Chapter 6
A small but piercing ray of sunlight found its way through the Plumeria tree leaves. Maui squinted drowsily and lifted his hand to block the light. As his eyes adjusted, he smiled and took a deep breath of air filled with the scent flowers.
"Looks like you found another way to wake me up after all," Maui muttered out loud.
It had been months since Maui had traveled to the island searching for answers. He only ever left the shade of the Plumeria tree to scavenge for food. Every day, he sat and spoke with her. She never answered, of course, but he couldn't bring himself to leave just yet.
Moana's tree had never given any signs of consciousness, but Maui knew her soul was inside somewhere. Besides, the last time he had left her side, she had been tormented and plagued. He would never allow her to be left unguarded again, at least not for more than a day or so.
So Maui stuck around most of the time.
"I had a dream about that day," Maui confessed, looking up at Moana's tree. "Damn, you took me by surprise. Can you believe it? The fearless Maui! Stunned by a human girl! I don't think I said a whole word until we made it back to Nuku Hiva. But I guess you always had a way of surprising me… And it seems that I have always had a way of failing you."
Maui crushed a stone within his fist and frowned angrily. "Gods, if only I had never taken you back!"
He paused and rubbed his temples with frustration.
"I know what you are thinking," Maui muttered at the tree. "You would ask why I never came back to visit. Why I left and never came back… Well I did come back. I visited and checked on you every few months or so. I just never told you."
…(no answer)…
"I know. I know… I should have told you," Maui sighed. "But by the time I had first visited, you had already born a child. I had thought about leaving you alone after that, but I found signs of Oro and Tu on the island. It worried me so I came to visit more often just to make sure you were safe. Every time I came there were signs of their presence, but I never caught a glimpse of them on the island. I wrote it off as paranoia until a few days before… you were murdered.
"I just happened to be on the outskirts of your village when I saw two men rush through the forest towards the ocean! I followed them to the shores on the other end of the island. It was Oro and Tu! I had been right! But as I watched, the gods of war left the island.
"Looking back now, I should have stayed to keep an eye on you, Mo. However, I decided to follow them and try to glean information from them. I was so relieved when I overheard them talking about a massive war that was taking place on the other side of the ocean. Even better, they said Pele's anger was beginning to subside and that the other gods were ignoring their efforts to afflict you. Oro and Tu had both grown bored of playing tricks on you so they were going to fan the flames of the war they had heard about. After I overheard that, I quickly made my way back to Nuku Hiva so I could tell you that you were free." Maui smiled but it didn't reach his eyes.
"It only took me a day or so to make it back, but it was late into the night by the time I got to your village. I hesitated to enter your hut. The last thing I wanted to do was wake up your family but… as I stood outside, I heard your voice. I couldn't tell what or who it was but something about it didn't sound right, so I entered anyhow…
*Thud! Thud!*
Maui slammed his fists on the dirt and the ground shook. His face was contorted with rage as the ground rumbled. A flower petal fell from the Plumeria tree and landed on his fist. His face paled and his strength left him as he sat back and stared at the pedal. After a few quiet moments, Maui lifted the pedal and gently held it in the palm of his hand.
"I should never have taken you back. Even if it meant you would have hated me for the rest of your life," Maui whispered brokenly. He looked up at the Plumeria tree and put his hand on her bark. "I am sorry, Mo."
The tree gave no indication that it had understood anything Maui had said. Not that he expected anything. She was, after all, a tree. In fact, a part of him was happy that she didn't answer. It was the perfect way to vent his feelings and still hold onto his pride.
. . . . .
Later that evening, Maui flew above the island to stretch his wings and feel the freedom of the wind. He traveled along the sister islands but avoided Pele's island… You know, just in case… but he spent most of the night traveling where the wind took him.
As the night wore on, he found his eyes were always drawn to the same spot in the sky. The heart.
"That has to be the cheesiest constellation I have ever seen," Maui thought to himself. He had assumed Kamapua'a had pulled some strings with Rehua the star god and used the constellation to call Maui. But how did he know about the heart? The only person who should have known about that was Moana and she was… a tree.
The demigod sighed and landed on the edge of the human village that resided on the North side of the Island of Maui. Every hut was lit with torches and every wall was decorated with bright flowers and palm leaves. By the look of it, they had enough food to feed three villages their size for weeks and the most beautiful women on the island began a dance competition.
"This is MY kind of party," Maui nodded his head and smiled widely. Without a moment's hesitation, he walked down the main road of the village. Children watched him in awe, men ripped their shirts in anger, and women swooned with lust filled eyes as he made his way through the village!
…Or so he expected. But unfortunately for him, the Luau competition had begun and all eyes were on the dancers.
He frowned and pouted a little at the lack of attention he was getting until he made his way closer to where the music was originating. His eyes widened when he found a massive crowd of people sitting in a stone amphitheater. Large tikis surrounded the area and a bed of hot coals burned hot at the foot of the stone stage.
As Maui pushed forward through the crowd and sat near the back of the theater, the first group came to the end of their dance. From what he could tell, they were a collection of island daughters. Being young, their dancing was mediocre but their outfits were colorful and woven well. The second group was a mixture of men and women performing a traditional dance to honor the gods. The third lasted a long time with slow music but it was elegant and mesmerizing to watch. The fourth was a group of men dancing aggressively to the beat of the drums, spinning batons that had been lit on fire.
When the men gave their final yell, Maui and the rest of the people in the audience joined them in their battle cry. He smiled and made his way out of the amphitheater as the dancers lined up to be judged. Pushing through the forest away from the village, he made his way to the ocean. Even here he could still hear the music from the theater.
Maui took in a satisfied breath as he looked over the ocean. The waves were silver under the full moon. Even the stars seemed to celebrate brightly in the sky. He dug his toes into the cool sand and leaned on a coconut tree lazily.
Pōkarekare ana, ngā wai o Waiapu
Whiti atu koe hine, marino ana e.
A sweet voice drew his attention. With his hook in hand, he walked slowly down the beach. After a few minutes, he finally saw a shadow dancing amongst the waves.
Her voice and her movements were entrancing. Maui watched, completely spellbound.
E hine e, hoki mai ra
Ka mate ahau i te aroha e.
Tuhituhi taku reta, tuku atu taku rīngi
Kia kite tō iwi, raru raru ana e.
E hine e, hoki mai ra
Ka mate ahau i te aroha e.
E kore te aroha, e maroke i te rā
Mākūkū tonu i aku roimata e.
E hine e, hoki mai ra
Ka mate ahau i te aroha e.
Her skirt was layered with an assortment of colorful island herbs and leaves which hung to her mid-thigh. A single vine snaked around the front of her torso and attached to her intricately woven floral and feathered top. For her head, she had a mask but she had tilted it up and rested it away from her face so that she could sing freely.
Whati whati taku pene, kua pau aku pepa
Ko taku aroha, mau tonu ana e.
E hine e, hoki mai ra
Ka mate ahau i te aroha e
When the song had ended, her movements ceased and she stood in the water silently looking at the sky. Maui opened his mouth to speak to her but something in her posture changed.
She brought the mask over her face and then turned her gaze towards him. He tensed when he realized he had been staring at her openly.
"Heyyyy!" he waved with a slightly awkward smile. "Sorry… I just uh… heard someone singing and I wondered who it was."
The woman stood straighter and stared at him silently.
"You look and sound great by the way! Are you going to perform for the celebration?" Maui asked, giving her two thumbs up.
She didn't answer. Instead, she turned her gaze towards the village. Maui looked as well, but when he didn't see anything he looked back towards the water.
She was gone.
"Well… that's not creepy at all," Maui muttered to himself sarcastically.
I looked everywhere trying to find the right song for this moment and I finally stumbled on Pokarekare Ana, sung by St Joseph's Maori Girls, Maisey Rika.
It translates:
They are agitated,
the waters of Waiapu
But when you cross over girl,
they will be calm.
Oh girl,
return to me,
I could die
of love for you.
I have written my letter,
I have sent my ring,
so that your people can see
that I am troubled.
My poor pen is shattered,
I have no more paper,
But my love
is still steadfast.
My love will never
be dried by the sun,
it will be forever moistened
by my tears.
