The Storm ("The Islander" Part 2)

Prologue

The water is dark

It is filling my nose

My mouth

And it is swirling.

Swirling dangerously,

As if it will suck me down

Into the depths,

And never return me.

My adrenaline kicks in

My legs pump and

My arms propel me in the

Direction that I

Hope is up.

But why then does

The water grow

Darker?

Why then does it

Feel as if

I have been swimming for hours?

I ask these things to myself

And then I black-out.

The last thing I see

Is someone swimming towards me.

The last thing I feel is

Someone taking me in their arms

And then swimming

Back to the surface.

******************************************************************

Midmorning

I am on the ship

That sailed in just yesterday.

It seems so long ago.

I am waving to my people,

Until my arm feels as if it will fall off.

Will I ever see them again?

What will become of me?

What is the world like beyond my island?

I long to ask someone these questions.

I long to jump off this ship

And swim back to my island

But my desire for the golden ship

Keeps me anchored to the deck.

It is almost the afternoon

And the sky is growing dark.

The waves are beginning to roughen

But the captain says 

That we will just have to

Keep going on

Because going back would be a delay.

So we keep on sailing

Until the island is

No longer visible

And the sky is ash-gray.

The sails are lowered

And we just move with the waves.

Suddenly there is a cry of

“Land ho!”

And the sailors cheer.

We are almost there, 

Just a quarter mile off,

And then lightning 

Strikes near the ship,

And we can feel the force, 

The power.

Then lightning strikes again,

But this time it strikes

The ship and 

I am thrown overboard 

Into the foaming,

Swirling,

Salty ocean.

My head hits the side of

The ship but

The icy cold water keeps me from 

Slipping into unconsciousness.

I am forced under the water

By the waves

And then I resurface,

Gulping in air.

It is raining now

So I can not see the ship,

And then a wave pushes me back under,

Back into the swirling depths.

*********************************************************************

I wake up to sunshine

Coughing up salty water

That burns my nose and throat.

“Where am I?”

I ask the ocean,

As if it will answer me.

I am soaked and my hair

Is snarled and limp,

My dress is ripped

And my teeth chatter.

“Where am I?”

I ask the sky,

As if it will answer me.

My eyes sting and

My head hurts.

My ears are ringing 

And my body is shaking.

“Where am I?”

I ask the birds,

As if they will answer me.

I shiver in the fiery sun

The hot golden sand

Burns my skin without hurting me

Because I’m too cold to feel any heat.

“Where am I?”

I ask the sun and the sand,

As though they might answer me.

“You are on ka Mokupuni o lana ka mana`o a me ka Maluhia.”

I am startled and confused.

I look at the sun,

But it looks normal.

I look at the sand,

But it looks the same.

I hear laughter

And then I look behind me.

There is an old man there

With white hair and

Suntanned skin.

He has a gentle, soft voice

And wise, kind eyes.

He waits for me to 

Recover from my surprise

And then he speaks again.

“A young man, about your age

Carried you to shore,

Where he laid you on the sand

And then collapsed next

To you, weak and exhausted.”

He points down the beach

Where a crowd of people is gathered

Around someone and then

I see that it is the young man

Who offered me the 

Gold ship in exchange

For a new life.

He catches my eye and smiles,

A wondrous smile,

Full of warmth

And for the first time,

I am not consumed

In a coldness that seeps into my soul.

I smile back

A shaky smile,

And his smile widens,

It penetrates the cold

And fights it back.

“Do you wish to speak to him?”

The old man asks,

Amused.

“Yes, please,”

I reply, coloring slightly.

Then I walk over,

Wobbling on my

Weak legs like a

Child just learning to walk,

And the crowd parts,

Making a path for me.

He embraces me

And I hug him back,

Thanking him for saving me,

And then I ask him

About the ship.

Not the gold one,

For I have no desire for it,

But the one that we sailed on,

The one that was struck.

He shakes his head

Softly and sadly,

And whispers,

“Gone.”

A gasp escapes my lips

And I my knees give out,

But he is still holding me

Holding me tight,

Not letting go.

His embrace is comforting,

It is warm,

Like his smile

And his eyes,

Which gaze into mine with newfound love,

A reflection of what I’m sure my eyes show him.

“Come, let us go with the villagers.

They have offered us a place to stay,

Where we will be warm

And where we will be safe,”

He murmurs,

But I shake my head.

“No, I will not sleep in a hut,

On a cot. I will

Sleep outside tonight.”

He nods, then speaks.

“Then so will I.”

Then we follow the villagers back to

Their village where

Others greet us

The same way my people 

Greeted the sailors

Just yesterday.

The thought of my people

Causes a pain in my heart,

But I brush it away,

And put on a smile.

The villagers are friendly,

Speaking quietly

And smiling often.

They give us clean, dry clothes

And a mother washes my hair,

Then sings a soft song

As she brushes it

And braids it into a thick, long braid.

After we are dressed and washed,

We are led to a fire,

Where we are given warm bread,

And fresh eggs,

And hot roasted chicken.

After we eat, 

The young man and I

Walk along the beach.

Evening comes quickly,

Bringing a full moon

And bright stars.

“What is your name?”

I ask him.

“Kilo. What is yours?”

“Moana,” I say.

He smiles, and then says,

“Your name means ocean. 

I guess that’s fitting.”

Then we laugh,

And he slips his hand

Into mine.

We stop,

And gaze at each other,

With love in our eyes,

And under the stars…

We kiss.