Curse of the Mummy's Uncle by J. Scott Savage Read Free Book Online

extremely bad headache. He waved toward Mr. Jiménez. “Fetch me five hard hats.” Mr. Jiménez hurried to a tent and back with an armful of what looked like bright yellow construction helmets.
    Dr. Canul handed them each a hard hat. “You will wear these at all times while on the site. I have a great deal of work to do, but I promised I’d show you around. So . . .” He waved his hands—like spiders dying in the air—and walked away.
    Nick and his family stared at one another, not sure what to do, before hurrying after the man.
    â€œAs you may or may not be aware,” Dr. Canul said in a dry, expressionless voice, “Aktun was discovered in the late 1950s by a group of natives. They had no idea what they’d stumbled across. A few stones, a vase, a statue or two. They thought it was nothing more than another in a long line of ancient ruins, until Dr. Samuel Canul heard rumors and realized what the find might actually mean.”
    â€œ Canul ,” Nick said. “Was he . . .”
    â€œMy father,” Dr. Canul said. “I come from a long lineof noted archaeologists.” He began climbing up a steep, rocky slope covered with vines, ferns, and moss. “Of course, my father recognized at once that the ruins were, in point of fact, quite possibly one of the greatest finds of the last thousand years. Without putting too fine a point on it, they could be to Mexico what Giza is to Egypt.”
    Nick rolled his eyes. Clearly the man had a seriously inflated ego. “No offense,” he said, trying to keep up, “but isn’t that a little bit of an exaggeration?”
    Dr. Canul stopped halfway up the hill and spun around, brows pulled so low that his eyes looked like twin caves dug into his face. “It most certainly is not. Do you realize that we could be uncovering the temples of two of the most powerful gods in Mayan lore? The secrets hidden here could unlock clues revealing that my ancestors were the most advanced civilization in the world.”
    Angelo opened his notebook. “Are you saying you’re related to the Mayans who built Xma’ Su’tal Hats’utsil?”
    Dr. Canul raised his chin. “Not just related. I am a direct descendant of Mayan royalty.”
    Nick’s mother and father caught up with the rest of the group, huffing and gasping for air. “Do we really need to climb all the way to the top?” Dad asked. “We’re still adjusting to the elevation.”
    â€œNo, you do not,” Dr. Canul said. “You may go backanytime you want. In fact, feel free to return to wherever it is you came from. It certainly won’t bother me.” He turned and began climbing again.
    â€œMaybe you guys should go down and rest,” Nick said.
    Mom put her hands on her hips and charged up after the archaeologist. “If that pompous, pointy-nosed dirt digger thinks I can’t keep up with him, he’s got a big surprise coming.”
    Dad bent over and sucked in a big breath before following her. “What she said.”
    Nick, Carter, and Angelo hurried after the doctor. “What kinds of secrets do you think are buried here?” Angelo asked.
    Dr. Canul tugged the straggly hairs on the end of his chin. “We’ve barely uncovered a fraction of this site, and already we’ve discovered that these pyramids and the structures surrounding them are a calendar so precise, it is as accurate as anything we have today. We’ve also discovered a temple, an amphitheater designed to stage elaborate religious ceremonies, and a star chart tracking everything from the cycles of the moon to the winter and summer equinoxes.”
    He stopped at the top of the hill near a large, flat rock and turned to look at a stone building several yards away.
    â€œI think you left something out,” Angelo said.
    Dr. Canul’s dark eyes fastened on him. “What would that be?”
    Angelo walked to the flat