The rainy season had begun almost a moon before, and the heat of the dry season has finished. In its place rain and more rain. The forests were flooded. The small lagoons swollen and the low lands were swamps.

Hunting was very difficult and the corn couldn't be harvested because it was so humid. Meanwhile the parrots, crows and raccoons destroyed and consumed the crops.

The disease appeared in the town attacking almost all the inhabitants. Jacinto remembered that it had started in the house of his brother in -law, Carmen's brother. He had gone to Santa Cruz, to deal with matters of chicle and to buy merchandise, he had stayed in Santa Cruz a few days, and when he came back, the same day, he got sick. High fever, deep exhaustion, headaches, pain in the bones and general weakness, frequent and pertussis cough. They didn’t remember having suffered any disease like that.

Then other family members got sick, then friends who visited them and the sickness extended through all the houses and families. Men, women, children, and old people were taken ill before the powerless medicine men and the shamans who worked tirelessly until they too fell sick, victims of the epidemic. The yards were empty, the weak light of the vigil candles and the pitiful cough of the sick people broke the silence.

Jacinto felt very sick and understood that he couldn't be the exception since almost everybody in his house had suffered at almost the same time. The home remedies and the medicine for fever didn't do any good and besides they had almost run out. Don Jose and Timot Canul had died, they were the oldest men in the village, X-Lut, the old mid-wife had died too, and others were very sick, Puus's grand-son was gravely ill. Maybe he had died during the night. How many more would die?

He remembered the Small Pox that had decimated the town long before the Tsuulo'ob had taken Santa Cruz. Then, they were powerless to fight the epidemic, but now shouldn't they ask the government for help? The old men were resigned, but the young ones, who on some occasion had gone to Chetumal or Santa Cruz to see doctors in the co-operatives, wanted to go for help.

Maybe they had waited too long; Jacinto lay down in his hammock, dominated by the sickness. Without wasting any more time, he decided to send somebody.

"Dol", he said to his son, "Do you think you could make the trip to Santa Cruz? Are you feeling better? You were one of the first people to get sick.

"It you are feeling better, you must go for help"

"I don't feel very good, but I think I can make the trip, tell me what I should do."

"Get ready to leave at dawn, now I am going to write a letter to the Representative of the Government in Santa Cruz to explain everything.

Dol traveled quickly to Santa Cruz. The two days with a rest in Tus-ik seemed endless. In Tus-ik, they told him that the epidemic was passing, that the government was sending doctors and medicine and they stayed in the town until the disease was under control. This gave him new hope and energy. When he arrived with the petition for help, after the representative read he said...

"You'll have to wait for the medical teams to get ready. They got back just two days ago from X-bolil where there was an epidemic too.

Come back later, to talk to the doctor and his assistants you will be their guide"

"What time should I come back, Sir"

"At seven or eight, here at the station"

"I’ll be here "- said Dol.

When the doctor and his two health assistants arrived that night, Dol was sitting on a bench waiting for them.

"This young man will guide you to Tok´tuunich. His name is Dol. Isn’t that right? He added, looking at Dol.

"Yes, Sir, my name is Jose Dolores Ek"

The doctor, a young man with Maya features, but light color eyes, looked at him.

"Are you related to Jacinto Ek? -He asked, you have the same last name.

"He’s my father"- answered Dol amazed that the stranger would mention his father’s name.

"Then," said the doctor smiling, "you are my cousin. I am your father's sister's son Leonor was my mother.

The young doctor stretched his hand toward Dol's and pressed it hard. Jose Dolores, was astounded, the unexpected of the event and the friendliness of the young doctor took him by surprise.

He remembered the time when the family conversation had referred to those events, which happened many years before he was born. His aunt Leonor's death and the baby who had been taken to Zaci by his father, the first teacher to come to Tok'tuunich, and now, all of the sudden, here he was saying, "I'm your cousin, the son of your aunt Leonor."

"I'm your cousin, Marcelo. My father was the town teacher, Don't you know your aunt Leonor was my mother?"

The young doctor repeated himself noticing the temporary perturbation of the young maasewa'al, who smiled timidly as he answered.

"In my family, we always remember your parents, but we haven't heard from you in years, we only know that your father lives in his hacienda, a little bit far from Zaci. I don't remember anything else. I am here because they sent me to guide a doctor to our town because of the epidemic, I'm glad you are here because there is much sickness and we're afraid that many people will die like many years before I was born when the Small Pox attacked other towns. Many people died then even though, they went into the wood to avoid contact with the disease."

"They have told me of what has happened in the village since my father left after my mother died. I know that in other villages there was an epidemic years ago. But I didn't know there had been an epidemic in your village, much less that there was small pox."

"My father knows more about it that I do, he remembers it well, he went for help that time. Since then from time to time, they come to vaccinate us, look, "-said Dol showing the vaccination scar on his left arm. "Since then we haven't suffered from that disease."

"What disease is attacking you now?"

"We don't know what it is, we only know someone from the village who had been in Chetumal brought the disease to the village. It causes a high fever, and sometimes stomach problems, and the whole body aches, some people have coughs and bloody noses, When I left two old people had already died, and many young and old, men, women and children. The shaman says it is "bad air" that comes from the sea and neither his herbs or his prayers help, that's why my father sent for help"

Jacinto was waiting impatiently for Dol to get back with medical help. The disease was attacking house by house, person by person without respecting anybody. Children, women, men, and old people were victims of the disease. In just a few days three people had died and many were in serious condition, three days had gone by since his son had gone for medical help.

"Would they come soon?" "Would they take a long time to come? What if they don't come? How many people will die?

He remembered years ago, when smallpox had attacked the town and yellow fever and dysentery, and intestinal diseases time and again had decimated the village. He remembered the ritual, the song, the prayers the pleas and the tears in the nights for the dead.

Jacinto heard the dogs barking at the edge of town signaling the arrival of strangers to the town.

He left his house and went toward the road to Santa Cruz a few minutes later a small group was entering the little square at the center of town. Besides his son, there were three people two of them in uniform. They were certainly the assistants of the doctor Dol came forward, after dismounting.

"He is the doctor and they are his helpers, we left Santa Cruz two hours before dawn using the moon light. We haven't rested not even a minute except to water the animals and drink pozole at mid-day. The doctor wanted to get here as soon as possible the animals are worn out."

Jacinto looked at the young doctor who extended his hand towards him.

"You must be my uncle Jacinto, he said with big, warm smile," I am your nephew, Marcelo, son of your sister, Leonor.

Jacinto was surprised for a minute, and then held him in a tight hug. In his mind, quickly, old memories went by; Leonor, Marcelo; tears were in his eyes.

"Thank God, you are here, thank God it is you who have come to help us. Let's go to my house so you can rest and eat. The trip has been very long and you must be exhausted, and you too, boys you come in too."

"Dol, tell the second chief that the doctor and his team have arrived, tell him to prepare the school so they can rest and put their things, tell him to tell us who needs the first attention. The worst sick should be first I think they will begin as soon as they haven’t eaten."

"Let's begin right away uncle. It is no time for rest. I want to see as many of the sick as I can and see if it is the same disease that is attacking other towns. I think it is from what Dol told me on the way.

It is an epidemic that came from far away, and we have no defense against it. I will explain later. Now let's drink something, the boys have to unpack, and then we can begin to visit the sick.

Jacinto and Marcelo went to the house where Carmen was waiting at the door, when the young man was in front of her, he surprised her by saying:

"You are my Aunt Carmen. Can you guess who I am?"

Carmen looked at him. There was a family resemblance, "who are you?"

"He's Leonor's son. And Marcelo's can't you see it in his face?

Carmen remembered as she often did the baby whose mother died when he was born, whom she nursed for the first months until his father took him to Zaci.

She couldn't keep back the tears when the young man held her warmly.

"So it's you, who nursed me, my father always talks about you and when he was here in the village. He told me that if it hadn't been for you, I would have died of hunger."

Carmen dried her tears from her cheeks. Jacinto looked on the emotional scene. One by one he introduce everybody in the family to the young doctor.