Xbalanque - Justin Zaruba - Bog

"Tell me," the man said to Xoc. "When you look out over Tikal, what do you see?""A city," she quickly answered.He made a thoughtful sound. "Hmm. What else?"Her eyes fell to the torches of the city. "Fire?""Use your imagination," he said. "Think about the people of Tikal. What do you see?"She didn't quite understand, but she tried her best. She could picture the weathered old woman who sat on a blanket in the corner of the market field, where she would meticulously thread tiny beads through strands of animal hair to decorate leather clothing for trade. She could see troupes of strong laborers carrying in dozens of heavy baskets overflowing with freshly-picked maize from the nearby fields. She could hear the laughter of her friends as they ran through the streets chasing after both a cat and a dog."I don't know," she said.He reached up, hoisted her off his shoulder and set her back down on the ground."Perhaps you are too young to be queen," he said."What?" she snapped. "I am not too young! I have the blood of the Jaguar in me!"He closed his eyes in disappointment and shook his head. "That you do, young Xoc. But the blood of the Jaguar can be a dangerous thing if it is not balanced with wisdom."She stamped her foot. "I have wisdom!"That made him laugh."Why are you laughing!?""Because it's funny.""No, it is not.""Oh, but it is," he said. "And someday I will remind you what you said, and we will both laugh together."