Jarod and the Mystery of the Petroglyphs

Book excerpt: Jarod, ten-year-old “indigo child,” and his sixteen-year-old narrator brother Darrell are joined by a girl Omega, another “indigo” youngster Jarod’s age for this new adventure. It begins in New Mexico’s Petroglyph National Monument where Jarod’s mom is painting illustrations of its rock art. Soon they are overwhelmed by the number of drawings on the black volcanic rocks of the monument. Who made all these figures? What do they say? Is it possible that Jarod and Omega can interpret their meanings? Their vintage orange VW camper bus takes them up to Dinosaur National Monument in Utah on the trail of even more amazing rock art. On redrock walls near Rainbow Park they are startled by the life-size images of strange ancient Fremont people who give them an important message about how they must help stabilize the Earth during these unstable times. They learn the Fremonts are not Indians but a high-tech race using levitation devices to locate water and precious minerals. To carry out their mission Jarod and friends must “follow the rainbow to find center Earth” down in Utah’s Capitol Reef National Park where the first Fremont petroglyphs were discovered. Nefarious characters keep hot on their trail from the start when a man in black tries to steal Jarod’s buzzing hunting knife, to the end when a pair kidnaps Omega to steal her talking necklace.