COMPLETE! The Wasteland. A woman screams in the night. Spotlights flash on a pile of dust in the desolate patch of land that lay just beyond the tall crosses that picket the boundary of Encampment R-34. A group of curious students leave their bunkho...
DRACULA INDEX_0029 >>Morley//encrypted text <00.04.1915>
Coded diary of Sylvanus Griswold Morley April 1915
An eventful day, as I have scaled the limestone steps of this peculiar architecture. It is an unprecedented adventure. But I will make note that although I thought I was here alone, there was someone behind me in the bush. He is quite a strange man, and not at all a threat, as I had first believed him to be.
I discovered this man on the night I first entered the Mayan temple. It was rather dark outside and my torchlight was dim within the temple from the lack of oxygenated air. I was nearly plunged into darkness when I came upon him in the corridor of runes and symbols, dropping my torch in shock. He lifted it for me, with the most eerie laugh. His voice was no less reassuring.
"Greetings," he said in the thick accent of an Eastern European. "Quite a stunning display in here, don't you agree?"
"I do," I replied, startled. "To be entirely honest, I thought I was the only archeologist reviewing this site."
"You are. I would consider myself to be but a student of the Mayan civilization. I hear the sound of New England in your voice, yes?"
"Quite right," I agreed. "Sylvanus Morley."
He shook my hand and introduced himself as Count Dracula of Transylvania. I have never been in the presence of a Count and was pleased to find myself there. In fact, as our dialogue continued, he provided many insights into the stones before us. He is very passionate about the Mayan culture and knows more than anyone I have yet to meet. The Count provided me with rubbings of stones he has discovered in other locations, including an intricate calendar that proves the wisdom of the people, far surpassing previous assessments. He is quick witted and had much to say on the topic of blood sacrifice and ritual. Where he was lacking was in the interpretation of god figures, a topic where I am most adept.
I shared an explanation on the studies I have done, and Dracula was most fascinated with my translation of a large monument inside the temple to the Mayan bat god, Camazotz. He listened closely to my analysis of their culture and the prophecies about the coming of the death bat, and how it seemed to align with the deity Bolon Yokte' K'uh. His favorite feature was my reading of the wall, where glyphs on both gods met.
"Camazotz means sacrifice," I explained, tracing my finger down the wall. "He means death. He means the night. And there is one night in particular. Seems like they are saying the end of a calendar, but it could mean the end of time itself. Or the end of creation. There is more here. He will descend and perform a ceremony, defying the gods of death and life. There will be centuries of war, where the good of man is pitted against purest evil. A final age. More like a new epoch." I told him it is not so dissimilar to the Bible and the book of Revelation. I removed my bible from my pack, but he quickly told me to put it aside. It was rude of me to assume everyone in Europe is Catholic.
Recalling the verse as best I could, I said, "It is something like...the great dragon, meaning the Devil, was cast down to earth with all his followers. I'd have to find the passage to be sure."
Without pause, and smiling brightly, he leaned forward and asked me a hushed question. "Do you know what Dracula means?" When I had no answer for him, the Count said, to my ultimate shock, "Son of the Dragon."
He could have been lying to frighten me, most archeology students at Harvard had a sense of humor when it concerned the ludicrous prophecies of ancient civilizations, but in such a place as this it was more alarming than amusing.
To dispel the strangeness of the moment, we continued on about Camazotz. I always found the bat god the least interesting of the Mayan deities, but not the Count. In fact, he was so taken with my examination that he acted like a child after a bedtime story and went out to sleep. The sun was only just rising over the trees. I was able to snap a quick photo of him in good light, as he made camp under the shade of trees. Surprisingly, he slept on a knapsack filled with European dirt. He says it is helpful in warding off the insects from distant countries. This Count Dracula is an interesting character, indeed. I am certain I have not seen the last of him.
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