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    The Song of the Quetzal
    The Song of the Quetzal
    The Song of the Quetzal
    Ebook127 pages5 hours

    The Song of the Quetzal

    By Victor Roswell

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    In a lush rainforest situated in southern Costa Rican, deemed off-limits by the government, Diego begins his search for a legendary blue tree to save his mother's life. The stories tell of its nectar, able to cure all those who drink of it, and its roots, offering immortality to those who should eat of them.

    The book is based upon a native folktale that states:

    When the shiny feathered long tails disappear from the jungle,
    When silent ones carry the tune of life,
    The rainbow-dressed blue tree
    Will weep tears of joy.

    The word "quetzal" comes from the nahuatl term quetzalli, meaning "shiny feathered long tails." Pre-Columbian cultures, among them the Mayan and Aztecs, considered the quetzal a sacred bird. Its iridescent plumage was a symbol of spirituality, life, dignity, fertility, liberty, abundance, power and wealth. The bird was caught in order to pluck its best feathers and then released. Whoever killed a quetzal would suffer a punishment.

    The Song of the Quetzal is the first novel by the Costa Rican author Victor Roswell. It is written for a younger audience and falls within the so-called eco-fantasy genre. The original idea comes from the author’s concern for the destruction of the earth’s rainforests, source of an abundance of medicinal plants and home to the majority of what remains of the world’s animals, reptiles and insects. The emblematic golden toad, a creature that is now extinct, plays its part in the novel.

    The story takes place in a group of mountains in Costa Rica's South Pacific mountain range. They are called San Cristóbal; it’s not what they’re really called, but it might prevent some crafty, greedy fellow from finding this fabulous place, should he come across this story. What is true is that neither the Spaniards, nor any other nation, have been able to conquer these lands.

    LanguageEnglish
    PublisherVictor Roswell
    Release dateMay 24, 2012
    ISBN9789930941454
    The Song of the Quetzal
    Author

    Victor Roswell

    Born in the city of San José, Costa Rica. His fondest memories transport him to the coffee plantations that still existed at the time in the capital city, where he grew imagining grand adventures ad creating fantastic worlds. It was during these childhood years where he began witnessing the transformation of a city that blended into the green and blue of its native flora and fauna, to a place covered now in the grays and blacks of concrete and asphalt. Victor studied at the University of Costa Rica where he obtained his Law Degree. He is currently engaged in advising and consulting on legal matters. During his primary and secondary years he developed an affinity for the study of literature, in particular works of adventure and fantasy drew his interest, ancient history was also a favorite, not only allowing him to travel to unexplored terrain, discover fascinating characters or immerse himself in dangerous adventures but also by allowing for a more complete comprehension of the civilizations and cultures that for better or for worse have shaped the modern world. Over the years he has delved into Costa Rica’s often enigmatic history. For example, the almost perfectly spherical stones that appear across the territory, and the possible social, religious or astronomical significance of these amongst the inhabitants that disappeared before the arrival of the Spaniards. Or why indeed did those pre-Columbian cultures of both Northern and Southern America detain themselves at the frontiers of this territory. For Victor, writing allows his characters and the worlds they inhabit, escape the limits of his imagination, not from benevolence but since this way they will leave him in peace. Just as in real life, some characters are held closer to his heart than others, some are merely appreciated and others he simply does not like but he tries to get along with them for the sake of the story. Via his novels Victor aims not only to keep alive the type of novels that fuelled his imagination, but also to draw attention to the dangers involved with the savage exploitation of natural resources, which eventually ends up affecting all humans. It is for this reason that the extinction of the Golden Toad and the relevance of its absence from the song of life is of such importance in this first novel. Nació en la ciudad de San José, Costa Rica. Sus primeros recuerdos lo llevan a las últimas plantaciones de café que por aquel tiempo todavía existían en la ciudad capital, donde creció imaginando aventuras y creando mundos fantásticos. Durante su niñez presenció la transformación de una ciudad que se mezclaba con el verde y azul de la flora y fauna, en un lugar cubierto ahora por el gris y negro del concreto y el asfalto. Estudió en la Universidad de Costa Rica, donde obtuvo su Licenciatura en Derecho. Actualmente se dedica a la asesoría y consultoría en materia legal. Sus estudios de educación básica y superior siempre estuvieron aparejados con las letras, siendo la literatura fantástica y de aventuras su predilecta, sin dejar por ello de lado aquellas enmarcadas en la historia antigua, pues estas no sólo le permitieron viajar a lugares inexplorados, conocer personajes interesantes o verse inmerso en peligrosas aventuras, sino también vivir en medio de las civilizaciones que moldearon, para bien y para mal, el mundo que ahora habitamos. Durante este tiempo se interesa en profundizar en la historia antigua de Costa Rica, principalmente en muchos de los misterios que no han sido develados: el significado de las esferas de piedra que han sido encontradas en diversos lugares de este territorio y su significado social, religioso y astronómico entre los pueblos que las crearon y que desaparecieron antes de la llegada de los españoles o el porqué la influencia de las grandes culturas prehispánicas del norte y sur de América se detenía en este territorio. Para él, escribir es permitirle a los personajes, y a los mundos donde ellos viven, escapar de los límites de su imaginación, no por benevolencia sino porque así lo dejen de molestar. Tal y como sucede en la vida, existen personajes que son sus preferidos, otros a los aprecia y unos cuantos con los que no se lleva bien, pero por el bien de la historia, trata de convivir con todos. A través de las letras no sólo busca crear historias como las que tanto amaba, sino aprovechar las mismas para llamar la atención y advertir de los peligros que conlleva salvaje explotación de los recursos naturales, la cual terminará afectando al ser humano. Por ello, en su libro El canto de los quetzales, es de mucha importancia la extinción del sapo dorado y lo que significa su ausencia en el canto de la vida.

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      Book preview

      The Song of the Quetzal - Victor Roswell

      THE SONG OF THE QUETZAL

      By

      Victor Roswell

      *****

      Published by Dagus Ediciones at Smashwords

      Original title: El canto de los quetzales

      Cover illustrator: Theo Aartsma

      Translator: Mónica Gómez Hendriks

      Editor: Shirley Longan

      Copyright: Victor Roswell, 2012

      Copyright: Dagus Ediciones S.A. 2012

      *****

      Smashwords Edition, License Notes

      This ebook is licensed for your personal enjoyment only. This ebook may not be re-sold or given away to other people. If you would like to share this book with another person, please purchase an additional copy for each recipient. If you’re reading this book and did not purchase it, or it was not purchased for your use only, then please return to Smashwords.com and purchase your own copy. Thank you for respecting the hard work of this author.

      to S, for believing

      Table of Contents

      Chapter 1 – Seven Years Ago

      Chapter 2 – Crazy Matías

      Chapter 3 – Mr. Murray

      Chapter 4 – Enter at Your Own Risk

      Chapter 5 – The Stone Spheres

      Chapter 6 – Flash Flood

      Chapter 7 – The Legend of the Empty Tombs

      Chapter 8 – The Ruins

      Chapter 9 – Matías' Story

      Chapter 10 – Viking Tales

      Chapter 11 – The Tree…

      Chapter 12 – …Wouldn't Bloom

      Chapter 13 – The Wisdom of the Jungle

      *****

      There is a group of mountains in Costa Rica's South Pacific mountain range... we’ll call it San Cristóbal. It’s not what they’re really called, but it might prevent some crafty, greedy fellow from finding this fabulous place, should he come across this story. What is true is that neither the Spaniards, nor any other nation, have been able to conquer these lands.

      *****

      Chapter 1 – Seven Years Ago

      When the shiny feathered long tails disappear from the jungle,

      When silent ones carry the tune of life,

      The rainbow-dressed blue tree

      Will weep tears of joy.

      Native folktale

      Little Diego rested his chin on the windowsill, gazing absently at the mountains of San Cristóbal. Outside it drizzled, but that’s not why he was bored. It was his third day stuck in the house: he’d been punished several days earlier when his mother found a plastic bottle full of water, some sandwiches and a kitchen knife, as he prepared to go deep into that unexplored, enigmatic and mysterious rainforest.

      Indeed, mysterious to him and all of those who had paid attention to the strange stories about that place, told even before the Spaniards came. Diego knew them all, since his father had told them countless times: adventurers deep in the mountain searching for gold the Incas and Aztecs had hidden from the Spaniards, never to be heard from again: explorers whose way had been blocked by the thick, dangerous jungle; locals chased by strange animals; tourists lost for days who later couldn't remember where they had been; scientists whose experiments went awry without explanation, and many more of the like.

      Diego's fascination for the jungle had always consumed him, perhaps because his parents had met and settled down there. Their careers had been spent researching painful diseases without a cure. This is why, ever since he was in his mother's belly, he had swept its trails and been in contact with its countless sounds and smells before birth.

      Eugenia, Diego's mother, looked at her seven-year-old son and her heart went out to him. He looked very bored, but she knew it was right to punish him. He had to understand he'd done something wrong. She closed her eyes to chase off the thought of what would've happened if she hadn't been there in time to stop him. She didn't know what had gotten into the child to make him want to go into the jungle on his own. She'd have to be more careful in the future. She sighed, thinking she didn't like to punish him, but it was unavoidable. She turned and was about to go on with her chores, when she heard him calling her excitedly.

      Mom! Mom!

      When she came close, she noticed he couldn't take his eyes off the mountains.

      Look! he said.

      She did, but didn't see anything out of the ordinary.

      What do you see? she asked matter-of-factly.

      The mountains, they're blue! said Diego anxiously.

      She looked again and thought they looked like they always did.

      Yes, they're blue she replied, without understanding.

      Why are they blue if trees and plants are green?

      Eugenia smiled and finally understood why he was surprised. She reached for a stool, placed it next to him and said:

      The mountains are actually green...

      No, they're blue! said the little boy, interrupting.

      Let me finish. Mountains are green... and gestured with her hand for him to wait before interrupting. The mountains are green, but an optical illusion created by the atmosphere makes them look blue.

      The youngster eyed her quizzically, so Eugenia thought of a simpler explanation.

      See, there are tiny drops of water in the air that don't get to touch the ground. When light goes through them, they appear blue, although they aren't.

      Diego looked at her with disappointment. Bored again, he placed his chin on the windowsill once more. Apparently, he expected a more interesting explanation, perhaps related to the stories he liked so much. His mother smiled and said:

      Although someone once told me there is a tree in the jungle that's also blue.

      Diego immediately turned to look at his mother, eyes open wide.

      A blue tree?

      Yes, a blue tree. Would you like me to tell you the story?

      Yes, please, please, please.

      Very well, but promise me you won't interrupt.

      He nodded.

      So his mother told him the following:

      "They say among the first Spaniards to arrive here around 1687, there was a young man called Tomás Sánchez, who came to the New World with other Colonists and founded the town of San Cristóbal. They also say that around that time came a man feared by the natives because, according to them, he was a spirit that came out of the mountains long ago and had never gone back.

      A man, who was neither a native nor a Spaniard, although he looked like one, spoke no Spanish, Portuguese or any language Tomás knew. Nevertheless, in a few days he learned Spanish and spoke it like it were his mother tongue. He said his name was Bonas and, according to his own story, had come to those lands more than six hundred years ago.

      Whoa! Diego blurted out.

      Obviously, his mother went on, ignoring his interruption, "Tomás and the other colonists thought he was insane, but even if he was, it still didn't explain how he had arrived there. He never bothered to explain. At any rate, he and Tomás became friends and Bonas offered to guide him through those lands. In fact, since this was one of the poorest and most remote provinces of the Spanish Empire, the first colonists had only just arrived and the big cities had not been founded yet, so the whole territory that is now Costa Rica was covered in dense vegetation.

      Bonas was an excellent guide and of great help to the colonists, especially to Tomás. He taught him about the plants and fruits that grew locally and were totally unknown in Spain. He also taught him to identify the native animals and reptiles, especially snakes. However, he refused to take him into the mountains. As she said this, Eugenia looked at them, thinking how much they attracted his young son.

      "Since Bonas refused to lead them into the heart of those mountains, Tomás asked the natives to take him there, but they also refused, so he asked them why no one wanted to go there. They explained that a people, the blue spirits, protected the blue tree, which in turn gave off a fog that covered the mountains and made men crazy.

      The blue tree was the oldest living thing to inhabit the region. But, when the quetzals, which the natives called ‘shiny feathered long tails’, disappeared from the forest and the tree wore all the colors of the rainbow, the tree sprouted crimson flowers. The spirit people valued it more than anything else in the world, more than gold or any other possession imaginable, because they obtained nectar that cured any illness to ail body and mind. The spirits valued it even more than the root of the very tree, which made anybody who ate it immortal.

      Immortal? What does that mean? asked Diego, not understanding.

      That means that whoever ate its root would never die.

      Whoa! said the youngster again.

      "Although no one knew where these people lived, or whether these people were in fact spirits or human beings, or how to contact them, the natives said they could see you, since they were always making sure no one entered their land. Those who had entered that territory either by mistake or by choice were sometimes never heard from again. If they did make it back, they were unable to remember where they had been.

      "This is why no one entered. They knew they weren't welcome.

      "They also told Tomás that long before the Spaniards,

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