Over The Crescent Moon

by Karen Badger

  “You and I both know the hardest part is getting up on the skis. After that, she won’t even notice the whitecaps.”

  “But she’s already failed to get up twice…and the second fall was a pretty nasty face-plant. I don’t need my fiancé getting killed before we’re even married.”

  “Okay, that should just about do it.” Kaarle looked over his shoulder at Spencer in the water. “Okay, Spencer, this time, bend your knees and sit back on the skis. As you come out of the water, keep your knees bent, and lean back.”

  Spencer gave a thumbs-up.

  “Here we go!” Kaarle accelerated steadily as Makaya kept her gaze fixed on Spencer who rose smoothly out of the water.

  “She’s up!” Makaya shouted above the sound of the motor. “Keep it steady Kaarle…and no sharp turns, okay?”

  “Yeah, yeah, yeah. She’ll be fine, Mak.”

  Makaya’s gaze never left her partner as Spencer weaved back and forth across the wake of the boat. The longer Spencer stayed upright, and the more comfortable she appeared to be. Makaya relaxed. “She seems to be doing okay, Kaarle.”

  “I knew she would,” Kaarle replied. “The whitecaps may be higher on the ocean, but the basics of water skiing are the same, regardless of the body of water you’re skiing on. I’m going to try a soft turn. Keep an eye on her.”

  Makaya motioned to Spencer that there was a turn coming up and then watched carefully as the angle between Spencer and the boat became sharper. At one point it appeared as though Spencer was skiing beside the boat rather than behind it. But still, she remained upright on the skis.

  “How’s she doing Mak?” Kaarle asked as he steered the boat gracefully through the curve.

  Makaya turned to look at her brother. “She’s doing fine. You were right, I shouldn’t worry so much.”

  When Makaya turned back around, she screamed, “No! Spencer!”

  “What is it?” Kaarle asked.

  “Kaarle, stop the boat! Stop the boat!” Makaya screamed.

  Kaarle threw the boat in neutral and then reverse and brought the boat to a halt in the water. A moment later, he stood beside Makaya at the rear of the boat.

  “Where is she?” Kaarle asked.

  “I…I don’t know. She was doing fine. I only looked away for a moment. Spencer!” Makaya screamed her name.

  “Where was she when you looked away?”

  “Over there.” Makaya pointed into the distance at an angle to the boat.

  Kaarle ran to the front of the boat and threw it into gear. “Hold on, we’ll go look for her. Pull in the rope.”

  Makaya pulled the towrope into the boat as Kaarle made his way to the area Spencer was last seen.

  “Mak, keep an eye out for the skis. They should be floating on top. That will give us a good idea about where she went down. Damned whitecaps. It’s difficult to see anything among them.”

  “I knew we shouldn’t have come out in these waves today. I knew it!” Makaya’s voice was panic stricken.

  “That’s not helping matters, Makaya. Focus. We need to find the skis.”

  “There! Look there!” Makaya pointed to an object floating on top of the water.

  Kaarle turned the boat in the direction Makaya was pointing, and sure enough, they encountered one ski. “Look around, Mak. She’s got to be close by,” Kaarle said.

  “Spencer! Spencer, answer me,” Makaya shouted. “I don’t see her, Kaarle.”

  “Keep looking.”

  Kaarle slowly maneuvered the boat in a circle around where the water ski was found. “She should be here,” he said.

  “There’s the other ski.” Makaya once again pointed at an object floating in the water.

  They retrieved the second ski and then searched the area between where the two skis were found, to no avail.

  Makaya continued to call Spencer’s name until her voice was hoarse.

  “This doesn’t make sense,” Kaarle said. She’s wearing a life jacket. She should be floating on top.”

  “We need to call the Coast Guard, Kaarle. We need help.” Makaya sank to the floor of the boat and wept. “Spencer. My God. Spencer.”

  ***

  Two small boys walked in circles around their discovery on the beach.

  “What is this thing?” one of them said.

  “‘Tis a body,” the other replied.

  “‘Tis a haole body. Look at the red hair.” The young boy picked up a stick and poked the body. “Haole, wake up.”

  “Tis a girl haole.”

  “Girl haole wears funny clothes.”

  The girl haole moaned.

  “Run!” the first boy yelled as they both ran down the beach.

  Spencer opened her eyes into small slits. Her eyes burned and the sunshine hammered a severe headache into her brain. “Oh, my God.” She rolled to one side and emptied the contents of her stomach onto the sand beside her. “Where am I?”

  Spencer propped herself on one elbow. She looked down the length of beach and saw two young boys several feet way. They stared at her with a look of trepidation on their faces. She reached her hand toward them. “Help!” she said.

  “Run!” one of the boys yelled again and they ran farther down the beach.

  “No! Come back. Please.” Spencer felt a wave of dizziness overcome her before she succumbed once again to unconsciousness.

  ***

  Spencer drifted in and out of consciousness and only caught random glimpses of her surroundings. She struggled to open her eyes briefly, and saw an elderly gentleman holding the occupants of the crowded room back with his staff. “Be gone with all of you. The kähuna needs room to work.”

  Kähuna. Where have I heard that word before? The Big Kähuna. Kevin Spacey and Danny DeVito. Spencer’s thoughts wandered.

  “The haole has lost a lot of blood. She will need several days of bed rest, and you’ll need to get some fluids into her. The gash on her head was nearly to the bone. I’ve stitched it, but it will take some time to heal.”

  Spencer’s eyes fluttered again. Gash? Please come back. Don’t run away! Help me!

  “Give her sips of this laudanum every few hours, and try to keep her quiet. I suspect when she is fully awake, she might become combative. Do you have any idea who she is?”

  “Hanalei and Holokai found her on the beach. Some think she is a wahine hoʻokamakama,” the gentleman said.

  “Why on earth would you think she’s a prostitute?”

  “Because of the way she was dressed when they found her. Doctor Wetmore, she was wearing next to nothing. A strip of cloth covered her top, and another covered the regions below, but she was naked otherwise. And she wore an odd red shirt with no sleeves. It was thick, like padding. We had to cut it off her.”

  Red shirt? What are they talking about? Spencer moved her head side to side and moaned.

  “Chief, help me to lift her head. I’m going to give her a little more laudanum,” Doctor Wetmore said. “She needs to stay quiet. She’ll only do more damage to herself if she thrashes around.” The doctor stood after administering the laudanum and looked at her patient. “She does look a bit odd. I’ve never seen a woman with her head shaved only on one side. I wonder if she belongs to a tribe.”

  “She is too pale to be anything but a haole. Look at how white her skin is—and her hair—it’s red,” the chief pointed out.

  Doctor Wetmore nodded. “She’s definitely not from here. My guess would be the mainland. Her coloring suggests she might be Irish, and most of them have been settling in Massachusetts after escaping the potato famine. The question is—what is she doing here and how did she land unconscious on your beach?”

  “She is lucky Hanalei and Holokai found her. If the ‘ōpiopio found her instead, she would be dead right now—or worse.”

  “Those thieving, murdering pirates! King Kalakaua needs to do something about them before they destroy all of Hawai’i. They have already brought deadly diseases to this land. Which reminds me, I didn’t see any signs of leprosy o
n this one when I examined her.”

  The doctor and the chief stood for several moments in silence as they watched Spencer’s laudanum-induced sleep.

  “She seems peaceful now. Thank you for coming, Doctor Wetmore. I will send for you if things become worse.”

  “You’re welcome, Chief. I will stop in to see her tomorrow.”

  Chapter 5

  Spencer opened her eyes and looked around. She appeared to be in a hut, and she could hear sounds of the ocean nearby. She was alone. She lifted her head from the pillow and immediately lowered it again as an intense, stabbing pain shot through her head. She clutched her head with both hands. “Oh, my God.” A sense of panic rose in her chest.

  “Ah, you’re awake!”

  Spencer’s attention was immediately drawn to the doorway where an attractive young woman stood. She had curly brown hair, a cleft chin and hazel eyes.

  The woman crossed the room and stopped at her bedside. She extended her hand. “I’m Dr. Frances Wetmore. You can call me Frankie.”

  “Where am I?” Spencer asked.

  Dr. Wetmore took Spencer’s hand and shook it. “Nice to meet you. And you are…?”

  Spencer frowned and locked gazes with the doctor. “I…I don’t know.”

  “You don’t know who you are? Do you know where you are?”

  “No.”

  Dr. Wetmore hugged her sheaf of papers close to her chest. “I guess I shouldn’t be surprised. You took quite a blow to the head.”

  Spencer tried to sit up, but once again, fell back when the intense pain shot through her head. She cried out.

  “You need to settle down. You were found on the beach a few days ago. No one knows how you got there. Is there anything you can tell me about that?”

  “I don’t remember.”

  “What do you remember?” Dr. Wetmore asked.

  Spencer looked around. Everything was new. Nothing was familiar. “I saw two young boys on the beach. They ran away. Doctor Wetmore, where am I?”

  “Frankie. Call me Frankie. You are in the home of Chief Kanhanamoku in Princeville, on the island of Kauai, Hawai’i.”

  “What am I doing in Hawai’i?”

  “I wish I could answer that question for you, but we don’t know any more about you than you seem to know about yourself. All I know is that you were found on the beach a few days ago, injured, and wearing what appeared to be skimpy underclothing and a red, sleeveless, padded vest. I was hoping you could shed some light on this for us.”

  Spencer covered her face with her hands and wept.

  Dr. Wetmore squeezed Spencer’s shoulder. “Sweet girl, no need to cry. It isn’t the end of the world. We just need to figure out who you are and how you got here. For now, you are safe.”

  “Will my memory come back?”

  Dr. Wetmore sat on the edge of Spencer’s bed, facing her. She placed her hand on Spencer’s arm. “You have a head injury. It’s not uncommon for someone to be disoriented, or have memory loss after an injury like this. Judging by the fact that you are still able to talk and you appear to be aware of your surroundings, I don’t think there is any permanent brain damage. In most cases, memories return. It will take time.”

  “How much time?”

  “It could be days, or weeks. You need to be patient.”

  “What if there’s someone out there looking for me?”

  “I’ve thought of that. Chief Kanhanamoku has sent a messenger to post a notice on the village board. If someone on the island knows you, they will come forward.”

  “And if no one comes?”

  “Then we wait, and you heal, and eventually, your memories should return. I’m sorry if that causes your loved ones distress, but it is unavoidable if no one comes forward quickly. For now, you need to keep your wits about you and focus on healing.”

  Dr. Wetmore stood and cocked her head to the side. “You have a unique hair style. I’m willing to bet the redhead who emerges from your memory is going to be an interesting person.”

  Spencer reached up to feel the short crop of hair on one side of her head. “I have red hair?” she asked.

  “Yes, you do. In fact, I’ve decided that will be your name—until we know better, of course.” Dr. Wetmore took her hand once more. “Relax and let the natives spoil you while you heal, Red. You will find them to be a loving and caring people. I have to go now, but I will be back tomorrow.”

  Dr. Wetmore turned to leave and encountered Chief Kanhanamoku entering the hut. “Ah, Chief. Our patient is awake. Unfortunately, with no memory of who she is, or what happened to her, but that will return with time. I’m sure she’s quite hungry, considering she’s been out for a few days.” Dr. Wetmore looked once more at Spencer. “I’ll see you tomorrow, Red.”

  Chief Kanhanamoku watched the doctor leave and then turned his attention to Spencer. “Red? That is an unusual name, but fitting. I am Chief Kanhanamoku, leader of Princeville village. Welcome to my home, young lady.”

  ***

  Spencer sat up in bed with a tray straddling her legs. “Wow, that was amazing. What did you call it?” Spencer asked.

  “Saimin. It is a noodle soup in a fish broth. It is one of my favorites when I’m not feeling well,” Chief Kanhanamoku said. “It is a popular dish in the Kingdom of Hawai’i.”

  “Wait! What did you just say?”

  The chief frowned. “I said it is a popular dish.”

  “Not that. You called Hawai’i a kingdom.”

  “Yes. That is what it is.”

  “But Hawai’i is a state. It was annexed by the United States in eighteen ninety-eight and then became a territory in nineteen hundred and a state in nineteen fifty-nine. I know this because I researched it before coming here.”

  Chief Kanhanamoku stood and walked across the room. He turned to face Spencer. “There has been talk of annexation, but it has not happened.”

  “It was annexed one hundred and twenty years ago. It became a state sixty years ago. How can you not know that?” Spencer was confused and more than a little agitated.

  The chief approached her bed and took the tray away. “Maybe you should sleep. I’m sure you’ll see things more clearly in the morning.”

  ***

  A cacophony of chirping birds woke Spencer in the morning. She brought one hand to her face to wipe the sleep from her eyes, and moaned involuntarily as the movement caused her arm and shoulder to ache. “Damn! I feel like I’ve been hit by a truck,” she said beneath her breath.

  Spencer threw back the covers and shifted her legs to the side of the bed. With a lot of effort and breath-taking pain, she managed to push herself into a seated position. Her head throbbed like a toothache as she sat on the side of the bed and fought the nausea that overcame her. She wrapped her arms around her mid-section and rested her torso on her thighs to regain her composure. It was in this position that Chief Kanhanamoku found her.

  “Aloha! I see that you are awake, Red.”

  Spencer sat up and held herself steady by placing both hands on the bed beside her thighs. She turned pathetic eyes toward the chief.

  The chief turned to the young lady who had followed him into the room with a platter of food for Spencer. “Go summon Dr. Wetmore.”

  Chief Kanhanamoku watched the maid place the platter on the bedside table and then scurry out of the room to do his bidding. He turned to Spencer. “I’m afraid you don’t look very well. Maybe you should lie down again.”

  “No. I need to get up. I need to find out what happened to me.”

  The chief put a hand on her shoulder. “There will be time for that after you have healed. For now, you need to rest. Kalani has brought a delicious platter of food for your breakfast. Let me help you to sit back so you can enjoy it.”

  Spencer rubbed her face with both hands and then rested her forearms on her thighs. “Listen to me. I don’t know who I am. I don’t know where I am. I don’t know what happened to me. I can’t just lie here and not do anything about that.”

&n
bsp; “Yes you can, and yes you will,” Dr. Wetmore said from the doorway. “Look, Red, you’ve had an accident and a pretty serious head injury. If you rush things too soon, you could end up with a disabling apoplexy. If that’s what you want, then keep right on.” The doctor stepped aside and pointed to the doorway.

  Spencer lowered her chin to her chest and closed her eyes. Her shoulders shook as she wept silently.

  Chief Kanhanamoku looked helplessly at Dr. Wetmore. Dr. Wetmore approached Spencer and sat on the bed beside her. She wrapped her arms around Spencer’s shoulders and pulled her into an embrace. Spencer went willingly and allowed the tears to fall freely.

  “It’ll be okay, Red. I know it’s scary right now, but it will get better. I know it will,” Dr. Wetmore said.

  “I’m scared.”

  “I know. I would be too if I were in your position. It’s okay. There are lots of people here to help you through this.”

  Spencer pulled out of the doctor’s embrace and sat upright. “I hurt everywhere. I wish I knew what happened to me.”

  “The only injury I found was the head wound, but considering the muscle pain you’re experiencing I’m sure whatever caused it was quite catastrophic.”

  “I need to know what happened. I can’t just lie here and do nothing.”

  Dr. Wetmore took Spencer’s hand. “Look, I know you’re anxious about this. I can’t say that I blame you, but you will do yourself more harm if you don’t give your body time to recover.”

  “I lay here last night for hours and tried to remember what happened. I drew a total blank except for one thing.”

  “And that is?” Dr. Wetmore asked.

  “I remember being in the water and looking at someone who was leaning over the edge of a boat. I’m pretty sure it was a woman, judging by the way she was dressed. I remember seeing the most interesting tattoo on her chest.”

  “Tattoo?”

  “Yes. It was a crescent moon with a trail of stars extending from it. The stars disappeared into her clothing, so I can only imagine where the trail ended.” Spencer blushed.