The Heavenly Twins and the Giant. Maya. Pleiades

Long ago, in the jungles of the Maya empire there were two heavenly twins tasked with destroying a proud and boisterous Earthquake Giant. The twins, named Hun-Apu and Xbalanque [shuh·buh·laang·kay] were deemed the two most capable young men to deal with this Giant fellow. They never questioned the orders, they had heard he was proud and cruel and ran down from the heavens with a plan to kill the Giant.

The Twins gathered many young men to build a house. They began to dig into the earth to make a sturdy foundation and walked into the hot muggy jungle to cut down a mighty tree. It was all a ruse though, and soon the Giant happened across the Twins trying to drag the fallen tree.

"Ho ho ho little people! What have you got there?" The Earthquake Giant boomed, stooping under the vines to look down on the men.

"We have cut down this tree for our new house!" Hun-Apu answered, "This mighty tree will serve as the main support beam, but it is too big to get back."

"You all cannot carry it?" The Giant asked, surprised.

"No, not even with 15 strong men." Xbalanque [shuh·buh·laang·kay] admitted.

The Giant threw his head back and laughed. Then he scooped the massive tree under his arm with ease.

"Show me where this house of yours is to be built, little people." He said.

The Twins jogged to lead the Giant through the jungle, until they reached the small clearing where a deep pit had been dug.

"Thank you, Giant, could you set the beam in the center of that hole?" Hun-Apu asked, and quietly gestured to the many men to surround the pit with shovels and rocks. The Giant did not notice, and eased himself into the deep pit, promptly setting the tree in the center.

"Now!" Cried Hun-Apu, and every man started throwing stones and piling dirt on the Giant. He was so surprised by this attack, he was trapped instantly under hundreds of pounds of dirt.

Many hours passed, and the Twins decided the Giant was dead. Impressed by the strong support beam, they did not want to waste a day's efforts and continued to build the house.

That very night the Twins invited their heavenly friends and all the moral men into the new house for a party. They played loud music, danced, and celebrated the destruction of the Giant.

But alas the Earthquake Giant lived. Awakened from the party and enraged by this betrayal, the Giant began to shake the earth around him. No one above him noticed, thinking it was simply the shaking of the dance floor. With a mighty cry, Earthquake Giant threw the dirt off his back and launched the house into the sky. The force was so powerful, the Twins and their five heavenly friends got stuck in the sky (Pleiades) and if you look very very carefully (through binos), you can see all the mortal men who helped betray the Giant.

So the next time you look up at Hun-Apu, Xbalanque [shuh·buh·laang·kay], and their friends think about this story. Just because someone looks different or speaks differently than you, doesn't mean they don't belong, it just means you could have friends with different strengths and weaknesses than you.