Key:

Literary Devices used: 

 - Imagery (Touch): "He clutches his fleecy woven jacket, feeling each wooly groove reminding himself of the nimble handwork his mother performed when Ahote had bought some wool for his family." Imagery is used to show how Ahote (main character) is reminded of his mother as he touches the jacket his mother had woven him. In Mayan culture, clothes are woven and handmade with wool and other materials

 - Euphemism: “It would be a tragic decision, small one, not only will it disturb the peace of the dead, it requires another being to lay in eternal rest.” The use of euphemism in this sentence makes death seem less cruel, helping persuade Ahote that trading his life for his family would be the right decision. The god of death in Mayan culture said this, and because he is the antagonist, this device shows his persuasiveness as a god.

Long, long ago, before the Europeans colonized the Mayan civilization before European plagues wiped out the majority of their population, a cursed young man lived on the outer edge of Tikal, a city located in current-day Guatemala. 

This young man’s name was Ahote, which means ‘the restless one’, quite fitting for the even more tense and anxious mood his situation has put him in.

Tragically, the family whom he had loved, his mother, father, and two younger sisters had all passed away suddenly after a wild animal attacked his parents and infected them with a bite. This virus caused his father to act aggressively towards his sisters, leaving all 4 dead when Ahote had returned home from a grueling day at the field.

This nearly drove Ahote to death, seeing the savaged bodies of his family, lifeless on the floor. With his tributes already late to the Lord in his region, Ahote fell into a deep meaningless cycle of days. He drank his days away trying to forget what had happened, allowing his crops to rot away in the hot summer weather. 

He was on the verge of death, when the town priest knocked on his door, due to Ahote’s long absence from their weekly rituals.

knock knock knock

“Hello? Anybody there?” yelled the priest.

“Co- coming” Ahote choked out, his voice cracking from dehydration.

Ahote opens the door

“Ah, there you are Ahote, oh my goodness you look terrible!” the priest exclaimed, shocked by Ahote’s neglected appearance.

“What can I do for you?”

“Well, it seems that you are of greater need than I am, what is wrong my son?”

“I- nothing… I’m okay.”

“No, clearly, you aren’t, you have let yourself go Ahote, you are going against your will, restless one.”

“Truly priest, I am fine. I can take care of myself.”

“Obviously not young man, what you need is a conversation with a god. Since you are dealing with many passings, you ought to speak to the god of death himself, Ah Puch.”

“What is even the point? It’s not as if he can bring them back. I might as well talk to the mud walls of my dwelling.”

“Still, I encourage you to have a word with him. You can summon him by chanting his name at the river of Motagua. I hope you can find peace within yourself in the future, Ahote, but I’ve got a ritual to perform so I ought to leave. Care to join us? Rituals have helped me in some dark times.”

“Oh priest, I am not feeling well enough, I will rest inside today. Goodbye.”

The priest then leaves for his ritual, concerned for Ahote’s physical and mental well-being. 

Ahote shuts the door and lays on his leather blanket which he had made himself a while back. Thinking about what the priest had said, he drifts into a deep sleep after taking a swig of Balché, his homemade intoxicating drink.