Ne'Ikio's Journey
an excerpt

Introduction

Ne’Ikio splashed about in the pristine turquoise water, plunging deep amongst the lush green plants. He swam past masses of coral that formed craggy homes for tiny fish. A bright orange sea creature with long tentacles stared out at him a second before scurrying along the sandy ocean bottom. Tall strands of kelp waved in the clear water, tickling Ne’Ikio’s body with slippery fingers.

A large turtoine swam near the surface, casting a large shadow down on Ne’Ikio, who swam up to investigate. Golden beams of sunlight glistened off its large shell as it skimmed the water, mouth agape, straining the water for small particles of food. It caught site of its familiar friend and almost seemed to smile and extended a flat back fin. Ne’Ikio grabbed hold with both hands and the turtoine swam along its way, not bothered in the least by its newly acquired passenger.

When he grew tired of the game, Ne’Ikio relaxed his grip and drifted back to shore on the incoming tide. The sand here was beautiful, smooth and clean, no footprints but his own and those left by the odd bird here and there. He walked along the edge of the sea, letting the water lap at his bare feet and squishing sand between his toes.

A rather large scallop edged shell was half buried near the water. Exited that it this rare treasure for his collection, he dug it up with his fingers. When he finished excavating it, his eyes were met with disappointment, as a large hole had formed in the lower half of the shell. Frustrated, he chucked it into the sea with one quick sweep of his arm.

Up ahead, stick caught his eye. It was about two feet long and about two inches thick, widening at the base. He ran to it and yanked it from the wet sand where it was firmly wedged. He swooshed the new weapon about through the air and imagined an attacker ambushing him from behind. He spun around and delivered a fierce strike with his wooden sword.

More attackers swarmed him from all sides. They were after his buried treasure; he was prepared to protect it at all costs. He ran about, jabbing and striking, an occasional grunt escaping his lips.

Backing his pretend opponent into a hasty retreat, he spotted large boulders, perfect for exploring. His game forgotten, he discarded his weapon and climbed to the top of a rather bulgy rock, where he discovered tide pools brimming with life. Crabs crawled in and out of the shallow pools, scrambling for cover in the nearest crack.

There were also squishy little things. They were transparent and when the sun hit them just right, they cast rainbows onto the tide pools like a prism. Ne’Ikio wasn’t sure if they were plants or animals, but either way, he didn’t care. He just knew they were fun to poke with his toes. Salty water from the sea sprayed out in his face as he jabbed a particularly plump looking specimen, before it disappeared into a deep crevice.

A large flock of wild birds landed on the shore near the tide pools and Ne’Ikio was off in a new direction. He hopped off the rocks, bounding from one to another until his bare toes were once again on the moist sand. Full speed ahead, Ne’Ikio charged at the birds, flapping his arms about, mocking their flight. Squawks could be heard coming from Ne’Ikio equal in volume to those of the frightened flock.

The commotion attracted the attention of his caretaker, La’Amoen, who watched from their nearby shelter. “Will the boy never grow up?” he scowled, despite being alone in the hut.

Having succeeded at chasing the birds away, Ne’Ikio returned to the boulders and lay down, gazing out over the sea as the brilliant sunset began painting the sky magenta. He let out a contented sigh, and drifted off to dreams of pirates and buried treasure…