2 Into the Realm of El Dorado

It was just another day for John. He got up from bed as late as he possibly can while hoping to still being able to reach his workplace on time. He headed to the bathroom, quickly showered, pulled on a shirt and pants that were clean but not ironed; pulled on a shoe caked with dirt from the previous day; ran his hands through his uncombed hair and brushed his teeth. He grabbed up his briefcase thrown carelessly on the floor of his cluttered room and ran out of the house while still trying to force a few slices of bread down his parched throat. The slices of bread will have to do for breakfast and maybe lunch as well if he wasn't feeling up to purchasing lunch.

He ran out to the main road intending to cross to the other side. Madly dashing across however, he failed to see the vehicle hurtling towards him at break neck speed.

For a moment, everything stood still. He heard tires screech as the car swerved to avoid crushing him but it was too late. He felt a dull impact and suddenly, he was flying. The world twisted into a huge rainbow of colours. People were screaming but he couldn't tell why.

Just as fast as it started, the spinning stopped and everything went black.

He felt numb. He trembled as he tried to rise from the awkward position he was lying in. Water was gurgling merrily nearby and the sun was just beginning to rise. The golden rays peeked through a forest canopy. " How did I get into a forest?"  he wondered aloud. Looking down, he saw he still wore the clothes he had pulled on that morning.

"I am dreaming." He comforted himself as a rustling sound was heard coming from a clump of bushes not too far off, as if someone or something was hiding behind it. A child giggled. John squinted in the direction.

"Who's there?' he called in sheer terror for even though it was just a dream, he still felt scared and vulnerable. It felt as if he was in a horror movie - with a cross-over of a fairytale kingdom. He was not in any way partial to either; it only increased his nervousness.

A little child of maybe four came out shyly. He was wearing a brown cloth of sorts tied around his waist with a leather string. He had long hair tied back neatly in a ponytail. Barefooted and bright eyed the child reminded John a little of a picture he had once seen in a history book. That picture, if he could remember correctly, was a rare one of an original indigenous child of Guyana in the late 18th century.

Oh. No. It's a nightmare. He gasped and began trembling in fear.

"Ahh!" He tested his voice with a scream; the sound came, weirdly with no difficulty. Usually in a nightmare, he has to struggle to scream.

Curiously, the child came toward him with a small, pudgy hand resting casually on a long bow and a quiver he had strapped to his back. His eyes up close were black. Even though John knew there was no such thing as black eyes, that was the only colour he could have used to describe it. Glassy and bright, the child slowly ran his eyes along the length of his body, taking in his rumpled shirt and pants with open curiosity.

The child said something in an odd, hand-gesturing language and waited patiently for his reply.

He closed his eyes, expecting an arrow to pierce his helpless skull.

The child giggled again.

John, at a loss for words, stared at him stupefied. Convinced this was just a dream, he grabbed up a handful of soil only to feel the cool moistness against his palm. It felt real. He pinched himself. It hurt.

"This is not a dream!" he exclaimed panicking. He was patting himself all over in a frenzy of disbelief.

The child continued to stare at him with wide eyes full of amusement. He shook his head and pointed to the water. He spoke again.

At that moment, a beautiful creature emerged from the depths of the creek. It was a woman. She had long black hair which was silky and smooth, plastered against her skin. Her skin was golden with a slight glow about it. Naked, she pulled herself up on the bank using her hands. She smiled and showed a row of small, pointy teeth and beautiful dimples. Her brown eyes tinted with golden flecks took him in with amusement.

After saying something to the boy in the strange language, she turned and plunged back into the creek. Her tail rose for a moment, catching the light of the sun, it sparkled in a thousand different colors before it disappeared.

John was frozen in admiration for the entire time of the exchange. At the sight of the tail however, something snapped.

 He began screaming.

The child began waving his hands about wildly signaling a message to John with signs lost hundreds of years ago. He kept this up for about a minute but, after John, still rooted to the spot, showed no signs of stopping; he ran to take cover in the clump of bushes he had first emerged from.

A few seconds after the leaves in his bushes had stopped rustling, a huge whirlpool began to form in the creek.

Seeing the whirlpool, John began stumbling blindly in terror after the child.

"Help me! What's going on?" John sobbed in a frenzy. He grabbed the leaves of the plant forcefully in an effort to locate the child among its branches.

"Ouch! You crazy man! I can feel you know; and you just destroyed six of my beautiful leaves with your careless handling."

Startled, John looked down at the plant he was holding. It was a small hibiscus tree with thick leaves and not one of its signature flowers in sight.

"Huh?" He looked more closely and the plant sneezed losing a few leaves in the process.

"You are filthy and stink. You will spoil my fragrance, you oaf!" The plant screamed.

Wait, the plant screamed? John began to tremble and his hands began trembling as well. It shook the poor plant until its branches began chattering.

"Stop it!" it cried out in anguish.

That was too much for John. He sank to his knees, releasing the plant entirely; bowing his head between his knees as sobs racked his body.

"Where am I?" he groaned.

A loud burst of laughter errupted from behind him. It silenced him completely. He glanced behind him and gasped at the sight that greeted him.

It looked like a man. It also looked like a fish. The beauty of the creature was blinding. It had the face of a handsome man. He seemed like a combination of all the races John could think of. He had smooth, glossy, darkly golden skin. His eyes changed colors as often as he blinked, John noticed. At one point his eyes were a rich brown, then it changed to a pretty violet that clashed with his skin. His hair was beautifully worn. It seemed as if his long, luscious, silver hair which was curled in intricate styles fell perfectly by strand. Resting on his head was a crown made of gold and diamond. It was fashioned to fit as if a sun beam was raining down on him. Looking closely, intricately carved designs depicted the nation's wealth in sugar, rice and; John noticed; small, strange gemstones that glowed brilliant green scattered between the diamonds, which could only represent the forests, John guessed.

The creature's torso was huge and muscled. It morphed into the prettiest tail he had ever seen. The tail had large scales that resembled wild animals whose names John could hardly remember. The animals sparkled brilliantly in the rising sun. The tail was mesmerizing with its brilliant rainbow colors.

John stared.

The creature stared back smiling sweetly.

It blinked. Its eyes changing to a piercing emerald green. It tilted its head to the side.

Silence reigned in the forest.

Finally the creature spoke, revealing perfect teeth, "Do you recognize me, John?"

"N-n-no s-sir." John swallowed. His throat was feeling dry from his screams.

"I believe you do. I am sure I gave Spar all the information he needed!" he grouched.

"Spar! Where are you?" he thundered.

The trees quaked. John couldn't tell if it was a reaction of fear or the loudness of the creature's voice that caused the trembling.

"I'm here, your highness!" An equally loud, but slightly scratchier voice bellowed. The voice came from behind John. It came from the forest.

Looking back, John could see the outline of a large, negro, extremely muscled man walking confidently toward them through the trees. Upon reaching the bank of the creek, he knelt in a smooth bow towards the creature.

"Spar, you were tasked with giving the Chosen One all the information he needs before his day comes. Did you do that?" the creature asked. It showed no sign of putting the man at ease.

Spar straightened. His chest came out showing every inch of pride in his stance as he replied, "I did!"

"Then what is this nonsense I am hearing from this fellow here? More importantly, why did you choose this coward for the Chosen One?"

Spar looked for the first time at John.

"Little John!" he exclaimed with  gusto.

John stared back.

The man looking at him reminded him somehow of the old man he had once looked up to. This man however, was bare-chested and wore a short, leather-like pants and seemed much, much younger than he remembered and he also had a straight and unblemished nose.

"Uncle Spar?"  he whispered uncertainly.

"Hahaha! He remembers!"  Uncle Spar came hurtling toward him with amazing agility.

Before John could react, he was engulfed in a bear hug.

"I missed you, my boy! How have you been? And why are you dressed like…"

"Enough!" the creature bellowed. "Spar! Answer me right this minute. Why did you choose this coward to be the Chosen One?"

"He is the smartest child I knew! He was courageous and I saw he could be great warrior!"  Uncle Spar bellowed back.

"He was crying like a baby a few short minutes ago!" The creature spluttered in annoyance.

"You said you wanted a warrior but you didn't say what form the warrior should take! I saw this young man and he showed potential to become a great warrior!" Uncle Spar retorted.

"He will be your responsibility! I am placing you in charge and if you fail me, I will banish you from my realm!"  The creature responded then disappeared in a gush of black water.

Uncle Spar sighed.

"All of that drama didn't seem necessary." He mumbled.

"What was that thing?" John asked shakily.

"Be quiet! He takes offense quite easily. That 'thing' as you call him is no other than the fabled Makanaima!" Uncle Spar declared.

"I thought those stories were legends!" John exclaimed.

"No, my boy, they are as real as you and I!" Uncle Spar laughed,

"So all of those story characters; the moongazer, massacuruman and all the others, they are real?" John could not believe what he was hearing.

"Yes. They are." Uncle Spar confirmed John's worst fears with those simple words.

"Is the Massacuruman as bad as it was portrayed in the stories?" John whispered fearfully.

"Yes. They are worst but you need not fear them. There is a legend here in El Dorado about a chosen one who will save our land. He who is deemed the chosen one will become leader of all supernatural creatures and will have former warriors of many great tribes in the land to fight by his side. He along with his followers will wipe all evil creatures away."

"Is this El Dorado?"  John gasped.

"Yes. This city, contrary to popular belief was built to honor the chosen one and provide a sanctuary for all extraordinary creatures who were fortunate to be born in Guyana."

"But I thought…" John started to say.

"Never mind what you thought!" Uncle Spar interrupted, "When Columbus first came to the West Indies, our people trusted him. They thought of him as a god and provided him with all the wealth they could find. But in time, the ancient elders saw him for what he was. He was a greedy man who was never going to be satisfied so, as a way to preserve our people and their wealth, they decided to offer it to the Makanaima for safety. He is the master of this land and loved it and its people with all his heart so he agreed. In time, the wealth they provided was so great that he didn't know what to do with it. Then, an idea came to him to honor the people in return by building for them a sanctuary; a city. The elders knew of this place but alas, not all the people agreed with the methods by which the elders ruled. So, they spun a tale of wonder to diffuse the situation and came up with the Golden City in physical form. They spread the story far and wide and it reached the ears of the cunning Columbus. With that he sailed away. We had rejoiced as his ships had disappeared from the horizon. Only, more and more strange people came and destroyed our lands to find this City. They called it El Dorado which is translated 'the city of gold'. The Elders knew of the greed and so they vowed to go with their secret to the grave. Many were captured and tortured but our people were strong. They died with the secret and eventually no one was left with the knowledge of the Golden City. Over time it became a bed time story, a fantasy when all the while, we were looking over the living as was the Makunaima's promise to the elders."

"What is the secret the elders didn't want to be known?"  John asked.

"El Dorado is not of the world. It is but a wisp of time and knowledge interwoven and spun to keep the wealth of the nation safe." Uncle Spar shared.

"That makes no sense!"  John declared.

"Does it?" Uncle Spar said patiently.

"What is the legend about the Chosen One?" John enquired curiously.

"That, my child is a long story. Let us take a seat by the river. The water here is cold and refreshing. Being near it will also help you remain in the city. The power of the Makanaima surrounds this water and hovers as a form of protection for visitors and since you are not initiated as yet, if you leave his protection, you will be thrown out of the city."

Uncle Spar sat and placed his feet in the cold black water and patted the ground beside him. John sat but refused to put his feet in the water. It was black and glittering. It was too terrifying. He was scared a creature will pull him into its depths so he folded his feet under him as a precaution.

"I will begin." Uncle Spar said as silence descended.

"A long time ago after we had grown accustomed to the white men, when our people was wealthy again and the land flourished, a local healer had a dream. He dreamt that one day our lands will become deserted and all of our wealth will be gone. He awoke and he told the tale to his wife but she laughed at him. He tried to share the story with the elders but they too turned him away. For many years, the man wandered in a futile attempt to warn his people but they called him mad and eventually ran him off from the tribe. When he felt himself slipping away, he quickly found a cave and with his last bit of energy engraved the entire story in the limestone walls of the cave hoping someone will find it. He died a few days later.

Many years passed and the man's prediction came to pass. The new people grew greedy again and drove us once again off our lands. We lost everything. Our wealth was stolen and our lands became deserted just as the man had predicted. A group of warriors went out in search of the man but after many days of futile searching, they came upon the cave where the man had carved his dream. It was then that the leader realized the man had moved on so he copied the drawings of the dream and took it back to his village. Upon seeing the warrior's find, the villagers prayed to the Makanaima for deliverance. He was touched by their sorrow and sent a dream to a village elder. In the dream, a chosen one was to rise up one day and set them free. He did not say when or where maybe because he too was acting on behalf of a Supreme being more powerful than himself. So for years we waited for this person to appear.

It was believed that upon the child's birth, there will be a sign here in the city.

We in El Dorado looked closely upon the world at that point. Then one night, we felt a change in energy here in the city. It was a cleaner energy and the Makanaima knew the child had come. He sent me out to find him and I found you."

"Is that why…" John didn't finish the thought.

"Yes my child. That is why the Makanaima called you the Chosen one." Uncle Spar finished for him.

"But why can't the Makanaima save the city?"

"Because there are some things he is powerless over."

"Then how can he be a supreme being?"

"He is a supreme being because he is the most powerful creature in the world, that doesn't make him the most powerful, does it?"

"It depends."

"He is not the most powerful because he had a creator. That creator is the most powerful."

"I don't understand."

"Nothing makes sense in this life, son. So it's hard for me to explain something I know nothing much about. That is why we need you."

"So that I can make some sense out of nonsense?"

"No," Uncle. Spar corrected, "To save the land from something I don't understand."

"How am I going to save the land if I don't understand?" John laughed shakily.

"You will. That is why you were chosen" Uncle Spar said.

"I do not know anything about ruling warriors or being a leader!"

"You do."

"I am scared Uncle Spar! I am not brave! I am not a warrior! I am…"

"You are everything you are declining and more." Uncle Spar interrupted, "Today you are a man and today you will begin your job. We have been encountering more and more evil spirits who seem to become stronger by the day. Do you remember the massacre that happened in Port Kaituma?"

"Yes."

"The perpetrator of that massacre is recruiting spirits to overthrow the Makanaima."

"Do you mean Jim Jones?" 

"Yes. In recent years, we've been losing more warriors to this recruitment. Something needs to be done."

"What do you want me to do?"

"Good question, my boy, you have to learn his skills and maintain your warrior ranks. We don't have much time."

"What if I don't do my job?" John looked at Uncle Spar.

Uncle Spar shrugged. "The city will be destroyed and the balance on which we survive will topple. Countries will war and the Makanaima will be no more. The land will lose its people and there will be nothing but destruction throughout the country."

"In other words, the future is depending on me." John whispered.

"Yes." Uncle Spar nodded. Brightening he said, "For your protection, we have assigned two special men of great legacies to assist you in your quest. They have initially refused to use their names given to them in your world. They prefer the names of Odo and Sajid now." He faced the trees and shouted, "Gentlemen if you please."

Out of the trees first came a handsome African man with cropped hair and a wide smile. He was dressed in a black suit with a briefcase in his hands. Closely behind, a smaller Indian man made his appearance. He wore a tweed suit and carried a similar briefcase. He preferred his hair long and tousled. He too smiled at John.

The African glanced behind him and froze midstride on his way to greet John.

"Mr. Sajid! I understood you were working on a project of utmost importance and secrecy. What brings you here?"  He asked smoothly addressing the smaller man.

The smaller man scowled. "Mr. Odo." He nodded curtly in acknowledgement and strode up to greet John.

Behind him the African, Odo, smirked and easily fell into step beside him. They acknowledged Uncle Spar before introductions were made.

"Gentlemen meet John Henry. He is the Chosen One and your charge. Today, I task you in training this young man. You are to give him all your knowledge and skills combined. As the two great men in history, you should be able to complete the training in the next week. Now, get yourselves familiar with each other because you'll be spending the next week working really closely. We cannot afford to make mistakes."

"The Chosen One, I am honored." Sajid clasped John's hand warmly.

Odo was not so easily appeased.

"Marvelous. I get to babysit." He stepped forward all the same with his hand outstretched, "I can at least have some fun I guess." They shook hands.

"Great. Since you seem to get along so well together, I'll see you in a week. Good luck." Uncle Spar smiled and stirred the water with his feet. A portal opened and he pushed them headlong into the swirling currents.