The White Canoe

Copyright

Copyright 2019 by LaVonne Thompson. All rights reserved.

No part of this document may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise, without prior written permission of LaVonne Thompson.

Special Thanks

Special thanks to my grandson, DeVere Peer for renewing my ancient Microsoft Word skills, as well as for his time and suggestions. DeVere, thank you for your collaboration and help.

Thank you to my son-in-law, Louis, for his enthusiastic in-depth ideas, that get me even more motivated. What stage is beyond a "passion" for writing?!

Dedication

To God, who gave me the talent to write, and the passion to follow it through. Thanks to You for blessing my work, with 2-3 new stories per week !

Acknowledgment

A fond thank you to graphic designer, Anastasia (Forest_Diver) for your beautiful illustrations and/or covers. They were better than I hoped for.

Acknowledgment

Thank you to FirstEditing for your professional expertise and friendliness. I appreciate your editing skills and hands-on emails.

Acknowledgment

In gratitude to Writing Coach, Jerry Jenkins, (publisher, editor and author of Left Behind from which a movie was made) for your mentoring and guidance through your Writers Guild.

Preface

Lalani, a beautiful Polynesian girl, becomes friends with Kamaka and eventually falls in love. They plan a traditional 1906 Hawaiian wedding, which begins with the wedding party arriving by canoe. A tragedy occurs and the bride is emotionally destroyed. Superstitious locals have their own version of her plight.

Author's Note

Sometimes, stories are about tragedy, like the classic Romeo and Juliet, who's names became synonymous with love. I, recently, saw a tear-jerking movie about a young woman who died of cancer. I cried through the second half and came away feeling strangely like I was better for having seen it. God has a plan and purpose for everything. Sometimes, what the dark forces of this world intend for evil, God uses for good. Will this account end in another tragedy, like the islanders believed?

The White Canoe

Lalani Kalua was a beautiful Polynesian girl, whose father owned the local fish market. He used an old white canoe to supply the fish each day. The family lived in a rural area of a scenic island in Hawaii, canoeing to nearby islands to get supplies and have contact with the outside world. Now the canoe was being retired from use. Mr. Kalua had repaired the boat, and painted it a glistening white again to use as a planter in the garden. But Lalani wanted it for her wedding, a fitting tribute to a family friend that had served them well. As was the custom, the wedding party would arrive at the church in canoes. She cleaned it with loving care and thought about her life at home, starting with her mother's stroke when Lalani was only five.

Her mother, Malia, gave birth to Lalani in May of 1899. They were poor but proud. Malia was paralyzed on her right side and had been right-handed. So she was forced to learn to hold potatoes down with her effected hand and peel them with her left hand. She had to learn to sew, knead and bake biscuits and homemade bread, iron, and dress herself again. She did everything but knit and crochet, after being talented at both.