had halted so quickly and peaked around his shoulder to see what the problem was. He gasped as he saw a yawning gap in the trail, about 25 feet long. The path had just disappeared! He looked to his right, down the steep embankment littered with mud and trees and branches and spied something that he recognized immediately.

A bright blue backpack lay atop the mud, splattered and torn but still recognizable. It belonged to Liz. They had all kidded her about the colour but she had assured them that at least she wouldn't get lost in the wilds of the Mexican jungle.

Brody pointed to the battered pack with a shaky finger. "That's Liz's," he said in a trembling voice. "Omigod, they must be down there under all that mess!" he said in horror.

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Ahmok and he returned as fast as they were able through the heavy rain, and started placing calls for volunteers. Ahmok called home and told Itzel the bad news. She said she would pray for them and Ahmok thought grimly that they were going to need a miracle to get out of this one. He knew that they were going to need some heavy equipment to haul those heavy trees off the mud covered ambankment.

A small crane, which had been at the site all week, had just been returned, so he phoned around desperately for another one. They would need to pull it to the wash out with a small tractor, which thankfully remained at the site. He continued to make calls for volunteers and soon people began arriving from the village, carrying picks and shovels for the daunting task ahead.

The rains had abaited somewhat, which made their work a little easier. The crane arrived in due course and they began the slow task of pulling it to the mud slide. Frequently, it got stuck in the washed out trail, the big wheels becoming mired in the thick mud. Then they would have to push and pull it with ropes attached, until it came unstuck again.

Finally, they reached the site and began the laborious task of removing the huge trunks from the slope. They attached the crane to sturdy trees still left standing, for support. Men scrambled down the treacherous bank to attach the trunks to the chain and lift them precariously out of the way. This went on for hours. It grew dark and bright search lights had to be turned on to continue the work

Brody worked side by side with the others, desperately flinging smaller trees and thorny branches out of the way. He sat down exhausted as he watched his fellow workers toil like ants on a mountain of rubble. It looked like a hopeless task, and he buried his muddy face in his hands, moaning in disbelief.

"Do not despair," a quiet voice said beside him, as his hand touched his shoulder in comfort.

He looked up into the equally muddied countenance of Balam who had been working alongside of him for hours. When he had heard of the disaster, he did not hesitate to offer his services. He even brought along his son Arana, who worked steadily through the approaching evening, pulling away debris with his young strong arms.

"They will be alright," Balam assured him. "I am certain of that!"