The Heiau

next day

George opens his eyes to see Jessica laying beside him and Brad laying against the wall to the back of his bed. He lets out a sigh of relief that the warriors did not return while he was sleeping. He looks to the window wanting to see his normal backyard bathed in sunlight. Maybe the whole thing was a dream. He knows that is wasn't but he still wishes it was. George opens the curtains and sees the ocean bright and blue stretching to the horizon. The sky is serene with a few white clouds scattered around. He looks down and his legs get weak as he sees hole after hole in the back yard looking like brown polka dots on a green canvas.

His fears realized that parts of the night that he had hoped was meer nightmare seemed to be reality. He looks back at the bed and decides that Jess and Brad are better off sleeping a little longer. He ventures through the kitchen to the back door. His heart starts to pump faster as anxiety sets in. He opens the door and walks out into the sunlight. It feels warm and soothing. He walks to the picnic table sitting In the middle of their covered patio. When he gets to the picnic table he sits down on the top of it and looks around the yard more closely. There seems to be big patches of grass between some holes and almost none between others. He jumps up onto the picnic table and looks around. He can't make it out but it looks like a picture of sorts. He turns and looks to the house. He needs on the roof.

George runs to the shed at the far corner of the house and puts in the combination to unlock it. He pulls a ladder out of the shed and places it against the roof that hangs over the back patio. He should be able to see better from up there. He centers the ladder in the middle of the roof. He climbs up the ladder and turns around to look out onto the yard. As He looks out to the yard he sees the contours of the heiau outlined by holes in the ground. Undreneath what looks like the heiau he sees the words Hele Mai. He knows the words, his mom uses them when she wants him or Eli to come to her.

He climbs down the ladder and runs inside the house. He rummages through drawers in the kitchen then to the dining room. He finds a digital camera in the dining room hutch. He turns it on to test it. Satistified that it works he runs back outside to the ladder and climbs it once again. Picture after picture he snaps making sure he gets every angle that he can think of. When he is done on the roof he climbs back down and starts taking pictures of the yard from on top the picnic table and around the edges of the yard itself.

George heads back into the house as quietly as he can hoping not to wake anyone else up. He walks to his room and sits down at his computer and turns it on. Removing the memory card he places it in a slot at the front of his computer tower. When he opens the folders to view the pictures that he has just taken he finds pictures of thier family trip down to Waipi'o Valley. He looks at pictures of waterfalls and different parts of the river. The surf was so bad that day that his mom refused to let them go near the ocean so they took a hike into the back of the valley. A picture catches his eyes. He clicks on it and stares at the monitor. There he and Elizabeth are on either side of an older lady. She wore a long flowing dress and a lauhala hat with a band made of red and yellow feathers.

He searches his memory trying to remember who this older lady was. He looks at her eyes in the picture. They look so welcoming and warm. Her smile is comforting. He hits the print button and starts looking at other pictures.

He finally finds the pictures that he took in the back yard. Finding about thirteen pictures that were clear enough for him he prints them out. He hears rustling on the bed and turns to see Jessica moving around. Her eyes open slowly "Hey.... georgie... what ya doin?" her voice is quieter than normal.

"I took pics of the holes in the back yard from last night. But don't worry about it you should try and get some more sleep."

"Okay" she yawns and closes her eyes again. She moves her head back and forth trying to get comfortable. Then falls back to sleep.

When the pictures are printed out he grabs all fourteen and rifles through them. He gets to one taken from the roof there in front of him are the words Hele Mai. As he inspects the picture closer like a water mark a face appears in the paper itself. Cold eyes glaring at him. He closes his eyes and places the picture behind the rest. Opens his eyes and sees the older lady again. A noise in the kitchen catches his attention.

He runs out of the bedroom and sees his mom standing by the coffee maker pouring fresh coffee into her cup. "Mom who is this in this picture?" He hands the picture to Haley and she eyes it for a second.

"That is Kumu Adele "IDA" Hanohano. She has been a friend of the family for years. She lives in the valley right now. Why do you ask?"

"Can we go visit her when we are down there today?"

"yes if she is there. Now go back to your bedroom I have to start getting the food ready to take with us"

George returns to his room and starts looking through pictures once again.

It's after nine before everyone starts waking up and getting ready for their trip into the valley. Don puts his big white igloo cooler into the back of his truck and pours ice into it while the kids start bringing out beach chairs, sleeping bags and fishing poles loading them into the truck. Haley Brings out containers wrapped in towels placed in boxes.

Please stay tuned more updates to come. Please vote or comment and let me know what you think so far. Thank you