Curse of the Mummy's Uncle (17 page)

Authors: J. Scott Savage

How was your trip? Nick, Carter, and Angelo seem to have survived. Of course, they always do. I'm thinking about taking a little trip myself. Perhaps to visit my mother. It's been a while since I've seen her, and for some reason I feel the need just now.

Will I be back? Perhaps. Although the boys seem to be growing up. Maybe it's time they got on without me. And what about you? Are there adventures you've been meaning to take? Dark and shadowy haunts calling out to you?

Go now, at once. Before it's too late. Perhaps your story will be in my next case file.

Or perhaps you'll start a case file of your own.

Sincerely,

B. B.

One of the best things about writing a series like Case File 13 is that I get to find lots of fun facts about interesting topics like pyramids, Mayan temples, and ancient writings. I combine those with legends, myths, and rumors, and stir it all together with things I make up from my own imagination.

The first thing I discovered when I began researching
Curse of the Mummy's Uncle
is that the Mayans were and are an amazing people. The ancient Mayans are known for their art, architecture, math, and astronomy, among other things. Because Mayan script has been mostly deciphered, we can read about 90 percent of their ancient writings. That helps us understand a lot about their lives and beliefs.

The second thing I learned is that pyramids are awesome. Although we tend to think of Egypt when we think of pyramids, there are actually hundreds of them spread all over the world. Many Mayan cities, including Tikal, Yaxha, and Ixlu, have what are called
twin-pyramid groups where two pyramids were built on the east and west side of a plaza.

Mayan pyramids often had temples on top. The pyramids represented mountains and the temples represented caves to the underworld. Passages were sometimes dug down from the temple into the pyramid, where royalty was buried. Many times the doors to these passages are carved to look like the mouths of monsters.

The names of the demons I used in this book all come from Mayan mythology. (Even the Flying Scab!) The
Popol Vuh
is a real document that includes the story of the Hero Twins, Xbalanque and Hunahpu. Almost all the tests the boys have to get through are the same ones the Hero Twins have to pass. (Except for the Whac-A-Mole skeletons. I made that up because it seemed so funny.) Xibalba is actually what the Mayans called the underworld, and it does translate to “place of fear.”

While I used lots of facts, I also made a lot up. None of the characters are real. The archaeological site is not a real location. There is no pyramid called Xma' Su'tal Hats'utsil. The ceremonies where Mayans of royal blood could pass through the underworld to become gods is made up from a little bit of fact and a little bit
of legend, but mostly from my imagination. I totally invented the items of power.

Hopefully this adventure made you want to find out more about pyramids, Mayans, and Mesoamerican history. If so, there are lots of great books on the subjects from the real experts.

Here are just a few.

Baquedano, Elizabeth.
Aztec, Inca & Maya: Discover the World of the Aztecs, Incas, and MayasâTheir Beliefs, Rituals, and Civilizations,
rev. ed. DK Eyewitness Books. New York: DK Publishing, 2011.

Maloy, Jackie.
The Ancient Maya.
New York: Children's Press, 2010.

Matthews, Rupert.
You Wouldn't Want to Be a Mayan Soothsayer!: Fortunes You'd Rather Not Tell.
You Wouldn't Want To . . . New York: Franklin Watts, 2008.

You can also find plenty of information (along with some awesome pictures and videos) on the internet, too. Who knows, maybe you'll want to make up your own story of Mayan pyramids and what happens inside.

It's not every day an author gets to share many of his childhood experiences with his readers. Especially not in a series that's as much fun to write as Case File 13. Special thanks to Michael Bourret, who helped make this dream come true; Andrew Harwell, who saw the stories I was trying to tell and made them so much better; Douglas Holgate, who brought my words to life with his amazing pictures; all the staff at Harper Children's who turned a story into what you now hold in your hands; to my family, who support me in too many ways to count; and most of all, to you, my readers, without whom none of the words would matter. It's been a great journey, and I hope you've enjoyed the series. Feel free to contact me at [email protected] and let me know how you liked it.

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About the Author

Photo by Erica Thurman

J. SCOTT SAVAGE
has returned after being lost in a Mexican rainforest. His office is now filled with Mayan scrolls, hieroglyphics, artifacts, and star charts. His children and children-in-law, Big Nick, Erica, Scott, Natalie, Jake, and Little Nick, look pale and claim to be cursed. His grandchildren, Gray, Lizzie, and Jack, are heavily wrapped in mummy-like bandages. And his wife, Jennifer, has reportedly been seen glowing green and hexing the neighbors.

You can visit him online at
www.jscottsavage.com
.

Discover great authors, exclusive offers, and more at
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.

Credits

Copyright

CASE FILE 13 #4: CURSE OF THE MUMMY'S UNCLE
. Text copyright Â© 2015 by J. Scott Savage. Illustrations copyright Â© 2015 by Douglas Holgate. All rights reserved under International and Pan-American Copyright Conventions. By payment of the required fees, you have been granted the nonexclusive, nontransferable right to access and read the text of this e-book on-screen. No part of this text may be reproduced, transmitted, downloaded, decompiled, reverse-engineered, or stored in or introduced into any information storage and retrieval system, in any form or by any means, whether electronic or mechanical, now known or hereafter invented, without the express written permission of HarperCollins e-books.

www.harpercollinschildrens.com

ISBN 978-0-06-232406-1

EPub Edition Â© June 2015 ISBN 9780062324085

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