The Gift of Rio (The Gift of the Elements)

by C. S. Elston

  God is really something else, he thought to himself.

  Not that he understood any of it yet. There were too many questions to count. Why Rio didn’t seem at all surprised by any of it was at the top of the list. A little further down was the elderly woman on the beach who was watching the whole thing and then seemed to vanish into thin air as soon as it was over. But, he also knew some of that mystery was simply the God factor. The rest, he would be talking to Rio about as soon as they found Daichi a pay phone.

  Luke drove the van off Route 23 and onto a city street. He quickly spotted a pay phone. Rio briefly took notice of its bright green color as Luke pulled up close to let Daichi step out. Immediately, Luke looked at Rio with a big grin on his face like he was waiting for an explanation. Rio was quiet and had a difficult time making eye contact. Finally, Luke had to break the tension.

  “So, that was really somethin’, huh?”

  Rio chuckled a bit as she agreed, “Yeah.”

  “You seem like maybe this isn’t the first time,” Luke pried.

  “Oh,” Rio piped up to explain. “No, this is the first time anything major like this has happened.”

  “What does that mean? Were there smaller incidents or something before this?”

  “There was no sign of anything until I woke up yesterday,” she stated with some uncertainty.

  “Another coincidence that can’t be a coincidence.”

  “What?”

  “Nothing. What, specifically, have you noticed?”

  “Well, I had to wear contacts before.”

  “And, now you have eyes like an eagle.”

  “I guess so.”

  “What about the whole telepathy thing?”

  “The what?”

  “I don’t know what else to call it,” Luke quickly admitted. “But, somehow, you pulled water out of Daichi’s lungs without actually touching him.”

  “Yeah, I first noticed I could move water when I was at a drinking fountain at the airport in Hilo.”

  “So, it’s just water. You can’t move other things?”

  “No. I think it’s just water.”

  “Interesting. Do you think you could pull the water out of my clothes? I wasn’t smart enough to strip down. Feel a bit like I’m still swimming here. Kind of wish this sweet ride had leather seats, too.”

  The proverbial light bulb went off in Rio’s mind. Why hadn’t she thought of that sooner? She waved her right hand in front of Luke and held her left hand in front of her own body. Water began to travel out of their garments and the cloth seats, forming a sphere of water that hovered in the air between them. Rio then moved her left hand across her body and pulled the water out of the back seat where Daichi had been sitting and the water left his seat, entering the same sphere. By the time all the water had been collected it looked like a floating, translucent softball.

  “Window,” Rio calmly said.

  “What?” Luke asked, truly confused.

  “Can you please roll your window down?”

  “Oh, yeah.” Luke quickly did as he was instructed and Rio sent the sphere of water out through the window, finally dropping it on the ground. It popped like a water balloon. Astonished, Luke looked at Rio with wide eyes and a huge grin on his face.

  “You’re not scared of me?” Rio’s question was sincere. She didn’t want Luke to run and hide from her but she wouldn’t have blamed him if he had.

  “Scared? No. I’m a Bible-thumpin’, faith lovin’ man of God who just witnessed his first miracle. Scratch that. First two miracles. I’m not scared. I’m excited!”

  “You are?”

  “Absolutely.”

  “You sure?”

  “Definitely.”

  “Because,” Rio poked, “a few minutes ago you looked like you’d seen a ghost.”

  “I had just seen something nearly unexplainable,” Luke defended. “Give a guy a moment to process the divine.”

  “I don’t know about divine.”

  “Rio, God has given you a unique gift. Which might be one of my all-time biggest understatements. And, you just used that unique gift to save a man’s life who told you an angel spoke to him about you. If that’s not divine, then I’m in the wrong line of work.”

  Luke’s response was hard to argue with and his use of the word “gift” caused Rio’s thoughts to begin running wild. She remembered her mom telling her about the elderly woman and using that same word. She may have explained further but Daichi came back from the pay phone and told them that he needed a ride to the dock where he was going to meet his pastor. Of course, they agreed to take him and within seconds they were on their way. Rio looked over at Luke and thanked God, whom she hadn’t even believed in twenty-four hours earlier, that she had found him.

  “Maybe after we drop Daichi off,” she suggested as she leaned over and spoke quietly, “we can grab some breakfast or lunch or whatever time it is, grab some food and process this some more.”

  Luke agreed without words. He just nodded and smiled at the amazing young woman riding shotgun next to him.

  CHAPTER TWENTY-ONE

  Processing

  Luke and Rio dropped Daichi off, exchanged pleasantries with his pastor friend, and then stopped at the first decent looking restaurant they passed on their way back to Route 23. The short drive was quiet but friendly and included several mutual glances and smiles.

  Over an early lunch that finally included something besides beef, Rio explained everything about her life that she considered pertinent to the current circumstances. She knew in her gut that she could trust Luke. It was a good thing, too. Because, after what he had just witnessed, she was well-aware of the fact that she didn’t have any choice in the matter.

  So, as they shared a plate of Tempura and a chicken and egg rice bowl, Rio hit the reset button on the “get to know you” conversation that had begun over Pipikaula back at the airport the day before. This time, she left nothing out. She told him about the horrible way in which she was conceived, reiterated her mother’s bravery in fleeing to Hawaii, informed him about each event while discovering her new abilities, and even explained every detail of the elderly woman prophesying that Rio would be born and that she would be a gift, not only to her mom but, to everyone.

  After getting a great deal of amusement at the obnoxious airplane passenger and the sleeping pills incident, it was Luke who connected the dots on the elderly woman map. He pointed out that such a woman was at the beach that day which made Rio think of the woman by the drinking fountain in the Hilo airport. When they described the woman that each had seen, they were convinced that they had seen the same woman. That led them to believe they had possibly also seen the same woman who first spoke to Toki. Of course, Toki didn’t even exist back then. At that time, Toki was a far meeker young woman named Mei.

  Once again, Luke was riveted by Rio’s story. Even more so, the second time around, now that he was being given all the details that had been left out during the first run through. He mentioned a verse from the Bible. Luke told Rio that Psalm 139 stated “you knitted me together in my mother’s womb. I praise you, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made.” He explained that the Psalm was written by King David as an affirmation of God’s omnipresence but that the verse he was citing applied beautifully to her own life. Her story made it clear, in his opinion, that God had planned her life, and everything that was currently taking place in it, long before she had been conceived. Pre-ordained, he called it. He told her that he agreed that the way in which she was conceived was awful. But, it didn’t change the fact that her conception had great purpose. In fact, he would go so far as to tell her that he believed God’s plan for her life long-preceded her mother meeting the elderly woman on the bench that day. And, he felt truly honored to be a part of that plan.

  Luke’s words were comforting to Rio. She was encouraged by his faith, even if she didn’t know exactly where she stood with her own, and she was thankful for his friendship beyond anything she could express at tha
t moment. In fact, she found herself wondering how she would have survived this trip without him. Perhaps Luke was right and God had been looking out for her all along.

  Rio insisted on paying for lunch to thank Luke for all that he had done, and was continuing to do to support her on this journey. Of course, Luke told her that wasn’t necessary. But, ultimately, Rio won the friendly and flirtatious argument.

  Leaving the restaurant, Luke had a sudden thought. He stopped in front of the van and looked at Rio as he spoke, “I know we’re trying to get down to Shingu today but, even though it would be in the opposite direction, maybe we should try and find that bench.”

  The idea gave Rio pause. She was torn. The whole point of this trip to Japan was to find her father. Or, at least, that’s how it started out. And, finding Sota Tanaka was still a high priority for her. But, when things began to physiologically change for her the day she left, those changes immediately began re-shaping the nature of their trip, too. Having just saved a man’s life and the idea that the woman who prophesied all of it had possibly shown up both at the Hilo airport and again at Ise Bay, her priorities were in fact shifting. Finding her father was still very important. But, it might no longer be more important than finding out what was currently happening to her. Particularly, if this was such a big deal as to have been, as Luke had put it, pre-ordained by God Himself.

  “What are the chances that we can do both?” Rio finally asked Luke.

  “Well,” Luke started to respond as he thought about it, calculating the distance and time, “I suppose, if we made the trip a big loop and did the bench on the way back, it’s possible. Kind of depends on how much time we spend in Shingu.”

  “And, we won’t know the answer to that until we get there.”

  “Right.”

  After another moment of thought, Rio finally made a decision: “I say we stick to the game plan and head for Shingu. We can try to squeeze the bench in on the way back.”

  “Deal,” Luke eagerly agreed. “Let’s get going.”

  “Let’s.

  They climbed into the van and Luke popped in a new CD as he began to drive.

  “I have a new theme song for you,” he explained as he drove the van back onto Route 23. When the music started, it was a song called “Flood” by a band named Jars of Clay and Rio immediately recognized it from the introductory music.

  “Hey,” she exclaimed with enthusiasm, “I actually recognize this one.”

  As Dan Haseltine’s voice kicked in, the first word sung was rain and he said it twice in a row. Rio instantly got the connection to water and they both started laughing.

  “Perfect!”

  CHAPTER TWENTY-TWO

  Shingu

  Luke and Rio had been on Route 42 longer than on any other road they had traveled that day. When they finally got off that highway, they backtracked slightly northeast on Route 168 and then took Route 44 south into Shingu.

  Rio was instantly taken with all the bright colors in the architecture of the shrines and the beautiful gate to Jofuku Park. Other than the gorgeous orange, curved rooftops, red seemed to be the predominant color. But, the reds were flanked with greens, blues, yellows, and purples. She also noticed the scary looking gargoyles and the amazing amount of detail work that went into the colorful structures as well as the immense dimensional feel that all of the different angles and layers gave to the configurations.

  The van rolled to a stop in a parking space across the street from Jofuku Park. Luke turned the engine off, pulled the keys out of the ignition, and took his foot off the brake.

  “So,” he started to ask with a heavy flair of skepticism, “we’re just going to start walking up to strangers and asking them if they know the Tanaka family?”

  “I guess so,” Rio responded, letting Luke in on her uncertainty.

  “How about we start over there?”

  Rio’s eyes shifted to look where Luke was pointing. “Why there?”

  “Sign says they serve tea of tendaiuyaku. Never had it before. Never actually even heard of it. Some hot tea sounds good to me. How about you?”

  “I prefer water,” Rio said with a grin.

  “Of course you do,” Luke said with a laugh.

  “I suppose I could try something new. It’s as good a place to start as any.”

  With that, they climbed out of the van and walked over to the small café with the street sign advertising the little-known tea. The building was mostly covered in white tiles and naturally brown wood paneling but also had areas where the grey concrete underneath was showing. The two steps that led to the front door were covered in smaller white tiles and had a metal railing on one side. The glass door and the three window panes on the front of the café were all covered in neon-colored writing that advertised what potential customers could expect to find inside. The windows had wooden planters underneath them, with plants that looked like they could use some attention, and a large air conditioning unit sticking out of the front of the building above them. There was also a wooden, framed glass case, next to the front door, that displayed the café’s menu and a gaudy, light-blue awning with yellow Japanese characters all over it, above that same door. Nothing seemed to match. And, yet, somehow the place still seemed inviting.

  Luke opened the door and let Rio walk in ahead of him. He then told the young hostess that they weren’t there to eat but they wanted to try the tea of tendaiuyaku and hopefully ask someone who was familiar with the area a few questions. The young lady ushered them to their seats at a finished but unstained, wooden table and said that she’d have her grandmother stop by, commenting that no one knew the area better than she did.

  The hostess returned just a moment later and introduced her grandmother as Ichiko. Luke returned the favor by standing, bowing and introducing both he and Rio. Rio followed his lead by standing and bowing before asking Ichiko if she would mind sitting with them. The hostess pulled a chair over for her grandmother before telling them she would return shortly, with tea.

  Ichiko spoke with a warmth and kindness. She was friendly but formal, inviting but respectful. She began by asking if they had ever had tea of tendaiuyaku. When she learned that they hadn’t, she continued by telling them about the tea they were going to drink.

  They were surprised when the explanation started with the namesake of the park across the street. She told them that Jofuku had been ordered, by Emperor Shi Huang-Ti of China’s Xin Dynasty in the third century B.C., to go to an eastern island, find the mountain of Horai and bring back a legendary elixir of immortality. Jofuku set sail with three thousand men, women and children. When they finally arrived in Shingu, they found a medicine tree called Tendaiuyaku that offered relief for stomach and pain issues that had arisen on the hard voyage.

  Jofuku, and his three thousand fellow travelers, fell in love with the warm climate, the beautiful landscape, and the kind people of Shingu. Unfortunately for Emperor Shi Huang-Ti, none of these explorers ever returned to China. They made Japan their permanent home and imported Chinese culture, technology and skills of agriculture, fisheries, weaving and paper making to the area.

  The hostess arrived with tea for all three of them and Ichiko explained that tea of tendaiuyaku is the elixir of life made from the very medicine tree that Jofuku had discovered when he arrived in Shingu twenty-two hundred years earlier and was still used to treat pain and stomach issues to that day. She further explained that Jofuku remained a symbol of the friendship between Japan and China.

  As they sipped their tea, Rio and Luke each tried to hide their shock over how pungent the flavor was. Soon, Luke’s eyes were watering, his nose was running and beads of sweat began to form on his forehead. Rio noticed this and understood exactly why he looked the way he did and why he was sniffling and wiping his eyes and brow. She was suffering the same unpleasant taste in her mouth but showed none of the physical side effects from it.

  Rio asked Ichiko about her own personal history and Ichiko shared that her family had lived in Shing
u going back for many generations. It was home, always had been, and always would be. Rio appreciated that answer. She liked the idea of putting down roots and having a history that was known and honored. That was a lot of what had drawn her to Japan in the first place.

  Ichiko started to giggle. At first, neither Rio nor Luke understood where the giggle was coming from. Finally, Ichiko informed them that it had taken her almost seventy years to build up a tolerance so she could sip tea of tendaiuyaku politely. She told them a story about when her mother had given it to her as a child and she had been reprimanded for immediately spitting it out. Luke and Rio had never felt so much like tourists in all their lives. But, Ichiko’s laughter was contagious and soon they were all laughing with water in their eyes for an entirely different reason.

  As the laughter subsided, Rio decided it was time to ask if Ichiko knew anything about her father or the Tanaka family.

  CHAPTER TWENTY-THREE

  Family Feud

  “Do the names Sota Tanaka or Mei Akagawa sound at all familiar to you?” Rio asked the question without expecting the perplexed look she got back from Ichiko.

  “They do,” Ichiko acknowledged, rather quickly, despite the look she had on her face. “Those are names I haven’t heard in a long time. But, they’re names that stay in the memory if you’re from around here.”

  “Why’s that?”

  “They created quite a stir in Shingu a couple of decades ago. The question I’d like to know the answer to is, how do you know those names?”

  “I’m their child,” Rio responded.

  “That’s not possible,” Ichiko insisted.

  Luke was quiet but silently thanked God that he knew Japanese since the entire conversation between Ichiko and Rio was taking place in the language. He had realized that Rio spoke some Japanese when they met the woman who was now living on her parents’ old property. But, he was now discovering that, while her Japanese wasn’t perfect and there were several words she struggled with, Rio’s Japanese was better than his own.