Ghosts Next Door

Ghosts Next Door
by Lopaka Kapanui

May 13, 2018

The Far Swimming Son

Blue's happiness filled him with a knowledge of the wonderment and love that Honey would find once she returned home. The goodbyes and hugs and kisses and promises of not forgetting to write and to call every chance they had were expected at the Airport.
However, he could see her excitement once she found the letter that he hid under the folds of her favorite blanket. Honey loved to throw that blanket open and watch it fall gingerly on the bed. Blue could picture in his mind the letter dashing out of the material and falling on the floor. Honey would see her name on it and quickly open the envelope. The expression on her face could not compare to all the money in the world as she would read the words which Blue had already memorized in his heart.

"But if I stayed here with you girl...things just wouldn't be the same..."

Honey,

My mother once told me that the old Hawaiians would greet each other in almost the
same way that the Eskimos did, except that they would touch their foreheads
and press their noses together. Mother said it was called, "HA, " or the sharing of the
breath of life between the two.

".....cause I'm as free as a bird now...and this bird you cannot change..."

By the time this letter comes into your hands, you and I will have already had exchanged the breathof life but also the essence of one another. Isn't it beautiful how our people could do this?
You are already alive and living within me, and I, within you. We are one. While you are reading this
I'll already be flying over the Pacific Ocean, heading toward my destination. I'll call you once I get
to the other side, just to let you know that I'm o.k.

All my love,

Blue

"....lord knows, I can't change...."

Honey couldn't decide if she should tell Blue now or when they get to the airport. It seemed to be almost cruel but she didn't want the fact that Blue was going to be a father to change his plans for the future. She wanted him to finish college and get a good job. Being pregnant made her feel almost selfish, but Blue had to know. She couldn't gauge what his reaction would be, all she could do was hope for the best. As the Mustang was midway into the intersection, Honey could see the ocean just beyond the beach park. It was heavenly and beautiful to behold. At that moment, she knew what the baby's Hawaiian name would be.

"Kekailani."

The Heavenly Sea.


"....Lord help me, I can't change...."

The Corvair folded the Mustang in two. It was too late for Johnny Boy Martin to do anything but wait for the impact. The steering wheel crushing his chest, the entire engine coming through the drivers column to mangle his legs. It was well deserved, after what had transpired the night before, but it would never happen.

Blue died instantly. The impact was so fierce that it snapped his neck and broke his spleen at the same time. Honey hung halfway out of the driver's door unconscious. Her nose was broken in two places and her elbow was fractured, but she was still alive. Johnny Boy Martin fainted and slumped down across the passenger seat and fell into a drunken coma. It saved his life. The steering wheel impaled itself into the driver's chair just at that very moment. He would walk away without a scratch.


SAME DAY: MOUNT KA'ALA

Ka'aikuahiwi worried that his teachings would not be passed on and that all of his life learning would die with him. It was for this reason that he began to carefully observe the grandchildren amongst his family. Who would show the signs of promise and learning? Which one among them might be the adept who could absorb quickly? 3 years had passed before he found what he searched for.
A boy and a girl, his nephew and niece. Their training began from the time when they could first walk up until this very day in their late teens. They were soon to be finished, graduated in a way and would impart his teachings to others amongst the family. His knowledge would live through them. They could heal, read portents and signs by observing cloud formations, wind patterns and the movement of birds. They became as one with their surroundings and it seemed as if the world moved through them and with them. The old man was now confident that he could die peacefully and without worry when the time soon came.

Now he hiked the back mountains of Ka'ala where he would soon meet them in order to complete their learning.

'Analu and Leiana arrived at sunrise and hiked the great Wai'anae mountain in order to gather what was needed for the ceremony. Once all the work was done, they both picked Palai ferns and began to place them one on top of the other on the forest floor. A heady fragrance rose from the greenery as they lay upon it and pressed their bodies together. After years of spending every moment in each other's presence, it was only natural that passion would awaken itself between the two. Overcome by the impatience of youth, they unwittingly chose this moment to consummate their longings. The cords of love had now been made to hold fast. Thus, destiny sealed their fate.






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