Chapter 2 #2
Kiki and I looked similar, but Kiki was much more beautiful. Strangers would stop and stare at her, and those in the village called her the “flower of every season.” I knew that by the time she reached twenty-two years, like myself, the young men would vie for her affections and hand in marriage.
With lashes so long they made the wind seem pathetic when they fluttered, and skin the color of a toasted coconut, Kiki’s natural beauty and complexion were her key features. But beyond that, her eyes were something else. It was like looking into the earth itself–deep, focused, and sincere.
I used to wish I looked more like my younger sister, but I accepted long ago that comparing myself to her would do me no good.
My brown skin, freckled from hours in the sea and sun, constantly peeled.
My hair was on the frizzier end and always threatened to become a rat’s nest if I didn’t brush it.
It lived in a constant bun and smelled like salt and sea.
My eyes were as dark as night and a constant sunburn graced my cheeks. I lacked curves, and it seemed I’d always be as flat as a slab of lava rock.
No matter, I told myself as I squeezed water out of my sticky, salty hair. Kiki, like mother, brought life to everything, and I accepted that I’d never be as bright and cheerful. Perhaps I took some of my father’s somber disposition after all.
“Aue Oli, you really outdid yourself today! You left when it was dark this morning, didn’t you?” Kiki asked, a big smile on her face.
As if in response, my stomach rumbled. I clutched it and smiled back, eager not to show her how I truly felt. “Yes, now hurry. We have a few hours before the market slows to sell all of this.”
The rainbow of fish in Kiki’s arms truly was impressive; even I couldn’t believe I’d caught it all. Surely I could help provide a better life for mother and Kiki. They were all I had, and I wasn’t about to let anything happen to them. We’d been through enough with father.
“Did you hear?” Kiki asked as she looped her arm through mine and we started on the trail towards town. I had covered myself with a loose blouse and long skirt, and already the fabric stuck to my salt-covered legs and arms. I ignored the discomfort and focused on Kiki.
“Hear what? You know I’m not into gossip.”
“I know,” Kiki laughed, then made a face. “But this tale is concerning…” When she paused for dramatic effect, I nudged her.
She raised an eyebrow. “This one is about the night marchers.”
“Superstitions,” I said, though my heart paced faster, the image of the specter coming to mind. Only a few nights had passed since seeing the ghost, and though I tried to convince myself it wasn’t real, I seriously doubted myself.
“Some villagers said there have been more night marchers roaming around than ever before.” Kiki made a face. “Some say that perhaps they are looking for someone.”
My throat suddenly felt tight, and the blood drained from my face.
It can’t be… Were they, perhaps, looking for me? Because I did not prostrate myself? And because I looked directly at the ghost that night?
“Oli?”
I blinked, realizing I had stopped on the path and Kiki was now eyeing me with concern. “Is something wrong?” she asked.
“No–”
“Please don’t lie.” She nudged me. “I know that look. What happened?”
I hesitated, further proving that I was hiding something. Kiki’s eyes widened, as if she realized what was happening.
“No… you didn’t…” She covered her mouth. “Oli… did you see the night marchers?”
I wished my hands wouldn’t feel so clammy, or that I could lie better, but the lump in my throat made it impossible to speak. I swallowed hard and nodded.
“Did you prostrate yourself?” Kiki’s voice drowned in sorrow and fear, but I also didn’t need to answer, because she knew me too well. She threw up her hands. “You must hide, Oli! They cannot come for you!”
“I won’t let anything happen to me,” I said, silencing her by grabbing her hands. “Listen. It’s nothing to worry about, understand?”
Kiki fought tears. “I can’t lose you forever, Oli. I'm already losing you to that drunk fisherman…”
I kept my voice stern. “Everything will be alright, I promise.”
My younger sister took a steadying breath and re-looped her arm through mine. “I trust you, Oli, but I’m still going to pray to Kāne that he doesn’t take you earlier than your time.”
Kiki was a sensitive soul, one who always made time for the god of light and life.
She went to the local heiau often to pray, while I hardly went at all.
I knew Kāne was real, but he seemed so out of touch.
I had too much to worry about. Spending my time at the temple was the farthest thing from my mind.
“I know. You always have, and for that I thank you.” Even as I spoke, I wondered if I could trust myself. What if illness fell over mother in the nighttime again? I couldn’t send Kiki out alone to get medicine...
We’ll cross that bridge when we get there, I told myself, but a lingering anxiety sat deep in my stomach, like an anchor dragging across the sea floor. What would happen if the night marchers really were coming for me?
“I wish you didn’t have to marry that man,” Kiki said quietly, changing the subject. I looked at her, finding pools of water in her eyes.
“Kiki, we talked about this–”
“You’re the smartest woman I know, Oli! Surely you can find a way out of this horrible betrothal!”
“This is just the way things are.” I sighed. “Besides, if I marry Pulu, I’ll be able to stay here and help take care of you and mother.”
“You were meant for bigger things,” Kiki said. “I wish you would allow yourself to dream big and hope for a bright future.”
“I have a future. It’s just here. Married to Pulu, and I’ll keep spearfishing, like I always have.”
“If you don’t have any dreams, then what’s the point, Oli?”
I sighed again, but didn’t reply. Kiki just didn’t understand. I could never dream big. Emotions, feelings, listening to the heart… those things were never a part of my life. Furthermore, I didn’t have time to believe in superstitions, or to imagine that some god cared about my story.
It was the only way to survive.