Episode 26: Torre Más Alta

NARRATOR:
Previously, on Timestorm…

BENI
Faro, Tibes, torre más alta. / What about the arrowhead?

HORACIO
You’ll revisit it once it’s been located. But now, you’re headed to the rainforest!

ATABEY
El Yunque in Rio Grande in nineteen thirty-eight.

***

ALEXA
(whispers) Those stones look like a foundation.

BENI
(whispers) For a round building.

GAEL 
Aquí. This is the spot.

BENI
(whispering) It’s a tin.

NICO
Hey, that cement between the stones isn’t even dry, Gael.

GAEL
Makes for a good hiding spot.

***

HORACIO
The metal tin is the artifact.

BENI
The container’s made of guanín.

HORACIO
Made by mí Abuelo. He made dozens of them for me. And for my father.

ALEXA
Gael.

HORACIO
Papi used to brag about how helped build the Mount Britton tower from the bottom up as part of the Civilian Conservation Corps.

ATABEY
Find a guanín container in Rio Grande in two thousand eighteen.

***

KAYLEE
So nice to meet you, Josie.

JOSIE
A pleasure, Kelly.

KAYLEE
Kaylee.

***

KAYLEE
I think the arrowhead in the Ziplock bag—it’s mine.

LALO
Where did you find that?

KAYLEE
I stepped on it while I was in the shop next store.

LALO
You took it from Josie?

Through the vent, ALEXA and BENI laugh.

LALO
Whoa. ¿Qué es eso? Laughter?

JOSIE
(though the vent) How’d it go?

LALO
That vent in the wall leads to the building next door. You’ve been spying on Josie?

MUSIC: THEME SONG - "IN THE TIMESTORM"

Witness. Find. Remember.
The hidden past seeks its dawn,
showing us that we all belong.
Horacio, Alexa, and Beni take back time,
find history in the timestorm.
Witness. Find. Remember.

2018. KAYLEE’S PROPERTY. SAN JUAN, PUERTO RICO.

MUSIC: KAYLEE’S JOINT TRANSITION.

KAYLEE closes the door to the back room.

KAYLEE
I’m not spying, Lalo. I just happened to set up in a room that, apparently, shares a vent with Josie’s store.

BENI
(though the vent) The tower was built by the Civilian Conservation Corps.

ALEXA
(though the vent) And the artifact’s at the bottom of the tower.

LALO
(shouting) Josie!

JOSIE
(though the vent) That won’t be easy to get.

LALO steps toward the vent.

BENI
The National Forest website’s up on my phone.

KAYLEE takes a picture frame off the wall.

LALO
(shouting, overlapping) Josie?

KAYLEE slips the arrowhead into the bag behind the picture frame.

ALEXA
I’ve got the map that Janelly left us in case service drops.

LALO
Josie?

JOSIE
Oh, I know my way around El Yunque.

LALO
(overlapping) Josie, mama. Can you hear me?

JOSIE
This one time I went with Titi Mari and we...

JOSIE and the twins' voices fade.

KAYLEE
Oh. Guess they couldn’t hear you.

KAYLEE straightens the frame.

KAYLEE
Oh. Can’t stand a crooked frame.

KAYLEE grabs her purse.

LALO
What are you doing?

KAYLEE grabs her keys.

KAYLEE
I’ve been meaning to visit the rainforest.

KAYLEE walks out into the hallway. LALO follows her. 

KAYLEE
I’ll have to hurry to get there before—

LALO
The kids?

KAYLEE
I have every right to visit the rainforest and find an artifact at the bottom of the tower.

LALO
The tower.

KAYLEE
That’s what the girl said.

LALO
Right. You’re lucky. Yokahu Tower just re-opened. There’s a parking lot next to it.

KAYLEE
Nice. And the sun’s come out. I am lucky.

LALO
That can change quickly.

KAYLEE
My luck?

LALO
The weather.

KAYLEE
Oh, yes. Well, my umbrella’s in the car. See you later.

LALO pulls out his phone and taps it several times. 

LALO
Uber app. Destino: El Yunque. (laughs) Oh, Kaylee, Kaylee. There’s more than one tower in El Yunque. But only one was built by the Civilian Conservation Corps. Oops.

2018. JOSIE’S CAR/BRITTON TRAILHEAD. EL YUNQUE, PR.

MUSIC: EL YUNQUE TRANSITION.
JOSIE parks her car.

JOSIE
Let me just park here on the side of the road. Then we’ll hike up this trail that leads up to the Mount Britton Tower.

BENI
Torre más alta.

ALEXA
Let’s do this.

JOSIE
You’re sure it’s not Torre Yokahu that we drove past? It’s a taller structure.

BENI
But the Mount Britton tower’s higher up on the mountain.

JOSIE
Ah, higher altitude. Torre más alta. Double meaning.

JOSIE, BENI, and ALEXA exit the car.

JOSIE
Water bottles?

ALEXA | BENI
Got mine. | Me too.

JOSIE walks around to the trunk and opens it.

JOSIE
Oy. I thought I had rain gear in the trunk.

BENI
The sun’s out now.

JOSIE
Mm. That can change quickly.

ALEXA
Wouldn’t be the first time we hiked up Mount Britton in the rain.

BENI
Yeah. It was like an hour ago.

ALEXA
But, really, eighty years ago.

JOSIE
An hour, eighty years. It’s all relative.

JOSIE closes the trunk.

2018. YOKAHU TOWER. EL YUNQUE, RIO GRANDE, PUERTO RICO.

MUSIC: EL YUNQUE TRANSITION.

KAYLEE parks her car.

KAYLEE
Look at all of these people here for the beautiful view. Hm. Yokahu Tower. Mm. Time to find some treasure.

KAYLEE exits the car. She rushes past the tourists—in heels.

KAYLEE
Ah…huh…whew! This humidity is the worst. Alright, let’s see. I’ll walk around the base of the tower to start.

KAYLEE walks around the bottom of the town.

YOKAHU RANGER
Can I help you, ma’am?

KAYLEE
Hi. I’m just checking out the structure.

YOKAHU RANGER
It’s a more impressive view from the top of the tower.

KAYLEE
I’m sure it is. Question: Have there been any objects recovered from this site?

YOKAHU RANGER
Not that I know of.

KAYLEE
Maybe an artifact found at the bottom of the tower?

YOKAHU RANGER
No. But that sounds like something you might find in the other tower.

KAYLEE
Other tower?

YOKAHU RANGER
Torre Britton, up the mountain. It was built twenty-five years before this one.

KAYLEE
Oh. An older tower. Thanks for the tip.

2018. BRITTON TOWER. EL YUNQUE, RIO GRANDE, PR.

MUSIC: EL YUNQUE TRANSITION.

JOSIE, ALEXA, and BENI climb the last few steps to the top of Britton Tower.

ALEXA
Whew! We made it. Those stairs.

BENI
Feels like we’re on top of the world.

JOSIE
You can see all the way to the ocean.

BENI
Whoa.

ALEXA
Back in nineteen-thirty-eight, all this was tall, green trees.

JOSIE
It was the same less than a year ago. Before Hurricane Maria.

BENI
The green is starting to come back.

JOSIE
Just like Lalo said. Still a breathtaking view.

BRITTON RANGER
Welcome to Torre Britton.

ALEXA
Built in the nineteen-thirties.

BENI
By the Civilian Conservation Corps.

BRITTON RANGER
You two know your history.

JOSIE
(chuckles)No tienes ni idea.

BRITTON RANGER
Tus hijos son inteligentes.

JOSIE
Inteligentes, sí. Pero no son mis hijos.

ALEXA
Yeah. We’re distant cousins.

BENI
But thanks for saying we’re smart.

BRITTON RANGER
Let me know if you have any questions.

The ranger steps away.

BRITTON RANGER
(to other tourists) Bienvenidos a Torre Britton.

JOSIE
The clouds were starting to roll in.

ALEXA
We should probably get back down to the bottom of the tower to search.

JOSIE, ALEXA, and BENI climb down the tower steps.

BENI
I could have stayed up there all day.

JOSIE, ALEXA, and BENI reach the bottom of the tower.

ALEXA
Gael placed it towards the back. Uh…oh! This way, I think.

JOSIE, ALEXA, and BENI walk around the back of the tower.

BENI
How we’re supposed to find an artifact hidden inside this wall?

JOSIE
You mean, literally, in the wall?

BENI
It’s in the cement.

JOSIE
I just figured there’d be a secret door or something.

BENI
Maybe we should just leave the tin where it is.

ALEXA
We came all this way. Hiked up a mountain. We are getting this container.

A mongoose squeals.

JOSIE
Ay, cuidado. Don’t want to get too close to that mongoose.

A mongoose squeals.

BENI
It almost seems like it’s looking at us.

A mongoose squeals.

ALEXA
What’s it doing with its head?

BENI
I think it wants us to follow it.

JOSIE, BENI, and ALEXA take several steps. They spot a mongoose as it scratches at the base of the tower. 

JOSIE
Ay. It’s scratching at the bottom of the tower!

ALEXA
Maybe that’s where the guanín is. According to Atabey, some animals can sense guanín. Like the iguana and the bird.

JOSIE
And this mongoose. Whoa! There it goes!

BENI
Hey. The area where the mongoose was scratching—the cement seems newer.

ALEXA
Yeah. It’s a lighter color.

BENI pulls at the spot and removes a small piece of cement.

BENI
There’s a loose piece.

JOSIE
You think the mongoose could smell the guanín, or is it one of those mystical things I wouldn’t understand?

ALEXA
Mystical thing.

JOSIE
Fair enough.

BENI taps against the protruding tin.

BENI
This is not cement.

BENI pulls at the protruding tin.

ALEXA
Is it stuck?

BENI
Feels like a loose tooth. It’s wiggling.

JOSIE
Hurry.

ALEXA
You weren’t this nervous at Tibes, Josie.

JOSIE
There are people coming up the trail, people climbing down the tower and—

BENI
Got it!

ALEXA
The tin!

JOSIE
Great. Let’s go— Hola!

The BRITTON RANGER approaches them.

BRITTON RANGER
Hiking the rest of the way to the mountain peak?

ALEXA
No. We’re too tired to hike up there.

BRITTON RANGER
Mm-hm. What’s that in your hand?

BENI
Oh! Just a container. Nothing special.

BRITTON RANGER
Did you find it on the ground?

BENI
No. It’s mine. (plays a rhythm on the container) I dropped it.

BRITTON RANGER
Mm-hm. Looks like a pretty old container.

JOSIE
I told you to leave that in the car, Beni.

ALEXA
He takes it wherever he goes.

BRITTON RANGER
You mind showing me what’s inside it?

BENI
Fine. Here you go.

BENI hands the RANGER the container. The RANGER opens the tin.

BRITTON RANGER
A patch of las Tres C.

BENI
The Civilian Conservation Corps.

BRITTON RANGER
This patch is pretty rare.

ALEXA
Someone in our family helped build the tower eighty years ago.

BRITTON RANGER
That explains your knowledge about it.

BRITTON RANGER closes the tin and hands it back.

BRITTON RANGER
Bueno. Enjoy the rest of your visit.

BENI | ALEXA | JOSIE
Thanks! | Thanks! | Gracias.

ALEXA
Close call. You want me to hold onto the container, Beni?

BENI
This container is going back in my pocket. And I’m gonna check it every minute on the hike back to the car.

JOSIE
And...those are raindrops.

ALEXA
Rain hike! (starting to run ahead) Come on!

2018. MT. BRITTON TRAILHEAD. EL YUNQUE, RIO GRANDE, PR.

BENI, ALEXA, and JOSIE walk the last of the trail in the rain.

BENI
I see the end of the trail.

ALEXA
The rain feels good after all that hiking. And those stairs.

LALO rushes toward the trailhead.

LALO
Josie! Josie!

JOSIE
Is that—

BENI/ALEXA/JOSIE
Lalo?

JOSIE
Neon green tape. Definitely Lalo.

Rain hits LALO’s umbrella.

LALO
I would’ve been here sooner, pero, like, you would not believe this Uber driver.

JOSIE
I thought you were at work?

LALO
I had to come and warn you, chica.

JOSIE
How’d you know where to find us?

LALO
Kaylee.

JOSIE
Your boss?

LALO
She thinks you’re all after treasure.

BENI/ALEXA/JOSIE
WHAT?

In the distance, KAYLEE shuts the car door and turns on the car alarm.

JOSIE
What’s she doing here?

LALO
Ay, ay, ay, ay, ay, ay, ay.

KAYLEE approaches them—in heels and a designer umbrella.

KAYLEE
Lalo. Josie.

LALO/JOSIE
Kaylee.

KAYLEE
And who are these two kiddos?

ALEXA
Alexa.

BENI
Beni.

KAYLEE
Well, hola to all of you.

ALEXA | BENI | JOSIE | LALO
Hey. | What’s up? | Hi. | Hello, again.

KAYLEE
Such a coincidence, meeting here.

JOSIE
What are the chances?

KAYLEE
Well, I just…heard so much about the rainforest, I had to check it out. Funny thing. Lalo, mentioned the Yokahu tower by name. Naturally, that’s where I went first. Lucky for me, someone let me know about this older tower. Otherwise, I’d have completely missed it.

LALO
Lucky for you.

BENI
The Mount Britton tower is higher up on the mountain.

ALEXA
You’re gonna have to hike all the way up.

KAYLEE
Yes, I see the trail here.

JOSIE
We should get going and let you take a hike. With that lovely designer umbrella.

KAYLEE
You’re so kind. It’s from Tokyo.

JOSIE, LALO, BENI, and ALEXA turn away.

KAYLEE
Beni?

BENI
Yeah?

KAYLEE
What’s in your pocket?

BENI
Just a container. Nothing special.

KAYLEE
Can I see what’s inside?

BENI
It’s private.

ALEXA
Oh, just show her the secret family heirloom.

KAYLEE
Heirloom? Really?

ALEXA
You can keep a secret, right, Kaylee?

KAYLEE
Of course.

BENI
Fine. Don’t tell anyone, okay?

BENI steps toward KAYLEE and opens the tin.

KAYLEE
That’s your secret family heirloom?

JOSIE
I told you to leave it in the car.

ALEXA
He carries it wherever he goes.

KAYLEE
So, you didn’t find it inside the tower?

BENI
Nope.

JOSIE
That patch is pretty cool, huh?

KAYLEE
Sure. What’s left of it. Excuse me. But I want to check out this Britton tower.

LALO
See you at the center, Kaylee?

KAYLEE
Um-hm. Yeah. Sure.

KAYLEE starts up the trail—in heels and her designer umbrella.

JOSIE
Okay, Lalo? What is going on?

LALO
Kaylee’s lost it. She’s hiking up there to search for treasure.

BENI
Too bad it’s in my hand.

LALO
You’re telling me the stuff inside there is actually a secret family heirloom?

BENI
The container is the treasure.

LALO
Ah. So there really is a treasure hunt?

JOSIE
Sí, pero, how did you find about you found out about it, Lalo?

LALO
All I know is that Kaylee has an arrowhead.

BENI/ALEXA/JOSIE
WHAT?

ALEXA
Lalo, do you know where the arrowhead is?

LALO
I know where I last saw it. And I can take you to it. But do you mind if I catch a ride back to San Juan with you? Please?

JOSIE
Hey, Lalo’s riding shotgun, you two.

BENI
As long as you tell us some of the stories from your ghost tours.

THE TIMESTORM. ANOTHER DIMENSION.

MUSIC: TIMESTORM TRANSITION.

HORACIO
Artifact cloud, emerge.

Artifact cloud emerges.

ATABEY
What are you up to, Lieutenant?

HORACIO
Artifact retrieved by Horacio Méndez in nineteen sixty-seven: advance.

A sea shell advances from the artifact cloud.

ATABEY
You are not authorized to command the artifact cloud.

HORACIO
Oh yeah? Then why is there a seashell in my hand?

MUSIC: THEME SONG "IN THE TIMESTORM" (INSTRUMENTAL)

NARRATION
This episode of Timestorm was written and directed by me, Dania Ramos. Sound design and original music by Michael Aquino.

The role of Alexa Ventura was played by Leilany Figueroa. Beni Ventura was played by Claudio Venancio. Josie was played by Angelica Ubiera. Lalo was played by Kelmi Bermúdez. Kaylee was played by Kate Hernandez. Horacio Méndez was played by Orlando Segarra. Atabey was played by Alicia Rivas. This episode also featured Jennica Carmona, Chris Kent, Carlos Ponton, and Walter F. Rodriguez.

Timestorm is produced by Cocotazo Media and is a proud member of TRAX from PRX. Support for TRAX comes from the Corporation for Public Broadcasting. Learn more about TRAX at t-r-a-x-dot fm.

All episodes of Timestorm are available at TimestormSeries dot com and on all podcast apps. If you enjoy the show, please share it with two friends.

Timestorm is produced in Essex County, New Jersey, which is situated on the traditional territory of the Leni Lenape people.

As always, thanks for listening.

ATABEY
Witness. Find. Remember.