Lost in Paradise

A celebrity businessman and his family were wanting a week’s worth of rest and relaxation from the paparazzi who only wanted that “million-dollar photo.” Mark decided to take his family to one of the more secluded islands of Hawaii despite arguments from his spoiled family who wanted to be in Maui. After making his choice, the family headed for Kaua’I for a vacation Mark would never forget.

Enthralled by the surroundings, Mark decided to ignore the complaints of his silver spoon children, Jessica the 21-year-old princess and Marcus the 16-year-old know-it-all. Both children, raised without care of the real world and lack of understanding of the sacrifices made for them, constantly complained about the heat and lack of WIFI signals. Mark expressed to Tiffany, his wife, how much this vacation meant to him and how excited he was to be away from everything.

The family arrived at the villa Mark had rented for the weekend and were extremely happy to be out of the heat. The lavish accommodations for the wealthy family was up to par including the expensive wine and water, fresh fruits in the room, and fancy folded towels. Mark was too excited and wanting to explore the island to notice the luxurious surroundings his family demanded. While booking this retreat, Mark found information about this island and the “Menehune,” the nocturnal mythical beings that dwelled deep in the forests. Although there has not been any confirmed sighting of these beings, Mark was intrigued to witness one for himself. These beings are said to be expert engineers and were credited for building Alekoko Fishpond. This pond was said to be “the most significant fishpond on Kauai, both in Hawaiian legend and folklore.” Mark was on the hunt for these beings.

Mark rented a jeep to take his family out on an adventure to unplug after hearing them complain and remark about all the things and places they could have been doing instead. His family was hesitant and required immense bribing to go along with him on the journey to the forest. It would end up costing him more than the price of college tuition at Stanford. Once they all reached where the road was impassable due to fallen trees, Mark decided to move on foot. Again, the family was hesitant about going further, but Mark told them about a secret waterfall a few miles further in, not revealing that he was looking for the Menehune at the fish pond. He gave the family incentive by telling them to “imagine how jealous your friends and followers would be from the selfies you post later.” This wording was all the children needed to move them further, but Tiffany was still reluctant to go on. After a few miles of hiking the family emerged onto what looked like a man-made lake. The Alekoko Fishpond. It was alluring and mesmerizing to everyone.

It was getting late and the kids were tired of swimming and selfies. Tiffany enjoyed the sun a bit too much and started to look like a descendant of an orange fruit. Mark found no signs of the Menehune he was seeking and it was getting dark. Mark decided to call it a day and head the family back to the jeep. Walking back was slow due to complaints of a sunburned wife and the pain she was in. About two thirds of the way back to the jeep, the forest turned to complete darkness! The heavy tree coverage helped the nighttime come earlier. Mark began to think he heard something like children laughing. This heightened his alertness to his surroundings as he ignored his wife’s complaints while they headed towards the jeep. Suddenly a coconut palm started to shake, making the all of the coconuts fall to the ground and toward the family. The coconuts barely missed hitting the family by mere feet. Mark heard the laughter again but this time it was more sinister. A strong sense of danger and the need to get away was overwhelming Mark. The path appeared to change and the family made a wrong turn that led further into the forest.

Tiffany, pained from her burns, could no longer move and the kids were all ready to give up. The only light source they had was the cell phone they had been using all day with excessive selfies. The family came to a clearing where Mark decided to wait out the night. He believed it best to save the batteries in case things got worse. The family, being too tired to argue agreed and tried to be comfortable. Mark watched all of them acting like they feared the dark and knew they must have heard the laughter too. One by one the family fell asleep, except Mark. He kept hearing the laughter get closer and then abruptly stop and then start again opposite side. A coconut landed in the middle of the clearing and started to roll uphill towards Mark. He gazed upon it as it stopped. He was excited and terrified at what he saw: five little people hanging onto the coconut. He tried to scream for his family but no noise escaped him. He looked to see the little people were gone. Scared, Mark tried to move but was unable to. An odd feeling came over him and caused him to pass out unaware of where the little people were…

Mark woke to the beaming sun and the humidity had drenched his clothes. He was chilled from the night and groggy while taking in his surroundings. Finally, Mark had his bearing and realized that what he thought could have been a nightmare actually happened. Mark searched through the clearing. His family was gone. He backtracked to see if they went to the jeep and a sense of urgency got strong within him as he traveled closer to the vehicle. The massive tree that blocked the road was gone and made him question how and when it was moved. He made his way to the jeep and what he saw when he arrived made him scream in terror. His family was in the jeep, not as they were flesh and blood, but as stone statues posed as if taking selfies.

Author's Note. The Menehune are from Hawaiian mythology and legend. They were said to have been amazing engineers, builders, and were tricksters. If you were to compare them to something more common think dwarves and fairies. They are said to have built temples, roads, ponds, houses, and canoes. The legend is that nobody would ever see them work or the Menehune would disappear. Growing up in a mostly Hawaiian household I was told many stories of the Menehune. The one I remember the most is about the Alekoko "Menehune" fishpond. My uncle Hani (happy) told me that the Menehune built the pond for the royal family at night and were promised nobody would watch them work. The prince and princess snuck out at night and watched them work and fell asleep around them. The Menehune left the job incomplete as there is a section of wall missing. Since the promise was broken, the Menehune turned the children into stone pillars and placed them on the mountain overlooking the pond as a reminder. The pillars are still there to this day. Most stories are happy stories when it comes to the Menehune, so I wanted to take a different approach. It is somewhat like the story my uncle told me but with a few twists to make it modern and to turn it into a ghost/horror story.

Bibliography. This story was inspired by childhood tales from my Uncle Hani and readings from "Mu and the Menehune People" in Hawaiian Mythology, by Martha Beckwith.

Wikipedia: The Menehune

Header image taken by Lukas, 21 September 2008. Source Wikimedia.

Bottom image taken by verygreen, 25 August 2009. Source Wikimedia.