now. But he never went fishing again. Anywhere.”
“Ho, man,” Sam said.
Tad was hidden under his blue blanket.
“Is that true, Reverend?” Billy said. “I mean, really?”
Reverend Paia stared into the fire, flame light wobbling on his face. He shook his head once, thinking deeply. “Who’s to say, Billy? That’s what I heard.”
I wondered if he believed…Naah. Not a reverend.
Louie looked as if he’d fallen asleep, the knife resting on his chest.
“So if you see torches tonight,” Mike added, “stay inside your tents. You come out…nobody ever going see you again.”
Louie snorted.
I stood and brushed the sand from the back of my shorts. “Good story, Reverend.”
“Yeah,” the others said, all getting up to head to their tents. “Good story.”
Louie eased up on one elbow. “Watch out tonight when you go out for make
shi-shi,
ah?”
Mike laughed.
“Come on, Louie,” Billy pleaded.
Louie tapped Billy’s leg with his foot. “No worry, brah. I protec’ you.” He pushed himself up and headed over to his tent with Mike.
Mr. Bellows kicked sand over the last of the fire.
Casey, Zach, and I said goodnight and walked over to our shelter. “Man, that was creepy,” Zach said.
Casey flicked on his flashlight. “He just made it up.”
“How do you know?”
“Well…think about it. How could the older brother know that the night marchers had sunken eyes and no feet if the only one who actually saw them disappeared? The older brother never looked up, right? That’s why he lived. He couldn’t know.”
“Hey, you’re right.”
“Of course I am, and anyway, there’s no such thing as night marchers.”
I wasn’t so sure. Who knew what went on around us that we couldn’t see? This place could be crawling with spirits. I looked up at Pu’u Kapukapu and shivered. “Let’s talk about something else, all right? I don’t want to go to sleep with creepy things on my mind.”
“Me either,” Casey said.
“I thought you said there were no such things as night marchers,” Zach said.
Casey grinned, shining the flashlight up under his chin. “You never know.”
Late that night I bolted up.
Something was crawling on my face.
I scrambled out of my sleeping bag and grabbed my glasses and flashlight.
Roaches!
All over the dirt floor of the shelter, scattering in the light.
Casey propped himself up on one elbow, blinking into the light.
“Look!” I said.
Roaches the size of my big toe were running for cover, ugly brown, with slick, shiny wings. Casey flew out of his sleeping bag and stood in his boxers. “I hate those things!”
We slapped the roaches out with anything we could grab, sprayed new moats of bug repellent around us, and tried to go back to sleep.
This
place.
Jeese.
Later still, I woke again.
I didn’t know why; just a feeling.
I sat up, my sleeping bag twisted around me. Casey was a dark lump snoring on the other side of the shelter. Nothing moved outside by Zach’s tent.
So, so quiet.
There was only the sea, breathing in, breathing out. Hushed rolling waves out in the blackness.
But something had awakened me.
I got up and slipped out into the night.
Pu’u Kapukapu loomed above, solid black. Brilliant stars winked in the moonless sky beyond it. The soft ocean. The shadow of the coconut grove. Zach’s tent. All was as it should have been. I was about to go back into the shelter when I saw the silhouettes on the crest of the cliff.
Two dogs.
Early the next morning Mr. Bellows and Reverend Paia took Sam, Billy, Tad, and Zach on a hike up the coast, where they would stop to see the old Hawaiian heiau Reverend Paia had mentioned. Casey said there had been human sacrifices there in the olden days, but I didn’t believe it. After that, they’d hike on to identify plants and sea life and work on some of their advancement requirements.
Mr. Bellows wanted to get started early so they could work before the sun became more of an enemy than a friend.
“Ho, man,” Sam said.
Tad was hidden under his blue blanket.
“Is that true, Reverend?” Billy said. “I mean, really?”
Reverend Paia stared into the fire, flame light wobbling on his face. He shook his head once, thinking deeply. “Who’s to say, Billy? That’s what I heard.”
I wondered if he believed…Naah. Not a reverend.
Louie looked as if he’d fallen asleep, the knife resting on his chest.
“So if you see torches tonight,” Mike added, “stay inside your tents. You come out…nobody ever going see you again.”
Louie snorted.
I stood and brushed the sand from the back of my shorts. “Good story, Reverend.”
“Yeah,” the others said, all getting up to head to their tents. “Good story.”
Louie eased up on one elbow. “Watch out tonight when you go out for make
shi-shi,
ah?”
Mike laughed.
“Come on, Louie,” Billy pleaded.
Louie tapped Billy’s leg with his foot. “No worry, brah. I protec’ you.” He pushed himself up and headed over to his tent with Mike.
Mr. Bellows kicked sand over the last of the fire.
Casey, Zach, and I said goodnight and walked over to our shelter. “Man, that was creepy,” Zach said.
Casey flicked on his flashlight. “He just made it up.”
“How do you know?”
“Well…think about it. How could the older brother know that the night marchers had sunken eyes and no feet if the only one who actually saw them disappeared? The older brother never looked up, right? That’s why he lived. He couldn’t know.”
“Hey, you’re right.”
“Of course I am, and anyway, there’s no such thing as night marchers.”
I wasn’t so sure. Who knew what went on around us that we couldn’t see? This place could be crawling with spirits. I looked up at Pu’u Kapukapu and shivered. “Let’s talk about something else, all right? I don’t want to go to sleep with creepy things on my mind.”
“Me either,” Casey said.
“I thought you said there were no such things as night marchers,” Zach said.
Casey grinned, shining the flashlight up under his chin. “You never know.”
Late that night I bolted up.
Something was crawling on my face.
I scrambled out of my sleeping bag and grabbed my glasses and flashlight.
Roaches!
All over the dirt floor of the shelter, scattering in the light.
Casey propped himself up on one elbow, blinking into the light.
“Look!” I said.
Roaches the size of my big toe were running for cover, ugly brown, with slick, shiny wings. Casey flew out of his sleeping bag and stood in his boxers. “I hate those things!”
We slapped the roaches out with anything we could grab, sprayed new moats of bug repellent around us, and tried to go back to sleep.
This
place.
Jeese.
Later still, I woke again.
I didn’t know why; just a feeling.
I sat up, my sleeping bag twisted around me. Casey was a dark lump snoring on the other side of the shelter. Nothing moved outside by Zach’s tent.
So, so quiet.
There was only the sea, breathing in, breathing out. Hushed rolling waves out in the blackness.
But something had awakened me.
I got up and slipped out into the night.
Pu’u Kapukapu loomed above, solid black. Brilliant stars winked in the moonless sky beyond it. The soft ocean. The shadow of the coconut grove. Zach’s tent. All was as it should have been. I was about to go back into the shelter when I saw the silhouettes on the crest of the cliff.
Two dogs.
Early the next morning Mr. Bellows and Reverend Paia took Sam, Billy, Tad, and Zach on a hike up the coast, where they would stop to see the old Hawaiian heiau Reverend Paia had mentioned. Casey said there had been human sacrifices there in the olden days, but I didn’t believe it. After that, they’d hike on to identify plants and sea life and work on some of their advancement requirements.
Mr. Bellows wanted to get started early so they could work before the sun became more of an enemy than a friend.
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