Balam and the Court of the Underworld

Novella Summary

Balam and the Court of the Underworld is a short novella I wrote as my capstone piece for my bachelor's degree in literature-creative writing at American University. It is a coming-of-age story inspired by Mayan mythology about a disabled child who petitions the gods for help; however, it proves more difficult than he initially thought, as this excerpt shows.

Excerpt below

I know that but—”

A leathery wing was pressed to Balam’s mouth. “What makes you so special that you think you can walk in and whine to masters of the court?”

“I’ve struggled my whole life to see and experience the world. I have to concentrate on each step I take every day…”

“Boring,” the bat interrupted, brushing out his furry chest.

“Did you save your city from an army of ten thousand?”

“No,” Balam replied.

“Advise kings to achieve a decade of  peace?”

“No.”

“Become Brother Moon or Brother Sun to save the world from darkness?”

“No. First, none of those are even possible. You’re just talking about heroes from legend.”

“False!” the bat barked, growing exasperated. “You actually mean the men of your land who successfully made it down below to come back up above!”

The bat took a deep breath to calm himself, then slowly exhaled into Balam’s face.

“Let’s try an easy one, then. Have you ever done anything for anyone besides yourself?”

“Enough with the irrelevant questions! Let’s get back on topic. This is my journey. I need a new body so I can be free to become the miracle my mom says I am.”

The bat blinked twice, taken aback. “You’d risk death in the rivers of blood, bone, and bile? Encounters with monsters? And you truly believe that YOU can persuade a god of death—all this to stand up straight?”

Balam shook his head angrily.

“Miracles are grand and surprising, not some kid whining about things he thinks he can’t control.

 Look, the court hasn’t listened to humans in ages. If you follow me and take the plunge, I could get a word in.”