EPILOGUE
Pompeii….March 23…1987
It was supposed to be a sunny day, with the sun hanging low and a serene breeze. But as they say, miracles never come in silence. At least, that is what my mama used to tell me. Whatever the source of this wisdom may have been, it proved true on this day. It rained, and it rained hard.
I was reading the journal of Alcubierre when suddenly, Dr. Lucas entered my tent.
"So, Maria? Ready for the excavation?" he asked, closing his umbrella.
Dr. Lucas Emeritus Verne is one of the top archaeologists in Italy. Years of experience are etched across his face. His stature may be short, but the respect I hold for him and his work is immense.
"Yes, Doctor. I've been waiting for this ever since," I replied, closing the journal and turning towards him with a smile. A smile that was part genuine, though tinged with strange apprehension.
"Well, you are right. I am as excited as you, kiddo. There is a reason we wore these," Dr. Lucas said, showing off his beige shorts, half-sleeve shirt, red bandana, and wide-brim hat.
Then, peeking out of the tent, he let in the loud voice of the downpour before continuing in a louder voice, "But this rain…it doesn't seem to let up." His voice held a note of disappointment, but it did nothing to discourage me. I had been holding onto this optimism for the past week, and a little water was not going to dampen it.
I stood with my smile, picking up my knapsack. I stood tall before Dr. Lucas, gesturing with my eyes and words, "But it won't stop us. Today we are going to uncover the secrets of this frozen kingdom, Doctor. Don't we?"
My enthusiasm got to him as he smiled back, picking up his knapsack and complaining in an amusing tone, "You are one of the weird ones, Maria. My daughter doesn't even get out of the house when it's raining, just like a cat. And look at you." Dr. Lucas furrowed his brows with a sigh, probably of relief, as his smile returned. "Ready to dive into a labyrinth made of ash and remains with such vigor. I guess there is a reason I hired you."
Saying that, he grabbed the brim of his hat and, with quick waltzing steps, exited the tent. I did the same, attempting to use a sun hat in the rain.
Water drops still grazed the sides of my head as we quickly made our way towards the large excavation tent, set in the middle of the city—a city of ruins.
"Dr. Lucas!! Dr. Lucas!!!" Suddenly, a call attempted to halt Dr. Lucas's steps, but the old man didn't stop. Instead, he forced its source towards us. It was Dr. Matteo Rossi, another renowned archaeologist of Italy. Holding his leather bag over his head as a shield from the downpour, he matched our strides, moving further than his call.
"Dr. Lucas, are you seriously thinking about going inside that labyrinth? It's not safe right now, you know."
"It's never going to be safe, Dr. Rossi," Dr. Lucas replied in a tight tone, trying to establish his stand at the start of Dr. Matteo's protest. It was something he did, making hard logical points to end an argument early if possible. He continued, "That labyrinth is a natural formation. Unlike this whole city, most of its parts are not frozen in ash and cold lava. If it can cave in the rain, it can cave in on a sunny day too."
"Yeah, but still…" Dr. Matteo tried to form a retort but paused as he glanced at me before taking in the central view of this ancient city around us. A slight amazement was present in his voice as he continued, his words accentuated by our splashy steps and the unrelenting downpour, "You know, it is already very incredible that this city used to be bustling with life before…" His gaze went ahead before leaning upwards a bit towards our threshold marked by a sky-kissing mountain, Mount Vesuvius, "Before that mountain erupted and covered Pompeii in its ash, freezing this place for eternity."
"I know what you mean, Doctor," I said, feeling a very close resonance with Dr. Matteo's awe. I lowered my hat a bit, trying not to match eyes with him, as I gazed at the changing ruins around us, "I have read so much about this place, and standing here, I feel such history. Every piece of this place is trying to tell a story."
"I am sure Joaquín de Alcubierre would have agreed with both of your thoughts when he first excavated this place in the 1740s," Dr. Lucas added with sternness, keeping up his pace ahead as the tent came closer into view.
Dr. Matteo managed to smile while doing his best to cover his face from the rain. He agreed with Dr. Lucas's thoughts, adding his own, "Yes, Doctor, and ever since then, so many discoveries have been made. But even after almost two hundred years of excavation, this place still holds many secrets within its womb."
"Well, that is why!" Reaching the entrance of the tent, Dr. Lucas made a jump over a puddle in his path. Turning and removing his hat to flicker off water, he looked at Dr. Matteo, who took a big step to reach beside Dr. Lucas, followed by me. I did the same as Dr. Lucas, who looked sternly at Dr. Matteo, continuing his words, "Well, that is one of the reasons people like us are still employed, Dr. Rossi."
——-thhddeekkkkkkkhhhh!!!!——-
Suddenly, after Dr. Lucas's words, a slap of lightning struck the sky above us, almost taking the life out of me and halting our conversation.
As I regained control over my loosening composure, Dr. Lucas confidently smiled and gestured at me with concern. I nodded slightly in confirmation before he turned towards the still-stunned Dr. Matteo, reveling in his startlement.
"Well, I guess even Zeus agrees with me, huh, Dr. Rossi?"
Dr. Matteo turned towards him, a smile on his face, as he expressed his feelings, "No one can win against you, huh, Dr. Lucas? But all I will say now is please be as careful and as quick as you can be. The weather is very unpredictable today." He glanced towards the sky again, his warning having little effect on Dr. Lucas.
Dr. Lucas quickly turned and gestured for me to follow before removing the tent flap and entering inside. His voice echoed slightly as he took the last word of our conversation.
"Well, don't worry, Dr. Rossi. We'll be in and out before you can spell Al-Fungi Carbonaerae!"
I chuckled a little at his joke before following his lead. I brought out a torch from my knapsack, adding to the illumination of Dr. Lucas's head torch, lighting up our path even more. The digging crew had already set a string of lightbulbs every ten steps of the hallway, but considering the weather, or call it a lesson of archaeology, we required our very own light to reveal the hidden to us.
The sound of the dirt beneath our steps and the unrelenting rain made a beautiful backdrop for our exploration. Step by step, we moved deeper inside this labyrinth of ash and frozen lava.
"Carefully, Maria," Dr. Lucas warned, his voice slightly above a whisper as he continued with his words and pace, the light of his torch and his gaze darting around on the ashen walls and floor just as mine. "We are now heading inside an unexplored section. Keep your steps light but your gaze firm."
"Yes, Doctor." I replied. Looking around with my torch, first nothing but the rugged skin of hollow lava walls greeted my eyes. Then, suddenly, I saw a portrait of a woman, her features and the beauty of the painting hidden behind a thick but spotted layer of ash and dirt. Slowly, I closed in with my enchanted gaze, moving my hand along with it. But just as my hand was about to touch it,
"Maria, look!" Dr. Lucas called out, taking me out of my reverie. My attention quickly scrambled towards him, and with light steps, I made my way towards the wall his headlight illuminated. He stood stunned in awe, the same emotions that my body felt as I saw the reason for Dr. Lucas's captivated gaze. It was not a portrait, or frescoes, or any paintings. They were words, carved words on a pallet of stone.
"It's ancient Latin, I believe," Dr. Lucas said, grazing the words with his finger. In sudden excitement, I darted my eyes and torch around to find something new or similar when suddenly I saw a flicker at the end of the labyrinth. It was light. Not from the bulbs or a reflection of my torch, but something liquid, different, and alive.
"Doctor, do you see that?" I asked, keeping my gaze ahead towards the illumination of my torch.
"Oh yes, let's take a closer look!" Dr. Lucas replied, quickly getting up on his feet. He moved ahead of me. I wasn't sure if Dr. Lucas saw what I saw, but what attracted his attention was far more fascinating than the glimpse of light.
Our feet echoed with dirt before they stopped in front of a wall made of the same ash and frozen lava. But what differentiated it from the abundance around us was the source of both of our genuine fascination.
"A statue… it's a statue, right, Doctor?" I asked.
"I… I'm not sure, Maria. Look at it, its details, the texture. I am sure that whatever it is, it is not some ordinary stone," Dr. Lucas replied, both of our torches illuminating the wall ahead of us.
It was the first time I saw him so baffled and stammering. As strange as it was, it was obvious, as what our eyes held was no ordinary statue. It was truly what many said about this city, frozen in ash. It was a man, encased in solidified ash, his features frozen in a hauntingly lifelike expression of anguish and struggle.
The realism was unsettling, as if he had been petrified in the midst of some desperate effort, with his right hand reaching out, holding onto something. Looking closer, I could even discern incredible details, such as scars and gashes on his half-protruding, mangled body. Even his hand, missing its middle finger, had clear marks of an injury that seemed like bite marks to me.
"This is incredible, Maria!" Dr. Lucas exclaimed, his rising excitement seeping into me as he continued while putting down his knapsack and taking out tools, a notebook, and brushes. "Come on, we have to document this. It can open so many secrets about Pompeii. Hurry!"
"Yes, Doctor," I replied, before putting down my own knapsack and taking out a tray and brush from it. I stood up, shining light on his lifelike eyes, taking support from a nearby stone. I raised my height, looking right into his petrified, detailed eyes. They were beautiful. I could imagine they must have been blue because only blue eyes hold pupils so small. I touched them when suddenly,
—thehddhhhkkkaaa!!!—
The downpour sound turned into the echo of crackling lightning that reached inside, ringing in our ears, before it was replaced by Dr. Lucas's stern yet urgent words.
"We should hurry, Maria. Rossi was right. I am beginning to have doubts about this weather as well."
But I remained stunned, Dr. Lucas's words fading into the background as my attention was fixed on the eye of the petrified man ahead. Within the echo of lightning, I felt them flutter, blinking at me—not with life but with dread and confusion. When I stayed still and unresponsive, Dr. Lucas raised his voice in concern.
"Maria? Something wrong?"
"Did you see that?" I asked.
"See what?" Dr. Lucas replied, his words followed by the echo of his steps as he stood beside me, his gaze matching mine, fixed on the statue's lifelike visage. His confusion sent my eerie fascination into doubt and hesitation, which seeped into my words as I climbed down from the stone and responded.
"I... I thought… I saw his eyes move."
Dr. Lucas looked at the statue, then at me, before replying in an assuring and understanding tone.
"Don't worry. It's common. Places, or rather specimens like these, can play tricks on one's mind. Don't sweat it. Just gather whatever you can."
"Yes, Doctor." I replied, glancing once more at the lifelike eyes before my gaze fell again on his fingerless hand, holding onto some kind of sphere.
I leaned down, using my brush to remove the dirt first, before placing my hand upon it. Touching it didn't bring the usual coldness that was supposed to come from ruins and buried artifacts.
Instead, it was warmth—not burning, but soothing warmth, that seemed to coalesce with my own. Once again, my eyes caught the same glimpse of light that had attracted my attention earlier. My lids moved urgently and apprehensively as I kept my hands on the statue's hand that held the sphere, which suddenly began emitting light. I turned towards Dr. Lucas, but before I could speak, the strange light itself pulled his attention. Yet my dread still seeped from my lips.
"Doctor, look, it's—"
—Thheddhhhhhhkkkkk—
With another strike of lightning, everything went silent, turning the labyrinth we stood inside into our grave. Or at least, that's what I thought…