...continued from yesterday
Ghosts Next Door
by Lopaka Kapanui
Dec 31, 2022
Dec 30, 2022
Dec 29, 2022
Dec 28, 2022
Dec 27, 2022
Lele 2022
...continued from yesterday
Horrified screams rose above the din of traffic and everyday life.
Dec 26, 2022
Pryor Kamaka 2022
Pryor Kamaka was a prodigy at his westside school and the hope for his family and community's future.
Dec 25, 2022
Rizals 2022
"We each have our own car, but the Cadillac belongs to Jose," Junior said while removing the soaked rag from the water bucket.
Dec 24, 2022
Dec 23, 2022
Rita 2022
Boy sat in the kitchen with aunty Rita peeling potatoes while she worked on the deviled eggs, which is one of his favorite dishes that Rita made.
Dec 22, 2022
ʻAina Awakea 2022
Uncle Tiny, aunty Rita, and Tabby were out shopping for the weekend stay at the beach house.
Dec 21, 2022
Sanjuro 2022
"This is an old game," Tabby frowned while looking at all the pieces on the papamū.
"I have no words of wisdom to follow that statement," Boy replied. "Some things need to be learned and absorbed without the need to speak,"
"So, we learn by watching and repeating?" Tabby asked. Boy replied by putting his finger to his mouth, indicating that the game required thought rather than words. After all, the game also required strategic skills. Twenty minutes expired, and both still needed to move their piece; the tension was thick. "This reminds me of that Kurosawa movie at the end, where the two samurai are about as close as we are, and there's this silence between them, waiting to see who makes the first move, you know?"
"I know," Boy replied. "In that last scene, Sanjuro says that he'd rather not fight because it would mean that either he or his opponent would die. However, his enemy gives him no choice, and even then, Sanjuro asks that the men from the village be spared from any kind of death. So my question is, who won that fight? Was it the person who made the first or last move?"
"The first move won the fight," Tabby said confidently.
"I think you should watch the scene again and more carefully, this time," Boy sat back in his chair and let out a deep breath. "We'll continue again tomorrow, same time,"
"Alright, I'll re-watch that scene, and I'll get back to you," Tabby came around and gave her father a kiss on the cheek. "Maybe we can start making real moves with this game after that?"
~
"I haven't seen my wife in weeks; she's not at work or the gym. Hasn't shown up in church, her phone is off, I don't know what to do?" Clariesse had nearly lost her voice after weeks of crying. She'd been too worried to bathe or put on makeup. She and her wife Simone ran an online business together, but even with that, she let the orders go to the wayside until her older sister Pearl had to step in to keep the charges going out. Through word of mouth, Clariesse found out about Boy; she was desperate at this point because the authorities came up with nothing. "I know this sort of thing is outside your wheelhouse, but I don't know where else to go,"
"Did you bring the items I asked for when we first spoke?" Boy asked.
"Yes," Clariesse removed a lite purple scarf from her bag and handed it to Boy, who handed it over to aunty Rita.
"Let's you and I go across the street for some lunch," Boy stood up and showed Clariesse to the door, following closely behind her. "When we come back, we should have some idea as to the whereabouts of your wife."
The doors closed, and Ivan, Tiny, Rita, and Tabby stepped into the tall spacious standing cabinet hidden in the corner of the office. The kūʻahu of hand-set stones stood there, ready to receive the offering of the scarf that was now wrapped in a tī leaf bundle.
~
"How did you and Simone meet?" Boy asked while cutting up his steak and eggs.
"In the psychology section of Jelly's, believe it or not," Clariesse laughed. "We were both looking for the same textbook for our psych class at U.H., and only one copy was left,"
"Really?" Boy smiled. "How did you work it out?"
"I asked her out on a date, and we ended up reading the book together," Clariesse giggled. "The rest is her story, or history if you will. What about you? You married? "
"No," Boy replied. "No, this isn't an easy life,"
A second or so of silence lingered between Boy and Clariesse, "I still can't think of any reason why Simone left. There were no signs; our marriage and relationship were solid, so I don't know. I'm lost,"
Just then, Boy's phone pinged. It was a text message from Tabby. "We're ready."
~
Boy entered the office before Clariesse and had her wait outside for a second. Finally, he opened the door and told her to enter. When she did, she nearly fainted. Simone was sitting on a chair next to Tabby. Clariesse gasped and ran to Simone to hold her in her arms, but her arms and part of her body passed right through her. Tabby caught Clariesse so she wouldn't tumble over and fall. "What's going on? What is this? Simone? What's wrong? Why can't I hold you?"
Simone stood up with tears on the brink of falling. "Babes, listen to what this man has to say; it will all make sense, I promise,"
"Clariesse, we used the essence in Simone's scarf to manifest her, but only for a short while. The two of you were hiking one morning on a trail up at Tantalus. It had rained earlier, and the trail was muddy. Simone slipped and fell to her death; she didn't leave or run away; she died Clariesse. Her body was never found, but it was too traumatic for you to deal with, so it's been easier for you to say that she left."
"You have to let me go, hun," Simone pleaded. "I'm fine, and it's okay if they haven't recovered my physical body because my love will never leave you. You can move on, please, for the both of us,"
Clariesse crumbled to the floor and had the first real cry since her wife died. Simone's spirit stayed with her wife for as long as she could before she finally had to go.
~
The black and white pieces on the papamū remained in their places on the konāne board. Boy and Tabby sat on opposite sides, contemplating their individual strategy. "I watched that scene again from Sanjuro," Tabby said.
"What did you learn?" Boy asked.
"So, you were right. It wasn't the samurai who made the first move that won the standoff; it was Sanjuro who made the last move," Tabby looked over her pieces.
"Thus, you have figured out the strategy of konāne," Boy nodded.
"Don't we have to make the first move, though, to get to the last move?" Tabby asked.
"That may take a while," Boy sighed. "But in the end, we'll find out which one of us is Sanjuro,"
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Dec 20, 2022
Halāwai 2022 Part 2
....continued from yesterday
James Pilar sat in front of Boy's large Koa wood desk, with Benny Correia next to him.
Dec 19, 2022
Halāwai 2022
The union boss and their cohorts always got the side room opened for them during one of their lunch meetings.
Dec 18, 2022
That Day 2022 Part 5 Finale
The guitarist slowly mounted his assault on the audience without even knowing that we were in for a battle.
Dec 17, 2022
That Day 2022 Part 4
.....Continued from yesterday
Flamenco is passionate and bombastic, with its accompanying members lending incredible rhythmic claps to the guitar player who blindingly strums his six-string.
Dec 16, 2022
That Day 2022 Part 3
I can't recall what we ate that night at Kenny's, but whatever it was, it was secondary to the conversation Debbie and I shared over that late dinner.
Dec 15, 2022
That Day 2022 Part 2
Continued from yesterday....
"Oh no, no!" I assured her. "I catch the bus all the time, no worry!"
Dec 14, 2022
Dec 13, 2022
Dec 12, 2022
Dec 11, 2022
Dec 10, 2022
Dec 9, 2022
Dec 8, 2022
Dec 7, 2022
Dec 6, 2022
Dec 5, 2022
Lana 2022
It was a long day of learning to unravel the layers of things that affected our upbringing. Hurts, betrayals, heartbreak, unrequited love.
Dec 4, 2022
Dec 3, 2022
Dec 2, 2022
Moku 2022
Soil soaked with human blood from battles, mass murders, and sacrifice does not wash away through rains or floods or a change in the lay of the land.
Dec 1, 2022
Hoʻokumu 2022
Saddle Road was laden with vehicles of all types parked off the blacktop, with their owners either basking in all the glory of the red volcanic glow from Mauna Loa.
Nov 30, 2022
Nailed 2022
Naturally, they thought she was helpless and stupid because she was a woman wandering the aisles of the hardware superstore.
Nov 29, 2022
Nov 28, 2022
Nov 27, 2022
Coffee 2022
Every morning she'd sit there with a hot cup of coffee she would never drink, a breakfast she would only half finish, and a magazine she'd stare at without reading.
Nov 26, 2022
Nov 25, 2022
Nov 24, 2022
Kūkulu 2022
Men who work paving roads, filling in potholes, and other such labor have told me that they hate working late at night in the rural areas of ʻOʻahu. The vibe gets really creepy, really fast. They told me that one night they were filling in potholes on Kaukonahua road as it goes up to the egg farm. No one noticed the absent traffic and how quiet it was save for the sound of their equipment and the scraping of shovels. The men said they would never have seen it if one of them had not paused to remove his helmet to wipe the sweat from his forehead. In hindsight, they felt that it was better if they stayed comfortably numb. It was a massive army of Hawaiian warriors, and they, the road crew, were in the middle of it. It was not night marchers because not one of the ancient soldiers held a torch. It was a sea of them, and they filled the entire area. The foreman shut down all the machinery while simultaneously hissing at his crew to stop and remain quiet. The whole army took one collective step forward, making a deafening thud that shook the road crew to their core. A second step and the men gathered large monkey wrenches in their hands, shovels, and anything else that could serve as a weapon. There was no third step from the ancient army; instead, they released a horrific war cry and surged toward the road crew in full force. Knowing there was no hope in living through what was about to transpire, each road crew gave the other a nod, making an unspoken pact that they would fight to the last man. But no harm came to the skin of any of the men; the phantom army faded into a smokey mist, their battle cries echoing into the distant air. Then, they were gone.
"True story, uncle," the foreman said. "We all seen ʻum,"
Credit: Jai Masson
Nov 23, 2022
Manawa iki 2022
It was humid, and I was rushing to get to my car, turn the a/c on and just sit there for a couple of minutes before heading to the drive-thru.
Nov 22, 2022
Trouble 2022
One never expects trouble even though trouble could be lurking about, waiting for an opportunity to make itself known and presentable when you least expect it.
Nov 21, 2022
Nov 20, 2022
Nov 19, 2022
1977 2022
There weren't too many places in Waipahu to park late at night and enjoy a dinner plate from Graces Inn with a jumbo-sized drink to wash down your mixed plate of shoyu chicken, Terri-beef, cone sushi, fried noodles, and corned beef hash.
Nov 18, 2022
Nov 17, 2022
Again 2022
1
Because of my uncle Thomas, my parents could buy the family station wagon at a good price. He owned a local car dealership and gave my dad a good deal; it goes without saying that uncle Thomas didn't make a huge commission on the sale, but after all, he was my dad's younger brother. It was just something you did back then. Uncle Thomas was always well dressed but in a Peter Fonda kind of way; he was cool, that's for sure. One evening my dad decided to take everyone out for a Chinese dinner in town, and he invited uncle Thomas to come along. I got to ride in his 1971 Mustang Mach 1, which was one of the big thrills of my childhood. We listened to Santana on his brand new 8-track cassette player while we drove to our destination. Once the album completed itself, he lowered the volume and asked, "So, what will you be when you get bigger?"
“I don’t know, maybe a fireman or drive a stock car,” I replied
“Dad takes you to the stock car races all the time, yeah?” Uncle Thomas confirmed more than asked.
“Yes,” I nodded. “It’s fun.”
“What kind of girl you gonna marry?” He proceeded to go down the list. “Hawaiian? Popolo? Japanese? Podagee? What kind?”
“I like Aunty Ruby; I might marry her,” I said thoughtfully.
“You probably could,” he said seriously. “She’s just your calabash Aunty, not your real aunty. By the time you’re my age, she’ll be too old to marry.”
Not blinking an eye, I replied, “She said she’d wait for me, so she’ll only start getting old once I’m your age.”
Uncle Thomas laughed so hard that he started coughing. I thought I’d said something wrong. When he finally recovered, he looked at me and giggled, “My man, you’re a funny little brother.”
2
As I mentioned previously, uncle Thomas was my father’s younger brother, they were as close as two brothers could be, but I could always sense an underlying tension between the two. I was never sure what it was until my older brother Val started hanging out with Uncle Thomas a lot more. He was starting to get in trouble for a bunch of things aside from the regular juvenile behavior. Val would be forced into the military later on because it was the only thing that would save his life. It also prevented Uncle Thomas from killing him. I digressed a little from my point; Val was getting into more trouble than he was worth, at least that’s what my father said. Besides, when Val got into trouble, he wouldn’t come home because he was more afraid of the beating he would get at my father's hands than being arrested. Mind you, this was the late 60s or early 70s, so you’d pay with your ass for the stupidity you enacted.
Val was stupid a lot.
Dad called Uncle Thomas one day and asked him if he would hire Val at his job and take him under his wing a bit. Uncle Thomas agreed, and after that, my brother came home at a decent hour, woke up early, and came down to the breakfast to eat with us. He pleasantly discussed his job with our father and kissed and thanked our mother for breakfast before he left for work. A month later, Val came home with a girl named Vanessa. He had her sit in the living room and introduced her to my mom and dad. I could only sit by and watch. I was not allowed to talk. She was beautiful but in a sweet way, and my parents loved her because when it came time for dinner, she asked my mother if she needed help. Mom really liked that, and they got to talk and know one another. In the meantime, Val and dad talked about his job. The funny thing about that discussion is that although Val talked to Dad about what he did at work, I still didn’t know exactly what it was that Val did. After all that, my father then asked Val, “How in the hell did you get that girl, Val? She’s beautiful!”
“Uncle Thomas introduced us,” Val nodded toward the kitchen. “Don’t tell mom, but she’s twenty-two.”
Dad’s face fell to the floor, and he slapped Val on the shoulder and whispered harshly to my older brother, “You are a dog!”
It was the first time in a long time that I saw my older brother and my father laughing and talking together like that. It was nice to see, and it made me laugh and smile. That’s when they looked at me and shook their fists, “You better keep your mouth shut!”
The evening was successful for Val, and after the goodbyes and thank yous, Val left to drive Vanessa home. Mom and Dad were pleased, and it seemed that Val had turned around his wayward habits thanks to Uncle Thomas. After dad helped mom clean up in the kitchen, he got a beer from the fridge and picked up the phone.
“Eh, Tommy.....thanks for helping with Val. He’s doing good; we’re proud of him,” Dad got kind of emotional right then, and I could just hear Uncle Thomas on the other end of the phone, “It’s okay, brah, no worry.”
3
It was a day when mom and dad were out shopping. It was Val’s day off, and he was upstairs in his bedroom with Vanessa. I was downstairs in my room playing with my brand-new hot wheels. Just then, Uncle Thomas pulled up in the driveway in his 72 Camaro, it was a deep purple color, and he let it rumble a bit before he finally cut the engine and walked into the house. I peeked out of my room and saw him head upstairs, “Hi, Uncle Thomas!” I waved.
He looked at me without missing a step, “Is your brother home?”
“Yes, uncle, he’s upstairs,” I pointed. Uncle Thomas winked at me, and pretty soon, I heard a scream. It was Vanessa, she came running down the stairs with only her skirt on. In her arms, she carried her sandals and her top. She was hysterical and crying, she had the keys to Val’s car in her hands, and she jumped in it and drove off down our graveled driveway. A few seconds after that, Val came walking down the stairs with Uncle Thomas behind him. He had a gun pointed at the back of my brother’s head.
“Stay in your room, Junior, don’t come out,” Val said calmly.
“Val and I are playing Cowboy and Indian; he’s my prisoner today. I’ll bring him back later,” Uncle Thomas winked, and he and Val walked out the door. As they headed to uncle Thomas’s car, my mom and dad drove up. My dad was mad, and he and Uncle Thomas got into a fight. Val and mom stayed out of it. Uncle Thomas was mad at Val because he stole a kilo of what Uncle Thomas called ‘his stash.’ It was worth a lot of money; I heard my dad ask Uncle Thomas how much it was worth? Whatever amount Uncle Thomas said it was, my dad drove to the bank, withdrew that exact sum, and gave it to Uncle Thomas. After that, dad told him that they were no longer brothers. Uncle Thomas left, and we never saw him again until the day of my dad’s funeral many years later. However, at that moment, Val got smug and said, “That’ll show him, right, Dad?”
Wrong; my dad told Val that even though he paid Uncle Thomas off for what Val stole, he was still a target. If Uncle Thomas didn’t get him now, he’d get some time sooner or later. That’s when my dad beat the holy hell out of Val. The next day he took Val down to the army recruiter's office and made him sign up for the military. My brother had no choice. Dad told him that it would be years before he could ever come back home. Dad was right, and Val was another one that we would never see again until dad passed away. Even then, Val could only express his sympathies via Skype. If you haven’t already figured it out, my Uncle Thomas was a gangster whose car dealership was a front. Val was one of his runners who eventually became one of Uncle Thomas’ best earners. However, greed got the best of Val, and he figured that no one would miss just one Kilo.
He was wrong.
Vanessa came to stay with us until Val completed boot camp; dad got her a secretarial position at the warehouse where he worked at. Dad had to be at work at 5:30 in the morning, but Vanessa didn’t start until 8:00 am. Luckily she had Val’s car to drive around with; that was also another matter that dad had to settle with uncle Thomas. No harm was to come to Vanessa. Otherwise, dad promised there’d be trouble for him. Vanessa’s family lived in Maui; she worked a full-time job and lived on her own until things blew up between my brother and uncle. That’s when mom insisted that she live with us for a while.
4
My dad was eighty-three years old when he passed away this year. He had no health issues of any kind; he just passed in his sleep one night with my mother fast asleep beside him. The next day, he never woke up. He died of natural causes, whatever that’s supposed to be, but at least he didn’t suffer. The services were simple; it was held at his favorite beach house at Naue on the island of Kauai. Dad didn’t want anything religious; he just wanted the people he loved to gather as one while the sun set in the west. Once that was done, he wanted his ashes scattered in the ocean. It was a stunning orange and purple sunset, and I had the opportunity to tell my children and grandchildren about the kind of man my father was. While I looked back at the beach house, I saw an elderly man hobbling toward us in a bright blue buttoned-down shirt with blue slacks and shined-up shoes. He had a full head of white hair that was combed back and weighed down with mousse. It was uncle Thomas. I walked over to him and gave him a great big hug, and he hugged me right back. He was four years younger than my dad, so that would make him out to be seventy-nine.
“You’re still alive? That means you must be out of the life?” I beamed at my childhood hero, and I was amazed at how much he looked like my father.
“I’m barely alive and almost out of life,” he chuckled. “Look at you,” he patted my cheek with his old withered palm. “You’re a grown man with a wife and a big family. I’m proud of you, Junior; you did well for yourself.”
“Yeah,” I nodded. “I can’t argue with you on that one.”
Right about then, my kids and grandkids walked up, and I introduced them to uncle Thomas. I made sure that they didn’t overwhelm him too much. After, I had him come to sit with me on a couple of chairs where we could talk and catch up. I asked him if he wanted some water to drink or some juice, but he asked for a beer. “Are you supposed to be drinking beer at your age, uncle Thomas?”
He waved me off and shook his head, “I lived this long because I’m a sipper, not a drinker. Drinkers don’t last for the long haul. Sippers take it slow; that way, they have time to appreciate the finer things in life.”
I returned with two beers and handed him an already-opened bottle, “Your mother called me all the time and kept me up to date with what was going on with your father.”
“Is that how you found out about today?” I asked very curiously.
“And other things,” he nodded to one side. “There were so many times I wanted to come and say how sorry I was, but your father is stubborn, so I kept my distance all these years.”
“Dad knew you were keeping tabs,” I told him. “He didn’t say anything about it, but he knew.”
“So much could have been solved if he’d have just let me apologize,” uncle Thomas shook his head. He leaned across the arm of his chair and asked, “I haven’t seen your brother. Is he here?”
“You know he’s not here, uncle Thomas,” I looked him in the eye, so he understood that I knew. He took a sip of his beer, and after placing it on the arm of the chair, he reached his arm over to me, “Help me up, Junior; I have to get going.”
I walked him out to the road, where a black limo was parked. Two men were standing in front of it while one sat in the driver's seat with the window rolled down. “Dad was right; he said you’d never let it go, and it's been what? Forty-six years?”
Uncle Thomas turned around, gazed at the beach house, and then looked up at me, “This could have been my life, being an uncle to you and Val and your father’s brother and your mom’s brother-in-law. I could have been here today with a family of my own just like yours, but I was too greedy, and by the time I wanted out, it was too late. I wasn’t mad at your brother so much because of the drugs he stole from me; I was madder because of Vanessa.”
“Vanessa? Why? Was she your girlfriend or something? I remember Val saying to my parents that you were the one who introduced them?” If she wasn’t your girlfriend, then what was the big deal?
“She was one of my office girls at the dealership, and the introduction was casual because I was showing Val around the place and introduced him to everyone,” uncle Thomas began. He made it a point to speak slowly and purposefully. “I never thought that they’d get together.”
“I don’t understand?” I told uncle Thomas. “What was the big deal?”
“Vanessa was my illegitimate daughter I’d had with a woman years ago; I was really young. When Vanessa’s mother discovered she was working at my dealership, she called me one day and told me who Vanessa was. By the time I had to guts to go talk to her, I was hit with a double whammy, Val stole a kilo of my drugs, and he was dating his first cousin.” The old man’s face began to turn red as tears and snot dripping down his nose. He quickly removed a handkerchief and cleaned himself up. “The damage was already done; anyway, I never told your parents,” he gave me one last hug and hobbled his way across the road into his waiting limo but not before he turned back and looked at me, “Tell your mother I was here…..I didn’t want to bother her and bring up all this stuff, you see ?” He nodded to himself and got into the vehicle. The two other men got in with him, and the vehicle drove off.
I mean, Uncle Thomas wasn't as lucky as my father in how his life ended. My father went the way he wanted to go, but uncle Thomas was run over and killed by a man who was paying attention to his text message while driving at the same time. He never saw my uncle in the crosswalk. There's one saying that goes you can't help who your family is. There's another saying that says you never really know who it is you're related to. I always say that it's important to keep your family close but to never go into business with them if you want to remain family.
Nov 16, 2022
Iwakaluakumaha 2022
On the 24th, Barry Kalaluhi waited in the small church in the warehouse district in Kalihi.
Nov 15, 2022
Kalina 2022
Empty space without even a residual echo of all the glory, life, heartache, and sadness imprinted into the very fibers of the floor, the twisted mesh of the screened windows, and the sturdy wooden pillars and beams.
Nov 14, 2022
Uncertain 2022
She was the strongest person we knew; she held the ʻohana together after our father passed away.
Nov 13, 2022
Homeful 2022
Having these last few beers on the most beautiful day I've seen in a while was not easy.
Nov 12, 2022
Paʻakai 2022
My old neighbor was a Hawaiian mother who advocated using natural salt from the sea, for blessings, to salt meat, and for regular table salt.
Nov 11, 2022
Nov 10, 2022
Free More 2022
...continued from yesterday
I had no choice but to return home.
No matter where I ran, I realized that it, or Merla, would follow me, whether it was a hallucination or real. It was embedded into my consciousness and wasn't going to let up. Straight from the airport to the house in Hawaii Kai, I went. Merla's parents were waiting out front; the two looked like living corpses. "Go!" I shouted to them while pointing to their car. "Go!" They got into their Lexus, reversed out of the driveway, and headed straight toward me. I got out of the way just in time. They went for me again, their faces twisted with madness and ill intent. I jumped out of the way the second time as the car plowed into the concrete wall, which separated their property from the main road.
The car shot into reverse; by that time, I was already in my own car, speeding out of the long driveway toward Kalaniana'ole, hoping that no oncoming traffic would make me pause at the exit. In mere seconds I screeched out to the main road with the Lexus missing me by inches as it shot out to the four-lane highway. Merla's parents were T-boned by an oncoming delivery truck. The two were severely injured but very much alive. When the police and the EMT arrived, I explained the whole situation as best I could, leaving out the whole exorcism thing and Merla running around like a Great Dane chasing me along Kalaniana'ole and all the way to Las Vegas, where in her demon form she bit a robbers head in half. No, I couldn't tell them that at all. When it was all over, and I finally made it back to my place, I threw my bags on the floor at my front door and laid the keys on the end table. Making my way to the kitchen for a drink, I stopped dead in my tracks as soon as I heard it.
"Welcome home," I jumped and screamed and grabbed a kitchen knife from the counter. It was Merla standing there on the other side of the microwave.
...to be continued
Credit: Vista Create
Nov 9, 2022
Free Again 2022
...continued from yesterday
2
Admittedly, it shook the core of everything I thought I was up until I met Merla in her dog and human incarnation.
Nov 8, 2022
Free 2022
1
There's something to be said about how the Las Vegas machine has everything big, bright, and in your face.
Maha'oi 2022
“ I don’t even know if get fish in Manoa falls; I was the only one here this morning right at sunrise. Since nobody was around, I figured I could take my clothes off quickly and stand under the falls. It was so cold but was really refreshing and invigorating, kinda wakes you up. After I was done and I went to get my clothes, he was standing there with his tackle box and fishing pole. I think he stepped on my clothes accidentally, which is maybe why he was looking down at them. I figured, why cover up, right? He could see me already so I asked him if he could give me my clothes? He did, of course, but he was really a shame, you could tell. He said sorry, and he gave me my clothes, and I left. I never saw him after that.” The Hawaiian woman said.
“You say you never saw him after that, and yet you’re the one who found his body,” the detective asked. “That’s conflicting information.”
“I said he gave me my clothes but not my shoes; I came back to get my shoes,” the Hawaiian woman replied.
“So, you walked off naked, holding on to your clothes, and obviously, you’re barefoot; when did you notice that your shoes were missing?” The detective was pressing now.
The Hawaiian woman gave the detective her best resting bitch face, “When I found a place where I could put my clothes on,”
“You just said earlier that you didn’t attempt to hide that you were standing there with no clothes on because the victim had just seen you naked. I mean, since you were so casual about the whole thing, why didn’t you just get dressed in front of him?” The detective was nearly shouting his inquiry. The Hawaiian woman removed her shirt and shorts and stepped out of her shoes. The detective was taken aback at how charming she was. Her face was already perfect, but her body was the complete punctuation that brought the sentence to life.
“Because, fuck you, that’s why,” she replied.
She surprised the two-hundred-and-forty-pound detective by picking him up over her head and tossing him into the pond. She dove in right after him and disappeared under the dark waters. It wasn’t until later that morning when Josh Kreager and his family, who were visiting from a small town in Iowa, came across the bodies of the fisherman and the detective floating in the pond. Both would be found fully clothed with car keys, wallets, and cell phones in their pockets. Their lips were swollen over black; their eyes were wide open, and there appeared to be some thick black liquid dripping from their mouths. Under their fingernails was dull dark moss; their shoes were gone, but deep, bruised finger marks were just around the bottom of their ankles.
It was the Kreager family’s first day in the land of aloha, and they spent the first twenty minutes of it screaming in horror.
Nov 6, 2022
Nov 5, 2022
Four 2022
We encounter spirits all the time, not like how we see them in the movies but in real life.
Nov 4, 2022
Three 2022
One does not have to be alone to have an otherworldly experience. For example, consider the weekend group staying in the cabins at Palehua. They were all very close friends since grade school. They thought a weekend of roughing it might be a good, fun experience. It wasn't long before the novelty wore off. It stemmed from one of the girlfriends in the group complaining about being groped by one of the husbands. The distention germinated from there until everyone was at each other's throats. Before things got worse, one of the wives calmed everyone down and asked for the accusing girlfriend to verify her story, except there never was an accusing girlfriend. If this was true, then who started the trouble? No one knew because no one remembers that person.
Nov 3, 2022
Nov 2, 2022
Nov 1, 2022
Six 2022
I lurk around old memories, old feelings, and the nostalgia of peaking during high school and never being able to live beyond it.
#106 2022
My life is like swimming in the shallow end of a pool, where I was too afraid to venture anywhere profound because I’d gotten used to the life that I was told I was supposed to have.
Oct 31, 2022
Oct 30, 2022
Die, Live 2022
1
As a kid, I used to ride past here with my father. It seemed seedy and antiquated back then as if all the dirty parts of its past cluttered itself in this one part of town.
Oct 29, 2022
ʻEke 2022
On the side of the freeway, on the grassy median just under a lone guava tree, the leather bag came to rest after it was ejected from the over-customized Toyota Tacoma, which rear-ended the Hyundai SUV at ninety miles an hour.
Oct 28, 2022
Lloyd 2022
Sitting on the library steps, I took in the night air and noticed the usual group of homeless near the front doors, tucking themselves in for the night.
Oct 27, 2022
Oct 26, 2022
Warn 2022
We all tried to tell him not to build his house on that land, but he accused us of being racists because he was, as he said, "A haole who owns a Hawaiian land."
Oct 25, 2022
Oct 24, 2022
Beneath 2022
The most deadly is when the pond is crystal clear because it lulls people into a false sense of security.
Oct 23, 2022
Bathory 2022
"Don't come any closer," she warned. "You're just gonna end up like him and everyone else before him,"
Oct 22, 2022
Oct 21, 2022
Neko 2022
The old house at the end of 12th avenue on the Waikīkī side of the freeway was an excellent purchase.
Oct 20, 2022
Oct 19, 2022
Box 2022
You know this story, not because it's an urban legend, but because it's real and it happened to someone who could be our friend, brother, cousin, uncle, or father.
Oct 18, 2022
Oct 17, 2022
Oct 16, 2022
Oct 15, 2022
Mauka 2022
It was a sarong she wore for sure but not like the gaudy colored ones you find in some touristy shop off the beaten path.
Oct 14, 2022
Oct 13, 2022
Pele 2022
I am reminded of when we happened to be in Hilo, and we visited someone who was said to have pictures and video footage of himself and the goddess Pele.
Oct 12, 2022
Kaula Hao 6 2022: Pu ana.
Abner did the smart thing by not only hiding in Tahiti but by acclimating himself to the culture and the language.
Oct 11, 2022
Kaula Hao 5 2022
The following day at 4 pm, shackled hand, foot, and hooded, Abner was taken to a horse-drawn wagon that seemed to purposely take every bump and hole along the way.
Oct 10, 2022
Oct 9, 2022
Kaula Hao 3 2022
Yet another month transpired before the princess appeared outside the jail cell, sitting on a stool.
Oct 8, 2022
Kaula Hao 2 2022
Nearly a month transpired before Abner could have visitors to attend to him and keep him company, if only for a short while.
Oct 7, 2022
Oct 6, 2022
Road 2022
Miles of the road this far seems like it will go on forever, and perhaps there won't be a conclusion.
Oct 5, 2022
Oct 4, 2022
Oct 3, 2022
Server 2022
Appeasement is why I went to the funeral of a person I didn't care for because this person was a burden to our family. Her name was Alena Seresto, the youngest of her family of thirteen and the most spoiled and least traditional Filipino in her family. Went to college on the mainland, married someone from Minnesota, divorced after five years, and lorded the wealth of her alimony over her sisters and their families. The rest of her older siblings had long passed, so whoever was left got the unwanted pleasure of her company. Alena passed in her sleep after a long bout with liver cancer, she suffered terribly, and in the end, she died alone. Even under those circumstances, I had no desire to attend her services, but my mother told me I would go out of respect for the dead. So, I went, but I sat in the very back.
While everyone got up to speak and struggled to say something nice, I snuck off to the lounge, where the servers had already put out the food. Lots of musubi without the nori, just the ume, my favorite. Shoyu chicken, teriyaki beef, sweet-sour pork, regular rice, and fried rice. Oh yeah, what a spread. I asked one of the servers if it was alright to make myself and plate, and she told me to go right ahead. So when I was done, I found a table in the corner with just one chair, where I sat to inhale my meal and then leave. But not without saying goodbye to my mother first, of course.
"What are you doing sitting here by yourself?" I heard a voice ask from behind. I looked up to see a young local Filipino girl pull up a seat and place herself directly across the table from me. Her clothing hurt my eyes. The top she wore was a long-sleeved black and white with broad black stripes, the collar was pulled up vampire style, and she wore capris with pleated pockets. The belt she wore wrapped around her waist and then down to where it wrapped around her right thigh. Her heels were too high, and she wore her hair in a strange bob. "Didn't you hear what I said? What are you doing here sitting by yourself?"
"Eating," I replied.
"No shit," her sarcasm was cutting like she would fight me simultaneously. Then, looking at what was on my plate, she remarked, "don't they have better food than this crap?"
I ignored her and kept eating. She let out a long, bothered sigh and began tapping her fingers on the table. First, out of boredom, but now she was doing it purposefully to get my attention. "What?" I looked up at her, very irritated.
"You never answered my question," she said.
"I'm here by myself eating because I wanted to be here by myself eating before the crowd files in, and then I can't be here by myself eating like right now," my tone was even and unwavering, and I kept it that way so she would get the hint. "Anyway, are the services over in there?"
"Psssh, services," she scoffed. "It's more like bullshit; they all hater her; they should just say what's on their minds, assholes,"
"I didn't care for her myself, but if I didn't come to show respect, then my mom would be on my shit," I said. "Why are you are you here?"
"I don't have a choice either; I have to be here," she sighed. "I'd rather be anywhere else but here,"
"Go get a plate before the crowd files in," I suggested. "Otherwise, you're gonna be shit out of luck. You know what? You stay right there; I'll get your plate for you."
"Well, that's unexpectedly nice of you," more sarcasm.
"The quicker you eat, the quicker I can be alone," I smirked and went to make her a plate of food. I came back, and she was gone. So, I ate her plate of food as well. When I was done, I returned to the services to tell my mom I was leaving. I saw my mother now seated at the very back where I was. By her body language, I could tell she was over it; she was more likely ready to leave herself. I also noticed that irritating girl standing up against the wall directly behind my mother. She clutched a picture frame close to her chest, crying bitterly as if her heart had been broken. Which is understandable considering the circumstances. She went to leave and walked past me, nearly running into me if I hadn't made room for her. What caught my eye was the picture frame she held on to; in it was an old-colored photograph of a young Filipino girl in the pink of her youth, dressed exactly the way this irritating Filipino girl was dressed. Before I could comment on the weird incident, my mother grabbed me by the arm and pulled me toward the front of the services.
"At least go see your aunty and pay your respects," she hissed at me.
I didn't argue; I just joined the long line of mourners and offered condolences to my cousins, Aletta's ex-husbands, and their succession of kids. Finally, we got to her casket, which housed her body. Every piece of jewelry she owned was around her fingers, wrists, neck, and ears. Her burial gown was orange chiffon with puffy laced shoulders. One couldn't see her hair too clearly because her head was overwhelmed by her large Ms. Kalihi Industrial crown from 1982. My mother shed tears and told Aletta how much she loved her. After that, there was a table next to Aletta's casket, which hosted a bunch of pictures depicting her various accomplishments, one of which happened to be the picture that I saw the irritating girl holding on to. "That's your aunty. While attending fashion design school on the mainland, she also worked full-time. That's when she was the Aletta we all loved, but little by little, after each divorce, she changed."
How do I tell my mom that the Aletta in the picture was the same person I spoke to in the lounge and that she got on my nerves? How do I tell her it was the same person I saw standing behind her, not less than a few minutes ago, clutching onto a picture of herself? And then, why appear to me of all people who didn't even want to be there? Life is so strange, and there are so many things that are not explained, mysteries that we will never understand. Like tonight.
Oct 2, 2022
Oct 1, 2022
17 Days 2022
It's no secret that I have a very well-paying job, so I can't complain about the work conditions.
Sep 30, 2022
Fox 2022
One evening, a woman leaving a cruise ship decided to take a leisure walk about the pier and eventually into downtown Honolulu.
Sep 29, 2022
Kaʻao 2022
During a time known only to those who lived in the days of our ancestors were two brothers, Kua and Hiapo.
Sep 28, 2022
Only 2022
Being the only sick kid on the small property of four houses, two toward the front of the old dirt road and two toward the back near the river, gave me a lot of time alone.
Sep 27, 2022
Tuesday 2022
What else is there to look at but blues skies, beautiful clouds, and green mountains veiled by misty rains?
Sep 26, 2022
Pani 2022
I stood back and watched my daughter kneel at her mother's grave at the Hawaiian Memorial Cemetery.
Sep 25, 2022
ʻIole 2022
As stories like these go, a group of errant teenagers pooled their Venmo money together and bought an ouija board online.
Sep 24, 2022
Sep 23, 2022
Sep 22, 2022
Sep 21, 2022
Sep 20, 2022
Sep 19, 2022
Sep 18, 2022
Sep 17, 2022
Sep 16, 2022
Sep 15, 2022
Sep 14, 2022
Sep 13, 2022
Lita 2022
Forty years have passed, yet the memory of it is as fresh as it was like it happened yesterday.
Sep 12, 2022
Māhoe 2022
E-mails, text messages, and other messenger apps have been uploaded to my phone ad nauseum in the last few days.
Sep 11, 2022
Manawaʻino 2022
When she slept on her side, the curve of her body looked like the outline of the Mānoa mountains.
Sep 10, 2022
Kānewawahilani 2022
My dream revealed to me a massively wide ʻohia tree which also stood unimaginatively tall because of how it pierced the clouds.
Sep 9, 2022
Effort 2022
We worked at Coco's Coffee House back in the day when we were too young and too stupid to know better.
Sep 8, 2022
Sep 7, 2022
Hana Pa'a 2022
During the shutdown's first phase three years ago, a dear friend came down with Covid.
Sep 6, 2022
Sep 5, 2022
Sep 4, 2022
Kīlauea 2022
Filled with all signs of life, furniture, chairs, love seats, knick-knacks, and mementos, the home felt stark and void of life.
Sep 3, 2022
Sep 2, 2022
Pā 2022
Congratulations were the order of the afternoon because of Selena's accomplishment in signing twenty new clients for their unique health care products at Hololmua Mana Power Drinks within fifteen minutes.
Sep 1, 2022
Aug 31, 2022
Aug 30, 2022
Aug 29, 2022
Aihualama 2022
The lush exuberance of lauaʻe lay across the forest floor like a finely woven makaloa.
Aug 28, 2022
Aug 27, 2022
Aupuni 10 2022
Mom was a wealth of knowledge and very worldly, which to me, as her son, seemed out of character because I had never seen that side of her.
Aug 26, 2022
Aupuni 9 2022
"We're going to talk about noho," mom began while peeling away the shells of her boiled peanuts which she placed in a separate hand-sized bowl.
Aug 25, 2022
Aug 24, 2022
Aug 23, 2022
Aupuni 6 2022
Tonight's lesson was about making my own salt, which I had no clue that one could actually make their own salt.
Aug 22, 2022
Aug 21, 2022
Aug 20, 2022
Aupuni 3 2022
Yandra, although not a member of the family, made herself worthwhile to mom in every way she could without being too much in her hair.
Aug 19, 2022
Aupuni 2 2022
The dawn of the early morning let its rays of still rising light bathe the living room and the kitchen. I always liked it this way. This was quite an hour before everyone began to stir in their beds, my brothers and sisters with their kidneys filled, knowing they had to come out of the excellent dream they were caught up in so they could relieve themselves and get on with their day. My mom sat in the far left corner of the living room on her rattan rocking chair, wearing her old bowling team shirt and her old quilt blanket on her lap. Physically, she was staring off somewhere, but mentally, her thoughts were filled with what she had to say to us once we were all awake and sitting at the table for breakfast. I walked over and sat at her feet on the freezing concrete floor.
"Penny, for your thoughts," I said.
"Good morning," she smiled. "Your wahine must be fast asleep; won't she miss you if she finds you're gone?"
"She's fine," I assured her. "How are you?"
"I'm ok," she affected. "Can you please do me a favor, wash up and start breakfast? I'll go wake everyone up in the meantime."
While mom made her rounds, I went into the bathroom and did the routine: I washed my face, brushed my teeth, washed my hands, used the bathroom, and rewashed my hands. I woke Yandra up with warm kisses and pressed our bodies against one another. We made love really quick and promised to make it last later on when we were ready for bed. By the time I got to the kitchen, mom had already had the bacon frying and was mixing the eggs simultaneously. I stepped in and took over for her, to which she smacked my shoulder with her koa wooden spoon and scolded me. "Go wash your face, can smell your girlfriend all over you!"
Embarrassed, I did what she commanded, and when I returned, she finally let me take over. By the time Terry and Thomas were awake, they were hungry and sitting at the table with growling tummies. My two sisters, Jana and Jen, were frying up the french toast and the sausages. Yandra got the Guava and Orange juice pitchers filled and had the last of the plates and cutlery set out. "Hello, strange person that we don't know who was not introduced to us," Terry got up, shook Yandra's hand, and hugged her. "I'm the oldest and most responsible brother," he said. "I'm Terrence, and this brooding Edwardian mess is the second oldest brother, Thomas!"
Tommy stood up long enough to say hello and gave Yandra an air hug and kiss. "On french toast over there is the oldest sister, Janalyn, and on sausages is the youngest girl, Jenharad. It's a long story."
"We met already while going to and from the bathroom," Jana said.
"We like her," Jen agreed. "She just jumped in and started helping, didn't even have to be asked."
"Of course," Terry continued ignoring his sisters as he always did. "You already have carnal knowledge of our youngest brother Timotee or Tim as we disproportionately call him, because he tends to forget common courtesies like introducing his girlfriend to his family."
"Oh, stop being such a prude Terry," mom scolded him. "You were the very one who couldn't stop playing with yourself all through your teen years." Oh shit! My mom outed our oldest brother as the chronic masturbator in the family! We nearly pissed our pants laughing while Terry looked at all of us with disdain.
"Hah, hah, very funny, but don't forget who had to cover for most of you when you came home drunk, Jana, and you snuck a boy into your room, Jen! That was me who took the beating for the both of you!" He reminded the two girls.
"No one's forgotten that, Terry," Jana groaned. "Because you bring it up every chance you get whenever we're together!"
"Everyone, please, if it's not too much trouble, let's take our places for breakfast," Mom stretched her hands out as she always did. This indicated that we had to pray once we were seated. With her head bowed and her eyes closed, mom took a deep breath, and when she exhaled, she said, "Terrence."
In protest, my brother said, "Mom,"
"This is not a request Terrence," still with her head bowed and eyes closed, mom wielded power.
"Ancestors of our family, both Kū and Hina," my brother began. "Please give us your love and compassion and protect us as we partake of this meal and offer you the essence of it; Aloha,"
With that, everyone set forth to eat their breakfast, especially Yandra. Mom liked that she wasn't shy about eating. "You marry this girl," mom nudged me. Once breakfast was over, and everything was washed and put away, we gathered in the living room and waited for mom to join us. She took her place in her rattan rocking chair and got to it immediately. "I want to pass on and teach you, children, everything I learned from my mama and grandmother. I'd like to start as soon as Monday."
"My school schedule is full, mom," Thomas spoke honestly. "I'm carrying a full load this semester."
We've got work, the kids, and our ungrateful husbands," Jana spoke for herself and Jen.
"I'm Mormon," Terry said. "You know I can't; I mean, it was enough that I had to do the prayer earlier,"
After that, my older siblings came up with excuses as to why they had to leave suddenly. Work, family, car repairs. Anything to get themselves out of there and away from any spiritual obligations they felt mom was trying to put on them. That left me, mom, and Yandra.
"I've got time Ma," I told her. "I can start Monday."
...to be continued
Aug 18, 2022
Aupuni 2022
The time of my life was spent in Orlando, Florida, with a great job and even more incredible nightlife.
Aug 17, 2022
Haʻi aʻo 2022
Pōhina was worried that his acceptance letter to the school to which he applied would never arrive.
Aug 16, 2022
Aug 15, 2022
Rama 2022
We all waited with bated breath in the small, cramped back room of the old house in Papakōlea.
Aug 14, 2022
Aug 13, 2022
Aug 12, 2022
Aug 11, 2022
Nalowale 2022
When my brother disappeared in Moanalua valley fifty some odd years ago, there was no fanfare on social media, no plastering of his face all over the place.
Aug 10, 2022
Aug 9, 2022
Ki'i 2022
After my tūtū wahine passed away, the arduous task of clearing her bedroom fell solely upon me, for it was stated in her will that I was the only one allowed to do so.
Aug 8, 2022
Aug 7, 2022
Friend 2022
Fried noodles today are not like the way they were made in 1975 when you were 13 years old.
Aug 6, 2022
Aug 5, 2022
Hulu 2022
Fingers pressed against the meticulously placed feathers evening them out, so they all faced the same direction.
Aug 4, 2022
Pana 2022
Awakened by the pulse and rhythm of the cadence of breathing, they stretched forth their hands and feet and tightened their muscles as much as they could bear without cramping.
Aug 3, 2022
Marks 2022
Today the ancestors made themselves known in droves, but I could only speak to three of them.
Their presence was overwhelming as they all tried to get in through the front door. They will take advantage of any opportunity to communicate their wants and needs.
Aug 2, 2022
Lana 2022
The light coming up over the horizon is a dull, muted color until the dark purples and slight oranges begin to manifest.
Aug 1, 2022
Hānau 2022
For years I worried about the tradition of burying the afterbirth of my children in a proper location that would be our land in perpetuity.
Jul 30, 2022
Hua 2022
Melancholy nights looking up at the night sky, waiting for the Hua moon phase to slowly advance over Hanauma or Molokai.
Jul 29, 2022
Insert 2022
Surreptitious movement is advantageous if you're the only person clearing a room and you've been cut off from your insert team.
Jul 28, 2022
Ticket 2022
I've been going to carnivals all my life, from the time of the big tent shows to what passes for a festival these days.
Jul 27, 2022
Jul 26, 2022
Jul 25, 2022
Jul 24, 2022
Jul 23, 2022
Bloodlust 2022
Dressed in their finest, most expensive tuxedos, the old men watched as the new initiate received his indoctrination ceremony.
Jul 22, 2022
Jul 21, 2022
Mehameha 2022
Stark white during what I could only assume was the daytime hours, and a subtle gray represented the evening.
Jul 20, 2022
Sleepy 2022
End chairs and coffee tables flew across the living room, and the rug curled back and slid into the hallway.
Jul 19, 2022
Jul 18, 2022
Jul 17, 2022
Jul 16, 2022
Jul 15, 2022
Jul 14, 2022
Jul 13, 2022
Property 2022
The patrons at the resort eyed me closely, wondering what I, a Hawaiian man dressed in black, might have been doing sitting at a rich beachside property?
Jul 12, 2022
Jul 11, 2022
Jul 10, 2022
Jul 9, 2022
Jul 8, 2022
Jul 7, 2022
Jul 6, 2022
Kilo 2022
"The gods came from there," my grandfather pointed to the night sky while we sat on the roof of our house.
Jul 5, 2022
Jul 4, 2022
Jul 3, 2022
Jul 2, 2022
Jeshua 2022
Jeshua Faleafine was the security guard at the old grocery store on Gulick Avenue in Kalihi.
Jul 1, 2022
Shitty 2022
Even as I sit here, I question why I agreed to have dinner with a man I have nothing but contempt for, and yet here I am.
Jun 30, 2022
Irene 2022
Irene J. Foster visited me two days ago to let me know that a particular person would come forward and own up to what she wanted me to say.
Jun 29, 2022
Jun 28, 2022
Jun 27, 2022
Jun 26, 2022
Ao Holo'oko'a 2022
"In life, you should hope that you can move seamlessly from one moment to the next without pause or flaw in the process.
Jun 25, 2022
Jun 24, 2022
Wedding 2022
Wedding days are always filled with tension, panic, and pressure, just like at a funeral.
Jun 23, 2022
Dance 2022
She was so caught up in her conversation while she and her business partner took a shortcut through the Kawaiahaʻo church graveyard that she did not notice she had been walking over more than a few graves.
Jun 22, 2022
Change 2022
Twenty three years ago my friends and I were hiking the Aiea loop trail at precisely nine in the morning which is right about when the time when the place is still quiet and unbothered by tourists and the like.
Jun 21, 2022
Jun 20, 2022
Ron 2022
Believing this story is still difficult for me, even though I am a person who has had a lifelong experience with mysterious and strange things.
Jun 19, 2022
Take 2022
John Kenai, his wife Alyssa, and their daughter Kylie became houseless when their landlord decided to sell the house at the last minute.
Jun 18, 2022
Hoʻokō 2022 3
MISSIONARY MUSEUM
"Jedidiah could not come up with the money to pay for passage back to the east coast to retrieve his son and the daughter of the aliʻi ʻai moku," the museum curator said.
Jun 17, 2022
Ho'okō 2022 2
"This is not good, Jedidiah," Herman smiled as he spoke with his long-time friend so as not to give a hint of their conversation to the Hawaiian chief.
Jun 16, 2022
Ho'okō 2022 1
Jedidiah Corliss, by way of circumstance, and not by the hand of God as he would later say it was, but by happenstance, saved the life of the only child of the Aliʻi ʻai moku of Lihuʻe who was near to falling off a sheer cliff to the rocks below.
Jun 15, 2022
Jun 14, 2022
Hālua 2022
Truth. The more aquiline your features and skin tone, the more you are admired and accepted.
Jun 13, 2022
Leimaliko 2022
Hoʻoleiʻupena is the act of casting out the fishing net as you would a lei around the shoulders of a beloved person.
Jun 12, 2022
Jun 11, 2022
Moonlight 2022
No one had ever done a moonlight parade through Waikīkī. A starlight parade, yes, but not one by the full moon's light.
Jun 10, 2022
Under 2022
Missing was one sock which the partner to the only unique pair of socks I ever owned from Scotland.
Jun 9, 2022
Ka'ahele 2022
This case was not part of my wheelhouse, so to say, which is why in the beginning, I did not understand why my presence was required.
Jun 8, 2022
Menehune Mū 2022
"Oh, they left long, long ago," Aunty Meng reminisced. "The Menehune men started marrying Hawaiian women, and the Menehune queen did not like that.
Jun 7, 2022
Jun 6, 2022
Leiʻala 2022
A Vietnam veteran remembers the day he stepped off the plane at the old Honolulu airport. Of all places, the least location he expected to see protesters against the war was at home, at the airport. He said the air went out of him as if surviving the war in service to his country was pointless. He intimated that he felt stuck, as if there were no way to exit the airport without being confronted by one person or a group of people who were against the war. "Are you alright young man? You look troubled?" An old Hawaiian woman stood there with a ginger lei in her hand. "Where is your family? How come they're not here to greet you?"
"I'm early," the young version of himself replied. "I was looking for a payphone to call home and let my parents know I'm here."
"It must have been such a long flight," the old Hawaiian woman said as she draped her ginger lei around his shoulders. "After you call your folks, you should sit down and relax. It must have been a very long flight home, no?"
The veteran told me that he and the old Hawaiian woman sat and talked until it was time to head out to the sidewalk where his family would pick him up. "We talked about what high school I went to, the people I knew, and my mother's maiden name. Then, before I knew it, it was time go. I thanked that kupuna, and she gave me a big hug.
"Welcome home, Kawika," she said. "Aloha!" The old Hawaiian woman walked away, heading toward the gates where a group came through the terminal.
"Tūtū!" The veteran called out. "I didnʻt get your name?"
"Leiʻala," she smiled and went about her way.
"When my parents picked me up, we hugged and cried, and I finally got myself and my bags in the car; we were on the way home, and my mother noticed my ginger lei and asked me where I got the lei. I told her it was given to me by an old Hawaiian woman at the airport and that she sat with me until it was time go,"
"Did you get her name?" My mother asked.
"Leiʻala," I replied. My dadʻs station wagon came to a screeching halt. He turned around and gave me a strange look before pulling off the road.
"Leiʻala?" My dad questioned. "Are you sure?"
"Yes, dad," I replied. "Why?"
"Leiʻala was my great-grandmother," my father sat there with tears welling up. "She was hardly seen without a ginger lei; it was her favorite. Thatʻs why she was named Leiʻalaikeʻawapuhi, The fragrant ginger lei. She was welcoming you home, son."
"I was shocked, but my parents sat there for a few more minutes, crying, and knowing that with the trouble and worry I experienced at the airport, my great, great, tūtū lady came and kept me safe until it was time to go home," he shared. "True story, true story."
--------------------------
17A Productions Presents
LOPAKA KAPANUI - CHICKEN SKIN GHOST STORIES
A LIVE and IN-PERSON storytelling concert at the historic Hawaii Theatre. This master storyteller is one of Hawaii’s most popular teller of tales and has been in the business of scaring people for more than 20 years. Lopaka is terrifically skilled at provoking that sudden chill going down one’s back or causing the small hairs on your arms to stand up. Chicken skin is what we call it in Hawai‘i. Others might refer to it as chills or goosebumps. Sharing real accounts of Hawaii’s supernatural culture, Lopaka often leaves audience members questioning the darkness on their drive home and anxiously leaving the light on at bedtime.
Jun 5, 2022
Pushed 2022
No longer the Sears at the mall on the Windward side of the island, it stands empty and stark.
Jun 4, 2022
Choked 2022
Choking, struggling for air, the eyes wide, the lips turning blue and foaming at the mouth.
Jun 3, 2022
Jun 2, 2022
Jun 1, 2022
Story 2022
What I heard interested my attention for less than half the time it was happening because I was busy doodling on my phone.
May 31, 2022
Lady 2022
The gulch goes through the botanical gardens and then continues to lake Wilson where many a corpse of a young able-bodied Schofield soldier has been found.
May 30, 2022
May 29, 2022
Kaomi 'Elua 2022
Everything after that was so simple; we fell into a love that was already nurtured by a long friendship, and marrying Priscilla was a no-brainer.
May 28, 2022
May 27, 2022
May 26, 2022
Lingered 2022
"Oh," the psychic shuddered as he walked into the establishment. "It's THIS place. I'd completely forgotten about it."
May 25, 2022
Lingering 2022
March 1979
Her name was Jennifer, and she'd been running the Club Miranda since nineteen seventy-six.
May 24, 2022
May 23, 2022
Lost 2022
There's no way to get lost at the Kualoa beach park, especially when you're heading out to the campgrounds.
May 22, 2022
Phillip 2022
Twenty-five cents seems like something trivial to be bullied for, but this was nineteen seventy-six.
May 21, 2022
May 20, 2022
May 19, 2022
Intrude 2022
They were armed to the teeth, but for some reason, with all the hardware they had, they came in with knives.
May 18, 2022
May 17, 2022
May 16, 2022
May 15, 2022
End 2022
Sunday, January 13, 2018, at 8:07 am, a false missile alert was sent out to the Hawaiian islands.
May 14, 2022
May 13, 2022
Malley 2022
We had to throw his clothes away and burn them and anything else he touched, stepped or slept on.
May 12, 2022
Place 2022
Of course, from a child's perspective, the house you grow up in can seem like a grand mansion.
May 11, 2022
May 10, 2022
May 9, 2022
Road 2022
My connections tell me that it's because of this built-up anger after the pandemic, this at a governor who prioritizes the people who lined his pockets rather than the voters who got him into office.
May 8, 2022
Parking Lot 2022
He's on the Young Street side of the parking lot, not trying to run away but waiting for me to catch up.
May 7, 2022
Restaurant 2022
The restaurant isn't anything special, but it's the one everyone goes to after a night of clubbing and drinking or after attending a concert.
May 6, 2022
Creepy 2022
"Pounding on the door, in the middle of the night," the woman told me after the conclusion of one of our downtown walks through an old cemetery.
May 5, 2022
Awakened 2022
This is another one of those stories where the free spirit comes into someone's life just long enough to change their mind and heart and release them from the constraints of a humdrum existence.
May 4, 2022
May 3, 2022
Waiting 2022
It's an old house sitting empty at the end of the road just before the Wiliwilinui hiking trail.
May 2, 2022
May 1, 2022
Aggressor 2022
Years ago, a fight nearly broke out at an eatery on Ke'eaumoku, particularly crowded on a late Saturday evening.
Apr 30, 2022
Sunrise 2022
It may not seem like much because of how urbanized the Kaimuki/Wai'alae/Kahala districts have become.
Apr 29, 2022
Apr 28, 2022
Apr 27, 2022
Yandy 2022
Every day, the birds flit about looking for scraps that anyone will throw at them. Yandy Kalei'iki instead throws them little diced-up
Apr 26, 2022
Apr 25, 2022
Apr 24, 2022
Seizure 2022
Many years ago, my cousin Caleb would have these seizures where his eye would roll over, turning pale and then blue.
Apr 23, 2022
Makaluku 2022
Have you ever had something happen to you that was so unexpected and traumatic that it changed you completely?
Apr 22, 2022
Hale Pule 2022
Although I am an atheist, and I believe I have been since the time of childhood, I can't help but miss this old church.
Apr 21, 2022
Scene 2022
Uncle Kai, the former caretaker at the oldest church in downtown Honolulu, told me about many of his late at night encounters.
Apr 20, 2022
Stew 2022
Many people, like yourselves, come forward and graciously share your ghost stories and other strange experiences with me.
Apr 19, 2022
Ho'opahulu 2022
The ones that haunt this house are like wisps of smoke that manifest to an almost solid form and fade away like memories that excite your senses but are not genuinely tangible.
Apr 18, 2022
Piholo 2022
Locate the beach in the Hawaiian islands, which have the most drownings, and you'll have curiosity seekers and wanna-be paranormal investigators swarming to that location.
Apr 17, 2022
Loo 2022
Fucking bathrooms at the mall are specifically designed for tourists with smaller body frames so they can fit in the stall.
Apr 16, 2022
Manaʻopaʻa 2022
Manaʻopaʻa was an office on the second floor of the one twenty-five-M building on Merchant Street.
Apr 15, 2022
Apr 14, 2022
Hanaʻoʻoleʻa 2022
Tilling the land, the soil, and the earth to make way for a decent loʻi kalo to feed his family for the first season was necessary.
Apr 13, 2022
Apr 12, 2022
Mākou 2022
They donʻt hide in the shadows as weʻve expected them to, like how we see in those investigative videos on social media.
Apr 11, 2022
Disturb 2022
My stay at the Waikiki hotel was designed for me to get away for a bit from the droll humdrum everyday nothingness of life.