The Search for the Fountain of Youth

The Search for the Fountain of Youth 1st Chapter

5,451 Years Ago

A razor-sharp spear whirled through the air slicing a generous chunk of flesh and cartilage from A'ktun's left ear as he fled for his life. The projectile landed in a stand of bushes while he ran as fast as he could through the dense undergrowth of the forest. Bloodied and in pain, he pressed forward.

He counted six chasing him. While his ear screamed in agony from where the spear clipped his flesh, their shouts were even louder. As he ran through the forest, dozens of birds and unseen animals on the forest floor scattered amid a cacophony of shrieks, growls, and howls.

A'ktun possessed one stone-tipped spear and an old dagger he honed from the bones of a giant bear he killed many years ago during his travels in the northwest. Despite his great skill with these weapons, he didn't stand a chance against the half dozen armed pursuers.

He didn't know why they were angry and hunting him.

At the point where the spear pierced his ear, the strange, perfect people had been hunting him for five minutes. He was thankful that he was in excellent shape.

Another spear whizzed past his head, missing by mere inches. They were aiming high, perhaps unaware of their own strength. It wouldn't be long before they adjusted and targeted the easier to hit area of his torso.

He needed to lose these guys soon. They did not tire or slow. A'ktun knew a river flowed to his left. He angled in that direction with his pursuers close on his tail.

A'ktun crashed through another row of bushes, arriving at the edge of a swiftly moving river. Before he could consider the danger inherent in jumping into a body of water containing huge lizards with snapping jaws, he leaped off the bank and into the rushing torrent.

The natives emerged from the jungle as A'ktun's head bobbed to the surface downstream. The two who still possessed spears flung them at A'ktun but missed their mark.

Before they began chasing him, he was searching for shelter from a pounding rainstorm, A'ktun had stepped into a grotto deep within a cave where a bizarre ritual had been in progress.

Orange and red embers from torches on the cave walls illuminated the grotto. A narrow walkway decorated with a yellowish metal rimmed a glassy pool of water reflecting the torchlight. Strong young men carried in their arms people who looked old, sick, and decrepit along the left side of the pool. They paused before entering the water and stripped off their garments, leaving them naked. The men lifted the older individuals into the waist deep water.

A'ktun stayed silent as he watched one aged man being carried into the pool, he remained silent. He didn't want to alert them to his presence

Then a strange thing happened which defied explanation.

The carrier set the older man free. A'ktun watched as the elderly man dunked his head under the black waters and stayed there for several seconds before breaking the surface. After the water finished cascading off his head and shoulders, A'ktun saw that he had changed!

Before, the man looked close to death. Now he appeared more youthful and vibrant. The young-looking individuals looked upon their transformed bodies with awe and jubilation etched on their unlined faces. Their skin appeared smooth and flawless.

The young/old man climbed out of the pool. A woman wearing an intricate headdress made of multi-colored jewels and a shiny yellow material greeted him bearing garments dyed a deep shade of blue.

A'ktun yelped and interrupted the otherwise silent ceremony. Everyone to turned in his direction. The woman pointed a finger at A'ktun and shouted something in a tongue he did not understand, but he took the command's meaning: Get him!

That began the chase for his life ending with a jump in the river. As he floated to safety, A'ktun looked back and saw the inhabitants shouting curses in his direction. He took a deep breath and was relieved that he escaped death with only an injured ear.

He could disregard this one region as a place of future habitation for his people.

That didn't mean he wouldn't return someday himself to investigate further the miracles he saw in that cave.