missed my connecting flight to Cusco.
That’s when Rhea swooped in and scattered the little vultures to the wind. She grabbed my arm and whisked me away to our flight bound for the last mountain kingdom of the Incas.
“So how did you know I was going to Cusco?” I asked when she put her hand sanitizer away.
“I noticed you reading a book on our flight from San Francisco about Machu Picchu. You have to go through Cusco to get there.”
“Is that where you’re headed?”
“Sort of.” Her answer was curiously vague, telling me there was more to it. She tucked her head and peeked from the corner of her eyes to see if anyone was listening. Satisfied her secret would be safe, she turned back to me, leaning in close. “I’m a member of an amateur archeological society. We meet every year over Christmas break to search for the lost city of Paititi,” she whispered the last part like she didn’t want anyone to hear.
“What’s Paititi?” I whispered back to her.
“You’ve never heard of Paititi?”
I shook my head. She tucked a loosened grey curl back into her bandana and continued.
“El Dorado?” she asked.
I nodded my head remembering a cartoon I had seen about the ancient city of gold.
“But El Dorado is just a myth. It isn’t real.”
“The Aztecs had El Dorado. The Incas had Paititi. Most say the Aztecs invented the El Dorado myth to confuse Spanish conquistadors. Paititi however, is a different story.”
“So what’s Paititi?”
“In Incan culture, one had to give the gods a gift of gold if they wanted their prayers to be answered. The Incas were a very rich culture. All that gold had to go somewhere. Paititi was where the gods kept it, guarded over by the Apus.”
“What are Apus?”
“Mountain gods. It’s hidden somewhere in these mountains just waiting to be discovered.” She leaned over me to look out the window, eyes blazing with excitement. “Just think! We could be flying over it this very minute!”
“So every year, you get together with a group of archeologists and look for it?” I hugged my stomach with my arms when we hit a rough patch of air and the plane lurched sideways.
“Um-hum.” She nodded, resting back against her seat. “My husband loved the legend of Paititi. He always said when he retired we were going to find it.”
“Oh. Is he with you?” I started to get up, wondering if I had taken her husband’s seat.
“He’s always with me,” she sighed, looking down at two golden bands on her left hand. One was a feminine circle, the other a chunkier, more masculine ring. “He passed away years ago. I do this as a way to honor his memory.”
“I’m so sorry,” I dropped my gaze as I sat back down, suddenly uncomfortable.
“Don’t be. He lived a good life. That’s all anyone can ask for.”
She was silent for a moment, as if thinking back over the life they shared with a distant smile.
“So what brings you to these mountains, Faye?”
I bit my lip as I thought about how to answer her question, nerves adding even more tumbling to my stomach for a moment.
“I guess you could say I’m looking for something, too,” I shrugged, looking down at my hands again, trying to be as vague as possible.
“Ah! I can tell you’re a woman with secrets! Fair enough. You can keep those for yourself.” Rhea reached out a hand to help steady an elderly woman as she stumbled in the aisle when we hit another rough patch of air and the plane plummeted.
When she was certain the woman was steady she turned back to me.
“You aren’t the only one who comes to these mountains in search of something. Machu Picchu is one of the most spiritual places I’ve ever been. You can almost feel the mountain breathing beneath your feet. If your soul can’t find what you’re looking for in a place like that, you might as well give up.” She patted my knee, assuming my quest was all about soul-searching and not having a clue that what I searched for was a living, breathing
That’s when Rhea swooped in and scattered the little vultures to the wind. She grabbed my arm and whisked me away to our flight bound for the last mountain kingdom of the Incas.
“So how did you know I was going to Cusco?” I asked when she put her hand sanitizer away.
“I noticed you reading a book on our flight from San Francisco about Machu Picchu. You have to go through Cusco to get there.”
“Is that where you’re headed?”
“Sort of.” Her answer was curiously vague, telling me there was more to it. She tucked her head and peeked from the corner of her eyes to see if anyone was listening. Satisfied her secret would be safe, she turned back to me, leaning in close. “I’m a member of an amateur archeological society. We meet every year over Christmas break to search for the lost city of Paititi,” she whispered the last part like she didn’t want anyone to hear.
“What’s Paititi?” I whispered back to her.
“You’ve never heard of Paititi?”
I shook my head. She tucked a loosened grey curl back into her bandana and continued.
“El Dorado?” she asked.
I nodded my head remembering a cartoon I had seen about the ancient city of gold.
“But El Dorado is just a myth. It isn’t real.”
“The Aztecs had El Dorado. The Incas had Paititi. Most say the Aztecs invented the El Dorado myth to confuse Spanish conquistadors. Paititi however, is a different story.”
“So what’s Paititi?”
“In Incan culture, one had to give the gods a gift of gold if they wanted their prayers to be answered. The Incas were a very rich culture. All that gold had to go somewhere. Paititi was where the gods kept it, guarded over by the Apus.”
“What are Apus?”
“Mountain gods. It’s hidden somewhere in these mountains just waiting to be discovered.” She leaned over me to look out the window, eyes blazing with excitement. “Just think! We could be flying over it this very minute!”
“So every year, you get together with a group of archeologists and look for it?” I hugged my stomach with my arms when we hit a rough patch of air and the plane lurched sideways.
“Um-hum.” She nodded, resting back against her seat. “My husband loved the legend of Paititi. He always said when he retired we were going to find it.”
“Oh. Is he with you?” I started to get up, wondering if I had taken her husband’s seat.
“He’s always with me,” she sighed, looking down at two golden bands on her left hand. One was a feminine circle, the other a chunkier, more masculine ring. “He passed away years ago. I do this as a way to honor his memory.”
“I’m so sorry,” I dropped my gaze as I sat back down, suddenly uncomfortable.
“Don’t be. He lived a good life. That’s all anyone can ask for.”
She was silent for a moment, as if thinking back over the life they shared with a distant smile.
“So what brings you to these mountains, Faye?”
I bit my lip as I thought about how to answer her question, nerves adding even more tumbling to my stomach for a moment.
“I guess you could say I’m looking for something, too,” I shrugged, looking down at my hands again, trying to be as vague as possible.
“Ah! I can tell you’re a woman with secrets! Fair enough. You can keep those for yourself.” Rhea reached out a hand to help steady an elderly woman as she stumbled in the aisle when we hit another rough patch of air and the plane plummeted.
When she was certain the woman was steady she turned back to me.
“You aren’t the only one who comes to these mountains in search of something. Machu Picchu is one of the most spiritual places I’ve ever been. You can almost feel the mountain breathing beneath your feet. If your soul can’t find what you’re looking for in a place like that, you might as well give up.” She patted my knee, assuming my quest was all about soul-searching and not having a clue that what I searched for was a living, breathing
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