Thorpe's Candle

THE TEMPLE

Skyler floated on his back and studied the dark green canopy of the jungle fifteen meters over his head. The dawn tried to penetrate down into the ancient sacrificial well which he knew was called a cenote. The dim light revealed precious little of his prison. He could just make out the circular shape of the limestone walls, pitted and etched with age and erosion. He had managed to survive the night by climbing onto a small ledge sticking out from the wall. The dog had not been so lucky having struck the wall on the way down. It lived for only a half hour before sinking below the surface to join the bones of human and animal sacrifices from centuries before.

Ages ago, the naturally formed sinkhole accepted offerings to the gods that were believed to help bring rain, abundant crops, or victory against an enemy. Those that were tossed into its black depth never escaped — the sheer walls made sure of that. But the eons of abandonment, the cycles of flood and drought, and the unrelenting intrusion of the jungle made escape not easy, but at least possible. Thick vines and roots draped down the sides of the well in a snake-like tapestry. Combined with the pitted limestone, the plant-ropes would be Skyler’s way out. With a mighty heave, he grabbed hold of the lowest hanging vine and pulled himself out of the rancid slime. Soon, he had worked his way to the lip of the cenote and crawled over the edge onto the jungle floor.

Skyler stood and took in his surroundings. If a search party had come looking for him, there was no sign of it. During the hours he lay on the ledge in the cenote, he heard nothing that would signal they were hunting him. Perhaps they believed he had followed the road further inland. Its gradual incline must lead to the mountains he spotted when he was taken from the sub. Although the jungle surrounded him, at his feet was the slightest hint of a stone path leading away from the sinkhole. He wondered how many victims stood on the last stone at the edge of the cenote before being thrown into the blackness.

He followed the partially overgrown stone path that zigzagged through thick vegetation. The incline became more noticeable, and at one point turned into steps. Then out of the emerald gloom, a structure appeared. A two-story temple covered in green moss. Vines and roots slowly strangled the ancient building in an eternal death grip. The temple blended into its surroundings like a ghost from a lost civilization.

There were four entrances across the front all leading to a single interior space, probably where the sacrificial victims were prepped for their final journey down the stone path. As Skyler approached one of the doorways, he heard a faint whimpering — his first thought was possibly an injured animal. He moved slowly into the dark interior but could see nothing. The sound came from a far corner and increased as he took one more step inside. It became a mixture of crying and muffled attempts to speak.

As he moved further into the room, he could just make out a human form huddled in a corner — hands and feet bound, a hood covered the head. He stood over the trembling body — a woman. Reaching, he pulled the hood away.

“Sweet Jesus! Candy!”