Go With Me

“How did the Huintalepano Agua tribe disappear? Or better yet: Why did Huintalepano Agua tribe disappear? Huintalepano Agua tribe lived in Brazil, in the ancient Amazon forest. Huintalepano Agua means the ones that walk on water in their Indian language. It is well known that here are no bridges in the Amazon, but this tirbe, they found a way to build them anyway. That’s why they were named the ones that walking on water. No one really knows how they technically did it, but according to local tales, they placed specially carved logs, which were connected together, in front of themselves, and picking them up after. That’s why none of their bridges lasted on the Amazon river and why there are still no bridges there today. Their building skills are still to this day, shrouded in mystery and spark stories all around the world. But you must be asking yourselves, why did they even build those bridges when they could row across in canoes, made from tree logs, like every other tribe did at the time? This all happened in a time, before the white man could even go deep enough in to the forest, when the Amazon forest was still practically undiscovered, when people still believed that there is hidden treasure in the rain forest, el dorado, the land of gold. It was a time when the primitive tribes worshipped their Gods, much more than they do today. In old Indian mythology it was said that the Sun married the Moon, just so we have night and day on Earth; it is the same way, that out tribe, the Huintalepano Agua, worshipped the mighty jaguar as the Gods chosen on this Earth. Every child that was born after the third full moon in the running year, had to be sacrificed to the Jaguar, so that he would bless them with lots of fish and fruit that grew there.
But in our tribe, that back then had a different name, there were two lovers, who waited a long time to have an offspring and after a few year they finally managed to create life. And as faith would have had it, their child, who they had named the one that finally came, was born after the third full moon in the year. How the parents felt after discovering the news of their child’s faith, no one could really tell, but it is know that the parents decided to break the tradition. They decided to keep the child and not sacrifice it to the Jaguar god. They didn’t want to give up their long awaited child, so they defied the laws of their tribe, brining upon them a terrible curse. The curse was this: the tribe could never again go in to water or cross it.
That water is a big piece of the rain forest, is clear to everyone, yes? The Amazon river has thousands and thousands of inflows, so every piece of dry land in the rain forest had the characteristics of an island, surrounded by water on all sides. Their regular hunting grounds sooner or later dried over, so the tribe had to go hunt on the other riverbank.
In the rain seasons, the river grew high, its water flooding most of the island, turning it in to a swamp. Anyways, in the rain forest, you cannot run away from water. As said, the curse prevented the tribe of going in or across water and it showed in many ways, such as:
When one of the tribes men, tried to cross the river in a canoe, to go to better hunting grounds, out of nowhere and with great speed, a big branch would come running down street, hitting the canoe, the crash making a hole in the canoe. The canoe slowly sank, and the hunter became food to the praying piranhas in the river.
Another tribes man had an up-close encounter with a giant anaconda, that ate him whole, before he even got a chance to draw his knife.
The third man was struck by lightning while he was standing in the water, from clear skies.
Another, who was just barely standing in the water, fishing, to bring food for his family, he himself became food to a giant crocodile, who first ate his legs and then feasted in the body. But the crocodile left the head untouched, leaving it as a warning sign for the others.
It soon go clear to them that a curse hung over their tribe whenever they came in contact with water. The canoes were put away or used as fire wood.
Knowing that they couldn’t survive without going in the water or crossing it, they had to think of a new way to cross the river. So they started building bridges. They had quite a bit of trouble from the start. They didn’t know bridges back then, so they didn’t have anyone to teach them how to build them. There were a lot of men killed, then water taking a lot of victims, before one of them finally crossed the river. It took a couple generations before they perfected the skill to the point that they gained the attention of other tribes, who simple started calling them Huintalepano Agua, the ones that walk on water.
It is clear, that they didn’t sacrifice any more babies that were born after the third moon, to the Jaguar and they also knew how to defend themselves against the hungry animal. I mean, they knew how to build bridges, of course they knew how to defend themselves, right? That’s just how evolution goes, and that’s why some traditions are only alive in folk tales. But let’s not talk about that.
A few generations later, the ones that walk on water, still building those bridges, walking more on water then on land, one of the huntsmen, in-fact a descendent of the one that finally came, returned from a hunt. Whilst crossing the river, he slipped on one of the logs and fell in the water. The river swallowed him immediately. His fellow tribesmen, who saw him fall in to the water from the land, were already saying their goodbyes and prepared him a glorious and not at all sad funeral. In their world, death was far from being sad... Death meant to them, as a transition to a better life.
Everyone forgot about him eventually, until one day, half a year later, out of nowhere, her appeared in the village and without a single word, he sat down with the rest at the dinner fire.
There were rumors circling around the village, that he had been acting strange, he didn’t speak to anyone, that he would sometimes stand up in the middle of a ritual and run screaming in to the forest and that here and there, his eyes would lit up with sparks, like there was fire in them... It was said his hair was all messy and hard at the touch, and on his skin he had hard, dark and long hairs, unlike any other. And that in his mouth, he had to long fangs, just like a beast... And ever since he came back, strange things started happening in the village, that no one, not to this day, could explain. Each full moon, someone from the tribe disappeared.
one of them was found, completely torn apart in the forest; his guts hung over tree branches...
Another was found impaled on a sharp pole, a victim of his own trap, that was meant to catch a wild animal.
A third one was driven crazy from pain that no one knew where it was coming from, until death finally came for him.
Another, saying he was hearing voices in his head, ripped apart the veins in his wrists with his teeth, bleeding to death. And so on and so on, I don’t want to scare you too much with the horrors the tribe went through, but it is important that all this happened only when a full moon was in the night sky. Interesting, isn’t it?
It went on like this, member by member, man by man, woman after woman, child after child and oldman after oldman, until what was left of Huintalepano Agua, the ones that walked on water, was only the great-great-great-great-grandson of the one that finally came. He, as the last of the tribe Huintalepano Agua, as the last on, awaited the next full moon and then, without weapons, without anything and completely naked, like when he was born, he crawled in to the jaguar’s lair”
Silence.
There were scary and horrifying sounds of the night animals, in the air.
“And?”
“What?”
“What happened to him? I mean... Who was killing the tribe? Where was he all the time the tribe people though he was dead? What actually happened to him when he fell in the water?” wondered Mikey.
Frank smiled and said: “He took that secret with him, in to the jaguar lair”
Mikey frowned, and demurred: “Pff! Stupid story”
“Huintalepano Agua! Heeeellooooooo?”
“It’s pronounced Huintalepanjo Agua... Or something like that” said Frank, smiling.
“Oh, please” Ray rolled his eyes, leaning his head down on Mikey’s shoulder. It had become more then evident that Ray had grown a fondness for Mikey and wasn’t really bothered that Frank and Gerard were sitting practically in each other’s lap – all that was needed to be done, was for either Ray or Frank to break it off with each other.
They were sat around a fire that they started in front of the biggest of the three caves. Out of safety, they built the fire right at the entrance of the cave, and they sat on the edge of the cave, still feeling the fires warmth yet still in the protection of the cave, fearing more rock avalanches. They were really lucky that they were standing right at the edge of the cave when the first avalanche happened. Basic luck!
Of course they all agreed to wait until morning and then without any other ideas, they go home the same way they came here, deciding that they have had enough of wandering around, enough of these bloody hills and forests and enough of nature all together.
Gerard was of course differently opinionated about the forest and the hills, but even he agreed that first thing in the morning, they head back home. It wasn’t because he actually wanted to leave, he loved spending time here, but home meant being alone with Frank, and home is where he wanted to be most.
And Ray didn’t stop bitching about his phone and how worried he is that his mother is worried and stuff like that. He wanted to climb on top of the caves and hopefully, let his mother know he’s alive from there, but Frank persuaded him that that was crazy, that its completely dark and that its dangerous and that maybe instead of rocks falling down, next time it would be him falling down.
Then Ray tried texting, but it was the same with calling; no signal.
They were starting to get hungry and the first fight came over Mikey’s bag of chips, which was the last food they had. At first Mikey refused to share the chips, but the other three threatened him that they were gonna take it by force if he won’t share. Angry and insulted, Mikey had no choice, but to hand over the chips.
Then Ray started winning about the hardness of their sleeping place that fate had provided for them. He said that it’s too hard and that he cannot fall asleep lying on something like this. But everyone knew he was lying, because he was yawning like a little kitten.
Truth be told, they were all pretty tired from the long walk and fresh air.
The night also brought on a lot of fear but also excitement. Either way they looked at it, the night was beautiful. The sky was littered with stars, the moon wasn’t completely full and was slightly covered by a cloud, so they were surrounded by complete blackness.
Around them darkness, and the forest noises that sent shivers down their spines, all of them wearing their hoodies, except Gerard who was still only in his t-shirt, they sat together around the fire, keeping warm; Mikey and Ray leaning on each other and Frank and Gerard sitting completely together, with Frank’s arm around Gerard to keep him warm.
They talked. They told stories. It was mostly just Frank talking, who apparently got his father’s talent for telling stories. Sometimes even Mikey spoke up, wanting to tell a story himself.
“I know a real story, though” he said.
“Let’s hear it then” said Frank, leaning his head down on Gerard’s. Ray watched the two, realizing how much more they fit together then he and Frank ever did and it was there and then that Ray decided that first chance he gets, he will break up with Frank, only wanting him to be happy.
“Didn’t we hear enough of these scary stories already?” Ray spoke, looking up at Mikey: “I don’t need to be more freaked out then I already am”
“Don’t worry, I’ll protect you” said Mikey, receiving a smile from Ray and strange looks from both his brother and Frank. Frank and Gerard looked at each other, confused, but stayed quiet as Mikey began to tell the story.
“So...” began Mikey: “Gee, do you remember that one time we went on holiday to Croatia?”
Gerard nodded.
“Well, dad told me a story about this dog that lives in the bushes, or whatever you call those plants that were all around the place. The dog was a Labrador Retriever, actually it was a girl dog, a bitch if you will... They called her the Labrador of Liska”
“What?”
“Labrador of Liska” repeated Mikey.
“Labrador of Liska?” Gerard repeated after him in a mocking tone: “Sorry, bro, but I don’t remember dad ever telling that story”
“Yeah, well, he only told it to me” said Mikey: “And that’s what they called her, because she only kept to the Liska bay”
“You’re full of bullshit, Mikes” giggled Ray.
“I swear to God!” said Mikey. “She was abandoned as a puppy, by some Czech tourist... No, actually she fell from his boat and everyone thought she had died, just like they thought about the guy in your story Frank... But she wasn’t dead... Even though she immediately sank after falling from the boat, she somehow managed to swim to shore. There she lived on her own, in the wild, in those bushes and stuff like that. It is said that before she was even a year old, she was slaughtering sheep and goats. I swear this all happened!”
“Sure”
“Dude, I swear! It wasn’t that long ago... After the war they had down there... It was even in the newspapers, but if you even bothered to read it you’d know!
People just kept disappearing, the locals, but mostly tourists and no one knew what the whole thing was about...”
“How did they find out?” asked Frank.
“Well... One day a fisherman saw her from his boat, how she was carrying a child, a baby in her mouth! Then they hunted her and right at the same time that Czech tourist came back on vacation and the dog recognised him and came running to him, wiggling her tail” said Mikey.
“Okay, now I know you’re bullshitting” giggled Ray.
“Hey, I swear! Ask my dad if you don’t believe me” said Mikey, completely serious.
“Sure” the other three said at once.
“Mikey” then said Frank.
“Yeah?”
“Maybe this Labrador of Liska caused that avalanche earlier” said Frank.
“Maybe she did” said Mikey.
“Yup... or the one that finally came” yawned Ray. Mikey wrapped his arm around Ray, letting him rest his head on his chest.
“Ha-ha, very funny” Frank rolled his eyes.
“I’m tired” said Ray: “We should go to sleep”
They all looked at each other. There was silence for a brief moment, broken by the unknown sounds coming from the forest. Some sounds reminded them of screaming and even though they were sure those were only bird sounds, those screaming sounds still sent shivers down their spines. The night has its own power and Gerard remembered that feeling e had throughout the day, that someone was watching them. He remembered the quick glance of the man in overalls he saw by the pools. He just couldn’t get it out of his mind.
“Should we...” began Gerard.
“It wouldn’t be bad if one of us kept guard” Frank interrupted him.
“I just wanted to say that” Gerard lightly blushed.
“Of course someone’s gonna keep guard!” said Ray: “Otherwise I’m not closing my eyes, not even a bit”
“Figure it out” said Mikey: “I’m going to sleep”
“Mikes, we all wanna sleep” said Frank: “But someone’s gotta...”
“Frank” said Gerard: “Leave him. I’ll guard first, okay?”
Frank and Ray stared at him, Mikey on the other hand, just got up and took his backpack and went deeper in to the cave.
“When I won’t be able to stay awake anymore, I’ll come wake you up or we can switch at midnight” said Gerard.
“Gee, you sure?” asked Frank, concerned.
“If I go to sleep now, there’s no way in hell that you’re waking me up” he said.
“Okay, then” said Frank.
“Where should I lie down?” Mikey wondered, his voice echoing through the cave. The light of the fire was just strong enough, to illuminate Mikey’s figure as he wandered around the cave, finding the perfect place to lie down.
“It’s cold!” they heard him say, as he laid down by one of the inner walls.
“Then come closer to the fire you idiot” said Gerard, finding a comfy enough position on the edge of the cave, his back leaned back on the cave wall.
“Nah” Mikey mumbled, resting his head on his backpack.
“Should we go too?” Ray asked Frank, already knowing the answer.
“If it’s okay with you, I’m gonna stay with Gee a little longer” said Frank, scratching the back of his neck. Ray smiled and nodded, before taking his own backpack and joining Mikey inside the cave.
“You don’t have to keep an eye on me, you know” Gerard sighed as Frank sat down next to him.
“I’m not, I just wanna be with you, that’s all” Frank mumbled. Gerard smirked.
“Get some sleep, okay?” he said, looking down at the smaller boy, whose eyes were barely kept open. Frank yawned, as he snuggled up to Gerard, the taller boy putting his arm around him.
“You better wake me up later” said Frank as he was just about to fall asleep, when Ray’s figure reappeared from the darkness of the cave.
“Hey, I wanna try to find a signal one more time” he said, his presents forcing the two boys by the fire to break apart from each other.
“We can try in the morning Ray. Just try and get some sleep, okay?” said Frank.
“I’d just feel more at peace if I tried one last time” Ray shrugged.
“Fine...” Frank rolled his eyes: “I’ll go with you”
“Thanks, Frankie” Ray shyly smiled, giving Gerard and apologetic look. Honestly, Ray didn’t want to check his signal, he took this chance to break things off with Frank. Seeing the two, cuddled up by the fire and himself being curled up in Mikey’s embrace, made him realise that he had to do this now, or the guilt of being with Mikey would have eaten him up. He had to do it now!
Frank stood up and Ray immediately took his hand in to his own as they disappeared in to the darkness of the forest.
“Bring some wood while you’re out there!” Gerard called after them.
“You got it!” answered Frank. Gerard watched them until he couldn’t see them anymore, and to keep his mind off the fact that his love was out the in the darkness with Ray, he looked inside the cave, seeing Mikey’s shape on the ground.
“Hey, Mikes, you okay?” he called out to his baby brother.
“I have to be, right?” Mikey answered.
“Yeah, right...” Gerard sighed, looking back in to the darkness, trying his best to see anything. As much as he hated letting his imagination run wild, he couldn’t help but imagine Frank in Ray’s arms, him pressing his love against one of the trees, their lips together...
‘No! Stop thinking like this’ Gerard thought, knowing the thoughts out of his head. To distract himself he got up and went to the small pile of wood they already gathered before, and threw some of it on the fire. The fresh wood almost killed the fire, but the flames quickly caught on, illuminating more of the surrounding, but still not enough. Bravery or not, Gerard was still afraid of the fire dying.
Everything was quite for a moment, apart from the scary noises, until Gerard heard faint voices; Ray’s and Frank’s. He couldn’t quite make out what they were saying, but at one point he could hear giggling and light laughing. Gerard couldn’t help but feel jealousy taking over his mind. He knew what they were doing and yet he wanted so much to block it out. Thankfully, everything became quiet again for a few moment, before Gerard heard the crunching sound of leaves and branches breaking.
Soon enough, Gerard could see two figures in the dark, recognising them as Frank on the left and Ray on the right, both carrying wood and calm smiled on their faces.
“Nice fire” Frank smiled at Gerard: “We could see it a mile away”
Gerard weakly smiled, not wanting to look at either of them. He heard wood being dropped and then a second later, his face was cupped by Frank’s hands as Frank attached his lips to Gerard’s.
Gerard, in shock, pulled away, fear evident in his eyes when he looked up at Ray, scared of his reaction. But Ray only smiled and looked at Frank.
“Glad we had that talk” he said, before going back in to the cave, retaking his place next to Mikey, who immediately wrapped his arms around him.
“What just happened?” Gerard asked confused: “What talk?”
“We broke up. Just now” said Frank. He was both happy and sad. Even though he never really loved Ray, he still liked their relationship, because it was easy and Ray didn’t make him nervous every time he looked at him. But now he could freely be with Gerard, finally. At the moment, Frank had a whole thunderstorm of butterflies in his stomach, knowing that Gerard was now his and only his.
“Broke up? Why?” Gerard, was even more confused.
Frank frowned at Gerard’s reaction: “Why aren’t you happy?”
“I am...” said Gerard: “But, what happened?”
“It was Ray, actually, who ended it. He, apparently loves Mikey and both of them noticed this...” Frank pointed at Gerard and himself: “...Between us and we both agreed it would be better if we just ended it. So we did, we hugged it out and promised to stay friends, ‘cause otherwise things would get awkward between us, as a group”
“Oh” Gerard mumbled.
“Oh? Really, Gee?” Frank, rolled his eyes. In answer, Gerard slammed his lips to Frank and tangled his fingers in Frank’s dark hair, lightly tugging on it. Their kiss and happiness what interrupted by Ray’s voice emerging from inside the cave.
“Amm... Guys!”
“What is it?” Mikey’s asked.
“My phone...” said Ray, panic evident in his voice.
“What is it?” Gerard asked, still clutching on to Frank, refusing to let go ever again.
“My phone... It’s gone!”
“What do you mean it’s gone?” asked Mikey.
“I had it in my hoodie pocket and now it’s gone!” he said.
“Well, where did you put it?” asked Frank.
“I told you! In my goddamn pocket!”
“Where did you see it last?” asked Gerard.
“I had it in my pocket when Frank and I went to get wood. I remember holding it in my pocket”
The sound of footsteps emerged from the cave.
“Gee, please come here and give us some light” said Mikey.
Frank leaned off of Gerard to allow him to get up. Gerard took his lighter from his pocket, lighting the cave with it. In the cave he found Mikey and Ray crawling on the floor, feeling around for the phone.
“It’s not here!” said Ray, when he couldn’t find it anywhere.
“What if you lost it in the forest?” asked Gerard, looking around the ground in hopes to spot the phone. Ray looked up at Gerard, fear on his face.
“Oh, god, I hope not” he said. Gerard turned to Frank, and it was evident on his face that Frank didn’t want to go back in to the darkness of the forest. But Ray’s almost cries and pleads, got through to Frank. He looked at Gerard: “Can I borrow your lighter?”
Gerard didn’t like to part with his lighter and he wasn’t letting Frank go out there alone.
“I’m going with you” he said.
“I’m going too” said Ray and just like that he was outside the cave.
“Down there!” he said, pointing in to the darkness.
“Let’s go then” said Frank following Ray out the cave.
“Mikey, stay here and watch our stuff” said Gerard, before he too followed Ray.
“Hurry back!” said Mikey.
They marched straight in to the darkness, not even knowing where they were stepping. Gerard’s lighter barely gave any light, but it was better than nothing.
“I don’t even remember where we were” said Ray, looking around.
“Gee, give me some light” said Frank: “We were here, I’m sure of it”
Gerard did as Frank asked, but it was pointless. There was nothing to be seen. Leaves, grass, branches, tree routs... No phone.
“This is pointless!” said Gerard: “We’ll find it tomorrow morning, when it’s gonna be bright”
“He’s right, Ray” agreed Frank.
“But what if it won’t be here tomorrow?” asked Ray, genuinely afraid.
“Where could it go? There’s no one here to take it” said Frank. Gerard froze from hearing those words. Suddenly the feeling that they were being watched returned and he started doubting Frank’s words that the phone won’t go anywhere. Gerard looked around them, seeing nothing but darkness. He wasn’t so sure they were really alone.
“Let’s go back” he said: “We’ll look for it tomorrow...”
And he turned and started walking towards the fire.
“You took it!” suddenly said Ray, his words aimed at Gerard: “You took my phone!”
“Ray, come on!” said Frank, with a bit of warning.
“What?” Ray didn’t give in: “I’m not trying to be the jealous ex-boyfriend, because trust me, I’m not, but we all know who steals phones at school!”
Gerard turned around, but he was too far away to see Ray.
“I didn’t take your fucking phone!”
“The whole school knows you did!” Ray, yelled back.
Not wanting to get in to another fight, he quietly said: “I didn’t take any fucking phone” then turned around and started walking again, hearing Frank talking to Ray.
“Come on, Ray... That really wasn’t nice of you...” said Frank.
And then Ray: “But the phone... it’s gone”
“And Gerard didn’t take it! Think with your head. We’ll find it tomorrow, when we’ll be able to see”
Then everything went quiet. When Gerard got to the cave, Mikey was standing at the edge, waiting for them to return.
“What happened?” he asked.
“Nothing, Just go back to sleep” said Gerard sitting back down next to the fire. He sat and waited until the other two appeared from the darkness. Gerard lowered his head, poking around the fire with a stick and mumbled: “I didn’t take any fucking phone”
“I know” said Frank, being the only one that heard him: “We’re gonna find it tomorrow, right Ray?”
Ray didn’t say anything, he just went back in to the cave, lying down in the same place as before. Frank watched him, and then Mikey joining him, then he sat down next to Gerard, looking at him.
“I’m sorry, Gee” he said.
“Don’t be. It’s not your fault” said Gerard, his eyes not leaving the fire. Frank took Gerard’s chin between his fingers, turning the taller boys head to face him.
“Gee, come on. This is stressful for all of us. Not everyone is brave or though like you, so just try to stay calm, okay?”
“Yeah, fine” Gerard nodded, lightly kissing Frank.
“Go to sleep” he then said, gently touching Frank’s cheek.
“Mhm, but wake me up when you won’t be able to stay awake anymore” said Frank, lying down and placing his head in Gerard’s lap. Gerard nodded, running his fingers through Frank’s dark hair. Frank closed his eyes and was asleep in an instant. Gerard could hear Mikey and Ray still whispering inside the cave, but he didn’t really care what they were walking about, he didn’t have the energy for it.
Frank’s breathing became calm and steady.
The fire spat up sparks, as Gerard put on a couple more branches, making more light and making it warmer.

Notes

Hi... I'm back.
Enjoy the new chapter :)


Stay Fabulous, xo