Hello, and welcome to your weekly dose of the real world, where truth
is stranger than fiction and things are not always as they seem. In the
heart of the Andean Highlands, an ancient voice echoes through time, whispering secrets
to the villagers of Peru. They stand on the precipice of a mystery that
will bind the past and the present and could destroy them. Entwined in a
mystery beyond their grasp, they call on me. They call me the Ghost.
I'm an independent dark operative on the dark Web, taking on the mysterious
and outrageous jobs that no one else will or can. And this is one
of our adventures. Take a listen and enjoy, all right, So here's
the request as I received it, Ghost. This is Matteo Quispe, a
farmer and representative of my village, Waile in the highlands of Peru. I'm
reaching out because of strange and troubling events in our village. Ever since wealthy
settlers settlers he actually called them settlers, started building a resort close to our
sacred cave. It's disturbing the grounds, and our world has been turned upside
down. Our crops are failing, our animals are acting peculiar, and people
are falling ill without any explanation. Our elders believe it's connected to the disturbance
of this sacred cave, but we're struggling to convince the authorities or these new
settlers. We need more evidence the ancient paintings inside these caves. They are
a crucial part of our lineage, our identity. They may also hold the
answers we seek, possibly even a forgotten warning. That's all we know,
and we need help to decode their messages. A contact of ours led me
to you, ghost. We believe in your team's reputation for uncovering truths where
others cannot. Can you help us decipher the secrets of these ancient symbols and
restore harmony to our village. We're running out of time, hoping to hear
from you soon. Matteo. All right, that is what I've received.
Now picture this. We are midway over the Pacific, coming down from this
whirlwind job in Japan. Everyone else on the team dozed off a while ago.
They're sleeping like babies. Well, meanwhile, I'm sprawled out. Every
muscle in my body is just buzzing. You know that postmission exhaustion. That's
what I'm feeling, and that's right when I get that sound of that ding
of a new job. So there I am reading this message from this guy
Mateo at the farmer him talking about crop failures, mysterious illnesses and weird livestock
behavior. It sounded like a scene right out of a sci fi movie,
except it's not. It's happening in Mateo's village and he needs our help.
Something about this whole scenario drew me in with its bit of ancient mystery,
and it's a village desperate for help. It's just our kind of gig.
I send a quick reply to Mateo, telling him that I will make a
visit to discuss. Upon landing and just getting home, mind you, from
Japan, it's off to Peru. I go while the rest of the team
work out the details of our latest mission and close everything up. It's a
long flight to the Peruvian Highlands, one of those trips where you know the
miles tick by slowly, the plaine touches down in Cusco, and then it's
a winding drive up the mountains to Wai'ile. As we ascend, we can't
help but notice a striking patch of gray rock nestled in the hills. It
stands out to me, seemed unusual against the lush landscape, and close enough
to the village to be within our immediate area of interest. I'm not sure
yet what it all is, but I file that away in my mind because
it did stand out to me. The village is tucked away in the shadows
of these towering andes. It's pretty magnificent. It's also pretty remote and quiet.
People there, they're watchful and reserved. And as I get there,
Mateo finds me and his face breaks out in this warm and wide smile.
The guy is very grateful that I'm there to discuss what's going on, and
we get ourselves organized and we sit down to talk. And you know,
this village, it's not very big, and so sitting down with Mateo,
after being in Japan and flying around, now I'm just in the middle of
this, all these mountains in nature, I felt kind of small. You
know, it's a big world out there, folks. Anyway, he thanks
me again for coming, a big thank you, and then he continued.
He explained that their village, Wahi Lay, is an ancient place, one
of those places you know that has all the traditions and legends, and the
whole area sacred to the people there. It really is. They take it
very seriously, and the caves there are a part of all of this,
part of the people. They are their connection to their ancestors, so I
learn, and the gods of old. And then Mateo went on about the
paintings, explaining that the paintings in the cave they're messages, messages from their
people's wisdom passed down. He then got this look of worry on his face
and he explained more. Ever since the settlers, and you know he's calling
him settlers there, there are people that are coming there to build. Okay,
people with money trying to build in a beautiful area. Happens all the
time. I mean, it is a really nice area, and I can
see why, but somehow Mateo feels it's causing issues. He tells me that
these newcomers have started their construction near the cave, and Mateo says that is
when things started to go awry. We hop into his little off road vehicle
and he takes me over to look at the construction site, you know,
from above a little far away and right away it could see I mean,
it was just this gaping hole or something like a bomb went off in the
forest. It was empty, trees flattened. The once serene and untouched land
was now being transformed into this busy hub of activity, having machinery and construction
materials everywhere. Well, Mateo explains that the construction is part of a larger
development plan, of course, intended to expand the area's infrastructure and accommodate more
people that apparently would be coming there, you know, like vacationers. We
talk about his concerns about the potential consequences of this expansion on the sacred land
and the delicate balance that the elders have emphasized. It's definitely concerned. We
get out and the whole dugout space. You know, it's eerily quiet.
Nobody was there. The construction was momentarily halted for whatever reason, we don't
know. It was like time though, had froze in the midst of all
the chaos. Just seeing everything dug out and seeing the machinery just sitting there.
It is what happens, but in this place it really did not seem
right. So we know that the construction is not going on right now.
But Mateo's stresses. You know, this is just a brief intermission in something
bigger. Something else is happening, something else is going on. Mateo shared
with me that the people in the village they all felt it. They've all
been feeling a sense of dread and a sense of imbalance in their world.
He described it to be as if the gods are angry, and he does
know how crazy that sounded, because we're in today's world, you know,
modern times, But either way, that is what the people are starting to
feel and fear. He tells me that they've tried to protest the construction,
but money speaks louder than tradition these days, and we know that, right,
guys. He then proceeded to detail the strange happenings. Healthy crops withering
overnight, live stock falling ill with no apparent cause, and villagers coming down
with unexplainable symptoms. And he showed me some of the crops and things,
and it was pretty darn bad. And you know, the thought is it's
only going to get worse, because right now it's at a pretty calm level.
But at the same time, it still is a frightening picture. It
would seem that this village was grappling with an unseen enemy and the issue was
growing. But that wasn't all. Mateo also told me about their elders,
that they believe the answers lie in the cave paintings. His people do look
at them, they look to them, he explained, yes, in general,
to help guide them in times of trouble. But the paintings he was
talking about in this case, they weren't telling them the whole story. They
seemed like maybe they were cryptic or the message was lost. Anyway, they
could not figure it out, and I could see the desperation of Mateo's eyes
as he went on saying that that was where they were hoping I could help.
They needed someone who could help them decipher and understand the message that their
ancestors left for them. They needed more of the full picture and the full
and true messages that were intended for them. Well. As he finished,
I sat there processing everything he'd just shared. Interesting for sure, and definitely
a mystery up our alley. I end things with Matteo for now. I
tell him that we'll do everything we can, and at that time I do
accept the job. And then I call on the team to organize everyone but
Rider will be coming. She's going to stay back at the warehouse in case
we need her or need anything from there. And the rest of the team
they pack up and prepare for their flight to Peru. They load up with
a lot of supplies and tools for this one. I mean, we don't
know what all to expect. We need to be ready for anything. Riders
going to constantly monitor our progress in our position during this job. As I
disconnect. You know, I just sat there. I was looking out into
the darkness, the ancient mountains of Wahilae looming in the distance. I mean,
you know how it is, guys, with these mysteries from the past,
we can never know what all they're you know what they were thinking back
then, So no matter what the job, if it involves the ancients,
we can never be all the way ready. Anyway, it was late by
then, and it was time to get some rest so we could be refreshed
to work on all of this. Mateo had me set up in a traditional
Indian house, his house, actually in a guest room of sorts. The
room is simple yet comfortable. Blankets would frame bead, had small window overlooking
the village. You know, like that this is where I would sleep,
and then there's another room that he cleaned out for us that would be our
place where we could work and research and all, I suppose just kind of
felt like it should. And I slept like a rock that night. The
next morning, I was woken up by the sunlight that was peeking over the
mountain and the windows, you know, they're just opened there, and I
could feel that crisp mountain air felt good. I don't know how many of
you have been, but Peru is beautiful. It has this ancient charm about
it. Well, anyway, after I get up and get organized, I
find Mateo all ready to go bright and early with his wide grin. We
apparently have been invited to share a morning cup of matteo de cocca. It's
a traditional Peruvian tea with some of the village elders. So Mateo leads me
to his small hut. It's aged with these woven tapestries and pillows on the
floor. Inside there are elders waiting for us. And looking at them,
you know, I see their age worn faces and I just take a moment
to myself, you know, I respect them for their knowledge in all the
years they've lived. As we settled down, the woman's brewing the tea in
the aroma. It was warm and smelled earthy and sweet. It was a
nice morning and the tea was comforting. This was kind of a meet and
greed. Okay, the team wasn't there yet, and really, I think
these guys just kind of wanted to size me up in representation of everyone else
that was coming. They asked me about some of my work, and they
welcomed me to their village. They're very proper in this way, and they
wanted to get to know me before they really explained any of their concerns about
what was going on, and Mateo prepared me for that. So it was
just a nice time. It was great getting to know them. And you
kind of felt like these guys were the ancients, right, because I don't
know hold they were, but they were looking pretty up there. I mean,
you look into their eyes and you could just tell there were years and
years and a lot of knowledge behind them. They were the keeper of all
of that. Well, while we're sitting there, Mateo gets a notification that
his contact dropped off my team at Mateo's so they've arrived. So Mateo and
I excuse ourselves and we go meet them, but you know, we'll be
back on our way. We go through the village, of course, and
I'm really looking at this point. And when I really started to look around,
I couldn't help but notice more of what was going on. I mean,
there definitely was an air of unease that sort of hung over everyone.
They all looked kind of tired. Their faces looked worried, especially looking at
us. I mean, what were we doing there? Well, especially me.
It just made everyone worry about things even more, I could tell.
And then I noticed kids that were coughing, adults clutching their chest as they
walked. I was seeing part of the mysterious illnesses that were around. I
look over to Mateo, but all he does is nod. He knows it's
out there. He told me how they are once vibrant spirits seemed diminished and
they're all overshadowed by the weight of their illnesses now and all the strangeness going
on. Once you started to see it, you know, you couldn't miss
it. It was apparent that they were all trying to go about their normal
lives. But if this kept getting worse, I could see how that would
come to an end. It would be impossible. In effect, this entire
village could die off mysteriously, and no one really would be the wiser as
to what even happened. We don't want that to happen, all right.
Well, I make a note of all of that in my head and we
go up to meet the team quickly. I welcomed them, I touch base.
But after that, Mateo and I have to break away because now we
have a lunch with the elders whom I've just met. So we leave the
team, you know, to look around and pack a bit and take it
all in, you know, maybe get some rest while we go back to
meet the elders again. And it was during this lunch that I experienced my
first anomaly firsthand. It was this powerful, chilling gust of wind. I
felt it and looked around. Everyone was startled by the sudden change in weather.
We noticed the cave, the opening to it looked extra dark in that
moment, and all the stone around the entrance looked especially silver, like it
was kind of glowing in the sunlight on a hot day. But it wasn't
that. It was just a regular day, and now there was all this
wind Suddenly, Mateo just nodded again and smiled sort of this sneaky grin.
He told me that odd things like that were happening more and more these days.
The wise elders shared that they believed that these modest incidents, like the
wind, among other things, they served as a visible indication of the upheaval
and upheaple that could soon be upon them. They told me about how everything
was connected, and they saw disturbances like this wind, for instance, and
sometimes lightning storms, and the illnesses and the crops, and that they see
all of this. It's a rumbling, he said, a divine warning from
the ancestors and the gods themselves. The cave, with its ancient cryptic paintings,
was the heart of WAYI lay, they told me. And now that
heart was changing or it was upset. But why the construction? They felt
strongly about that, though they couldn't be one hundred percent sure, or all
they were sure about is that something was happening and the clock was ticking.
They did tell mean, though, that the answer should be there. That
they're ancient stories and some of the written texts they told them, so that
the answer was there. But yet something was missing. The elders truly believe
that it's the construction and the invasion of these outsiders that's causing all the issues.
And what I learn at this lunch meeting is that although they know or
think this, they also are willing to recognize that there's a missing piece of
the puzzle here, meaning I mean, I know they said that something's missing,
but what they're actually acknowledging here is that they don't have all the information
that was supposedly transferred down to them passed down to them, like something got
lost along the way, and they're missing some of it, a crucial element
that they need to help them uncover what's going on and restore harmony in the
village. Well, with Mateo at the lead as far as getting any help,
they were looking now to me to help fill that missing piece and provide
some kind of resolution so they can feel safe again going forward and secure with
themselves as a people. They fear that these new people and the visitors that
will becoming the vacationers, that they will ruin the land and them as a
people. That if this has not stop, the village would remain in a
state of imbalance and turmoil, and their history and their ways. They would
all be lost. So my role then becomes pivotal in completing this puzzle and
helping them to try to figure out the answers that will restore the village back
to what it should be. And you know, I have to stop myself
right there for a second, because I know that a lot of my jobs
have to do with a lot of this stuff that would basically upset our entire
world. Right, most of my jobs, you know, we're looking at
impending doom. But not all jobs are alike this. You know, for
these villagers, this is their world and there's a loan for them. Saving
the world means saving their village. And we treat every job with the same
level of importance. And so even though we're tucked away in this tiny village
in Peru, this job will be just as important as anything else that we
do. It has to be or we won't get to those answers in the
end. Well, anyway, this was a different kind of job for sure,
but we had to be open. This could be something extraordinary. I
mean, their beliefs go back like two thousand years. Was this something spiritual?
Was it supernatural? I mean, what really was going on? Here.
How could construction on the other side of this cave be upsetting the village
so much. Most people say that in the western world they wouldn't even believe
any of this, But we were there and it was happening, and people
like this do believe. And after that lunch meeting, it was time for
the real work to begin on this our work. The elders told us more
about the mysterious illnesses and odd weather patterns and their link to the past.
I mean, they really stressed this, and they seem to have a good
handle on their past. But what I was going to find out here was
that they have lost some of that. It's true, some of it is
missing. They've lost part of their language, and from what they have been
able to decide for about the cave paintings, they know something's missing. It's
hard to admit, though, and unless they are at full strength, they
don't feel like they will be able to completely fight whatever's going on. The
elders fear that they as the people, are at the end of their days
and we, you, me and the team were their last hope to stop
this what they see as a takeover. It was heavy being in there for
that lunch that day, and I was really sad actually, because you know,
in the world today, when we want to move forward, it's like
we're bulldozing right. All of a sudden, there's a brand new development over
here, or a new box store over there, or someone's moving because there's
another highway going through someone's front yard. It happens so quickly. And being
there in that little village in Peru, everything was so peaceful. I really
wanted to help them. Just because some of the more modern parts of our
world advanced quickly and we like some of that, it doesn't mean that it's
right for everyone. Mateo and I finish up and then we excuse ourselves.
And even as we're walking back to his place, we saw these strange lights
flickering above the mountain as some darker clouds moved in. It literally had been
a sunny and beautiful day just moments before. Was this a coincidence, Well,
we didn't think so. Was it normal? Definitely not. Mateo just
looked at me, smirked a bit and said that apparently the gods know we
have arrived, you know, the team. And I'm thinking to myself,
well, that's just like that's lightning so are they upset we're here because we're
trying to help things, So it's kind of a mixed message. But Mateo
assured me that no, it's just a reminder as to why we need to
be there, and I get that. We get back to Mateo's and we
find the rest of the team setting up. Frankie's unloading more equipment, Harley
and Scarlet are expanding our satellite internet set up, and Jagger he's getting all,
you know, the bigger computer stuff set up alongside them. Once everything
is in place, I sync up with Rider, who had already delved deep
into the mysterious lore of Wailay as part of the prep for this job,
and by the time we get to her, she was eager to share what
she had already found. She stumbled upon an ancient legend featuring deities known as
the Coca Riku yee Waki, translated as the Guardians. According to legend,
these formidable entities were there to safeguard Wailay, preserving the delicate balance between nature
and humanity. All right, well we knew that much. In that it
would seem the elders were not mistaken. The caves could be more than mere
relics of the past. As they put it at that lunch, the cave
holds their past and holds them together. Today, I gather up the team
so we can all go over this cave, and we get over there,
and we go in and sure enough, you know, you don't have to
go in too far to start seeing the symbols and things on the walls.
I mean, this isn't just a bunch of random drawings. This was visible
proof that the ancients had something to say. These paintings always are they had
some kind of deep connection to their lives or this place. And I mean
we've all seen paintings like this right on TV or for yourself in person places
you've visited. There's always that question of what did they really mean by putting
these things out there all those years ago. When we met with the elders
earlier, they explained that they had spent a lifetime studying the cave symbols.
They believe that the symbols convey a profound message depicting harmony, the relationship between
humanity and nature, and the cycles of life and death, as well as
the sacred rituals that would ensure the well being of the land. And the
people, and so we're there were documenting each and every symbol, taking pictures
and all of that. But what all did we have to work with going
in, Well, we knew that the were a bit perplexed because they felt
there were gaps in the messaging and they sense that there was more to the
story. So we want to find that. What is it that we had
now and what was the rest of the story. We were there to fill
the gaps, unravel the full message, and stop the madness. We started
out by going through what the elders already knew and reviewing the information that had
been passed down through the generations. We went through the cave all on my
first day there with the team, and so what did we figure out with
all of that, Well, like a lot of cave paintings out there,
we saw things that seemed to just depict regular life, you know, a
way of saying, hey, we were here, and hey, here's how
we lived, maybe like an ancient time capsule or diary of how things were
in their time. And I think a lot of us when we see stuff
like this, that's exactly what we do think. But there was more to
all of this, and we knew that. The elders helped us see that,
but all we could do is start with what we did have, and
I mean, the cave is only so big at least it didn't appear to
be too big, and you know, we're not ones to just run in
and disrupt something like this. The elders took it very seriously, as did
all of the villagers. We got our sense though, you know, we're
not going to crawl to another country through this thing, but we did feel
as though it could go a bit further. There were just obstacles and things
around. It was kind of messy, so it wasn't all the way clear.
If it just went in to where we could see it, okay,
we thought we could maybe travel further. We had to get the okay from
the elders, though, to try to explore what else might be in there.
This cave is on the hillside in the village, okay, it's kind
of the center of everything. It's their symbol or their representation that this is
a community and these are a people that stick together. The cave represents all
that because it's had meaning for these people since the very beginning, and when
you're dealing with a community like this, a group of villagers that have stuck
to their old ways for so long, it actually does matter that you figure
something like this out. It's sort of how they talk about voodoo, you
know, they tell you that if you don't believe, it's not going to
work for you, but if you do believe, it's very powerful and can
be very dangerous. Also, well, it's the same theory here that we're
going to apply to this village and its people. They are heavily involved in
their ways and their beliefs, so what we do here is going to be
just as impactful one way or the other. They need answers, but they
just need this and they need help. I've got Frankie and Jagger and Scarlett
and Harley with me. Scarlett and Jagger take to going over, I mean,
inch by inch, examining that cave and every single nook and cranny of
it. Is it really true that what you see is what you get?
Well, we're going to find out now, Harley and Frankie and I we
take to the outside, and even though the elders they think were a little
bit nuts, and we find this out because when they see us crawling around
the outside out there, they send Matteo to find out what the heck we're
doing, and I explain to him that there has to be more here,
and so if we're not going to find it inside the cave, as the
elders think, I'm going to start looking outside the cave. And yes,
I realized this all started, you know, around two thousand years ago,
so it's not like I'm looking for a dropped piece of chalk or something.
I'm looking for actual clues. Obviously these ancients who were smart and clever.
My question is how clever were they? What have they done? After the
three of us have scoured enough of the outside, what we realize is that
what we've been looking over is a bunch of flat rock, just a bunch
of smooth, gray rock, and it surrounds the entire outside of this cave,
and then beyond some of that, that's where the trees start. And
thinks, But what's weird, and pretty much the only thing that we noticed
in all of that was that really there is nothing around the cave. You
don't even notice that at first, but when you really look at it,
there's nothing, literally nothing. Then it starts to hit all three of us
and we kind of look at each other all at once. This rock it's
like it's been preserved, kept clean. Maybe preserved isn't the right word.
I think what I'm looking for here is that it's really just sort of been
left alone. When you really get down and look at this, it's almost
as if it's been spared in some way protected. I mean there are no
twigs, no leaves, no messy markings and scuff marks anything on this rock.
So although we found nothing really that we could grab onto and take with
us and study, what we did find was the strangeness about the outside of
this cave. Why is this area so clean? Why does it look so
untouched? It doesn't always have to be messy, but this was definitely odd.
Scarlet and Jagger then come out of the cave after getting their pictures.
I mean, they didn't really find any more of the same paintings, but
what they did find, I have to say it was absolutely extraordinary. So
Jagger and Scarlet they crawled every inch of the place to see if there was
anything in there that nobody has found for two thousand years. A tough job,
but you know, when things are left alone, I mean it's great,
but there could be stuff inside that no one found because nobody went looking.
It's sort of like discovering the tombs, right. You would not know
that anything's out there in all that sand until you started digging. And they're
still finding stuff. Some people are against this kind of thing, as are
the people in this village. Yet in order to get them some answers,
we had to keep exploring. So that's exactly what Scarlet and Jagger did.
They calmed every corner an inch of that place, and as they got deeper
into some of the smaller passages because they were able to move stuff out of
the way, like I said, the boulders and rocks and things. They
had to dig through all of that, but they did find that there were
some other places to go. And as they got deeper into some of those
smaller passages, they said that they started to sort of feel this pole.
It was like an instinct that they were getting or excitement. They could feel
it like they were getting somewhere, sort of like opening a present at Christmas,
you know, you want to know what's in there. Well, they
followed these instincts and it led them right into a hidden chamber. They had
to move this small pile of rocks to get past this last area. But
it was all dark back there, and I don't know if any of you
have ever experienced to kave blackness, but once you really get in there,
you cannot see a thing. I mean, they had their head lamps and
things. They're feeling around. They're crawling around and looking around. They get
past all their barriers. When they get to this space, their eyes fall
upon this bundle. It's all wrapped and aged and tattered cloth. Scarlet's the
one that reaches out for it, and when she does, she actually uses
her jacket, so she gently puts it in there, and she carries it
around in the jacket so she doesn't disturb it, and she gets it out
of there. We take a look. It's a scroll. Well, so
we immediately go back to Matao's because we have to check this thing out in
a private and protected environment. We don't want anyone else involved until we know
what this is. So we get back there and we close ourselves off in
one of the rooms that we're using, you know, the one for our
research and stuff, and we start to unpack this thing. Jagger kind of
takes over and he's gently unwrapping it and he starts to unravel the cloth the
scroll, and we see that there are things written down on it, albeit
faded ink, but it's there. This parchment had defied the odds. I
mean, it had been preserved by the very environment that had shield it from
time as it passed. The pages were old and they were weathered, but
we could see there were ancient symbols on there, and we knew that it
I had to hold a part of the story, hopefully a piece that they
were missing. So after we get a good look at what is there,
we take it down to the elders. They know we are there to help,
and they accept us. They accept us, but they're also extremely shocked.
I mean, you have to know that these people are a people that
don't seek and destroy, which is kind of what we just did in their
eyes. You know. What I mean is that they don't just walk into
something old and take everything and rummage through everything all of that. They don't
have fancy museums to put their stuff in. They just like to leave it
where it is, where it was meant to be. The cave was the
cave. Those people have been there for centuries. They never went looking for
more. They were at peace, and they wanted to keep the peace.
They would never have thought to dig around the cave any further and move stones
and boulders to explore what else might be there. It's what it was,
and they left it alone. I have to say they were surprised, and
they did smile at the finding, but at the same time you could see
that they were also, you know, a little bit scared because to them,
we have disturbed something that was placed somewhere on purpose to be left alone.
You know, it could have been left for them. But they're very
scared of this kind of stuff, things that we shouldn't have touched. In
their eyes, you know, they were scared of that kind of thing.
Like I said, so we really had to delicately explain to them that we
needed this information or we couldn't find out exactly what was going on here,
and we assured them that we could put everything back the way it was.
I mean, at first, they really didn't want to see the scroll,
if I'm being honest, but they were excited and they were tempted. They
were trying to be strong and leave it alone. But at the end of
the day they did see my point and they agreed to help and try to
learn what we could from this old scroll. So, working with them,
we start to decipher what's in there. This was not a simple task,
you know, the language had evolved over the passage of countless years. Piece
by piece, though, we reconstructed the meaning and worked to capture the essence
of the wisdom that was left for these guys by their predecessors. The translation,
though not literal, it resonated with our understanding, and it basically spoke
of the profound connection between the people and the land, urging them to let
the spirits guide their steps and to recognize that their strength lay in unity.
It emphasized the need to preserve their sacred space and a sacred balance that existed,
for it was within this delicate equilibrium that they're true and ancient power thrived
and could live on. And all of this sounded good, and things were
starting to fall into place a bit, but we were still missing something.
Harley read that translation over and over and over again in the background of our
conversations with the elders. You know, we're all just sort of sitting there
in this quiet discussion, and all of a sudden she blurts out that there
just has to be more. I mean, we all know it now.
At first we didn't really know what she was talking about exactly, but she
does explain it and it made sense. The way that we've been translating.
This tells us that there is a tie from the past to the present and
somehow this location, this place, or this cave is where their history is
preserved. Right now, we could settle with the paintings and say that the
paintings and symbols are what the big deal is, but Harley is just convinced
that there has to be more, something bigger. The written words talk about
the balance and the ancient power, and after we talk about it, we
all agree that she is probably right. What is this ancient power that is
protecting them supposedly can't just be the paintings, ken it. I mean,
there has to be something else. We discuss it with the elders and it's
back to the cave we go. We're looking for more now. This time
it's me, Harley and Jagger that go in. Scarlett and Frankie go back
to Mateos to upload our findings to ride her because we need to keep her
in the loop. Pretty much every step of the way, we get to
the cave and Harley and I are kind of in front and back and we
go where the scroll were and that's really where her and Jagger left off.
I mean, this was a big find, so they didn't venture in too
much further. It was all rocky and everything looked the same. You know,
if you looked around, so you might not really even notice anything.
It kind of did look like you were at the end. But we really
got in there close and inspected it. We were seriously looking for anything.
We were feeling the walls, looking at the ceiling, crawling on the floor.
It felt like we were in there forever, but we finally do get
somewhere. We noticed a subtle shift in the rock formation in this one area.
There was a part of this cave wall that seemed slightly uneven, like
it didn't really fit right. It didn't really seem natural to the place.
And you know, a lot of people just would have not even noticed this.
We're looking for it though. When we see something like that, it's
a draw for us. We can't help ourselves but check it out, because
when things like this are not normal stands out to us. Usually it's a
sign that something's been touched or altered, and sure enough, part of that
rock gives way and we find another narrow passageway behind it. We can't see
what's at the end of it, but we go in because we're going to
find out. As we enter that passageway, still all dark, you know,
we have our head lamps, but the air grew denser, and just
being deep in there, you kind of felt this sense of age and mystery
that had been absorbed by the walls. The further in we venture, the
stronger that sensation of age became, and this chill started to run down our
spines. It was enough that we talked about it as we went. I
mean, we all were feeling it. There was a lot going on in
this village that you couldn't see, and it was definitely happening in that cave.
Now, after we had gone for just a little bit, the passageway
took on a different character. It started revealing signs of previous human presence.
We spot places where old torches used to hang there, blackened marks still visible
on the walls. It becomes evident that we are not the first ones to
set foot in this hidden passage, and the realization it sends another chill down
our spines, and then we finally land in this actual chamber. We set
our lights down and around so we could look at everything. There were intricate
carvings depicting scenes of ancient rituals and different figures, And after looking around at
all of that, we're then drawn to this pedestal at the center of the
chamber. On top of it, very shockingly, we're six tombs, each
decorated with these red stones around the sides, look like little red jewels.
And I've seen that before, you know, and other ancient sort of things
that I've worked on, So this must have been a thing back then.
But there it is, right in front of us. We each grab a
light and we start to walk up to them, careful not to disturb the
sanctity of the chamber. Whoever these people were, they must have held great
significance. They must be honored ancestors. Could it be that these ancient souls
who had all these years safeguarded the village and its secrets. That's what it
was starting to look like. As we studied the intricate details of the tombs,
we could see, I mean, someone took a lot of care with
them. The carvings alone were crazy. We're admiring all of this with a
ton of thoughts, you know, flooding through our minds. And then I
realized that the grand elder, who we had met now multiple times, he
also had a red jewel, a similar jewel to the rock on the tombs.
He worried around his neck and I noticed it against his white robe.
This was definitely an incredible find finding all of this, and before we wanted
to do anything else, we had to gather up Mateo and the elders.
Clearly, suffice it to say, the elders and Mateo, they were all
in shock. How did they not know that all of that was there?
What we got was what we've talked about and what we figured. I mean,
these kind of people, they just don't go out exploring their areas for
anything and everything that they can steal from the past. Instead, they choose
to respect the past and move forward in a peaceful manner. They had no
idea any of this was out there. I could see that the grand elder
was actually kind of sad after a bit while we were talking and showing them
pictures, and he admitted that as good as they've tried to be, it
seems that they have lost more than they realized over time, and he regretted
that. His mood did start to pick up though as we were talking and
he was getting more intrigued about our find How could he not, But at
the same time, he kept saying he felt guilty that we had disturbed anything
in order to solve their latest problem. He feels that over time they have
let people down. When he looks back on all of it, I assure
him that that is what we're trying to help him with. It's very confusing
for them. You know, we need to get back some of their true
history and we have to dig around to find it what was meant for them,
as well as restore the balance. It did seem to calm him and
the others, but we still had more work to do. We asked him
to tell us about the red jewel that he wears around his neck. Does
he believe it's related to those on the tombs? And in that quiet room,
surrounded by all the elders, we eagerly listened to the grand as he
shared the story behind the red Stone, a tale that had been passed down
through the generations. He was proud of this. He spoke of a time
long ago when their ancestors first settled in this land, guided by ancient spirits
and connected to the natural world. According to the legends, the red stone
held a deep symbolism for their people. It represented the very essence of their
heritage and the connection they had with the earth. He explained that when the
sun's rays cast a warm glow upon the land, illuminating it with a reddish
hue, its served as a daily reminder to the villagers of their roots,
their traditions, and their duty to preserve the balance. The red earth,
where the sun kissed the ground, was a sacred place, a symbol of
their ancestral bond with the land. It reminded them of the cyclical nature of
life, the constant ebb and flow of energy and the seasons. This is
what the red jewel meant to them, and it was great stuff. The
only thing that he said that we were a little confused about was that he
also said that to live by those beliefs it meant that they would not be
punished. So they were avoiding punishment by living this way, and the punishment
would have come from the beast. That's what they were avoiding. The beast.
So, I mean, this thing just kept on getting weirder. A
beast. What the heck did he mean by that? We had no concrete
answers here. We left that meeting and we all just went back to the
mountain. I mean, we thought the elders would come with us, but
they were uncomfortable enough with our fine, they didn't want to, you know,
be the ones disturbing anything. They were just too superstitious about it.
And that was fine. We went back and really we were kind of on
the hunt for whatever this beast thing was, and that's all they knew about
it, by the way, you know, beware of the beast. The
villagers didn't know what the beast was, and they didn't want to know.
They were glad they didn't know. We've been to that town, We've been
to the elders, we've been to the mountain and the cave. What were
we missing? We were about to go back to Mateos after we had just
kind of looked around over the mountain. We wanted to hook up with Rider
and learn more about this culture and try to dig out whatever more we can.
At the last second, though, as we're all about to leave,
I decided to stay, I get Jagger's camera and I just stay out there
by myself, of course, I mean the team offered to stay with me.
But the other things to do, you know, find out what kind
of jewels were, dealing with old customs, rituals, anything about the language,
things like that. We still had a lot of work to do.
It was better if we only lost one of us, and it was going
to be me. And I wasn't even exactly sure why I wanted to stay
out there, but I just felt the urge to do so. So there
I was. The sun was going down, There was a warm glow over
everything. The air was cool and crisp, and it was totally quiet,
except for some rustling of leaves and the distant calls of some night animals out
there. As darkness settles in, it all became about light and shadows out
there. I was fixated on that stone surrounding the cave opening, and I
kept wondering, why is it so open and clear? I mean, nothing
was on it, Why so clean? And even as it was getting darker,
why so bright? It still was bright even as the sun was going
down. I swore something was up with that crazy stone looked physical right,
just looked like a stone, big rock, but maybe there was something also
spiritual about it in some way I just didn't know. With Jagger's camera in
my hand, I start walking and looking around some more the rock, the
stone surface, it's rough and it is lit by the moonlight, but you
know, it seemed extra lit up to me with its pale gray. I'm
looking at it, and then it was like the shifting hues of light and
shadow they were starting to play tricks on my eyes. I was starting to
see, you know, peculiar shapes on the rock. It was like there
was this pulsating unseen energy all around me, and you know, I'm thinking,
Okay, maybe I'm just getting tired, maybe it's the night light,
and I try to just shake it off. That didn't last long, though.
Suddenly I'm drawn to a particular section of the stone wall. I look,
and it really did appear as though light was flickering or sort of dancing
just above the stone, bouncing off its surface. I raised the camera,
attempting to capture it, hoping it was actually something what it looked like so
you can picture it. It was like a water reflection, something you'd see
at a pool, for instance. The light was like that reflecting off the
stone, but it was hovering above the stone. That makes sense. I
noticed the one. I tried to get my shots, and then I moved
on. I mean, if this was just a light trick on my eyes,
I didn't need to dwell on it. So I hike up as far
as I can on this stone rock, all the way at the incline,
until I'm almost to the trees. I turn around and I take a seat
in the moonlight. The village still had lights going. I heard some people
laughing way off in the distance. The town was in its nighttime wine down.
It was pretty simple around there. It's not like they had a nightlife.
They were probably tucking in their kids and stuff like that. It was
pretty neat sitting up there, looking down at everything. I was imagining living
there, living that life so different than what I know. Peaceful, of
course, but as you can imagine, that thought didn't last too long.
Number one, I like the busy mess that my work can be too much.
And number two, I noticed something more light tricks caught my eye on
the gray rock. I mean, you could barely see it, but it
was there, and I knew it was there, and there was actually quite
a bit of it. Once I really got out there and started looking,
it was like little pockets of water reflection scattered across this stone. I got
more pictures, or I tried to. I also used my sat phone to
call down to the team. I need someone at the bottom to tell me
if they can see what I see, they'd have a much better view of
the side, you know, of this rock wall from there than I can
from up top. I get a hold of Scarlet and she and Frankie they
rush out to observe. But during that time, though this tiny cloud moved
in front of the moon, I mean that tiny almost, and nothing interrupt
It stopped all my dancing lights all at once, and I get a call
from Scarlett. They're out there, but they see nothing this I know.
The three of us go back and we all look over and study the blurry
and indistinct photos that I took during this elusive spectacle. We were all disappointed
because the images failed to capture the essence of what I absolutely witnessed. It
seemed as though the mystical nature of the scene had eluded the camera's lens,
almost leaving us with nothing but faint traces of the truth. We couldn't find
any references or explanations for these dancing lights in our research that correlated with the
villagers beliefs. It was still a puzzle we needed to solve, and we
agreed to try again the next day. We needed some rest. We would
get up and get set up, and then we would keep watch over that
stone in Klinewall and Cave twenty four seven, if that's what it would take
to see those light reflections again and try to figure ye're all this out.
So the next day we get up, we think we're ready, but there
was a surprise. The construction was back. Yeah, I remember all of
that well. The whole day then was filled with these sounds of what they
were doing. It just echoed through the place. We got close enough for
a look and saw everything moving about and every one we saw. They also
had brought trailers to stay on site, which meant that they might be there
for a while this time. As the sun went down that day, we
all gathered up once again at the rock inclining Cave. Frankie and I left
and headed further on toward the glow of the construction site. We find it
all set up with their artificial lights and machines. We didn't expect it,
but they were still working. They were digging and working away. They planned
on working through the night, it looked like, and it just stayed that
way for quite a while, no extraordinary events. Hours turned into what seemed
like eternity as we just sat there patiently waiting, waiting for really anything.
The construction was causing inexplicable things to happen in the village, so they thought
illnesses and things, but nothing was happening on that night. There wasn't even
a cloud in the sky, no lightning, no wind. And speaking of
I get a note from Harley while we're there that they were getting some shots
of the light reflections they were happening on the rocks, and they were getting
a great view of them from below. They could see the whole rock wall.
She and the rest of the team that were there were taking turns keeping
an eye on the stone Incline Cave, And so she happened to be there
when all this is going on, and she tells me that they're going to
get what they can and then they'll just meet us back at Mateo's whenever we're
done. So I'm excited that that's happening. And while that is happening,
we still have nothing until until right when the moon reached its peak. Suddenly
there was this hush that settled over that construction site. I mean, both
Frank and I are looking, were straining to see what's going on. And
all we see, though, is that the machinery has gone silent. Everything
stopped. We could see the workers. They were starting to gather and they
were trying to figure out what was going on. They also seemed confused.
And then, as if on que the night sky grew darker, and a
subtle breeze whispered through the valley, the first of anything any action all night.
The air became charged with an electric energy, and it sent this huge
wave of anticipation, I guess you'd say through me. It was like a
very chilling thrill just rippled through me my body, expecting something crazy to happen.
And it was right, because things started. There was a faint rumble
emanating from deep within the mountain, resonating through the ground beneath our feet.
The rocks were quivering and they shook, as if the stone itself had wakened
from a deep slumber. The very earth seemed to vibrate all around us.
I look at Frankie and he just looks up and out. I mean,
aliens, is something going to rise up out of the ground or what?
While in the dim light, there's a flicker and it catches our attention,
both of us. We turned to look at the stone wall and we both
see it. More of those dancing lights, the same ones I had witnessed
before, colors swirling and twisting, forming these intricate little patterns on the surface
of the stone. Frankie looked at me and I nodded, yep, that
was it. And I call Harley and they can hear some of what's going
on also, And then everything gets louder and she starts to warn us.
She starts yelling. Actually, so things are happening on her side, and
she's yelling for us to get to safety. Not exactly sure what all she
sees, but she's telling us that we have to get away from that construction
zone. Now, Frankie and I have no idea what she's talking about,
or what she sees or anything, but we would never take a warning like
this from another team member. Lightly. This is all we need to hear.
Light show we're not. We were out of there. We took off
immediately, running down and over to get away from the construction and to where
Harley and or the rest of the team is. We're doing pretty good,
I mean we're really moving. Branches are hitting us in the face. I
slipped and fell once. Frankie took a large branch to the gut. It's
hard to see through all of that in the night. While we're running,
even though we did up our flashlights and headlamps and things. While when we're
almost there, we hear a loud cracking and there are little gray stones starting
to roll down the mountain in front of us. We look up and emerging
from the depths of that big slab rock, we see a figure materialize right
in front of us. It was a beast. The beast, the one
we read about and we're told about, long dormant, but now revealing itself.
Now we could get it. The cave, the protective mountain, the
tombs, the history inside. The construction threatened all of that, and now,
in all of its ancient glory, the Beast is here, awakened to
protect and protect it did, And like I said, we had little rocks
and things vibrating down the mountain, but what we saw above us I was
serious, major boulders being tossed by this beast, thrown down onto the construction
site. We'd find out later that by that point all the construction guys had
found their trucks and they were already speeding down the mountain at that time,
so no person was actually hurt, but the site, well, let's just
say that whatever they had going on there was no longer. Eventually, the
rucis was causing bigger rocks to slide down and roll in our direction. So
we get on the move again, weaving through it all, trying to stay
more in the trees because they could help break some of what was coming down.
We come up on this really large rock and so we just jump onto
it without realizing it. We had made it to the other side, and
now we're closer to where Harley and the gang are. Frankie and I get
up on that rock. We stand up to look up and slightly behind us,
and just as we did that, it started to rain. We could
see this large gray beast. Its eyes were glowing and its arms were flailing.
Rocks were flying everywhere. The beast was a bit awkward, I have
to say, but I mean it had been stuck for a long time in
that rock. But it didn't stop this thing. I mean it may have
been awkward, but it still was a full on force, and I mean
this just went on. And finally, when it appeared to be through,
that beast just stood there, tall and resolute, the construction site in total
shambles below. The beast raised its arms and roared out, looking to the
skies. It was met with lightning, and a lot of it loud thunder
also met back its growls and roars. Jagger spotted us and he and Harley
and Scarlett joined Frankie and I that rock. There was really nothing to do
but watch it all unfold. This creature had wreaked havoc upon the construction site,
reducing it to rubble and chaos. Rocks and debris flew through the air,
propelled by the beasts immense power, while thunder and lightning added an other
worldly backdrop to the whole thing. I mean, it all was just surreal.
But as suddenly as it had erupted, that storm began to subside.
The beast, its task seemingly complete, stood there, surveying the destruction it
had wrought. Its arms slowly lowered, and a profound calmness settled over the
mountain. As we stood there in awe, the beast's piercing eyes actually met
ours, conveying a silent message. It was a reminder of the delicate balance
that existed between humanity and the natural world, a serious one, a warning
to respect the ancient ways and preserve the sacred harmony that bound these people to
the earth. And then, just like that, amidst the lingering scent of
rain and the distant rumble of receding thunder, this beast began to transform once
again. Its form, which had been standing tall, exuding an aura of
ancient power, was now softening and crumbling. This beast was folding back into
its original shape with a graceful, get still awkward, a bit movement.
The beast melded into the very fabric of that mountain, merging into and behind
really with that smooth, gray rock surrounding the cave entrance. It was literally
as if time had reversed the surface of the stone, moving and shifting seamlessly,
concealing this creature's existence. The contours of the rocks smoothed out erasing any
trace of the beast's recent presence. It became once again silent and just stone
guarding the secrets held within the depths of that cave. We watched on as
the mountain regained its serenity, as if the ancient spirits had deemed their message
delivered and their protection restored. That rain turned into a gentle sprinkle. It
kind of felt like everything was getting a cleanse if you will. After all
of that, the dark clouds above us parted, revealing the stars that were
twinkling extra bright. It was as if they were applauding the job the beast
had done. Jagger, Harley, Scarlet, Frankie and I we stood together.
Our hearts are still pounding with adrenaline, but we were also slowly calming
down. We exchanged wordless glances. Nobody said a word. We understood what
we had witnessed. It was not just an extraordinary event, but it was
a sacred testament to the bond between the villagers and their ancestral land. They're
very different than a lot of us living in the cities, in regular suburb
but this is a true way of life for these people, and it just
is what it is in the aftermath, the beast's display of power was done.
Everything was silent again. We descended from the rock, making our way
back toward the cave entrance. The smooth gray surface, once a canvas for
dancing lights and mystical patterns, Now it appeared again, untouched, as if
that chaos that had just unfolded moments ago didn't even happen. Everything was back
to the way it was. Made a lot more sense now why that rock
was so pristine. It was another layer of protection. It was sacred,
blessed somehow. We decided not to go in the cave. Things had been
disturbed enough for one day, and instead we go back to Mateo's. We
were actually surprised that there wasn't a big gathering starting. You know, where
were all the villagers? Did they not hear all of this? As we
walked through the village, we didn't see anyone. It was nighttime and everyone
seemed like they were just in bed as usual. But how could they have
missed what just happened? We had no idea, But on our way back
we actually run into Mateo. That's where we were headed, but he was
on his way to us. He's out of breath, as he came jogging
up to us in the dark, and all he said was that we had
to hurry and that we had to go to the elders. At the same
time, while we're walking, Harley calls out for everyone to just stop.
She wants us to look at what she has on her camera, what she
captured when she was taking pictures of that side of the mountain where the stone
was. She had gotten pictures of those water reflections, those lights that I
saw dancing on the stone earlier. We all huddle around her camera quickly,
and we're curious taking her shots of the lights from a distance, you know,
and how she had her camera settings and things. The images came out
much better than mine from above. And also she had a clearer view of
all of it. I kind of had a side view of these lights while
I was up there, but she saw what they were doing, and she
saw and see they were forming symbols, dancing symbols on top of that rock.
They seem to only show themselves in that moonlight, and barely even then,
we definitely see that they are symbols. We have no idea what it
is or what they're trying to say. And on the camera, it's too
small for us to really look at anyway. So Harley goes back to Mateo's
with Frankie and Jagger and Scarlett. They're going to upload her images to a
computer work with Rider check them out, and in the meantime, Mateo and
I will go down and meet the elders as requested. So we're there and
we're talking about what happened, and I'm explaining to them the beast and all
of this stuff, and they're taking it really well. Actually, in talking
about the beast, you know, or the elders thought that it would be
the villagers that would be punished if they didn't you stick to their way of
life. That really wasn't it. We discovered here that the threat was not
to them. The beast was protection for them. This would be one of
those pieces of their own information that had been lost were time and sadly,
and I've said it before, this happens across the world, in different cultures
and with different generations. All of the time. We think we know things,
okay, but unless we're going to seriously document our lives and our families
and things, we can't know for sure. Later here they had the entire
thing backwards with this beast. They were relieved to know the difference. As
we're sitting there going over everything, we hear a tap on the wooden door
and it's Harley. They have deciphered what was on the surface of that stone
wall protecting the cave the best they could. They translated it to respect the
sacred land and tread with care lest the beast rises and all despair. So
we had the scroll, the tombs, the beast information, and now we
have this translation that Harley brought to us. With everything we were sharing and
bringing to light, you almost could see the sense of pride on the elder's
faces. And I mean that these guys leaved in their ancient knowledge and traditions
so much, and you could see there was a pride and excitement building inside
of them because they were seeing their beliefs in action and they were learning more
about it. We were filling in some of those gaps, and for us,
no matter how you look at it, there was something to it,
all their beliefs. It's not like we weren't witnessed to the happenings as well,
and a lot of it could never and won't ever be explained in any
sort of accepted way. There was a force there. You could not deny
it. Plane and simple, and I mean they were able to provide us
some information as well. We learned things too. The dancing lights, that
was a tough one, and the gray stone had to be some ritual or
blessing something like that way back in the day, because why the stone was
the way it was, why the cave was the way it was, the
dancing lights. Honestly, there was no explanation. It would not fit any
sort of scientific theory. This was something that was put upon the place by
people that believed in what they did, and it was done a very long
time ago. As far as why the villagers did not wake up, we
were told it was kind of a safeguard that was also put on the village,
something that would ensure that the villagers stayed safe, keeping them from harm
and chaos, especially while that awakened beast unleashed its power. They knew about
this from some of the stories that had been passed down that this beast could
happen, but they didn't know anything about it. They fully believed in this
now though, and they fully believed that it was the ancients and their powers
that allowed for any of this to happen, this protective state on the village.
In all that they said, their words for us painted a picture of
a delicate balance really, where the villagers have a deep respect for their ancestral
heritage and the sacred harmony of the land working with them. It was all
crucial to their existence and the way they lived their lives. The awakening of
the beast here, and now that they understood it for what it really was,
it served as a powerful reminder that the intrusion of outsiders and the disturbance
of the sacred grounds threatened that delicate balance, and this just could not be.
I think that what was really sort of interesting for us and different was
the fact that they were so calm. They were the kind of people that
would just accept what was I mean, Okay, if the beast was no
threat to them, and it was a threat to others, then that was
even better. And they were okay and calm with that. They absolutely and
truly believed about the magic that had been put on the place, spells sort
of or some sort of ancient protection, and in their beliefs, it actually
worked, and we saw it for ourselves it actually did work. We were
all up extremely late, and things were a little bit crazy because we were
looking at everything. But in the morning, the elder were still ready ready
for what they knew was going to happen, even after everything that happened the
day before. They were up and they were prepared, prepared for the fact
that one of the construction or business guys about all this project that was going
on was going to show up. And sure enough they came busting in on
the village to try to find out if they knew what had happened the night
before. I mean, their entire site was ruined. Was it them who
had destroyed that construction site? This guy wanted to know? And I mean
the villagers were definitely out that day, and so were we. We sat
by closely in a nearby little cafe thing that was set up outside, and
we had some coffee and some things, and we were watching that elder's hut
though we were anxiously waiting to see what that western or visitor was going to
do. But I have to say we were all pretty disappointed. The guy
came out after kind of a long bit, I guess, and although he
seemed to be a little disturbed, and he was huffing a bit. He
did nothing. He actually was kind of startled by all of us just sitting
out there, and we were all looking up at him right then, and
he just nodded us, shifted his bag on his shoulder, and then he
took off. Mateo went into the hut immediately after that to find out what
had been going on, but he didn't really get any information, not really.
The grand elder just told him that things would be okay now. And
that's, you know, how it was for these guys. That's just how
it is for people like this. They're not going to focus on the intimidations
and issues that happened, like so many of us would do, even in
our everyday lives. I mean, the little things that can get to you
and can even ruin your whole day, that's how we live. But that's
not the case there there. It was over and they were just moving on.
It was that simple. Everything was just the way it was. The
construction had come to a halt, and that was it. Not all the
way satisfying. It was different, but I can say, you know,
we accepted it. It's just the way it is over there. All the
jobs we do, I mean they all come to a halt at some point
when they're done. It was no different here, it was just different the
way they were handling it. We're from the modern world, though, and
even though these villagers, they all thought, Hey, the whole universe just
went back to normal. We knew better and we wanted to find out what
was going on with those construction guys with this project. We find out turns
out that the construction workers who had witnessed the unleashed fury of the awakened Beast,
they were utterly terrified by the events that transpired before their eyes. As
the rocks and debris flew through the air and the ground shook beneath them,
panic gripped their hearts and survival instincts kicked in, hence all of them bolting
for their trucks after the equipment just stopped on them without any ascitation. I
mean, these guys, they abandoned their posts and they fled for their lives,
scrambling for their trucks, full of pure fear, their adrenaline overpowering any
sense of exhaustion or discomfort or rationale. I mean, their minds were filled
with a mixture of disbelief and horror. Their site was violently being destroyed with
no mind for them, right in front of them, by something they could
not understand or even believe themselves. And in the aftermath of all of this,
if they tried to talk to anyone, nobody believed them. There were
no articles about this, nothing happened. But some of these workers were never
the same. Some of them left construction and went on to do other things.
Didn't want anything to do with it. These construction guys had unknowingly disrupted
the delicate balance between progress and ancient traditions. And whether you want to believe
it or not, I guess you can only avoid it for so long if
you get too close to the beast. If you will, it will get
you. And that's true about a lot of things, isn't it. But
it was especially true here. The major company involved here, by the way,
and I'm not allowed to mention who that is, they also stayed quiet
about this. It's like they were never there. Oh. I'm sure they'll
try again, at least somewhere in the area, because places like this inevitably
seem to become tourist spots. But if it's pushed too far in certain areas,
at what point will we on the modern side lose? When will the
ancient powers truly win? And could they? Could they reverse a lot of
what we've done here, or take over and bring things back to basic sort
of reset the earth. Seems like we tempted all the time, each and
every day, don't we. And until something happens that affects more than just
one area like this, human progress is going to continue. Maybe someday we'll
meet our match. Though we spent our last day in the village. We
gathered up our items at Mateo's things like that, but we were a bit
sad to leave that place. I mean, it was a short time that
we spent there, but we connected with so much. A lot was unraveled
right before us. We were happy, though that we could bring in some
of our modern technology and knowledge to help them with this. We actually were
able to restore some of the beliefs that had been lost over time, and
we were able to clarify some misconceptions about some of their own stories. All
we can do after leaving there is hope that their peace lasts for a long
time, undisturbed by the rest of the world moving around them. There are
still many areas like this left in the world. Guys. We forget about
it all the time in our every day scramble to get our own things done.
I think we all get so wrapped up in our own immediate world that
we don't quite realize that the world is a big place and there are a
lot of different parts to it. This part was special. I hope it
can stay that way for many years to come. And that's all for this
story, guys, in this episode today, But now there are many more
stories to share. Thank you for listening today to this job. I appreciate
you taking the time to be here with me. Until next time, guys,
and I will talk to you all soon.