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My Kind of Town Don Chapman |
The shark speaketh
>> Big Island
Back on the big boat with their gear, Cruz MacKenzie was riding the adrenaline buzz of his life. He'd survived swimming with sharks and had a heck of a story. Mano Kekai talked of oneness and being connected. Cruz was just elated to still be in one piece, all his extremities still connected.
He wanted to talk about it, but Mano was quiet and kept his face turned away as he warmed up the motor and hauled in the anchor.
"Hang on," was all he said and engaged the prop. Cruz looked back at the little lagoon as they motored away -- a place that altered his view of the world, and of himself.
The wind had switched and Mano steered closer to shore for the return trip, out of the bigger swells. He seemed lost in his own thoughts.
"What's wrong?" Cruz finally asked. "Is it me?"
"No, bruddah. It's ... something else. Mano told me ... No, you're cool. You passed."
"Passed? And if I failed?"
He pursed his lips. "Well, I knew you wouldn't. One thing though, don't use my name in your story or even give a little hint about where this place is."
"That's easy."
Mano fell silent again and focused on keeping the bow heading into the swells.
"This other thing, how did he tell you?" Cruz wondered.
"Like I said, you got to go with the mana."
Whatever the shark had revealed to Mano, it wasn't good. Cruz wondered if it had anything to do with Daren Guy or any of the other fatal shark attacks in recent weeks. Mano wasn't saying. Cruz wanted to ask, but although Mano was at the helm it was as if he was drifting off to some other place far away, and Cruz let him go. Besides, with the adrenaline fading, and having slept only a couple of hours last night, he felt very tired and dozed off, rocked by the rhythm of the waves.
Cool salt water splashed his face and Cruz jumped awake. Kona was in the distance. On the way back into the harbor, Mano paused beside Daren's boat.
It was locked up tight, and no sign of Sonya. No sign of the sail boat Wet Spot either. He kept the engine idling, turned away from Cruz and held his arms over the water, palms down, chanting softly as he had back at the secret lagoon.
"Ai," he said at last to the sea. "It's hard to believe, but yes." When he turned back to the wheel, there was anger in his eyes. Anger and resolve.
"Mano the shark is talking to you again, isn't he?" Cruz said.
"Ai, he is."
"What's he saying?"
"None of his children ate Daren. He's giving them a bad name."
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Don Chapman is editor of MidWeek. His serialized novel runs daily in the Star-Bulletin. He can be e-mailed at dchapman@midweek.com
