The Legend of:
The Vast Viper of Cajatambo
[And the Peruvian Wanka’s]

(Overture) My son was a simpleton, sly with a curmudgeonly; better said, throughout his years he was unlucky, indeed ill-fated; all the same, he was trying to prove himself to the world, I dare say did not—and so he followed the legend to its end, nonetheless. And so I shall share my story with you, lest you follow in his footsteps—and I do not want to be responsible for that.

It’s an old tale, but I shall tell it nonetheless: the tale along with the story of my son; frightened as I might become and I dare say, a weak heart to boot, but I shall say it, tell you the tale of the serpent on the mountain area by Lima, Peru. To get there it is a rough ride so I suggest you take along all the necessities for a few days hike in the mountains. And there are no hotels to keep your warm at night so bring some blankets, and an assortment of other needs, you will not regret it.

As I was about to tell you, in this little sketch or outline, this area, this mountainous area, by Lima, Peru, is a most beautiful place, a place I’ve never set foot in, seen pictures of, but never, ever, not even once, set foot in: an area called Vast Viper Grotto. I don’t know where it is precisely, save for the fact my son told me its proximity, but god knows I’m no forest ranger, or mountaineer, nor do I even like camping; when it comes to camping out I look for a hotel, so I cannot help you there; nor to be quite frank would I want to help you.

Oh dear, I must say, I’m getting lost in this somnolent story already, it’s so tires me when I try to tell it, it is too depressing. The grotto under the beautiful mountain known as Cajatambo, are most beautiful, as I think I said already, and covered with snow should you reach the right areas: breathtaking. It was said, so legend has it, the serpent king—a vast viper of some nature—could swallow, devour a flock of sheep in a day, or even an ass or two—to boot, if left to wonder aimlessly in the rough terrain of this mountainous crater like world. Oh yes, oh yes, many have described its beauty, but none until now, has disclosed its dark secrets—its dark side, and it has one, its king viper, its legendary meander-snake. But I owe it to you, if not myself to inform you.

If it could, I do believe, if it really could, the snake would hunt me down, and gulp me down whole.

Now where was I, yes indeed, the snake, and its hidden grotto, in the mountains; it has been said, and many have said it to me, and my son, that this viper was cast into this mountainous area long ago, in the time of the Wanka’s, that it was breed by them for warfare, and it got so huge, might huge, it could not be maintained, and for safety reasons, they deposed of it in the chilled mountains, thinking it would parish, but it did not, no indeed, it did not. It survived, and flourished, and remains in the ancient mountains of Cajatambo. Again, I must say, this was the penance given to the viper by the Wanka’s long ago, it was their judgment for it becoming too dominate, yet they could not bring themselves to destroy the beast completely, so they ridded themselves of it in the mountains.

And thus, my son climbed this mountain, and while refreshing himself by the grotto of this beast, it attacked him, twisted him, devouring him, down its slimy and fatty walls of soft tissue, without sound, it just swallowed, gulped as if it was having a feast: this vast viper with its tooth and fangs, it ate him whole, yet it left his sole of his foot, the underside of the foot, the bottomed part of his foot, it is all I have that belonged to him, why the sole, I’ll never know; that is what was found when an expedition went looking for him sometime after.

Written 12/24/05 (10:50 PM)

See Dennis' web site: http://dennissiluk.tripod.com

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