tamagirl1092
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A New Home Part I
The sound of the ocean waves echoed in my ears, drowning out the roar of the volcano behind us. I turned around and watched as my whole village was swallowed by the glowing, red hot lava of Mt. Teja. I could still faintly hear the sizzling and cracking of burning wood and field grass as the lava slowly devoured what was left of my home. Hot tears filled my eyes and streamed down my face as my life in that village flashed through my mind. How mom and I would stay up late baking bread and small corn muffins while waiting for papa to come back from his long day of working in the fields. How I loved to go out in the garden and collect all of the ripe vegetables for Momma so she could make my favorite stew for supper. And how my two best friends, Moni and Teto, and I would go outside for hours and do countless things together like frolic in the dandelion fields, or swim in the river until our fingers got wrinkled, or just lay sprawled out on the cool morning grass sprinkled with dew and think about our futures together. We never pictured them like this; Fleeing for our lives, and being stranded out in the middle of the ocean, cold and hungry. No one knows what lies ahead of us, just what’s behind us, that of which we can never return to ever again. I glanced over at Moni and Teto, who were both sleeping heavily on the side of the canoe, while two other boys, Chase and Keioni, and one girl, Sasha, paddled silently into the darkness. Moni’s eyes were swollen and red and I could tell she’d been crying for a while. I’m sure we all felt like crying just then. I smoothed the hair of one of the two children sleeping in my lap. It was especially hard on them. Not only did they loose their home, their parents were taken by the lava while trying to save them. Everyone was in a panic to get away from the island, and the children and their parents ran over to our canoe desperate to find a way to escape. Ours was too full. Their eyes franticly moved to the other canoes, but they, too, were full and most were already gone. My eyes met the mother’s and I could tell what she was thinking.
“I’ll take them.” I said with a whisper. “They can sit in my lap.” The parents nodded and said their last emotional goodbyes to their children, placed them in my lap, and set off, knowing the lava would make its way there any minute. Both kids were crying hysterically for their mom and dad to get in with them as we pushed our canoe out and began paddling. Shortly after we left, the lava engulfed the whole shore, and I knew there was no way their parents could have made it.
I smoothed the sleeping little boy’s hair again. Be strong, I thought. Everything will be alright, I hope. And with that, I rested my head on the side of the canoe next to Moni’s, exhausted, and fell asleep, hoping that somehow this would all turn out to be a bad dream, and I’d wake up in my soft wool and straw bed and Mom out next to the river washing our clothes for the day ahead of us.
I woke up the next morning, not in my warm bed and the smell of breakfast cooking, but to the smell of the salty sea water and Teto’s morning breath in my face. I kind of turned his head the other way, being careful not to wake him up, and sat up to see where we were. I saw nothing but water for what seemed like miles. My stomach growled loudly for food as I sat bent over the side of the canoe watching the fish underneath the waves as we passed by. My mouth watered at the thought of a nice trout baked over a hot fire with Momma’s sweet corn muffins and homemade coconut butter. My thoughts were interrupted by the paddlers talking amongst themselves. They probably thought they were the only ones awake. I sat still and listened carefully to what they were saying.
“If we don’t reach land soon, I’m afraid this’ll be the end of us. We’ll die out here without food and water!” Keioni cried out. Chase looked over to see if anyone was listening. I quickly shut my eyes and pretended to be asleep. After I was sure he wasn’t looking, I opened my eyes just enough to see what was going on. Chase smiled mischievously.
“We’re not doomed yet.” He said. “I was in Chief Mori’s hut the other day just looking around, and I saw something on the floor.” His grin got wider as he pulled out a crumpled up piece of paper out of his short’s pocket. He unrolled it and held it up for both Keioni and Sasha to see. “A map!” he said, and pointed to a circled spot on the paper. “You see this island right here? According to this map, we’re only one day away from reaching it!” Sasha and Keioni were thrilled!
“But lets not tell the others just yet. I want them to be surprised when we get there! Kali and the others need it right now.” said Sasha as she smiled warmly as us. They ceased their talking and went back to rowing the canoe. I smiled for the first time since the volcano erupted and devoured my home and most of my people. Finally a glint of hope in this sea of darkness and despair. We just might make it out alive, I thought.
Will Kali and her friends make it through the worst of times and find Chase’s island or will their fate be laid out before them and spend the rest of their days drifting atop the ocean waves?
The sound of the ocean waves echoed in my ears, drowning out the roar of the volcano behind us. I turned around and watched as my whole village was swallowed by the glowing, red hot lava of Mt. Teja. I could still faintly hear the sizzling and cracking of burning wood and field grass as the lava slowly devoured what was left of my home. Hot tears filled my eyes and streamed down my face as my life in that village flashed through my mind. How mom and I would stay up late baking bread and small corn muffins while waiting for papa to come back from his long day of working in the fields. How I loved to go out in the garden and collect all of the ripe vegetables for Momma so she could make my favorite stew for supper. And how my two best friends, Moni and Teto, and I would go outside for hours and do countless things together like frolic in the dandelion fields, or swim in the river until our fingers got wrinkled, or just lay sprawled out on the cool morning grass sprinkled with dew and think about our futures together. We never pictured them like this; Fleeing for our lives, and being stranded out in the middle of the ocean, cold and hungry. No one knows what lies ahead of us, just what’s behind us, that of which we can never return to ever again. I glanced over at Moni and Teto, who were both sleeping heavily on the side of the canoe, while two other boys, Chase and Keioni, and one girl, Sasha, paddled silently into the darkness. Moni’s eyes were swollen and red and I could tell she’d been crying for a while. I’m sure we all felt like crying just then. I smoothed the hair of one of the two children sleeping in my lap. It was especially hard on them. Not only did they loose their home, their parents were taken by the lava while trying to save them. Everyone was in a panic to get away from the island, and the children and their parents ran over to our canoe desperate to find a way to escape. Ours was too full. Their eyes franticly moved to the other canoes, but they, too, were full and most were already gone. My eyes met the mother’s and I could tell what she was thinking.
“I’ll take them.” I said with a whisper. “They can sit in my lap.” The parents nodded and said their last emotional goodbyes to their children, placed them in my lap, and set off, knowing the lava would make its way there any minute. Both kids were crying hysterically for their mom and dad to get in with them as we pushed our canoe out and began paddling. Shortly after we left, the lava engulfed the whole shore, and I knew there was no way their parents could have made it.
I smoothed the sleeping little boy’s hair again. Be strong, I thought. Everything will be alright, I hope. And with that, I rested my head on the side of the canoe next to Moni’s, exhausted, and fell asleep, hoping that somehow this would all turn out to be a bad dream, and I’d wake up in my soft wool and straw bed and Mom out next to the river washing our clothes for the day ahead of us.
I woke up the next morning, not in my warm bed and the smell of breakfast cooking, but to the smell of the salty sea water and Teto’s morning breath in my face. I kind of turned his head the other way, being careful not to wake him up, and sat up to see where we were. I saw nothing but water for what seemed like miles. My stomach growled loudly for food as I sat bent over the side of the canoe watching the fish underneath the waves as we passed by. My mouth watered at the thought of a nice trout baked over a hot fire with Momma’s sweet corn muffins and homemade coconut butter. My thoughts were interrupted by the paddlers talking amongst themselves. They probably thought they were the only ones awake. I sat still and listened carefully to what they were saying.
“If we don’t reach land soon, I’m afraid this’ll be the end of us. We’ll die out here without food and water!” Keioni cried out. Chase looked over to see if anyone was listening. I quickly shut my eyes and pretended to be asleep. After I was sure he wasn’t looking, I opened my eyes just enough to see what was going on. Chase smiled mischievously.
“We’re not doomed yet.” He said. “I was in Chief Mori’s hut the other day just looking around, and I saw something on the floor.” His grin got wider as he pulled out a crumpled up piece of paper out of his short’s pocket. He unrolled it and held it up for both Keioni and Sasha to see. “A map!” he said, and pointed to a circled spot on the paper. “You see this island right here? According to this map, we’re only one day away from reaching it!” Sasha and Keioni were thrilled!
“But lets not tell the others just yet. I want them to be surprised when we get there! Kali and the others need it right now.” said Sasha as she smiled warmly as us. They ceased their talking and went back to rowing the canoe. I smiled for the first time since the volcano erupted and devoured my home and most of my people. Finally a glint of hope in this sea of darkness and despair. We just might make it out alive, I thought.
Will Kali and her friends make it through the worst of times and find Chase’s island or will their fate be laid out before them and spend the rest of their days drifting atop the ocean waves?
