High Tide in Hawaii

by Mary Pope Osborne

  “This is our house,” she said.

  The hut had no door—just a wide entrance that opened into one large room.

  Kama and Boka led Jack and Annie inside. In the dim light, Jack could barely see the dried-grass walls and the woven-grass mats on the dirt floor.

  “Where do we sleep?” he asked.

  “Here!” said Boka.

  He and Kama lay down on the mats. Annie pulled off her lei and shoes. Then she lay down, too.

  “Oh,” said Jack. “Okay.”

  He took off his shoes and wreath of flowers. He used his backpack as a pillow when he lay down. The warm wind rustled the palm leaves outside. Music drifted in from the party.

  “The ocean is calling,” said Kama.

  Jack could barely hear the waves in the distance.

  “Tomorrow we will take you wave riding,” said Boka.

  “You mean surfing?” said Annie.

  “Yes,” said Kama.

  “Cool,” said Jack. But he wasn’t sure he meant it. Surfing actually seemed pretty scary.

  Kama seemed to hear his thoughts. “Don’t worry,” she said. “We’ll have fun.”

  “No kidding,” said Annie.

  Soon Jack heard steady breathing. The other kids had fallen asleep.

  Oh darn, we forgot to ask them about building a ship, he thought. I guess we’ll have to do that tomorrow.…

  Jack closed his eyes and yawned. Soon he, too, was fast asleep.

  Jack heard pounding noises. He imagined Boka and Kama were building a ship.

  He opened his eyes. Only he and Annie were still in the hut. A piece of cloth covered the doorway. Jack sat up and shook Annie.

  “Wake up!” he said.

  She opened her eyes.

  “I think they’re building a ship outside,” said Jack. “Come on, let’s go.”

  Annie jumped up.

  “Don’t forget your lei,” she said.

  They put on their flower wreaths. Jack lifted the cloth over the doorway, and they stepped out into the warm sunlight.

  Boka, Kama, and their parents smiled at Jack and Annie. They were all working. But no one was building a ship.

  Boka was pounding a wide strip of bark with a wooden club. Kama was using a stone to pound something that looked like a fat sweet potato. Their parents were weaving grass mats.

  “What are you making?” Jack asked.

  “I’m making tapa,” said Boka. “First I beat the bark of the mulberry tree into thin sheets. Then my father pastes the sheets together to make cloth for us.”

  “This is the root of a taro plant,” said Kama. She pointed at the squashed white vegetable. “When you add fruit to it, you get poi.”

  “Great,” said Jack. “By the way, do you ever build ships?”

  “Ships?” asked Boka. “What for?”

  Jack shrugged. “To sail away?” he said.

  “Why would we do that?” asked Kama.

  “Good question,” said Jack, smiling.

  “Can I help?” Annie asked Kama.

  “Sure,” said Kama. While she showed Annie how to pound the taro root, Jack slipped back into the hut. He pulled out his notebook and quickly added to his Hawaii list:

  Jack heard Kama ask her parents if they could play now.

  “We’ve finished our chores,” said Kama. “May we take Jack and Annie to the ocean?”

  “For wave riding,” said Boka.

  Jack held his breath. He half hoped their parents would say no.

  “Yes, go have a good time with your friends,” said their father.

  “Come on, Jack!” Annie called.

  Jack put his notebook away. He pulled on his pack and joined the others outside.

  “We’ll be back in a little while,” said Kama.

  “Don’t forget to eat breakfast!” said her mother.

  “We won’t,” said Kama.

  Where will we get breakfast? wondered Jack.

  He and Annie followed Kama and Boka. They passed villagers hard at work. Some carried firewood or water. Others were cutting grass or stripping bark from trees. Everyone smiled and waved.

  “Hungry?” Kama asked Jack and Annie.

  “Sure,” they said.

  Kama and Boka went into the grove of palms near the huts. They climbed up two slanting tree trunks, using their hands and feet to push themselves up. At the top, they shook the palm leaves.

  “Watch out!” Kama shouted.

  Jack and Annie jumped back as big, round coconuts fell to the ground.

  Kama and Boka slid down the trees. They each picked up a coconut. Then they found rocks and began to whack the hard shells. They whacked and whacked until their coconuts cracked into halves.

  Kama shared hers with Annie. Boka shared his with Jack.

  Jack drank the fresh, sweet milk inside the coconut. “Mmm!” he said.

  “Interesting?” asked Boka.

  “No. Mmm means good!” said Jack.

  Everyone laughed.

  Then Kama picked bananas off a banana tree and gave them to Jack and Annie. Jack peeled his and took a bite. It was the best banana he’d ever eaten.

  When breakfast was over, they all headed into the flowery meadow. The sky was the bluest blue Jack had ever seen. The grass was the greenest green. The flowers and birds sparkled like jewels.

  Hawaii is like a garden paradise, Jack thought.

  He wanted to look up Hawaiian birds and flowers in the research book. As the others kept walking, he stopped and pulled out the book.

  “Jack! Come look!” Annie shouted. She was standing at the edge of a cliff with Boka and Kama.

  Jack put away the book and hurried to join the others. He looked down at a beach fifty feet below.

  There were no people. Only seashells and seaweed lay on the glistening white sand. Big, foamy waves crashed against the shore.

  “Wow!” said Annie.

  Uh-oh, thought Jack.

  Boka looked at Jack and grinned.

  “Ready?” he asked.

  “I’m ready!” said Annie. “Where do we get our surfboards?”

  “Down there,” said Kama. She pointed to a rocky path that led to the beach.

  “Let’s go,” said Annie.

  Annie, Boka, and Kama started down the path. Jack followed, moving slowly and carefully.

  When he stepped onto the beach, Jack slipped off his shoes. He dug his toes into the dry, warm sand. It felt as soft as silk.

  “Actually, I wouldn’t mind just taking a walk on the beach,” he said to the others.

  But no one seemed to hear. They had all walked over to a row of wooden surfboards propped against the rocks.

  Boka picked out a long board and lugged it over to Jack. “For you,” he said.

  Jack took the board and looked up at it. It was as tall as his dad.

  “Isn’t this a little big for me?” he asked.

  Boka shook his head. He chose a board for Annie. Then he and Kama grabbed a couple for themselves.

  Jack took a deep breath. “I’d like to read a little about surfing first,” he said. He put his board down and pulled out the research book.

  “What is that?” asked Kama.

  “It’s a book,” said Jack. “It tells you about things.”

  “How does it talk?” said Kama.

  “It doesn’t talk,” said Annie. “You read it.”

  Kama looked confused.

  “Jack, forget the book now,” Annie said. “Let’s just do what Boka and Kama tell us.” She headed for the ocean, lugging her board.

  Jack sighed and put the book away. He left his pack in the sand, picked up his board, and followed the others.

  They all stopped at the edge of the water.

  “First we need to get past the breaking waves,” said Kama. “Then we’ll show you what to do next.”

  Together they waded into the cool, shallow water. The waves don’t seem all that big, Jack thought hopefully.

  But as he waded deeper into the ocean,
the breaking waves began to look bigger and bigger. When the first wave hit him, Jack leaned against it, lifting his board. He nearly fell over.

  Kama, Boka, and Annie moved farther out into the ocean. Jack watched as a wave loomed over them. They all threw their boards over the wave and dove into it.

  Jack struggled forward. The next time a big wave came toward him, he threw his board over it. Holding his glasses tightly, he ducked under.

  When Jack stood up again, he wiped the water from his eyes and glasses. His surfboard was close by. He grabbed it before another wave came.

  Jack kept fighting his way forward. By the time he got past all the breakers, the water was up to his chest.

  “We’ll paddle out to catch a big wave!” said Boka.

  Jack frowned. “But—”

  “Don’t worry, Jack,” said Kama. “It will be fun!”

  Boka and Kama pulled themselves onto their boards. They lay on their bellies and began paddling with their hands out to sea.

  Jack and Annie lay down on their boards, too. Paddling over the gentle waves, Jack relaxed. Now, this was something he could do all day.

  “When I say go, paddle fast back toward the shore!” said Kama.

  “When do we stand up?” said Annie.

  “When you start toward the shore!” said Boka. “Stand up with one foot forward. Stretch out your arms to keep your balance!”

  “But don’t try to stand up the very first time!” said Kama. “Just ride your board on your belly!”

  “I see one coming now!” said Boka.

  “Wait, wait!” said Jack. Everything was happening too fast. He had questions.

  “Go!” Kama shouted.

  Jack saw a big wave rolling toward them. Before he knew it, Boka, Kama, and Annie were paddling quickly toward the shore. Jack paddled like crazy to keep up.

  Suddenly the wave lifted him and swept him forward! Jack zoomed toward the shore with amazing speed. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw Boka and Kama—and Annie!—all standing up.

  Jack wanted to be like them. In a flash, he went up on his knees. He put his left foot forward and stood up! For one second he felt like a soaring bird—then he lost his balance!

  Jack fell into the water, grabbing his glasses just in time. The wave crashed down on top of him! Water filled his mouth and went up his nose. His board and his lei were swept away.

  Jack twisted and turned in the churning water. When his head bobbed up above the water, he choked and coughed.

  Another big wave crashed down on him, and he went under again. When he came up, he plunged forward, desperately trying to get to shore.

  Again and again, Jack was thrown down and slammed by breaking waves. But each time, he got up and hurled himself closer to shore.

  Finally, Jack dragged himself out of the ocean. Feeling bruised and battered, he fell onto the sand.

  “Jack!” cried Annie. She ran to him. “Are you okay?”

  Jack just nodded. He put on his wet glasses. He felt shaky and mad at himself. I never should have tried to stand! he thought.

  Kama picked up Jack’s surfboard from the shallow water and brought it over to him.

  “I told you not to stand,” she said, laughing. “You fell hard.”

  It’s not funny, thought Jack. I nearly drowned!

  “The best thing to do is to go right back out,” said Boka.

  “You go,” said Jack. His eyes and nose burned from the salt water. “I’ll stay here.” He walked over to his pack, picked it up, and took out the research book.

  “Come on, Jack!” said Annie. “Try it again! Stay on your belly this time!”

  “No, this time I’m going to read about surfing first,” he said.

  “Aw, you should just try it again,” said Annie. “Not read about it!”

  She ran to him and pulled the book out of his hands. Jack jerked it away from her. He slipped and fell onto the sand.

  Kama and Boka laughed again.

  “Why are you laughing?” Jack snapped. “You don’t even know how to read!”

  Boka and Kama looked hurt.

  “Jack!” said Annie. “That was mean. Say you’re sorry.”

  Jack opened his book and pretended to read it. He did feel sorry, but he was too upset to say so.

  “Fine, stay here,” said Annie. She went back to Boka and Kama. “Let’s go.”

  As Jack sat alone on the beach, he looked up from his book. He watched the other kids paddling through the water.

  “I don’t care,” he muttered. “I’m never going back out in those waves.”

  Morgan didn’t send us here to surf anyway, he thought. She told us to build a ship. But how the heck are we supposed to do that?

  Jack heaved an angry sigh. Now he was cross with Morgan. He turned to the back of the book and searched the index for “ship.”

  Suddenly Jack heard a rumbling from under the sand. The ground started to shake. It shook so hard, the book flew out of Jack’s hands!

  Jack bounced up and down on the beach. Shells were jumping up and down, too. Rocks tumbled down from the cliff.

  It’s an earthquake! thought Jack.

  The rumbling stopped.

  The shaking stopped.

  Jack looked around. Everything was normal again, except some rocks rolled around at the bottom of the cliff.

  Jack looked out to sea. Kama, Boka, and Annie were past the breakers. They were sitting on their surfboards, laughing and talking.

  Everything seemed okay. But Jack felt sure that something was wrong. He grabbed the Hawaii book from the sand. He looked up “earthquake.” He read:

  Earthquakes in Hawaii have been known to cause tsunamis (soo-NAH-meez), which used to be called “tidal waves.” An earthquake can cause water out at sea to be set in motion. The water grows higher and higher as it moves toward land. Just before the tsunami strikes, water may pull away from the shore. Then it returns in a gigantic wave that crashes over the land and washes everything away.

  Oh, man! thought Jack. A tsunami might be coming!

  Jack had to find out more about tsunamis quickly. He read as fast as he could:

  A tsunami can strike a few hours—or a few minutes!—after an earthquake. It depends on the strength of the earthquake and where it took place. After earthquakes, it is safest for islanders to seek higher ground.

  We have to get to higher ground now! thought Jack, dropping the book.

  He ran down to the edge of the ocean. Boka, Kama, and Annie were still paddling out beyond the waves. Jack forgot all about their fight.

  “Hey, you guys!” he yelled.

  They didn’t hear him.

  Jack went into the shallow water. “Hey, you guys!” he yelled. “Come back!”

  They still didn’t hear him.

  Jack ran to his surfboard, grabbed it, and ran into the ocean. He fought the breaking waves. Once he was past them, he threw himself on his board and paddled wildly.

  The wave swells grew as he paddled. He could hardly see Annie, Boka, or Kama over them. Jack paddled faster and faster, trying to reach them.

  “Hey!” he yelled. “Hey!”

  Boka looked back at him. He gave Jack a friendly wave, then turned away again.

  I have to get them to come to me! Jack thought frantically. “HELP! HELP!” he yelled at the top of his lungs.

  The three kids jerked around. They paddled quickly toward Jack with worried faces.

  “What’s wrong?” Annie cried when they got closer. “Are you in trouble?”

  “We all are!” said Jack. “A tsunami might be coming! There was an earthquake when I was on the beach!”

  “We’d better ride in fast!” said Boka.

  “Stay on your bellies!” said Kama. “It’s safer!”

  “Here comes a wave!” cried Boka.

  They all started paddling.

  The swell of the wave picked them up. They were all swept forward!

  Jack gripped the sides of his board as he zoomed along with the othe
rs. Suddenly he dropped down as the wave curled under. It felt like a roller coaster! But he stayed on his board as the wave carried him to shore.

  Jack rolled off into the shallow water. He snatched up his board and ran onto the sand. Boka and Kama were waiting.

  “Good riding, Jack!” said Boka.

  “Where’s Annie?” asked Jack.

  Boka pointed. Annie was in the shallow water, pulling her board in. As they watched, something very weird began to happen to the ocean.

  The water around Annie started to pull away.

  “Run, Annie!” Jack screamed.

  The water drew away from the beach, and a loud hissing sound came from the sea.

  Suddenly fish flopped on the bare sand!

  Annie threw down her board and ran. She grabbed Jack’s hand as she ran by him. Jack grabbed Boka’s hand, and Boka grabbed Kama’s hand. They all ran together, pulling each other along as they raced to the cliff.

  Boka and Kama ran up the cliff path. Jack and Annie grabbed their shoes and Jack’s pack. Then they scrambled up the path, too.

  At the top of the cliff, everyone looked back. Jack couldn’t believe his eyes!

  A wave was rising up like a dark mountain of water. It came surging toward the shore, growing even taller!

  “Wow,” whispered Annie.

  “Get back!” shouted Boka.

  The four of them bolted back from the edge of the rocky slope. The mountain of water crashed against the cliff. Water sprayed over the top of the rocks and rained down on them.

  When the water rolled back over the cliff, they all hurried back to the edge to see what had happened.

  The rocky cliff path was gone. The gigantic wave was moving back out to sea, taking rocks, sand, seaweed, seashells, and the surfboards with it.

  “Scary,” breathed Annie.

  “Yeah,” said Jack. “We just made it.”

  “Boka! Kama!” voices yelled.

  They turned around. Jack saw Boka and Kama’s parents racing across the meadow toward them. Other villagers followed.

  The two Hawaiian kids ran into their parents’ arms. Soon Jack and Annie were surrounded by villagers. Everyone was laughing and crying and hugging each other.