Alex and Kyle had enjoyed their time at the video arcade, while Michael had nothing significant to report on his explorations. It didn't bother him, because he enjoyed spending time alone, anyway....he always felt the need to break away from the group, for some space.

Since it was getting close to dinner, they decided to get something started. Michael stepped in as chief cook, whipping up a delicious spaghetti sauce and noodles. The girls made a salad and set out some rolls and butter. They sent the two guys to the store to pick up some ice cream and chocolate sauce for dessert. When they returned, they had also bought some local baked goods........pies and cookies and jelly rolls.

The girls rolled their eyes in disgust, as they took in all the sweets, but had to admit, they looked very tempting. They sent Alex over to wake the lovebirds.....he groaned in protest, but they pushed him out the door, anyway. He knocked on their cabin, and was relieved to find they were already up and dressed, sitting presentably on the couch, reading the library book. He told them that dinner was almost ready over at their cabin. They thanked him and said they'd be over in a bit.

Liz and Max soon made an appearance, amongst much kidding and ribbing, as they fully expected. They didn't bat an eye, getting quite used to this reception. When, however, they revealed their afternoon discovery, their friends were all ears. They were shown the picture in the book, and read the caption with rapt attention.

They all sat to the table, discussing the case thus far, in between eating and drinking, vying to have their own theories heard over the continual babble of voices. They were in a festive mood, as they discussed their upcoming trek tomorrow. Max asked if anyone wanted to back out, and he got all negative responses.

"Well, Tess, it looks like we'll have to take the SUV, along with the jeep, since there's gonna be seven of us. Is that okay?" Max asked.

"Sure, no problem. But that leaves Isabel and Maria without wheels tomorow."

"We don't mind, do we Maria?" Isabel replied. "We'll just hang around soaking up the sun and doing our nails."

Maria nodded in agreement. Neither one was willing to suggest that they join their friends.

They cleared the dishes and spent the rest of the evening chatting and enjoying their camaraderie. They decided to head to bed early, because they'd have to be up by 6:30, if they were going to be on time for Charlie. They said their goodnights, and the four returned to their own cabin, quickly getting ready for bed.

Max and Liz were the first to turn in, cozying up in their bed, remembering their lovemaking earlier. They made slow, quiet love again, never feeling sated for long, each time being a new experience for them.They wallowed in the taste and smell and feel of one another, loving to watch each other's passion filled expressions and hear the reactions only they were responsible for.

They fell asleep in one another's arms, secure and content and hopeful for the future.

--------------------------------------------

They all woke to an early alarm the next morning, rushing to shower and eat before they left on their journey. Isabel and Maria had kindly packed lunches for them as they made their preparations. They accepted them gratefully, and left amid waves and shouts of good luck.

Max pulled up to the gas station, punctually, and Charlie slowly stood up from his perch on the window sill, making his way to the jeep, where he was to sit in the back. He squinted at the other vehicle filled with their friends, and Max explained their eagerness to join the excursion. Charlie shrugged his shoulders, and gave them a quick wave before he climbed into the rear seat.

"So Charlie," Liz spoke up," how long will it take us to get where we're going?"

He smiled kindly at the pretty young girl and said it depended on how fast they walked. She laughed at his remark and they chatted amiably as they drove to their destination. Max was told to pull over into a picnic area, about 20 minutes outside of town. Tess pulled her SUV in beside him and they all got out. Max introduced Charlie to his friends and they all said hello.

He told them that they had about an hours hike up the mountain trail, before they veered off to the right and cut across to a ravine which they would follow for about two miles, until they came to a cave.Even though the man had told Charlie that he was looking for good fishing locations, his real purpose was to find this cave.

"That young feller was mighty intr'sted in that cave.....he got his tail feather's in a right spin, hoppin' up and down like his boots was on faher. I never seen anybudy so riled up in a cave befer. Anyhow, I mosied on up to the openin' thar an' he gits real riled agin, shootin' these dark looks at me. Well, I sez to muself, "Charlie, you don't wanna be tanglin' wit that varmint", so I high tailed it outta thar mighty quick, and took me a nap. I's s'posn' Ida slept pert near two owers, 'cause the sun was way passed the peak, " he indicated by using his arms set at noon and at two, above his head.

The teens looked at each other, anxious to explore this cave, hoping it would offer some important clues. They followed old Charlie up the mountain, surprised at the pace he kept. After about an hour, they turned to the right until they spotted the ravine.....it was extremely wide and deep, and they were careful to steer away from the edge. The path they followed was rocky and slippery, so they took their time. It took them almost an hour of treacherous walking before they reached the cave entrance, making it just passed 10:30 in the morning.

Charlie perched comfortably on a rock, while they split up to explore the area. They all carried flashlights in their backpacks, which would be useful when exploring the dark recesses of the cave. They began their search outside, initially, not having any idea what they were looking for, but certain that if anything unusual caught their eye, they would know it.

They spent half an hour combing the area, but came up empty handed. All this time, Charlie watched them with amusement, wondering what they expected to find in this barren place. They regrouped, and felt their efforts would be better spent in searching the interior The entrance sat only two feet back from the edge of the precipice, so they had to carefully maneuvre their way inside.

Max took the lead followed closely by Michael, Alex, Kyle, Liz and then Tess, who guarded the rear flank. They entered the darkness slowly, their flashlights sending out lasers of light which cut through the blackness. They shone the beams around to catch any movement of wild creatures, particularly bats, but the cave was devoid of any life. They then focused their light on the walls, looking for the symbols with which they were now all cognizant.

Nothing was immediately apparent, as their beams swept the walls in search of clues. They continued their search on the cave floor, but it too, left them clueless. They sighed in frustration, figuring thay had been met with another dead end. They went outside, sliding along the ledge, and on to safe ground.

It was now 11:30, so they decided to have something to eat. They sat down in a semi-circle around Charlie, as he held court like a king, and shared their meal with him. To their delight, he had brought along a generous supply of Miss Emily's sticky biscuits, which were devoured in no time. Michael said he'd have to get the recipe. Charlie eyed him with interest.

"So yer the cook, are yer young feller? Well, folks 'round here's bin tryin' to git that reseep fer ye'rs. I 'spect yer'll have a mighty tuff time gittin' it yerself," he winked.

Michael grinned. "Well I can be pretty persuasive," he assured him.

"Hmmph!" Charlie exclaimed, as if that was the end of it. "Well, sun's just 'bout round..nigh on Noon," he glanced at the sky. "'spect you'd best be gittin' back in yer cave, so's yer can see wut yer cum fer," he prophesied, nodding his shaggy head sagely.

The kids glanced at each other, and made a bee-line for the cave, tripping over their feet in their haste. They slowed at the narrow ledge, squeezing passed it and into the interior again. They waited near the entrance for they knew not what. As the sun came round to Midday, a beam of sunlight caught at the ceiling of the cave, 8 feet inside the entrance, and traversed the midline for 5 feet, coming to a stop at a slight depression in the ceiling. As they looked up, the light started swirling, slowly at first, then gradually increasing in speed, filling a 3 foot square area with the Nasedo symbol.

They gasped in unison as the swirling ceased, imprinting the symbol temporarily on the ceiling. As they watched, particles of light trickled like specks of dust down from the symbol, forming a pattern of symbols on the floor......ones they recognized, in form only.

"This must be some kind of message," Max proclaimed. "Here, pass me a piece of paper and a pen, somebody, and I'll copy this out."

Liz dug through her bag and quickly came up with the requested items, handing them to Max.

"I don't know where to start," he hesitated.

"I think that's the starting point over there Max," Tess indicated.

He quickly, but carefully, drew out the symbols in the apparent pattern, and no sooner had he finished, than the light moved off centre and the symbols vanished. They left the cave, greatly excited at what they had seen. Charlie waited patiently for their return, expecting to be assaulted by many questions.

They babbled excitedly as they approached him.

"Charlie, how come you knew about this and didn't tell us?"

"Yer didn't ask," he stated matter of factly.

"How did you know about this?" Michael asked.

"Well, lemmee see now, I guess I know'd 'bout it for nigh on 70 ye'rs now. Yep. 70 ye'rs. I wuz jest a youngin', no mor'n 5 or 6 I 'spect, and my grandpappy, he dun tole me the story 'bout this here cave....... 'bout some injun legen' an the magic cave. When i wuz growed up, my own pappy dun took me up here to show me fer real....boy, that wuz sumpin'" he wheezed through his gums.

"What Indians, Charlie?" Liz asked.

"I b'lieve they's called Mayas," Charlie answered.

"Mayas!" they all shouted at once.

"But Charlie, the Mayas are from Mexico and Central America," Alex stated. "Believe me," he nodded with confidence, "we know all about the Mayas."

"Mebbe so, young feller," he added, " But it wuz the Mayas my Grandpappy tole me 'bout," he stated with finality." They lived here thousands of ye'rs ago, and that's a fact!"

The news was not taken lightly by the group. They struggled with this revelation, trying to come to terms with its implications. They hadn't come across any mention of the Mayas ever having lived north of the Yucatan. Surely, this piece of information would have been discovered by at least one scholar, over the years. If this were the case, they had more than enough reason to escalate their research.

"How many people know about this, Charlie?" Tess asked.

"Well, young lady, I don' rightly know, an' that's a fact. I on'y heered it from my own fam'ly, now, an' that's the truth. We don' talk 'bout it much. No reason, really," he shrugged.'Ceptin' thet young feller I brung up here Frid'y, nobuddy's talked 'bout it befer."

Well, maybe that answered their questions, for awhile at least.There was no more reason to stay, so they packed up their gear, and made the long trek back to their vehicles. They dropped Charlie off at the gas station, as he asked, assuming he lived close by. They thanked him for his assistance and offered to pay for his services, but he shook their generosity off, saying that he didn't have much to do with his time anymore, and he enjoyed the day. He wished them luck and waved them off.

They returned to the cabins to inform Isabel and Maria, who were waiting anxiously for their arrival. They had already packed up their things in anticipation of their late return, their bags waiting by the cabin doors.The girls stared in amazement, as the story was retold. They, too, had so many questions, but since their companions knew as little as they did, there were no answers forthcoming.

It was now just after 3:00, so they packed up the SUV, returned the keys to the owner, thanking him for their comfortable stay, and headed back home. They stopped at a little diner on the highway for a quick snack, quietly discussing their busy and fruitful weekend. It hadn't turned out at all as they expected, yet they couldn't pretend to be disappointed. It renewed their enthusiasm for their research, certain they were on the right track.