KAHUNA COAST
"I am so tired of looking for a place to live, Carol. I had no idea it would be so depressing. You should see what I can buy for $200,000. They are tiny dumps, dirty carpets, no view, no security, noisy and outrageously priced. I don't remember ever being so depressed. I am almost ready to just rent another few months then go back to Texas. I have to give up living in Hawaii altogether." Diane, dark haired Caucasian woman lay on her bed, her ear pressed to the phone hoping for inspiration from her friend Carol.
"It's always like that when you are looking for a place, Diane. Don't give up. Tell me where you've been looking." Carol felt a kind of responsibility to help her friend, because she had been the one to persuade her to come to Hawaii after her divorce from Jim. Diane listed a wide variety of areas on the island
"I'm going to Kaneohe today to see some condos with the realtor, Marcia Fields. She says that it has more selection in my price range, and the condos are newer and more spacious. In fact she is convinced that she has the very place for me on Pacific Vista Drive." Diane's voice lifted with hope.
"Pacific Vista Drive? Oh no, Diane not there. Don't live there, that area is ..well...bad things happen there. That whole coast is haunted by Kahunas." Carol's voice had become low and thick.
"What's a Kahuna?" Diane asked.
Carol paused, wondering how to explain it to her recently arrived friend. "They are the priests of the Hawaiian religion who more or less controlled the Hawaiian culture before Captain Cook. Their religion was banned by the missionaries. But it is still very much alive, and a lot of people believe in it. No one in his right mind would consider starting a new building project or business without asking a Kahuna to bless the site. Remember that temple on the Pali Highway in Kailua I took you to see last month, the heiau? That was a temple for the Kahuna religion."
"Yes, I remember that place. It was spooky and kind of sad there. But Carol you don't believe in this haunting stuff do you?" Diane queried slightly astonished.
"Diane, when you have lived here a while, you have to believe in it because you see and hear too many things which don't make sense. Look, I won't spoil it for you by saying any more. You go and look at the area and see what you think. There's no doubt of it, the condos over there are new and attractive. But keep your eyes open for anything strange. That's all I will say." She shut down, glad to avoid repeating the experiences which had given her so much pain some years before.
"Carol, I know you have my best interests in mind. But I really think all that is folklore. This is the 1990's for heaven's sake. And even if there were strange things there, I am not going to be afraid of that when I am a Christian and simply don't believe in ghosts or anything else like that." She suddenly felt annoyed that her friend was casting a dismal pall over her hopes.
"Okay Diane. I know how it sounds to you. Go ahead and see the place. But just stay alert to everything you see and feel. Will you do that much?" She pleaded.
"Of course I will. You don't need to say that--I would anyway." She felt indignant at her friend. Suddenly the problems of the divorce, the move to the islands, the expenses and the anxiety of finding a place to live became too much. She started to cry. "I just don't know what to do Carol. There just doesn't seem to be a place I can live in and afford here," she sniffled.
"Diane, I am so sorry to upset you. I really wish I hadn't said anything, but you are my friend. I don't want you to be hurt. I had to say something. You would want me to warn you of any danger, wouldn't you?"
"Yes, I would ...it's not just what you're saying, it is everything's too much. I am just letting it get me down. I'll look at Kaneohe. It really sounds hopeful. So let's wait and see."
"And now Unit 302 on the top floor is the one I know you'll fall in love with." The realtor's voice rang out through the mid-morning air as her dainty click, click 4" stilletoes echoed through the concrete stairway in the quiet condo complex.
"How did you like the Green Woods units, Diane?" She intoned, not really interested in the response. Diane, climbing the concrete steps at a more leisurely pace, turned and caught the eye of her blonde 14 year-old daughter, Jane, raised her eyebrows and mocked the realtor's high-heeled pivot. They both smiled into each other's eyes.
"I thought it was well constructed, but too dark and musty by far for us." She resumed her climb, almost deliberately out of step with the dainty click, click rhythm of the realtor.
"The chandelier in the dining room almost reached the floor; totally ridiculous, " piped up Jane.
"Well yes.. it was rather oversized for the room, I agree, but it could be taken down. I do hope Mrs. Winsome that you'll like this charming little unit. I have a good feeling it is just what you are looking for. I must warn you that the tenant is home. Just one more flight--oops and watch the cat here," intoned Marcia Fields.
Across the entire step a huge, overfed and oversized black cat reclined. What part of his body that did not occupy the entire step was taken up by a long and impatiently tapping tail. He was not about to move for three ladies.
"There, kitty, kitty, move over....kitty kitty." Marcia coaxed.
He looked right through them, unmoving. After a pause, and resigned to his dominance, each in turn, they were obliged to take a double step over his expansive frame, which wasn't easy for Marcia wearing a pencil slim skirt and 4" heels. Fortunately Jane and her mother had worn slacks, but they were all puffing slightly when they reached the third floor landing in front of the apartment.
Marcia Fields wriggled her skirt down to her knees again and patted her hair before ringing the door bell in the asymmetrically recessed front door of Unit 302. Jane pointed out that the dining room window faced onto the front door and had attractive princess drapes similar to ones in their house in Texas. After her second ring, Marcia, trying to fill the awkward moment, turned and handed Diane a sheet of facts about the apartment, and began pointing out some of the more advantageous features of the condo.
"This unit has the high A-frame ceilings which you don't get on the two lower floors. The front lanai looks out over the entire bay and up to the mountains with an uninterrupted view. There is a good sized swimming pool on the recreation deck, second floor. Small pets are allowed. Its price per square foot is low, a very reasonable buy and the seller is motivated to sell...."
The door was opening as she prattled on in a sing-song voice, and Diane signalled for her to turn around. A sharp faced, dark skinned, 30-ish woman with a gaudy scarf tied around her head had opened the door.
"Ye'aas." She almost whispered..
"I am Marcia Fields, the realtor from Coldwell? We have an appointment to see the apartment at 10:30. Are you just leaving?" The bright, loud voice with its patronizing tone had no visible effect on the woman who backed into the condo, disappearing behind the opening door.
The three visitors cautiously walked in. No one noticed the tenant quietly seat herself in the dining nook near the front door, behind a large philodendron.
"Mom - I love it." squealed Jane, dashing off into a bedroom to the right. But Diane was saying nothing as she stepped down from the Spanish tiled porch and dining area into the high-ceilinged living room. She was staring at the wall-to-wall window which formed the front of the apartment. The view indeed was panoramic as Marcia had said. The whole apartment was built to face the eastward facing wall of windows that even extended into the master bedroom. From the elevated dining room or the angled kitchen, the large front windows dominated.
"I just can't believe that this view is within my budget. I would never be able to afford anything like this in Honolulu, yet only 30 minutes' drive away, here is a view equal to any millionnaire's. I am just amazed. I can see the whole bay and the mountains in 180¼ look. I am quite dumb struck, Marcia." She slid down into a small chair by the sliding glass door, staring at the panorama.
"Well now, didn't I say this was what you were looking for? I was just sure you would love it Diane, and Jane loves it too. She is measuring her furniture already. The appliances are all almost new, and they have maintained everything beautifully. These high ceilings really allow you to enjoy the view to the full, don't they?" She giggled, thinking about her monthly quota. "Do come, Diane, and see the master bedroom and the luxurious sunken tub. I know that you will really feel the full quality of the place when you see it."
Mutely, Diane rose and followed the pivoting heels into the bedroom. Yet even there, the window dominated the room and she found herself once again staring out of the window at a view which stretched to Alaska, over two thousand miles away.
"Diane, what do you think of the tub here?" called Marcia from the bathroom.
"Oh - I love it so much," she spoke quietly to herself and glided into the bath/dressing area as one in a coma. "Oh. It is just the kind of tub I have always wanted--a wide bath ledge to put all my decorative shells and bottles on. Marcia, I would like to make an offer on this. Let's do it now....."
At that moment the beeper went off on Marcia's pager.
"Oh of course we can do it. We'll go back to the office right away. Listen I have to answer this and my phone's in the car. Why don't you and Jane look around a little more, and I will be just a few minutes?" She disappeared through the bedroom door, leaving Diane mesmerized in front of the window again. Jane walked around her mother and looked into the bathroom.
"Mom, it's too perfect. It has everything you like. Come and see my part of our apartment. The bathroom is so gorgeous with lots of closet space and a high ceiling. Can I wall-paper it with my own colors? I have a huge closet too; it's big enough for my desk to go in and still have lots of room for my clothes. And I can see the pool from my window and a view of the Koolaus. " Diane smiled serenely.
"We haven't bought it yet, Jane. But I am going to put in an offer on it and see if we can. It is so quiet and this stunning view...." They hugged each other then Jane grabbed her hand, dragging her into the living room and up the step of the dining area and front entrance towards the second bedroom and bath. Diane followed meekly staring around her with wonder.
"Mom - there is a bike here in my room with a "For Sale" sign on it. It's only $25. Can we get it for me? It's a girl's bike. It's in good shape almost new. I will need a bike if we come here to live." Jane pleaded with Diane who seemed absently contented, smiling and dazed.
"Okay. Who do we buy it from..?" Her eyes came back to life as she remembered the woman who had opened the door to the apartment. "--the woman at the door?"
"Yes, ofcourse Mom. She's around somewhere." The woman who had opened the door was sitting almost invisibly in the dining room alcove, near to the front door., so still and quiet that neither Jane nor Diane had noticed her as they passed
"Is this your bike for sale?" Diane asked tentatively.
"Yeeas. You wan' it?" she asked without looking up, but it sounded more like she expected them to buy it all along.
"Yes we do; can I give you a personal check? I don't believe I have enough cash."
Before Diane could finish her sentence the woman spoke."No problem, just make it out to 'cash'." She showed no emotion either in her face or in her voice, nor did she look up at them. She sat unmoving the whole time, thin brown fingers resting in her lap only lifting slightly to take the check from Diane's hand. "D'ya have a truck or somethin'?" She spoke again without looking at them.
"Oh no...well I have my own wagon...at the realtor's office. I can't take it now. Will you be home later?... I can come this afternoon?" stammered Diane, finding it hard to muster the energy or words to express herself, and waving her hand vaguely about. She felt a kind of weight over her upper chest, a constriction of the lungs that made speaking an effort. It occured to her then that this house hunting was taking a toll on her strength, and she really did not want to come back that day.
"Nope. I'm off to work in half an hour. But I'll be here by 9:30 tomorrow mornin' if you wants t' come then," she intoned without any emotion.
"Fine," Diane sighed with relief, " I'll come back tomorrow and pick it up. I should get your phone number." Diane fumbled in her purse for a pen and paper.
Just as the number was stashed back into her wallet, Marcia appeared at the front door. "Well shall we go, or do we need more time to decide?" she chirped, grinning with satisfaction that her day's work was about to show a profit.
"No, I think we know how we feel, don't we Jane? Thank you so much for letting us look around." Diane said turning to the woman at the dining table. "It is hard enough showing a place when you own it, but it's really tough when you are a tenant. See you about 9:30 then?"
"Yup, that's sounds about right." She replied, still unmoving.
"Good bye then, until tomorrow." Diane said.
Marcia cocked her head to one side, "Tomorrow? What is that all about?" Her voice was serious and almost bossy, not at all the usual false-friendly voice.
"Oh, I have bought the bike in the bedroom. I have to come back tomorrow to pick it up because we came with you." Diane explained heading for the front door. "Let's get to the office and write up the contract."
Diane headed down the three flights of concrete steps with one thrilling thought in her mind, "The search is over." Behind her she heard the clatter of Marcia's heels on the steps, and the thud of Jane's rubber tennis shoes. Turning the landing for the third and last set of steps, she felt flushed, contented and very happy.
Later, she only remembered having her right hand on the railing, and her right foot pointing down to the next step. Then there was a blank, dark empty void. The next awareness she had was of being sprawled on the bottom step all twisted in a heap. She had sat there for a minute wondering how she got from the top to the bottom in an instant. She had no memory of how she fell, or even of the act of falling. It was as if a black curtain had come down for about 2 seconds in which time she was completely "out." Her chest, which was not hit in the fall, ached as if someone had kicked her with full force, and was more painful than her back, which had taken quite a jolt slamming into the step.
Marcia had rushed to her to help. "Oh Diane, I am so sorry. Are you alright. What a dreadful thing to happen." Some note in the word "dreadful" seemed to have had more significance to her at that moment. Diane realized the feeling in her heart was dread. Jane, serious and concerned, had held her hand in the car as they drove back to the realtor's office; though neither spoke of it, somehow the spell and the magic of this find had been broken.
"Oh yes Carol, we've found it at last. It's the perfect apartment for the two of us, and the view is stunning. ...It faces the Koolau range and the bay all the way to Alaska. It's everything I imagined for us." she enthused.
"Is it on Pacific Vista Drive?" Carol got straight to the point.
"Yes, it overlooks Pacific Vista Drive. But it is so gorgeous and perfect for us. It's modern and open and airy. " Diane's voice faded slightly, as she shifted the phone to her other ear, not wanting to hear Carol's criticism.
"Diane, did you feel a little odd when you were there?" Carol interrogated.
"Well... I did feel sort of dreamy and hypnotized by the fabulous view, but that was just because it was so incredible. It's 180¼." Diane countered.
"That sounds about what I expected. Thank God we only lived there for a few months in 1974 when we first came to Oahu. Mom and her boyfriend, Hal, rented a house there and we stayed with them. Diane, you know how energetic and busy I always am. When I lived there, and it is only a few blocks from where you are talking about, I had no energy. I used to sit mesmerized by the view, day in and day out. I had no desire to do anything. You know me. I am full of energy and vitality. I felt like a corpse all the time."
"But Carol, that doesn't mean it's haunted," countered Diane.
"No I agree by itself it doesn't," Carol's voice faded, wondering how to explain the inexplicable.
"Nothing you've told me says it isn't okay for me to live there. It's a wonderful spot. The beach is close, and the shopping center is close too. I have made an offer on it, and I think we will be very lucky if it is accepted. It is too good to pass up. The only thing I don't like about it is, it has no elevator, and I have to climb three flights of concrete steps to get up there." She held back telling Carol about her fall. It would fuel more of this dismal attitude that Carol had about the new condo.
But Carol continued, "Diane, I am convinced it is haunted by some negative force. Mom's boyfriend, Hal, committed suicide there for no apparent reason? And then we found out that there'd been a suicide in two other houses on that block we lived in. The house next door was empty and no one had lived there for years because of a particularly gruesome suicide."
"Oh Carol, I didn't know about that. What a dreadful experience for you."
Diane's voice ebbed with sympathy.
"Well, it was bad at the time. I didn't much care for Hal because he was an alcoholic, but it was awful for all of us that it happened as it did. The kids were really freaked out. I shall never forget it all. It's now that I look back on it that I realize how much his suicide was connected to that place. People there called it "Kahuna Coast" because the Kahunas were there...I mean it was their ground for their special practices, y' know, long before they built any houses out there. People said they walk at night along the coast, and it's bad luck if anyone sees them. But we wondered if the developers had not had the Kahuna's permission and blessings to build there. Maybe some thing offended them in that neighborhood. We heard there were regular incidents of people driving over the cliff. All I knew was I was depressed, lethargic and mezmerized by the view all day long." She ended thinly, her voice fading out.
Diane paused before responding, then spoke quietly, "I am sorry you had all this bad luck then, but I don't believe this has anything to do with us. This is the home that we've been looking for and I am not giving it up for vague, spooky feelings."
Carol continued without really listening, "...and that intersection by your condo has about one serious accident a week, often with deaths. It is the place, Diane, it is just strange. It's like a time warp or something."
Diane retorted," Carol, I think you are caught up in the coincidences. I am sorry you have these feelings, but, if my offer is accepted on the apartment, I shall feel very happy. Now I must go. I'll call you later."
"Diane, please listen. Give up trying to buy it. There have to be other apartments in that area that are as inexpensive, that are just as nice but not on that Kahuna Coast." Carole begged.
"The owner is on the Mainland, but it is just a question of time. ...I have an idea, tomorrow morning I have to go out there to pick up a bike I bought for Jane. Why don't you come with me and judge for yourself how perfectly lovely it is there?" .
Carol recognized the olive branch. "Diane, I don't know what would convince you, but if my being there will at least make you see another side of it, I will come with you. What time?"
At 9:15 am the next morning Diane and Carol pulled up to the curb in front of the condominium complex. The woman had told Diane to meet her at 9:30. It was a sunny, pleasant morning and no one was about. Carol and Diane went inside the complex and climbed the concrete steps, Diane taking each one very carefully. Three rings on the doorbell failed to raise the tenant. Diane felt uncomfortable waiting at the top of the stairs, so they slowly descended the three flights of steps back to the street. The two women decided to sit on the wall next to her car and the entrance drive so they could see the tenant entering the drive way. It struck Diane then, that she did not know the woman's name.
On the right of the apartment complex driveway and across the street were single story houses, neat white houses, with tidy rows of slippers lined on the front porch, and immaculately cropped mondo grass yards. Two men emerged from the house next to the driveway, big, men about 300lbs apiece. Laughing and joking they got into a mid-sized white construction truck and reversed out into the road directly in front of Carol and Diane. Just as the truck reached the point where it could drive forward, a small black cat - a kitten maybe 3 months old, appeared beneath it. It must have been hidden under the truck's belly and just dropped down with the momentum of the turn.
The two women watched in horror as the truck accelerated, and the rear wheel drove right over the innocent animal. Diane screamed, but it didn't come out like a scream, more like a gargle. It was not loud enough, for the men were oblivious in their jocularity to any unusual bump in the road.
For a few seconds the cat lay where it had been slain. While Diane stood with her hand over her mouth almost gagging, Carol looked quickly around to call someone who might have witnessed it and who might own it. But there were only the carefree sounds of birds. There was no-one else anywhere who had seen the accident. They both looked at each other in horror.
The dying cat stirred and started to twitch and leap on broken rear legs that collapsed and flung it to the ground where it would raise itself again into a twisting leap. It was as if some invisible hand were beating its body onto the road like one would beat the dust out of a mat. They watched transfixed by the death dance before them, horrified as the life slowly emptied from the little black cat until, trembling, it finally expired not three feet from their toes.
From behind her shoulder Diane heard distinctly a deep, male voice saying, in an almost joking way, "Life comes and goes just like that." The two friends both snapped around simultaneously to see who spoke, and then to face each other.
"Did you hear that?" Diane croaked.
Carol, unblinking, nodded her head. "A man's voice out of nowhere?"
"You heard it? I didn't dream it then." They both grabbed one another's arms and staggered towards the wagon. They leaned against the car, holding each other's arms and trying to recover composure and looking around to see if anyone appeared.
"Carol, do you have the feeling that this was a little show for our benefit?" Diane stammered.
They stood in silence for a while, occasionally turning to look at each other aghast.
Carol spoke slowly again, looking meaningfully into her friend's eyes. "Do you believe me now? Do you now know what I was saying about this place?"
A deep fire of dread throbbed in Diane's upper chest.
Painfully measuring each word, Diane confessed haltingly, "Carol, I didn't tell you about falling down the steps here yesterday....."
"Oh my God, what happened?" Carol groaned.
"Not anything really, but it was well... it was just very discomforting... odd. As we were leaving yesterday, I remember stepping down the top step and the next thing I was at the bottom. There was nothing in between. I have no memory of falling. And I had this pain in my chest when I came to, when I should have been hurt in my back because I fell against the wall behind me. I had a pain in my heart all day, like someone kicked me in the chest. And I felt this sense of "dread," which I could not explain away. Somehow it seems more than just a careless accident now."
"Let's get out of here. I need some coffee." Carol put the key into the lock. "Tell me about it in the restaurant. Come on."
But before Diane could open her driver's door, a motorcycle roared up the quiet residential street towards the city, creating a cloud of dust and noise which contrasted sharply with the tranquil neighborhood. Diane turned to face the oncoming rider, pressing herself against her car for safety. The male rider, helmetless and dressed all in white leather on a red and white striped speed bike, was crouched down over the fuel tank, white goggles focused ahead. Diane, feeling the air turbulence, watched him pass, and then listened for him to slow down for the busy intersection. He did not slow down. Instead the engine accelerated in a kind of maniacal frenzy. Listening in the quiet street, she held her breath as the screeches of skidding and then a loud smashing bang followed. Then there was silence.
Diane reflexively dashed towards the accident, just as the tenant woman speeding towards the driveway honked at her. "Wait there, I will get the bike so you don't have to climb down my steps again, " she grinned knowingly out of her window.
Cupping her hands around her mouth, Diane yelled, "There's been a motorcycle accident on the highway. I need to see if I can help. I will be right back."
"Yeas. Go look," grinned the woman with her eyebrows raised in a knowing nod.
Sprinting toward the intersection, Diane wondered how the woman knew about the steps. Had she watched her fall?
At the intersection traffic was proceeding normally. Diane walked over to the traffic light pole and peered around to see signs of a skid and a white leather body lying on the sidewalk or the road. But there was nothing. She stood there perhaps three minutes hugging the traffic light pole, mutely watching the traffic move sedately through the lights. Clearly there was no fatality, no body and no motorcyclist. She had heard all the indications of an accident; but there was no accident.
"Diane what made you dash off like that?" Carol puffing slightly and clearly afraid for her friend, roused her out of the reverie."What's wrong? Why are you so pale? You look like you've seen a gho..." Carol stopped herself. "O Diane, what's going on.?"
"Did- did you see - see the motorcycle come up the street?" she stammered.
"Yes, yes I saw it - I did see that -yes," Carol affirmed.
"Did you hear it crash at the intersection Carol? " Diane's question was thin and weak, but she looked piercingly into her friend's face.
"I-I saw a motorcycle, but not an accident...but... but I was inside and I wasn't listening, I suppose... " They both looked into each other's eyes for a while, realizing that again something had been staged for them.
Numb and emotionally bruised, Diane held on to Carol's arm as they plodded thoughtfully in silence back to the condo complex where the gypsy woman was standing with her bike, smiling. Silently, Diane opened the trunk and they manuevered the bike into the wagon. The woman was unusally animated as she stood looking questioningly at Diane. She had big yellow eyes that glittered in a strange dead way.
"You from the Mainland eh? Yuh like cats?" The woman stood almost grinning at Diane, her voice sing-song and accented.
Diane knew that the questions had multiple levels of meaning, but she could not consciously sort them out. She had the same sort of feeling she'd had when the voice had spoken behind her. She felt herself the object of some unfunny metaphysical joke. Unable to reply, Diane picked up a grocery bag from the wagon, closed the trunk and leaned over to the dead cat. She stood looking down at the little body then looked up at the woman.
"I love cats. Do you know whose cat this is? It was killed here just before you came." she asked.
"Nope, never seen it 'afore today." the woman replied curtly, her eyes still glinting.
"I am going to put it over by the trash cans. If you find out who owns it, please, let them know that it was run over?" she asked. She shuffled the body into the grocery bag, and carried it to the trash cans by the driveway.
The tenant woman did not respond to her question, but followed her up the driveway. "Goin' to buy this place, are you?" she asked with an amused glitter in her eye.
"Well..." Diane fumbled for a reason, feeling a social obligation to respond kindly. She looked up at the lovely condo that she had desired so much, and then down at the little black body in the bag. "No, it's a little too far out of town." She brushed the dust off her hands. She was surprised at her own answer. "Thanks for your help."
"No problem." The voice almost sang as the tenant strode off up the driveway. She was so different than she had been in the apartment. Without knowing why, Diane called after her.
"D'you think I should live here?" The tenant woman paused for a second but did not turn round before resuming her climb to the concrete steps. She disappeared around the building.
Getting into the car, Diane felt calmer as a certain relief had come into her heart. "Carol, you have my permission to say, 'I told you so'. You were right about this Kahuna Coast." Diane sighed and made a half-hearted laugh.
"No I won't do that. I am just glad that I don't have to explain it to you any more; you finally learned it for yourself. Come on - I need some coffee. Let's get out of here, " Carol urged.
"You know Carol," she paused to think, biting her lower lip, and folding her arms over her chest. "I would never have believed that such things could happen. I feel in a way that I have been given a warning. What I can't understand is that it doesn't feel evil, although I must admit the kitten died. But it feels more like a strong scolding. Like a cosmic drama with me in the lead part...just to teach me a lesson. Well..." She paused to think more. "I have learned. I now have more respect for others traditions. I just can't poo-poo this stuff any more. They don't want me here and that's that. Do you think I will get such a clear message when I find the right place?" she wondered.
"You mean you want to stay and live in Hawaii even after this?" Carol queried incredulously
"Yes, isn't it funny? I feel that I belong here now." Her voice was very calm.
"Are you ready to hear about a condo my friend is selling near Punahou then?" Carol ventured.
"You bet I am. Tell me all about it over coffee."
Evidently surprised, Carol laughed at her friend as Diane turned the starter on and they drove off carefully towards the mysterious intersection.
END
Return to Earthgoddess