Prologue - Professor Kanori Ryoji, Archaeologist

It’s early morning deep in the Tumbala mountains of Mexico. The sunrise outside the ruins must be magnificent, however my focus is on the ancient cave paintings that we found beneath the ruins.

While I observe, my weary students use tiny battery-powered hand blowers to brush away the last of the dust. The light of our headlamps reveal the patterns of the crude dyes that are stained into the rock wall.

“Professor, this appears to be an early image of the peoples of the area. Look here, is this a llama being led on a leash? This is clear evidence that they were domesticated more than 6000 years ago!”

“Good job! That should make a good graduate thesis for you, don’t you think?”

I watch as he sighs in relief. Getting publications is always difficult, but something this groundshaking might even make one of the more famous journals!

Turning to one of my other students, I see her examining a different section of the wall painting, “... and what is this?”

“This boxy thing must be one of their gods of death. Perhaps a predecessor to Ah Puch, the stinking one?”

Stolen from its original source, this story is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.

“Interesting, but what makes you say that?”

“Well… you see how all the other figures are running from it?”

“True, but it might be their house. Maybe they are leaving to hunt.”

“I suppose, but look! There’s smoke coming out behind it! And a skull on the side!”

“Maybe it’s an oven? With a low chimney?” Even to me, my objections sound foolish, but I try to encourage my students not to jump to conclusions. Especially when it comes to religious imagery. Relating to a culture and people so far removed is never easy.

Watching closely, I see my student lean in so near that her headlamp illuminates the bottom of the image. “It’s not an oven.”

“No?”

“I think… it’s a wagon.”

“A wagon? You’ve got to be kidding. Wheels weren’t used for transport in the Americas until after they were introduced by European explorers!”

“But look! What are these round things near the bottom?”

“Yes, those do look like wheels. Maybe it’s a toy? The Mayans had wheeled toys.”

“A toy? With a skull and smoke behind it and people fleeing for their lives?”

“A very big toy.”

“A wagon seems more likely.”

“Wagons don’t do any of those things either!”

“I suppose…”

“Don’t worry about it too much. It’s probably just a god of death like you said.”

“You know, professor … it kinda looks like a truck.”