Sky People (5 page)

“Does it snow where you live?” Raul asked.

“Yes. It snows and gets very cold.”

“I would love to see snow. I have never seen snow. Miguel, you must remember, I want you to go to Montana and see snow.” The boy smiled and nodded enthusiatically. “Doctor, your university, is it in the mountains?” I nodded. “It must be a beautiful university,” he said.

“It is very beautiful. Young people study there from all over the world.”

“Remember that, Miguel. Maybe you will go to the University in Montana. It would be a good place for a Mopan Maya boy.” He paused for a moment and then turned to me. “Most of the people here will never leave this village. We are Mopan Maya. In Belize there are Mopan and Ketchi Maya. We are more traditional than our Ketchi brothers. If Miguel goes to the University, he will be the first.”

“I’m sure that with your guidance, he will go.” The elder looked at me and nodded. He picked up his glass of orange juice and held it up in a toast.

“Doctora, I am ready to answer your questions.”

“Buddy tells me that you are a space traveler. Could you tell me about your experiences?” I asked.

“I have been a star traveler since I was Miguel’s age. That was the first time I went to the stars. I was almost nine years old. I remember because I was worried when I was taken away that I would miss my birthday party. I was born on September 11, 1910. They took me two days earlier. I thought, ‘I will never see my ninth birthday.’” He rubbed his hands on his pants and laughed. “Now that I think about it, it sounds foolish. But I was not yet nine and I thought as a child.”

“I think it is a normal reaction,” I replied. “I know how important birthday celebrations can be.”

“That is true. We celebrate life. That is the reason why I worried about my birthday. I loved birthday parties, and I was afraid I would never see my family again.”

“Tell me what you remember of your first abduction.”

“Not much. I remember being taken into the sky by a bright light. I was alone at the time, and within minutes, I was in another place. It was a strange place. Metal everywhere. The walls were metal, and everything was a dull gray and cold to the touch. I remember thinking that this must be what it was like to freeze. I was cold, so cold. There were no hammocks, and I wondered
where the people slept. They led me down a long hall. A door opened and I walked into an area that was like a forest with trees and flowers. It was hot like my village. It smelled of damp soil and flowers. They led me to two other boys about my age, and we planted trees. The trees were from my village. We planted medicine leaves. I taught the boys how to plant them. We did this for several hours and then I was back to earth and my village.”

“In time for your birthday,” I said.

“Yes. In time for my birthday and I did not tell anyone what had happened. I told them I got lost and fell asleep. I thought it must have been a dream. It was not until it happened a second and third time that I realized it was really happening, and that I was going to a place in the sky. On the third trip, they took me during the day. I saw the disk for the first time in the daylight. It was like a cowboy hat, a sombrero, but it was silver. It was high above earth. It was so high that the Earth looked like the soccer ball. We were high. Each time I went there, I taught them about plants. I taught them as my grandfather had taught me about our medicine. They encouraged me to point out medicine plants to them in the forest. They would gently dig them up under my guidance, and later I would plant them in their garden in the sky.” He paused for a moment and smiled. “They made me feel important.”

“Were the other boys human?” I asked.

“They were not Maya. One had slanted eyes. One was dark, almost black. My favorite was a boy with very small hands—almost half my size. His skin was so white and his hair was white. He had green and yellow eyes that changed color with the light. He spoke a language I had never heard, and yet we all understood each other. There were many languages spoken there in the disk, but we all understood each other. It is still the same way today, and I have never understood how that can be. We all speak different languages, we are different colors, but we understand each other.”

“Can you describe the disk in more detail?”

“It was like a huge silver sombrero. It floated in the sky high above the Earth. It was lighted but the lights were greenish
everywhere but in the plant room. At night, I could look out and almost touch the stars. We were in space but it seemed like we just floated there. We were in no hurry. The disk was circular and there were living quarters all around the outside for the workers. Toward the center, outside the garden, the men who took me worked there. They were scientists, I think. Maybe they studied botany, too. The garden was located along the back side of the disk, away from the place where the leaders worked. At the end of the garden was a room full of beds stacked on top of each other. The children gardeners slept there. I did, too, when I was with them. The garden contained trees and plants from all over the world. There were birds, some I had never seen. A water tank kept the plants alive. Sometimes they sent smaller craft to collect water. They called these craft the ‘water bearers.’”

“How big was the craft?”

“It was huge. There were three levels. At the top were the men who operated city. In the middle level, there was an eating place and a relax place. On the bottom was the garden and resting places.”

“Buddy tells me that you have been traveling in space all of your life. Over the years, did your role change?”

He looked at me and offered more orange juice. “Yes. It did change. When I became a young man, I became a teacher of small children. I worked with scientists teaching them the mystery of the plants they retrieved from the jungles. I showed them how to prepare them. I discovered we had diseases on Earth they had never known, and they had diseases I had never known.”

“Did you ever find out where they came from?”

“They traveled to their planet several times. They took me when I became older. From a distance, it looked like a vacant world. It is far, far away. There are millions of stars in the universe and dozens and dozens of civilizations.”

“Can you tell me about their planet?”

“It was a desert. It was a purple-gray land. There were no trees or rivers. Only dust and rocks. Dust and wind. It was the reason they were interested in plants. They lived underground
and tapped deep underwater reserves. At one time, there was a large above-ground civilization, but they were forced to move underground. Despite their advanced knowledge, there were problems they did not foresee. Artificial light was not like natural light, and a high percentage of their people suffered mental problems. But today that is no longer the problem. Many of their stories were told about life when they lived above ground.”

“Did they ever tell you why they went underground and what happened to their planet?” I asked.

“They told me that a series of catastrophes struck their planet. They never explained. Perhaps they did not think I needed to know or would understand.”

“Buddy tells me you still go to the disk in the sky. What is your role now?”

“I am an Earth Advisor according to them. I tell the children of life on Earth and about the jungle and the forests. I tell them the old stories I heard from my grandfather, and I continue to teach them about the importance of trees and plants, and how they can feed your soul and your body. The little ones call me
Zhantayillawoc.”
He spelled the word for me, stopping a couple of times, repeating the word, and then spelling phonetically. “In their language it means something like honored grandfather. I like that.”

“What is the most amazing thing you saw during your travels?”

“The underground caves where they lived. Their planet is huge. Several times bigger than earth, but it is a desolate world. When they moved underground there were caves so large I could not compare them to anything. There are no seasons there. They control the temperature. They have different sections where people live and tend to the plants. Some places are hot and moist; some are dry and cooler. Some are like the desert. They have hot zones and cool zones, but I never saw snow.”

“Can you describe how they lived?”

“They live all together. There is no private property. Everything is owned and given to you by the community. There were couples
like we have in marriage. Children were born, but for the first few years they remained in a nursery and couples took turns taking them to their quarters to spend the nights. The whole community raised the children. They did not have a mother and father as we know it.”

“What happened when the children left the nursery?”

“After that, they had their own place. Sometimes they would stay with a couple overnight, but it was their choice. They made their own decisions.”

“What about men and women? Were their roles defined?” He stopped and spoke in Mayan to Buddy, who explained my question to him.

“There were no roles specific to men or women like we have. Everyone did a job and both men and women could do it. They spent much of their time working on ways of solving their planet’s problems. They hoped one day to live above ground, but until that happened, they were happy where they were.”

“Did you notice any physical differences?”

“Their eyes were larger than human eyes. Big, round eyes, mostly black eyes. I never saw blue eyes. A few brown eyes. Their faces were like humans but they had bigger eyes, much rounder.”

“Were they smaller than humans?”

“No. They were different sizes.”

“Did you recognize any human emotions or characteristics?”

“They liked to have fun. They played games and they swam in a large underground pool. Boys and girls together. No separation. The children were very independent from early childhood. I never saw any fights, no anger, and no jealousy. I never saw drunkenness. I never saw wife beating. They did not show outward affection. I never saw them hug or kiss.” Miguel laughed and covered his face with his hands. The elder smiled. “Miguel likes hugs and kisses,” he teased.

“What did they eat?”

“Vegetables and fruits from all over the universe. They brought back fruit trees from many planets and planted them there in their underground gardens. Vegetables, too. Their diet
was mostly raw. No one ever seemed hungry, and they appeared in good health. They did not age like humans, either. The children liked to touch my skin because it was wrinkled. They say they have never seen wrinkled skin.”

“Did you see any animals?” I asked.

“No. The children asked me about animals. I told them about my dog, Hero. They loved to hear stories about Hero.” He paused and yawned and looked toward the sky. “They will be coming for me soon. I would love to take you with me, but it is not allowed. They say they only contact humans when it is necessary and that they do not want those who are curious about them. In time, when humans are kinder, they say they will contact them, but not until they stop fighting among themselves.”

“What did they use for money?”

“Money in paper form was not used. Gold and precious gems were used but not among themselves. Only to trade with other civilizations.”

“Gold?”

“Gold has universal value. Diamonds and rubies, too.”

“Do they mine gold and rubies?”

“Yes. But not for wealth of individuals. Only for the good of the whole.”

“What do you think will happen when you can no longer go with them?” I asked.

“I am already preparing Miguel to take my place. He has been my student since he crawled. They will take him in my place, but first, he must go to the University. He must learn more so he can help them.”

“Has Miguel ever accompanied you to their space craft?” I asked.

“Not yet, but soon.” He paused again. His head dropped and he fought to stay alert. I looked at Buddy, who indicated with a tip of his head in the direction of the van, that it was time for us to leave.

“There are so many things I would like to ask you, but I am afraid you are getting tired,” I said.

“I generally take a nap this time of day. Forgive me, Doctora, for drifting off. I will try to continue.” I looked at Buddy, who shook his head, indicating it was time to leave. I stood and thanked him for his time. “Promise me, Doctora, that you will return soon to visit me. I have so much to tell you.”

“I promise,” I said. He stood and kissed me on both cheeks. As we left the backyard, I saw Miguel carefully guide the elder to a hammock that was hung in a shaded area under the roof of his house.

Unfortunately, I never saw Raul Manuel again. When I returned to Belize the following winter, I planned to keep my promise, only to discover that three months after we met, Raul died in his sleep. He left a handwritten note that his belongings were to go toward Miguel’s education. As Miguel’s mother cleaned his house, she discovered dozens of bars of gold in a box. A note was enclosed that stated that he was given the gold by the Sky People in payment for his knowledge.

“Were there any markings or identification on the bars?” I asked.

“There were strange markings, but I gave it little thought. Was that important?” Before I could answer, she explained, “I sold them and put the money in the bank for Miguel. I know how important it was to Raul for Miguel to go to college. I didn’t keep anything for myself. I wanted to honor Raul’s request. I sent Miguel to boarding school so he could begin his education, but lately Miguel has been disappearing like the old man. I think he goes with the Sky People.” When I asked to see Miguel, she told me he was away at boarding school. “The school notified me about Miguel’s disappearances, but there is nothing I can do. I told them to lock him in his room at night. They locked him up, but he disappeared anyway. What do you think? Do you think he goes with the Star People?

“Tell me what you think,” I said.

“I grew up listening to Raul Manuel’s stories. Then when I had children, he told them stories, too. Miguel was my youngest. His father and grandfather had passed and Raul became a
substitute for them. Miguel loved the old man. He wanted to be just like him. If Raul really traveled the stars, I am sure Miguel travels there, too. I think it is his fate. Who am I to question fate?”