Ice Shock by M. G. Harris Read Free Book Online Page A

English—a copy of a diary entry. The final page in the folder contains both English writing and Mayan glyphs. It looks as though someone has tried to translate a bunch of them.
    Here’s what the diary entry says:
    May 12, 1965
    Met this morning by appointment with a certain Señor Aureliano Garcia of the Yucatan, Mexico. Not a gentleman with whom I have any previous acquaintance; nonetheless, he supplied impeccable references from the National Institute of Anthropology in Mexico
.
    Our correspondence over the past few weeks concerned an object which came into my possession many years ago. The artifact in question was part of a consignment purchased at auction from the contents of a house in Vienna in 1951. There was an unfortunate incident involving its opening, and I have been reluctant to have any further dealings with the item
.
    Accordingly, I arranged for its safe storage. I tried to forget about the matter
.
    Now, almost fifteen years later, I find myself dredging up memories of an abominable nature. Señor Aureliano Garcia, most astonishingly, appeared to know about my possession of the artifact. Indeed, he wrote requesting that I agree to his purchase of same
.
    Naturally, I agreed. Anything to spare my heirs from having to deal with it
.
    It was therefore with considerable anxiety that I watched Señor Garcia remove the artifact from its place of storage. Unwilling to risk myself further, I hesitated even to watch. I was, however, assured that a gas mask would provide
adequate protection. How I wish I had known this years ago when we first opened the artifact! Señor Garcia himself appeared oblivious to the perilous character of the relic
.
    He asked if I had read any part of the object. Wishing to be swiftly rid of Señor Garcia, I’m afraid I dissembled, replying in the negative
.
    In point of fact I did, years ago, attempt a transcription. Not touching the artifact presented a challenge. I turned a few pages with tweezers. What I read convinced me of the uselessness of proceeding further. I declined to share my findings with the world of fellow Mayan scholars. The artifact, I believe, has more in common with either an elaborate hoax, or perhaps more sinisterly, a supernatural nature of the most wicked kind. As such, it would hold no interest for me. I am an archaeologist, not a practitioner of the occult
.
    Señor Garcia, however, could scarcely contain his delight. He claimed that before long the item would be displayed in Mexico City’s spectacular new National Museum of Anthropology
.
    I await his findings with bated breath
.
    The language is a bit old-fashioned. We have to read it through a couple of times to get the gist. Tyler and I agree that basically, what it says is this:
    Thompson got hold of a Mayan relic, which did something horrible to someone who touched it. When Aureliano Garcia(my grandfather) came asking for it in 1965, Thompson was only too happy to hand it over. Just like the
brujo
in Catemaco, he believed that the object was cursed.
    I pretend to Tyler that I’m not sure what this “artifact” is, but even he guesses that it’s the Ix Codex.
    â€œSo these must be copies of the first three pages!” he says with delight.
    â€œI guess so.”
    â€œIf that Madison guy is bothering with them, that means he probably hasn’t got the actual codex.”
    â€œYep. Definitely.”
    â€œAnd now you’ve got these pages!”
    â€œUh-huh.”
    â€œDude, why aren’t you excited?”
    â€œBecause,” I reply, “I’m wondering why he didn’t chase us.”
    â€œIt was dark! We were out of there like lightning!”
    I shake my head. “I know this guy. He wouldn’t give up so easily. He’s coming after me again.”
    Tyler gives me a long, curious look. “You know a lot more about this than you’re letting on.”
    â€œYeah. It’s true.”
    â€œBut you’re not gonna