“Come on,
Junior. Don’t be scared,” Tai giggled
and grabbed his hand. It was dark, and
they were surrounded by a jungle. He
could hear the toads croaking and the breeze moving the leaves in the
trees. He felt nervous. He felt scared.
We shouldn’t be here, he
thought. It didn’t feel right. He felt like they were intruding on a sacred
space and they were not welcome. The
hair on his arms stood up and he felt a chill slide down his back.
Tai’s hand felt soft and warm. He could smell her ginger perfume. She was pulling him deeper into the darkness.
We shouldn’t be here, he thought
again. He tried to pull her back, but a
force was dragging him forward.
Tai turned to look at him, frowning,
her pale blue eyes glowing in the dark.
His knees felt weak and his body began to shake as shadowy figures rose
in the darkness behind her.
*****
His eyes were burning behind his
closed eyelids. He could feel a cool,
wet touch to his forehead. Gentle hands
were massaging his head which was pounding.
His body felt like it was on fire.
He kicked off the sheets then began shaking uncontrollably from the
chills. Someone put his covers back on
and added a heavy blanket that pinned him to his bed. His head was being lifted. Cool water touched his lips and he drank
thirstily. With his head back on his
damp pillow, he moaned. He heard his
mom’s voice as she stroked his hair, singing softly.
*****
Fiti stood at the edge of the
cliff. The water below was crashing
against the rocks. Blow holes shot ocean
water high in the air sending droplets to fall on them like rain. The wind was whipping through the coconut
branches nearby. Junior was
nervous. He didn’t want them to get hit
by flying debris. He also felt a deep
fear. Fiti was standing too close to the
edge. A gust of wind in the right
direction could send him over the cliffs into the swirling mass and jagged
rocks below.
“Fiti, come away from there,” Junior
pleaded. “Let’s talk about this.”
Fiti turned and glared at his
friend. Or the person he thought was his
friend.
“You know, Junior, no one wanted to
be around you. None of the guys. They used to tease me because I wanted to be
your friend. They told me I was
crazy. They said you were cursed. I never believed them or those stupid
stories. You were a nice person. Quiet, yes.
But that was okay. I never
thought you would betray me like this,” Fiti’s eyes filled with tears. His face twisted into a scowl, fists tight at
his sides.
Junior’s shoulders slumped, and he
reached his hands out, stretching toward his buddy.
“No, Fiti. I didn’t betray you. You’ve always been my best friend. Always,” Junior said sadly. He didn’t know what else to do. He felt powerless.
“Give her up,” Fiti challenged.
Junior whispered, “I can’t.”
*****
Junior woke up in sweat covered
sheets. His mouth felt dry, his voice
hoarse as he tried to call someone. He
felt movement on his right side. Strong
hands lifted his head and put a cup to his lips. He drank deeply. Eyes still closed, his whole body burning, he
heard heavy rain pattering against the tin roof above. Gusts of wind blew in cool air. He heard footsteps and the closing of louvres
to keep out the wind and rain. A clap of
thunder and a flash of lightening made him jump. A hand touched his forehead. A cool cloth took the place of the hand. He focused on the storm outside that lulled
him back into a fevered sleep.
*****
“Junior.”
He turned as he heard a voice he
didn’t recognize. Frozen, he stared in
the direction of the sound.
“Junior,” the voice said again.
Mama was standing behind him. She smiled and reached out her hand. Silently, he took it. Her fingers were straight, long and graceful,
and her grip was strong. Tears streamed
down his face. When did she start
talking? And how was she able to use her
hands again?
“There are many things you need to
know,” she began. She guided him to the
door. They walked out into the sunlight
toward the family graves. Junior brushed
off some leaves and sat with his grandmother near his father’s headstone.
“Talofa e, isi ‘ou tei,” his
grandmother said holding his hands. “My
sweet grandson, there is so much I need to tell you. But time is short. You are almost sixteen. Have you noticed there are no men still alive
in this family? Only fafine. Women.
Why do you think that is?”
Junior shook his head. He had wondered the same thing. The idea nagged at him as he looked
expectantly at Mama.
“There is a family curse,” she
began.
Suddenly he felt an agonizing pain
in his chest. He bent over and wailed.
*****
“Every time I try to take the ula off his
neck, he screams in pain. I don’t know
what to do,” his mother cried.
Junior lay on the bed clutching his
chest with both hands, protecting the boar’s tusk necklace. He moaned.
His eyes, still closed, produced a trail of tears down the side of his
face. He could hear crying on both sides
of him. A cold piece of metal touched
his chest near the tusk, so he clutched tighter making sure no one tried to
move it again.
“Junior,” a female voice said
softly. “It’s Doctor Koria. I’m just checking your vital signs. That’s the cold metal you’re feeling on your
chest. It’s my stethoscope. You’ve had a very high fever for a week.”
As the metal touched more of his
fevered skin, it warmed up. He could
feel the doctors soft but strong hands checking his glands and feeling his
limbs. He tried to open his eyes. They felt so heavy.
“We need to get him to the hospital
for some x-rays,” the doctor said. “I’ll
call the ambulance to transport him.”
About twenty minutes later the sound
of a siren broke through the normally quiet, peaceful Sunday afternoon. Strong hands lifted Junior onto a stretcher
and loaded him into the ambulance. He
could hear Dr. Koria’s voice as she called orders to the attendants. Mama and one of his sisters were going to
follow in their car. His other sister
would stay at the house to watch over Mama.
The ride was short since there was
no traffic. Everyone was doing what they
would normally do on a Sunday. They
would be sleeping, reading, or watching television. No children would be out playing, and no one
would be working outside. It was a day
of rest.
He felt himself being wheeled into
an air-conditioned room and he began to shiver again. A blanket was put on him as he was lifted
onto a hard surface.
“Junior, it’s Doctor Koria again,”
he heard a woman’s voice say calmly. “I
know you’re cold, but we need to take off the blanket to take some x-rays. We’ll make sure it’s quick, so we can get you
covered up again. If you understand what
I’m saying to you, can you squeeze my hand?”
Junior felt a hand holding his and
he concentrated on using his muscles to do as she asked.
“Good boy,” she said. “Your mom is watching through the
window. We’ll get you into a room as
soon as we’re finished.”
“Doctor, are we going to take off
the ula?” a male voice asked.
“No,” the doctor answered. “He screams in pain any time someone tries to
get it off.”
“Oka,” the male voice said. “I hope it’s not some ‘aitu thing.”
He felt a rush of cold air as the
doctor removed his blanket. He lay as
still as possible despite the waves of chills.
As the doctor promised, the x-rays were completed quickly, and the
blanket was placed on him. As the warmth
enveloped him, he fell back asleep.
(This story takes place in American Samoa during the 1980's. I'm excited to write it as this is home to me. Person of Shadows, my book based in Kauai using Hawaiian legends, is available on Amazon)
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