Short Story
Sawanuku
Thayer Rexton Stowers
Sawanuku is the architectural builder of the Tiwanaku civilization. He has a family, and they live on the shore side of Lake Titicaca. This story is about the struggle that Sawanuku had to endure to save a family member.
When Sawanuku was building a temple to honor the gods, he was having trouble deciding how he would be able to build a pyramid. The only rocks big enough to build a majestic pyramid were on the far side of Lake Titicaca. He would have to take reed boats across the lake with almost the whole civilization. It is very dangerous because when you take rocks from the mountainside, rocks can fall and injure, or even kill people. Sawanuku, overcome with ambition, would do anything to get the rocks for the pyramid. He took 500 people with him to get the rocks for the pyramid. They had taken 500 reed boats across Lake Titicaca. When they had reached the other side, they had to salvage the massive rocks. In just a short amount of time, several of the rocks had already injured 10 people. But Sawanuku was willing to do anything. They had collected all the rocks they needed for the village temple. They had to get the rocks back across the lake on very thin reed boats. He had ordered the people to lift the rocks into the boats. It had taken ten people to lift up each individual rock. They had already lost many reed boats in a short amount of time. He thinks that the gods are angry with them because they haven’t built the temple for them in enough time. The weight of the massive rocks had sunken the boats, and they were only half way across the lake! When they docked on the other side, they had only half the amount of rocks left from the amount they had started with.
When they had finally gotten to the center of the city, they had no rest before they started building the pyramid. He had almost everyone in the whole civilization helping build the monument. They had to shape the rocks to fit with each other. He had started with only 458 rocks because of the loss of the other boats while crossing the lake. He had to rethink his whole building strategy. He decided to cut up the rocks in half to make up for the lost rocks. They had worked for two days straight. Making each individual rock fit together to keep the pyramid from collapsing, before they had finished the pyramid. Sawanuku decided to name it The Pyramid De Akapana.
He had gone home to see his family. When he had gotten to his house, he knew right away that something was very wrong. He walked over o his son. Lying on the bed, Tota looked very sick. His face was as pale as a white stone. Sawanuku was deeply concerned. He had no idea what had happened. They had asked Tiwanaku for help. Tiwanaku was the medicine man of the civilization. He had told him that his son had received a deadly disease that he caught from very bad lake water. The only way to heal this disease was to get Harmine, a drug made from a vine that was used for many years to cure disease, was located 300 miles deep into the Amazon. He would have to go with Tiwanaku and his llama, Flander. Sawanuku was willing to do anything to help his son. They had begun their journey, which was 300 miles away from the city. They had walked past many swamps, marshes, and cliffs, before they had met Anton, a Wiseman from a village also 300 miles away, who was going to the civilization to give his thoughts on sacrificing Abban. We had asked him if he would join us on our journey to find him Harmine. He had told us that he had no time to waste; he said that he must speak to the council to stop the death of Abban. He had continued on his way to help out Abban. Sawanuku had continued on his journey. But supplies were running low. As they traveled further into the Amazon forest, food started to become inedible, water undrinkable. They kept moving through the forest. As the days went on, they became closer and closer to death. Sawanuku was determined to save his son. He would not stop for anything. Sawanuku had been close to dying from the exhaustion. When all hope seemed lost; they had finally reached the Harmine. Flander, the llama, was so hungry, that he had started eating all the Harmine he could. Unfortunately he had passed out. This left Tiwanaku and Sawanuku to start collecting all the Harmine that they could carry.
When Flander had woken up, they had started on their journey back. Sawanuku would not wait to get back to his son. He was beginning to question himself even if his son was still alive. He tried not to think about it. He said to himself that his son would still be alive when they had reached his house. They had started to see the village walls. Sprinting to his house, on the far side of Lake Titicaca. He ran through the door, and kneeled next to his son. He started to feed the Harmine to him. After his son had started chewing on the vine, he began to collapse by the bed from exhaustion. He woke up in a daze to the voice of his son. He automatically jumped up and embraced him with happiness.
A few weeks went by; Sawanuku and his son were heading to the pyramid for a sacrifice that was happening. It had turned out that Anton had failed to convince the leaders of the civilization to free Abban from his execution but had failed. The leaders had appreciated Anton’s generosity. They had decided to make his civilization a part of theirs. They had sent him back to his civilization to tell the good news.
Thayer Rexton Stowers
Sawanuku is the architectural builder of the Tiwanaku civilization. He has a family, and they live on the shore side of Lake Titicaca. This story is about the struggle that Sawanuku had to endure to save a family member.
When Sawanuku was building a temple to honor the gods, he was having trouble deciding how he would be able to build a pyramid. The only rocks big enough to build a majestic pyramid were on the far side of Lake Titicaca. He would have to take reed boats across the lake with almost the whole civilization. It is very dangerous because when you take rocks from the mountainside, rocks can fall and injure, or even kill people. Sawanuku, overcome with ambition, would do anything to get the rocks for the pyramid. He took 500 people with him to get the rocks for the pyramid. They had taken 500 reed boats across Lake Titicaca. When they had reached the other side, they had to salvage the massive rocks. In just a short amount of time, several of the rocks had already injured 10 people. But Sawanuku was willing to do anything. They had collected all the rocks they needed for the village temple. They had to get the rocks back across the lake on very thin reed boats. He had ordered the people to lift the rocks into the boats. It had taken ten people to lift up each individual rock. They had already lost many reed boats in a short amount of time. He thinks that the gods are angry with them because they haven’t built the temple for them in enough time. The weight of the massive rocks had sunken the boats, and they were only half way across the lake! When they docked on the other side, they had only half the amount of rocks left from the amount they had started with.
When they had finally gotten to the center of the city, they had no rest before they started building the pyramid. He had almost everyone in the whole civilization helping build the monument. They had to shape the rocks to fit with each other. He had started with only 458 rocks because of the loss of the other boats while crossing the lake. He had to rethink his whole building strategy. He decided to cut up the rocks in half to make up for the lost rocks. They had worked for two days straight. Making each individual rock fit together to keep the pyramid from collapsing, before they had finished the pyramid. Sawanuku decided to name it The Pyramid De Akapana.
He had gone home to see his family. When he had gotten to his house, he knew right away that something was very wrong. He walked over o his son. Lying on the bed, Tota looked very sick. His face was as pale as a white stone. Sawanuku was deeply concerned. He had no idea what had happened. They had asked Tiwanaku for help. Tiwanaku was the medicine man of the civilization. He had told him that his son had received a deadly disease that he caught from very bad lake water. The only way to heal this disease was to get Harmine, a drug made from a vine that was used for many years to cure disease, was located 300 miles deep into the Amazon. He would have to go with Tiwanaku and his llama, Flander. Sawanuku was willing to do anything to help his son. They had begun their journey, which was 300 miles away from the city. They had walked past many swamps, marshes, and cliffs, before they had met Anton, a Wiseman from a village also 300 miles away, who was going to the civilization to give his thoughts on sacrificing Abban. We had asked him if he would join us on our journey to find him Harmine. He had told us that he had no time to waste; he said that he must speak to the council to stop the death of Abban. He had continued on his way to help out Abban. Sawanuku had continued on his journey. But supplies were running low. As they traveled further into the Amazon forest, food started to become inedible, water undrinkable. They kept moving through the forest. As the days went on, they became closer and closer to death. Sawanuku was determined to save his son. He would not stop for anything. Sawanuku had been close to dying from the exhaustion. When all hope seemed lost; they had finally reached the Harmine. Flander, the llama, was so hungry, that he had started eating all the Harmine he could. Unfortunately he had passed out. This left Tiwanaku and Sawanuku to start collecting all the Harmine that they could carry.
When Flander had woken up, they had started on their journey back. Sawanuku would not wait to get back to his son. He was beginning to question himself even if his son was still alive. He tried not to think about it. He said to himself that his son would still be alive when they had reached his house. They had started to see the village walls. Sprinting to his house, on the far side of Lake Titicaca. He ran through the door, and kneeled next to his son. He started to feed the Harmine to him. After his son had started chewing on the vine, he began to collapse by the bed from exhaustion. He woke up in a daze to the voice of his son. He automatically jumped up and embraced him with happiness.
A few weeks went by; Sawanuku and his son were heading to the pyramid for a sacrifice that was happening. It had turned out that Anton had failed to convince the leaders of the civilization to free Abban from his execution but had failed. The leaders had appreciated Anton’s generosity. They had decided to make his civilization a part of theirs. They had sent him back to his civilization to tell the good news.