The Deeds of the Ancients

By jinnis

Running a travel agency during a pandemic is a challenge. And some of my colleagues might point out this is an understatement. I'd been fighting to remain positive and to earn my keep for more than a year when the young man walked into my shop, wearing a mask that hid everything but his steel-blue eyes and a shock of black curls.

"Good morning, Miss. Can you help me with an inquiry?"

I pointed at the telephone headset covering my ears. "Just a minute," I mouthed toward my customer. With a single glance, I took in the anthracite face mask tailored to fit his expensive suit and his black shoes polished to the same glossy finish as his calfskin briefcase. His whole appearance spelt money—and an impeccable sense of fashion.

Marjory, at the other end of my line, rambled on about her boyfriend trouble. What seemed mildly interesting only a minute ago now kept me from potential business, though. "Listen, Marj, I'll call back later. I have a customer."

"... And then he dared to say—wait, are you even listening, Jo? I thought business at your place was dead as a doornail?"

I suppressed a sigh. "Please, Marj, I'll call you, promise. Bye." Determined to give my most professional expression, I cut the connection, slipped off my headset, and replaced it with a one-way medical mask. "How can I help you?"

"I'm sorry to interrupt your conversation. Indeed, I'd like to talk about business. Would you be available to arrange a group tour?"

Was he kidding? We were living in an effing pandemic, and no one was booking group tours these days. "It depends on what you have in mind. Would this be a company outing?"

"Not in the strict sense. Consider it a celebratory family event."

A marriage anniversary or something fancy for sure if they needed the services of a travel agency. But I wasn't one to complain about potential business. "Very well, and where do you wish to travel?"

"That's not decided yet. I imagined a guided tour, visiting some truly remarkable places. I'm sure you have suitable suggestions." The crinkles beside his eyes told me he smiled behind his mask. Was he flirting? Well, I hadn't had a date for over a year, but it needed more than long lashes to get my juices flowing. Whom are you kidding, girl?

I swallowed the dry knot that had appeared in my throat. "I'm sure I do. Let's see, a city tour to Paris or Rome, perhaps? How long should this event take?"

"We haven't decided yet. I'd say it depends on your suggestions." The crinkles were back.

"Oh, the range of opportunities is wide. What about a visit to a wellness oasis in the Schwarzwald? Or maybe what we call our honeymoon special, a magical voyage into the heart of natural beauty, a cruise on the famous Hurtigruten or on the Danube? Another more local happening I can recommend is a culinary discovery voyage. It's one of our specialities, and I'm sure we can cater for the taste of all your family members."

The laugh lines beside his eyes deepened. "Ah, I'm sure this would be an unforgettable experience. As tempting as it sounds, I should have made myself more clear. We are looking for an extended tour to places of paramount cultural interest." He pulled up a chair and sat, straightening the creases in his trousers. "Think big, please. What are places you consider relevant for human history and achievements, the must-sees on planet Earth?"

The entire planet? This had to be a joke, right? Glad for the privacy the mask gave me, I fought back my hysterical laughing fit and leaned back in my chair, careful to keep a straight face. I was good at this game too. "Human achievements aside from Gothic cathedrals and Baroque castles, you mean? Well, let's start with Olduvai Gorge, the cradle of humanity. Then, we have Stonehenge, the pyramids of Giza and Chichen Itza. Let's add Machu Picchu, the Great Wall of China, the Moai of Rapa Nui. Oh, and the Nazca lines are worth a visit for sure, to name a few."

For a moment, I thought his eyes gleamed, but dismissed it as a trick of the light. "Now, we're talking the same language. I'm convinced this would fit the expectations of my relations."

I fought to keep the frown off my face. "What would?"

"The itinerary you suggested. How long would it take to set things up?"

"Um, to which destination?"

"To all of them, of course."

~ ~ ~

Three weeks later, I sat on a plane to Tanzania. No kidding, he booked the complete trip, including flights, transfers, hotels, full pension, sightseeing tours to the chosen sites for seven persons. We even agreed to add a stop in Jordan to visit Petra, the rock city. I'd spent a hectic two weeks booking and coordinating everything.

My customer, Mister Smith, had paid daily visits to my shop to discuss the details. I must admit they excited me more than Marjorie's phone calls. Out of experience, I kept our relationship strictly professional, though, refusing anything above an invitation to the coffee shop next door.

When he still showed interest after the voyage, I'd be glad to accept his advances. But as long as he was my customer, I would stay prudent despite his gorgeous looks, dazzling smile, and hilarious sense of humour.

And then, on that last, crucial day when I presented him with the complete dossier and the bill, came the mind-blasting surprise.

"So, that's more or less it. This envelope contains all the tickets and vouchers, sorted by name. This is your itinerary. I also saved everything online, so you should be able to access it with this QR code anywhere you got Wi-Fi connection."

"Thank you so much for your excellent work, Joanna. I'll see you early on Sunday at the airport then." His adorable twinkle sent a flock of butterflies through my stomach. Was it a flock? A herd? Anyway, the sensation was of short duration as the implication of his words registered in my brain.

"At the airport? I'm sure you won't need me to wave you goodbye."

"Oh, but you're our tour guide, of course. I wouldn't want anyone else for the job."

I grinned. The man was such a flatterer. "I would need a ticket and another set of bookings, then. It can't be done in the remaining time, and you know that very well."

The broadness of his grin surpassed mine by far. "But there will be enough time to change the name on these tickets." He passed me the bundle I'd made for his niece.

"Isn't Janine attending?"

"I never had a niece by that name. Because I feared you would say no, I allowed myself to introduce her into the group. You'll have single bedrooms, and I'll reimburse you for your time."

Brian Smith knew how much I wanted to travel with them. This was a voyage I'd never be able to afford for myself. And all the destinations were on my private bucket list.

His eyes remained fixed on my face. "Come on, Joanna, I know how much you want to do this. And we always planned to hire a guide. You're perfect, speak several languages, and know about history. If you want to get additional local guides, that's up to you, of course. I'll even pay you a bonus. Oh, and I applied for the mandatory visa for you, of course."

He handed me an envelope, a triumphant grin on his face. Naturally, I couldn't resist.

~ ~ ~

The trip was a dream. Aside from Brian, the party comprised his mother Persephone, her sister Celine and brother Timothy, plus grandmother Doreen. They were all pleasant people, if on the formal side. Their genuine interest in history took me by surprise. Instead of spending time in Brian's company, I spent my evenings surfing the internet to complete my knowledge of the monuments we visited.

To put it short, I had the time of my life. My customers were by far the most interested bunch I'd ever travelled with. They never complained about the food or the accommodation—not even when Aunt Celine found a scorpion in her hotel room in Egypt. Instead, she caught the animal in a toothbrush glass and brought it to dinner. I'll never forget the face of the manager when she asked for adequate scorpion food. Together, we convinced her to let the creature run free in the desert the next day.

While I'd felt like an intruder the first few days, I soon was treated by everyone as their favourite niece. Except for Brian, of course, who never stopped showering me with his charm. To my surprise, he kept a distance I'd have called professional if he'd been my boss. Now, he technically was my boss, but I'd already been paid and was enjoying my bonus. So why didn't he seem interested anymore?

I found out in the hotel in Salisbury—by accident. A clerk of the rental company called me to inform me the minibus I'd hired for our visit to Stonehenge the following morning had a technical problem. They would send a replacement as soon as possible, but not before noon. I tried to hire a taxi instead, without luck. So I dropped by to discuss our options with Brian.

We had adjacent rooms opening to the terrace, and, rather than doing the sensible thing and knocking at his door, I squeezed between two potted palms to pay him a visit. Halfway through the greenery, I stopped, taken aback by the thing I saw inside his room. It was an amorphous, porous mass, not unlike a giant purple sponge. It moved over the deep carpet with the grace of a gigantic slug, reaching with nimble tentacles for something draped over a chair.

My hand pressed against my mouth to prevent me from screaming, I shrank back into the plants and watched this monstrosity squeeze itself into what turned out to be a man-suit, zip it closed, and pull the hood down over its head. With nimble fingers, it moulded a well-known face into place—squeezing a cheek here and straightening a few creases there until I stared at the smiling face of Brian Smith.

What should I do? I could walk off and forgo the second half of the trip and the promised bonus, or I could continue and pretend everything was normal. It—He hadn't done me any harm, right? Of course, I decided on the latter.

~ ~ ~

The following morning, we flew to Peru. In Nazca, aboard the Cessna plane we took to see the famous desert petroglyphs, I worked up my courage and asked. The noise of the motor gave us a sense of privacy in the back row of the tiny plane.

"Brian, may I ask something?"

"Sure, what bothers you?"

"These drawings—was it your people who made them? Did you build the pyramids and Stonehenge?"

"My people? Oh." He stared out of the window at the picture of the hummingbird. "I should have guessed you'll figure it out. What gave us away?"

"I wanted to ask you something in Salisbury, so I came to knock at your terrace door. But you didn't answer my question. Was it you who did these?"

He chuckled and rubbed a spot beneath his ear. "Kudos to you for not fleeing in panic. To answer your question, no, why should we? It is against the basic laws of xenotourism to interfere with the local population while visiting a developing planet. No, your ancestors did all this on their own, setting stone upon stone. You should be proud of them, as they left a huge impression with my people, enough to earn you millennials of undisturbed development."

I pointed to the picture of the ape. "So, you left humans alone because they made figures in the desert?"

"No, we constructed a sanctuary for a species that showed creative potential."

I'm sure Erich von Däniken would have given a lot to be in my place. He was so sure all these mind-boggling feats could only have been done with the help of extraterrestrials. Now, I knew better. They were the reason the aliens left us alone. But wait...

"If Earth is considered a sanctuary, why are you here?"

He stared at me with a half-open mouth. "Don't you know? The ban has been lifted by the controlling board. While human ancestors were amazing, for unknown reasons, their creative streak weakened over the generations. Today, not much of the spirit and values of the ancients remain. So the sanctuary is no longer justified. Earth will be opened up for real estate development soon."

"So you only booked this trip to select prime real estate?"

One corner of his mouth twitched. I learned to read this as a sign of regret a while back. "No, we came to say goodbye. My family were the guardians watching out for humans during all this time. We saw you climb the ladder of evolution, and we saw you fall. It's only fair to show our respect before the end."