Lokelani: The Green Girl of Launiupoko Point

Of all the dangers in the forest, the most dangerous might be the green ladies. Whether they are feeding on a family, catching the unwary in the forest, or hunting a group of explorers, trying to make a better life for their people, there are lots of tales about them. One of my favorites is the story of the green girl Lokelani. Like all good stories it teaches you a lesson, that everyone gets to decide how they want to act when they grow up, even monsters.

The green girl didn’t know what she was, where she was, or that it was strange that she was born alone. She just knew that she was hungry, very hungry! She was the last of her garden-mates to leave her pod, a real late bloomer. Months before, her sisters left their birthing garden, and set out into the forest together to find food. Green ladies aren’t known to work in groups, but when they first blossom they usually travel together until they hunt down a good meal, and get a lay of the land. This little one was alone. Left to find food by herself.

Almost as soon as she heard the bird, she was mimicking its song. The first tasted good, but it was very small, and didn’t have much fluid inside. She drained over a dozen before her hunger began to subside. Over the next few months she studied the animals, copied their calls, learned how they acted, and where they ate and drink.

She soon learned that the birds along the beach were bigger and had more blood to drink, but were out in the open, a dangerous place for a little green girl to be. She watched how some of the other predators hunted, and she didn’t like what she saw. The wolves would chase terrified prey for hours sometimes, before dragging it down and ripping out the soft parts. The boars would bite the legs of deer and let the wounds fester before finishing off the sick animals days later. Her way was much better.

When she hunted something, it didn’t even know she was there before it was too late. She respected and honored everything she ate by draining it quickly, and making reassuring noises as she drank. She knew the sounds of every animal in forest or so she thought, until one day she spotted something she had never seen before, people.

At first she thought there were only two, one slightly smaller than she was, and a big one who was budding. It was only when the bud began to cry that she realized that the smallest was actually riding inside some sort of carrier. In some ways they looked like her. They had arms and legs, but they were a strange color and their head vines looked thin and weak. They were very careless to be out in the open, and making so much noise. She watched them pick up shells and shark teeth and put them in a bag. She wondered what they planned on doing with them. She knew from experience that you couldn’t eat them, even though they came from living things, they held no blood. She wondered what these strange animals where and what they tasted like, but she knew better than to leave the safety of the forest during the day. She would wait and watch.

After an hour or so the Kanaka girl walked towards the trees and the green girl’s vines shook in anticipation. Finally, she would get to see what these strange animals tasted like. She watched her weak legs, clumsily work their way through the sand. She couldn’t believe how loud and slow it was. Maybe something was wrong with it. Maybe it was sick. The green girl was so deep in thought that she didn’t notice that the Kanaka girl was looking right at her.

“I’m Ana,” it said. The green girl filled the air with a welcoming smell. “You smell like lokelani flowers. Is that your name?” asked the Kanka girl. Lokelani reached out and touched the girls arm. It was so soft that she knew she couldn’t drain this little thing, it just wouldn’t be right. There was much healthier game to be had. “I have to go but we’ll be back tomorrow if you want to play,” said the girl before she ran back towards her mother.

That night, as she gorged herself on a particularly large boar, Lokelani wondered why she hadn’t at least tasted the Kanaka girl. It would have been easy enough, but there was something about the way she had talked to her that she liked. None of the other animals had ever talked to her before. They just squealed, screamed, or chirped. She liked being talked to. She hoped she would see the strange little thing again.

That spring, the little girl and Lokelani became friends. The Kanaka girl would sneak to the forest many times a week while her mother collected things on the beach along Launiupoko Point. The girl told Lokelani about her people’s legends, stories of bravery, love, and sacrifice. They played hide and seek even though the Kanaka girl was terrible at it; she couldn’t even change the tint of her skin. Lokelani learned a lot about the little girl and her people, but wondered how they managed to survive.

One day, soon after the girl had left, Lokelani heard the mother scream, and she moved through trees to investigate. She saw that a bear was attacking the mother as her friend stood paralyzed with fear. Lokelani couldn’t believe how lucky she was! She’d heard countless stories about how tough the Kanaka were, and now she’d get to see it in person. However, things weren’t going well. Instead of cracking the bear’s skull with a newa club, or driving a spear into the beast’s chest, the mother was being mauled, and Lokelani knew her friend would be next.

Bears were big, and she normally wouldn’t have tried to take one on, but it was distracted, and there was something about the situation that made Lokelani feel strange. A burning sensation was building up inside her that she didn’t understand. She was mad, and she would make the bear pay for attacking such helpless creatures. Lokelani unleashed her fury on the bear before it knew what was happening. By the time it understood how much danger it was in, it was too late.

Lokelani had no idea she could be so full when it was over. She watched the wary mother make a splint for her injured leg, and mimicked her friends laughter in an attempt to reassure her, as she helped the mother to her feet. Despite her nature, the spirit of Aloha had taken over Lokelani’s cold green heart. She realized that the Kanaka’s power didn’t come from claws, teeth, great strength, or speed. Their power came from each other, and by helping them she had gained something that no Green Lady had ever had. She had friends, and that was a powerful thing indeed. In exchange for friendship, Lokelani would protect all the Kanaka around Launiupoko Point, and so it was until the little girl’s grandchildren grew into old women.

Akamai Mahelona
6th Grade
Pu`u School Lahaina