Ancient temples are a favorite tourist spot in South America. It's a place where tourists get to see lifestyles and religions of early civilization. It also became a place which led Laura to become impregnated by her son.
It all started when Laura took her son, an anthropology major, on a trip to Chile for a firsthand look at some of the temples he had been studying in college. The trip was meant to be educational and a fun way to spend their summer together.
Things took a drastic turn when Bobby wanted to stay behind the tour group so he could take extra pictures and savor the experience. He was considering going for a doctorate, and having this kind of firsthand experience could be useful in the future.
The weather was hot and humid, and they both wore tshirt and shorts. Laura wiped a bead of sweat from her eyebrow as she waited alongside her son.
"And we're officially alone," Laura pointed out, watching the rest of the tourist group move ahead. "It's a little chilling in a fun way."
She looked around at the jungle and the ancient temple which they stood next to, while Bobby took pictures and touched the carvings. That particular temple had a flight of stairs, about 50 in all, before reaching the entrance.
"Are you scared?" Bobby joked.
"There could be dangerous animals in the jungle. You never know."
"I mean the temple. Weren't you listening to the tour guide?"
"I've never been a superstitious person," Laura replied, turning her attention towards the temple. "I'll admit that this place has eerie vibes though."
A mischievous expression crept over Bobby's face. "If you're not superstitious, let's go inside."
"The tour guide told us not to go in there," Laura said, switching to her more motherly tone of voice.
"But he's not here, is he?"
"If he didn't show the group this temple, then it's for a reason."
Bobby shook his head. "Mom, the guide doesn't have time to show each temple. Besides, everyone would be exhausted going up and down each entrance, with all these stairs to climb."
"Fair point."
Laura checked the time. They still had an hour before the tour group was set to depart from the area. And she could still hear them from afar, so they weren't totally alone and they wouldn't be lost.
"What do you think?" Bobby asked. "Up for a little adventure?"
"In all likelihood, I doubt I'll be coming here again. I'm not a jungle person. So we might as well get the most out of this."
He smiled, "Follow me."
They hiked up the stairs, and in the hot weather of Chile's jungle, they both sweated a little more and had to wipe their foreheads by the time they made it to the entrance.
Inside the temple was everything you'd expect from an ancient structure. It was hard-surfaced, mostly plain looking, small plants were growing between cracks, and the place was lit by sunlight coming from openings in the sides and on top.
They walked slowly and explored while Bobby took more pictures. Each step took them closer to a small altar in the center of a ceremonial room, with sunlight shining down on it from an opening above.
"That looks incredible," Laura noted. "What is it?"
Bobby snapped more pictures. "It looks like a fertility statue."
The small sculpted statue was placed on a stand about five feet tall, so that worshipers could have easy access to it. It was a carving of a large breasted woman with swollen nipples and a round belly; the universal symbol of maternity.
"I can't believe the tour guide isn't showing this to the group. It's gorgeous and I think it's the most interesting sculpture in this area."
Bobby turned to her and smiled, "Well, the tour guide did warn everyone. This place could be
hauunnntteeedd.
"
He exaggerated the last word with his trademark humor, and his mother couldn't help but laugh.
"I'm serious," she said after. "If the guide didn't bring the group here, then maybe it's a precious artifact."
"Or maybe we're really sweaty right now because of all those stairs we had to walk. He probably didn't want to exhaust the group."
Laura had to agree. "That's also a possibility. But still, we weren't invited to be here, so we should wrap this up and rejoin everyone. Who knows what else we're missing."
"More interesting than this?"
Bobby reached out and touched the fertility sculpture, feeling the smoothness of the rounded stomach.
"Bobby!"
"What? It's a rock."
"It's an artifact," she said. "You're the anthropology student, not me. I shouldn't have to explain this to you."
"Mom, there's nothing wrong with touching it. I think it's a unique experience touching something that was made nearly a thousand years ago. It's like being connected to early civilization. Besides, this thing is as sturdy as it comes. It's a rock. It won't break if you touch it."
Laura gazed at the intricate carving. "I suppose you're right."
"Want to touch?"
She shrugged. "At this point, why not?"
As fate should have it, a small cloud above the temple had moved, causing sunlight to shine directly down upon the altar of the fertility statue. Suddenly the old, dirt-covered rock carving looked anew. The direct sunlight shining over the statue made it glowing and lively.
"Incredible," she said softly, while her hand was still out.
"Are you still going to touch it?"
With a cautious hand, Laura reached forward and touched the fertility statue on the altar as the sun shone directly upon it. She put the palm of her hand directly onto the impregnated belly, while her thin, slender fingers touched the breasts and nipples of the carving. She almost felt a strange connection to it, especially as the sunlight seemed to amplify its beauty.
"What do you think?" Bobby asked. "Amazing, right?"
Laura's eyes were transfixed and her hand remained. "I can understand your fascination with ancient civilizations. It's unbelievable."
She removed her hand and they were in awe over the sculpture, which still glowed under the direct sunlight. As soon as her hand left, a cloud above had seemingly returned, taking away the direct shine on the altar.
When the glow left, Laura slightly hunched over. Her mind felt disoriented and there was a tingly sensation around her chest.
"Are you okay, mom?" he asked, noticing her discomfort.
She tried to shake it off. "I suddenly became a little light-headed, that's all. It's so weird."
"Hmmm... It might have been the strong reflection or the overwhelming experience of touching something like this. I'm sure it'll pass."
"I'm fine now," she said, trying to regain her wits.
He gave her a closer look. "We should get back to the rest of the group now. They have more medical knowledge than me, in case you need it. Can you walk okay?"
"I should be fine. Let's go."
His eyes suddenly shifted downwards. "Umm, mom?"
"Yes?"
"You're sweating."
"I know," she said. "It's really humid."
"I mean... your chest. You seem to be sweating in an unusual area, if you catch my drift."
Laura looked down and noticed that there were faint wet spots on her tshirt, on the tip of each breast. She pulled at her tshirt to get a better look, wondering if this was really sweat. She had never sweated so much in that area before, and she faulted herself for not wearing a better bra.
"It's..." She was flabbergasted for a moment. "It's just sweat. Give me a second to dry it and I hope no one notices."
She reached in her pocket for a packet of tissue and turned around to pat the wet spots. As she touched herself, she realized that the source of the wetness came directly from within her bra. How could this be? Had her breasts really released this much sweat all of a sudden? She had never been in an area this humid before, and plus she had been walking and climbing stairs all morning, so that might explain things.
"Can you look away for a moment?" she said to her son. "I might need to do a little extra cleaning."
Bobby made sure not to look in his mother's direction. Then Laura slipped a hand underneath her tshirt with a dry tissue and wiped around her bra. After wiping each breast, she looked at the tissue, and she could have sworn that the color had a white consistency. But she tried to push those thoughts away, wondering if the humidity could possibly be making her hallucinate. Besides, the thought of breasts producing so much milk at this moment was crazy.
She stuffed the wet tissues into her pocket. Although she had a feeling something was wrong, she didn't want to make a fuss.
"Okay, I'm ready now," she said. "Let's go."
He turned to her. "You look kind of pale."
"I'm fine," she said with a forced smile. "Let's go."
They walked side by side as they left the fertility temple.
***
Nearly a week later. It was 5 pm when Laura arrived home from the office, where she worked as a loan officer for a large bank. It was also her first day back in the office since returning from the trip.
She went straight to her bedroom, undressed her suit, and had to wipe her chest dry before putting on her home clothes.
Then she went to Bobby's room, where as usual, he was on his computer surfing the internet.
"Can we talk?" she asked.
"Yeah, sure. What's up?"
Laura sat on his bed and Bobby turned to face her as he remained sitting by his desk. They were a mere two feet apart.
"What I'm about to say may sound strange to you," she said. "In fact, I can hardly believe it myself. But I'm not crazy."
He seemed slightly taken aback. "What do you mean?"
"The fertility temple," she said after a deep breath. "How much do you... What I'm trying to say is... How much are you a believer in that sort of thing?"
He looked confused. "What thing? Ancient civilizations?"
