The Seven Swords of Diya: An Indiana Jones Fan Fiction Part 1

Chapter 33: Flashback: Attu Island, North Pacific, 1942

Indy settled Seal Child on his back and lowered his stance as the passage way slipped further under the earth. He noticed that the slope forced him lower and lower as they approached.

Seal Child held the light. "Is it supposed to get colder?"

"I don't know," Indy answered. "The passage graves I've been in didn't have permafrost."

Seal Child touched the wall. There was an unsteady rumble. Indy stared at the ceiling, searching for giant boulders and tumbling stones. Nothing.

"Sorry."

"Don't do it again," Indy murmured with relief. "We don't want to get trapped in here."

"That would be cold."

"Yes." Indy shuddered. His boot crunched on something. He froze for a moment. "Seal Child, close your eyes and shine the light downward."

The flashlight beam fell on bones. "Caribou," Indy mused.

"I've never seen any of those."

"A lot of people who study ancient things like I do, think that there was a land bridge between Russia and Alaska," Indy explained. "Animals and people would have traveled on it."

"That's not the story of my people," Seal Child answered. "We got here by boat."

"Sometimes science people make things up," Indy admitted. "And we don't listen to the people who live near the places we study. You want to see it? You can open your eyes. I thought it might be something scarier."

"Whoa... its big... and brown... Why is it brown? That doesn't look like a pelt."

"Its frozen by the permafrost," Indy explained. "They're called mummies."

"Even if its frozen?"

"Even if its frozen," Indy smiled. "Take the flashlight and look around, see what else we can spot."

"There's painting on the ceiling," Seal Child lifted the lantern.

Indy looked up. "Whoa."

"Wow."

They were in a dome shaped round room where the ceiling had been plastered and smoothed. Around the edges of their flashlight beam flickered a stampede of animals... horses, bison and...

Indy pointed. "You see the caribou?"

"That's just like the mummy skull! They were really good draw-ers!" Seal Child paused. "What were they running from?"

Indy shifted and the light fell on new drawings. "There's a wolf."

"And a person!"

Indy squinted. "Yeah. They're wearing a wolfskin."

"A shaman...." Seal Child whispered. He lowered his chin, resting it on Indy's shoulder, staring up at the ceiling. "I've heard about them from my grandmother. They had the power to change shape and help or hurt people. It depended on if they wanted to be good or bad. Do you think a shaman is buried here?"

"I don't know," Indy replied. "Do you remember what I said about scientists guessing a lot?"

"Mmmhhmmm."

"What did your grandmother think about this place?"

"She was from a different island," Seal Child replied. "But everyone said to stay away from this place... except you!"

Indy moved toward a darkened spot in the dome shaped room. He thought it was a niche like in a religious building. "Doors!"

"With handprints and swirls on them!" Seal Child bounced against his shoulders in excitement. "Are we gonna go inside?"

The child paused. "Why do the handprints have six fingers on them?"

Indy chilled... remembering all the legends. He didn't want to believe them, but here was evidence, right in front of his eyes.

"Those handprints look pretty big," Seal Child's voice quivered. "My people and my grandmother's people had legends about six fingered giants who liked to eat people for food and steal people! We should leave!"

"Its all right, Seal Child. Whatever's here is dead. Besides, nothing is going to hurt you with me around." Indy said it to assure himself and the boy. The child snuggled against his shoulders. Indy's mind tried to flicker back to Marion, Annie and the new baby... maybe a boy? Marion wanted a boy - another - Junior?

But there was something beating inside Indy's skull, some ancient legend... something that whispered... "You know those ancient legends are true, don't you? You know they're true. You'd like to believe different... but something in your adventurer's heart knows danger. And you, you need to leave." 

"Hang on," Indy murmured, approaching the door.