Spirits of the Jungle

By Shirley Jones

"Spirits of the Jungle" is a science fiction/fantasy set deep in the jungles of Central America. Cheryl, an archaeology student, two professors, and other archaeology students venture into the jungles of Central America to excavate Mayan ruins. Their excavations discover lavish treasures, crystal caves and artifacts, but there is a frequent presence of rebel soldiers in a country where war is a daily occurrence with a brutality toward Mayan villagers. They eventually experience alien creatures and lights of an unknown source, not of this earth.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Casa de Snapdragon
• Release date: Nov 18, 2012
• ISBN: 9781937240134

Shirley Jones

Shirley Jones is an American singer and actress of stage, film, and television. In her six decades of show business, she has starred as wholesome characters in a number of well-known musical films, such as Oklahoma! (1955), Carousel (1956), and The Music Man (1962). She won the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress for playing a vengeful prostitute in Elmer Gantry (1960). She played Shirley Partridge, the widowed mother of five children in the situation comedy television series The Partridge Family (1970–1974), co-starring her real-life stepson David Cassidy.

Book preview

Spirits of the Jungle

Shirley Jones

And

Jacquelyn Yznaga

Published by

Casa de Snapdragon LLC

Albuquerque, New Mexico

Smashwords Edition

Copyright © 2012 Shirley Jones and Jacquelyn Yznaga. All rights reserved. Cover illustration Copyright © Shirley Jones and Jacquelyn Yznaga. All rights reserved.

No portion of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise without the prior written permission of Shirley Jones and Jacquelyn Yznaga, unless such copying is expressly permitted by federal copyright law. Address inquiries to Permissions, Casa de Snapdragon LLC, 12901 Bryce Avenue NE, Albuquerque, NM 87112.

This novel is a work of fiction. The characters and scenes depicted herein are fictional. Any resemblance to people, living or dead, or real life incidents, is purely coincidental.

20121118

Published by

Casa de Snapdragon Publishing LLC

12901 Bryce Avenue, NE

Albuquerque, NM 87112

http://www.casadesnapdragon.com

This book is dedicated to God in thanksgiving for His many blessings and miracles.

Also to the Mayan people and all who continue to suffer and struggle daily.

And last of all for little dachshunds and all of God’s creatures.

Stars in the sky are burning bright.

They display their diamond-likeness,

And that they be a galaxy

Full of life as I’ve never seen.

Oh, to travel so far would be a dream.

Chapter 1

As Cheryl, a slender woman, slightly gray-haired, jogged barefoot along the California coastline, she looked out to the ocean and saw a luminous blue mist assuming the shape of a dome. She blinked several times to see if it was real as she altered her pace. It resonated a slight hum for a minute, then ceased. The mist then dissipated along with the fog as it rolled out to sea. She stopped to inhale a deep breath and let the salty air fill her lungs to calm her as her heart beat fiercely.

It was just before dawn. One or two stars were still visible.

Despite this encounter, she resumed her run. Her steps gradually slowed down as her mind started to project images of past events of forty years ago in Central America. The smells of death, sounds of gunfire and constant fear enhanced her vision replacing the beach with the jungle.

Now Cheryl saw she was with the archeological group hidden deep in the brush of the Mayan jungle and watched as the horrors of war enfolded. She watched in terror as the soldiers attacked a village with their obstreperous jeeps and menacing rifles. Men, women and children ran in all directions. A repulsive stench of raw, burnt flesh permeated the air.

The villagers struggled to avoid being shot or tortured by the rebels. Women held their babies tightly to their chests and grabbed their other children by the hand, as they ran away screaming shrilly.

The men of the village attempted to ward off the soldiers, to no avail. They were shot at arm’s length.

No one escaped. Fires were set and engulfed every home.

The soldiers laughed in a demonic tone as they raped and tortured the women, plunged their bayonets through the babies’ hearts, then erected them to display as a trophy.

No remorse.

Quietly, and fearfully the archeological group remained hidden.

Cheryl’s heart palpated strongly. Fear paralyzed her.

A young girl, about nine, ran screaming towards Cheryl to escape the grip of the soldiers.

The girl lost sight of her mother and managed to elude two soldiers and their bullets as she ran and periodically looked back.

An ominous soldier the girl hadn’t noticed stood before her as she turned to look ahead. She looked into his eyes and screamed. With a quick sweep of his machete and calloused intent, he severed her head.

Her head rolled in the team’s direction with eyes fixed on Cheryl and look of horror like she’d never seen.

The illusion of being in the jungle faded and restored Cheryl to her true surroundings. Profusely sweating, she struggled to orient herself and discovered she’d moved from where she last stood, on the beach. Looking all around, with a jerk and a turn of her body, she expected to be in the jungle. She now broke into a cold sweat as she discovered she stood close to a cliff’s edge, half a yard away. In order to avoid a fatal descent, she fell backwards.

This experience of ‘fading of reality’ forced Cheryl to keep alert and run faster despite the exerted force of each step as her foot plunged into the dry, soft sand. She couldn’t outrun this nightmare. It just felt good to run and imagine the wind blowing this trickery of visions behind her. A normal life was all she wanted. She never told anyone about her adventures in Central America. It was all too incredible. Yet, she knew she couldn’t run forever from that which was real—an unavoidable nightmare.

Joan, Cheryl’s sister, continued to lie in her bed while Cheryl did her daily ‘escape’ as Joan called it.

Short with long, dark brown, slightly gray wavy hair, Joan had a love for the sea and its beauty. Since the recent death of their parents, the two were bequeathed this quaint small house with a breath-taking view of the northern California coastline below.

Immersed in sleep, she heard a loud pop originating in the hallway and awoke in time to glimpse a quick flash of red light.

Lola, a miniature, red, smooth-haired dachshund heard the noise as she rested on the floor in Joan’s bedroom. She barked fiercely in the direction of the hallway, but remained where she was.

Joan got up, ran out of her bedroom thinking there was a fire. All fine. No fire. Assuming Cheryl had returned, she called out, Cheryl?

No response.

Realizing Cheryl was not in the house, she feared it must be a burglar. Next she checked the locks. All secure. Scanning the kitchen and the living room she saw nothing.

Someone was here. she whispered to herself. Though a little shaken and confused, she returned to bed with Lola in her arms.

Lola continued to bark and growl intermittently.

Unable to return to sleep, Joan got up and put on some coffee.

Having seen this extraordinary light, Cheryl finally decided to divulge the story she’d long kept buried and secret. Through the years, her memory of the many frightening events became clouded and distant by choice. Her nightmares were held together in tiny segments and dispersed in increments each night with a different scenario. She always told Joan, I’m not ready.

Cheryl received a rush of adrenalin and final resolve to share her experience.

It was a warm mid-summer’s day, but she was chilled to the core of her being. A short distance from the house, she heard Lola barking and knew something was wrong and ran faster. Rarely did Lola bark so unrestrained unless there was immediate danger.

Cheryl approached the doorstep, searched her pockets nervously for her keys, fumbled and dropped them as her hands shook with fear. Once she got a good grip on the keys, she struggled to insert it into the lock.

Oh hell! Why can’t I get this damn key in?

Once she finally opened the door, she yelled out, Joan! What’s wrong with Lola? I can hear her barking a half mile down the beach.

Glad to see Cheryl at the door, Joan nervously told her what she’d heard and seen.

That’s impossible! Are you sure it wasn’t police lights or brake lights?

No! Lola barked ferociously in the direction of the hallway. she paused. Towards your bedroom. I looked in and saw nothing.

Immediately, Cheryl left to go to her bedroom. She was stunned upon hearing about Joan’s experience. Her mention of the red light made it easier to tell the unbelievable story.

Joan followed behind Cheryl. What? What’s going on?

Everything in Cheryl’s room seemed normal, nothing missing or disturbed.

Cheryl said, What’s this?

On her night table lay a familiar object —a three inch jaguar tooth strung on a leather cord with a brown wooden bead to each side. She picked up the necklace with trembling hands and swallowed. The beads had strange symbols; symbols known only to Cheryl. She knew its origin, but was baffled how it got there.

Standing behind Cheryl, Joan waited impatiently. Well, what did you find?

Panthera Onca. A jaguar fang tooth. As Cheryl held it in her trembling hand, she said, I distinctly remember having left it on my night table in Nicaragua. This denotes ‘him’ having been here. What do I do now? She looked at Joan. He knows where I live. After all these years, how did he find me?

Who was here? You’re not making any sense.

Ignoring her questions, Cheryl went to the kitchen table and sat down. She noticed Lola curled up in a corner, shaking, equally upset. She reached down to pick her up and comforted her. With this consolation, Cheryl told Joan what she saw.

You’ll never believe what I just saw a few minutes ago out on the ocean. I’ve seen it before. She stopped. "This has a definite connection to my experience in Central America. While on the beach this morning I saw a blue mist and a blue dome out at sea. This reminded me of a remarkable light I saw while down in Central America. It’s terrified me for years.

Before I start let me first tell you, those seven months of my life involved be-headings, the raping of Mayan women and children and an intermittent barrage of gunfire. We witnessed unusual lights and saw unexplained phenomenon, not of this earth. A horrible, unforgettable stench of burnt human flesh permeated most parts of the jungle.

Joan’s eyes widened.

You knew what you were up against and went anyway?

I was young, adventurous and felt invincible. I found out later, of course, I wasn’t.

Why did you stay? Didn’t any of you try to leave the country? Wasn’t it careless of Professor Eckman to allow everyone to remain in such a dangerous environment?

Cheryl defensively said, The discovery of the first cave we excavated enthralled us. It became a passion. We were driven so that it became an addiction. There were no airports deep in the jungle, though there were opportunities to leave while in the big cities. No one wanted to go home.

Cheryl tensed, inhaled a deep breath and began her story with the year 1972, late spring in a southern California university. Her goal was to become a forensic physician for the F.B.I. This semester, her second year of pre-med., would be a diversion. She was determined to take a course in archeology.

A life-long pursuit of hers since childhood, she sought anything unique and different whether it was people, plants or places. Animals of any kind were of special importance and intrigued her. Unaware of the danger, she’d often approach Gila monsters, snakes, lizards, etc. She fed them, then carried them home in her shirt pocket.

Constantly having to move from state to state due to her military father’s frequent transfers, her friendships were often cut short. The Arizona desert, brimming with life, provided her with the thrills and excitement she needed to feed her curiosity and love of knowledge.

One day she carefully descended into a five to six foot riverbed. She poked around in the rocks and sand until she found something fascinating. Mostly pottery shards, large fragments of dinosaur bones and eventually, a human skull.

In her innocence and desire to share everything she found, each item was always taken home. Without fail her dad would yell, Take that thing outside! and would walk away. But, with the discovery of the skull, he now gave her full attention. Where the hell did you get that?

She took him to an area of a mile’s distance from the house.

Cheryl was excited to finally have her father notice her. Each day she saw his sorrow as he’d leave for work and wondered if every job in the world made people sad.

As they walked and approached the area, they found more human remains. Her dad said, This is quite a distance from the house for you to travel alone. Let’s call the authorities and see if they can find out what happened here.

Out of concern for safety reasons, he put out a call to the police once they got home.

Police and FBI swarmed the area to investigate the property for miles beyond the site of the skull. One of the FBI agents informed them, This is a common area known for drug smuggling. I would advise you, as he directed his words to Cheryl’s father, please keep your daughter away from this area. It’s too dangerous.

Cheryl watched as the many departments moved into action. Her curiosity grew as she watched.

This entourage fascinated Cheryl and established a path towards a career.

Cheryl’s archeology class was held in a large auditorium. Multiple students entered the room after signing a roster on the open door. The total was fifty.

Already seated, Cheryl waited eagerly for the class to begin.

At the front of the classroom, a tall, slender man in his forties walked in, briskly and erect. He was dressed casually. Quietly he opened his briefcase after setting it on the desk, pulled out a book and slammed it down firmly.

I am Professor Eckman. he declared in a distinct German accent and asserted, This will be an on-site class, with ‘hands on’ experience, funded by a large grant for an extended trip down to Central America. You will excavate and explore Mayan ruins and discover their treasures. This is no club-med. No parties.

He explained the harsh facts of life for the upcoming expedition: most nights would be spent sleeping on the ground in bug and snake infested jungles, at times living among the poor, working long, arduous hours excavating in 100% humidity and possibly being in a vicinity of war.

As he spoke he observed everyone’s reactions.

If any of you do not wish to go or can’t handle this trip, you may leave now.

Disappointed or disillusioned, many students left the room.

Curious to see how many were serious and courageous enough to accept this journey, he saw five students.

Please come up front. We’ll do our introductions and tell a little about ourselves.

The five students approached the seats near the professor’s desk and sat down.

I know each of you has a different field of study, but this class caught your attention and I promise you will not be disappointed.

First to introduce himself was Professor Richard Eckman. He held a PhD in forensics archeology and MD in emergency medicine. Married with three sons and a daughter, he often left them behind to travel the world. Prior to his teaching tenure he had excavated extravagant tombs in Egypt and Central America with a colleague and long-time friend, Professor Arturo Marques. Each year Professor Eckman took a group of students to various countries depending on the generosity of benefactors’ donations.

Each of the students began their introductions.

Twenty-one year old Christopher had blonde hair, stood 6 feet 2 inches and had a muscular build. His major was archeology with a minor in anthropology and he planned to teach. He loved football. Plans for marrying his fiancé were scheduled for February 1973.

Allison, a thin voluptuous blonde of twenty-two years, studied architectural design as her major and business as her minor. Her interest in people’s cultures was superseded by the pyramids and their interior and exterior patterns. Her major goal was to assist her famous father in his business of architecture and eventually create her own work of art. Time to time she’d date, but her career came first and she put off any possible plans for marriage until after graduation.

Endowed with thick, light brown shoulder-length hair, Michelle, twenty-two years old, dressed conservatively, wore a cross necklace and carried a bible. Her major was in Central American studies, the history, culture and art. Learning and teaching the Spanish language was her goal. Ramon, her fiancé, had planned to marry her in October. Reluctantly, he agreed to this trip even though it meant postponing their nuptial.

Joseph, a 6 foot tall, dark-haired handsome man of twenty-four years and average build, had a passion for hiking and skiing. A pre-med student of four years, he had dreams of working in a cardiology department in southern California. He hoped to follow in his father’s footsteps, a medical director of a large cardiology clinic in San Francisco.

Finally, it was Cheryl’s turn. Introductions made her uncomfortable. She was a slender young lady, of twenty-three years, average in height. Her thick, long dark, waist-length braid trailed down her back. She wore a t-shirt, jeans and sandals. Her dark brown eyes projected an intuitive, piercing look. A book on Mayan history was always in her hands. Proficiency was of great importance to her and she made every effort to become fluent in Spanish.

Why do you want to go on this trip? Professor Eckman asked. What makes you think you are fit to handle the chaos and horrors of an unfamiliar war-torn country? Give it some serious thought. If you change your minds, I’ll understand. I want everyone to be opened-minded about what is happening down there. Despite these difficulties, there are many rewards and discoveries of treasures. Many strange and unexplained circumstances will fill you with awe and wonder. He paused. With eagerness and calm he asked, "Are you