Page 18 of Talk Story

The cave went further back than the chamber we were in; the ceiling dropped, and a passage continued, narrow and dark, into a second section I couldn’t see the end of. The sound of water was steady, unhurried, the sound of an underground stream going about its business.

“Don’t go further in,” Uncle Kalani said quietly. He had moved to the center of the second chamber now and was facing the passage. “Not today. The deeper chambers require proper protocols for respect and permission. We haven’t brought what’s needed.”

We already knew this way was how the vandals had accessed the artwork and carried it out. Clearly, their disrespect didn’t justify ours. We took down the survey flags, doing our little part to slow the destruction.

I gazed once more at the main petroglyph wall before I turned to go: the warrior figures, the ‘Iwa wings holding their four positions, the geometric landmarks between the family glyphs. Much was intact in this section.

But all of the relics were vulnerable, and that made my heart hurt.

“Isn’t there a way we can guard these treasures?” I spoke. “Maybe a community watch taking shifts?”

Pali made a gesture with one muscular arm. “Who in our area could come all the way down here and take the time for guard duty like that? People have to work, make a living. I’m in grad school with University of Hawaii, living on a stipend—that’s the only reason I’ve had time to do what I have been doing down here.”

“But from what we know the vandals only steal the art at night,” I said. “Surely there’s something the community could do.”

“I welcome you to figure out a way,” Pali said.

I was not deterred by his tone as my mind went into overdrive. “Cameras? Alarms? Remote trigger video recordings that call the police department when they’re tripped?”

“And who’s going to pay for and install something like that?” Uncle Kalani said. “And how can the police respond in time?”

“I can think of plenty of people who’d want to get involved,” I said, frustrated by the men’s negativity. “We need to send a message that the petroglyphs are protected to get these guys to back off.”

“Good luck with that,” Pali said morosely. “These corporations always win.”

I set my jaw, deciding not to argue. I had the feeling I was up against some cultural or sensitivity issue I didn’t understand. Instead, I’d focus on finding solutions once we were back at the shack.

“It can’t hurt for Kat to try to organize something,” Keone spoke up. “She’s been able to rally those Red Hats and the community before.”

Elle touched my shoulder and gave a nod, her eyes shining; she was on Team Get ‘Er Done with me—and so was Keone, who patted my back in encouragement.

But Pali shook his head, gaze averted. “As I said before, good luck.”

Tiki approached from her explorations, giving a soft mew; she was ready to get back in her carrier. I knelt and opened the mesh top of the backpack.

A sudden, loud CRACK came from above. Instinctively I brought my arms up to shield my head as Tiki dove into her carrier.

A sharp thud, then a rumble, then the hard concussive thunder of rocks hitting stones echoed around the cave.

Dust sifted down from the ceiling in a thin pale curtain, peppering us with pebbles, and then settled.

I peeked up and around; all of us had ducked, our arms up instinctively.

“Rockfall,” Keone said. “We have to check if the entrance is blocked.”

“Could be someone tried to trap us in here.” Uncle Kalani’s voice shook.

“But maybe it was coincidence,” I said. “The whole ridge is riddled with old lava tubes and recent rain has been substantial.”

Pali was already moving toward the entrance. He ducked through the tunnel and called out to us moments later. “Three boulders came off the upper shelf above the entrance. They’re blocking maybe thirty percent of the approach path.” He paused. “We should be able to squeeze by.”

We moved out single file, quickly and without discussion. Tiki was curled in a ball that rolled slightly from side to side as I navigated past the boulders, grateful there was still enough room to pass through them—just another foot or two, and we’d have been trapped.

“I’m out of here,” Elle said suddenly, and with that, my runner friend took off up the path, her long, strong legs eating up the ground.

Once outside, I scanned around for danger. The valley was empty in every direction. The ti plants moved in the trade wind. The stream caught the afternoon light at its bend. There were no visible people, no sound of anyone once Elle’s footsteps died away. Nothing that could explain how three immense boulders now lay across the path behind us, nearly blocking the cave’s entrance.

“I don’t see how those boulders moved because of rain,” Pali said. “They’ve been stable as long as I can remember.”