open , cracks in the surface

[alette makani kalama]

long, long, ago, a volcano erupted, and the hardened lava eventually formed an island. and then another. and then another, and so forth. this chain of islands is now called the state of hawai'i, of which ehu island is a part. when the lava rock hardened, it formed hollow cracks in the surface that, when tide struck high, turned into a hot springs on the coast of ehu.

those hot springs, now called lomi lomi springs, were one of alette makani kalama's favorite places on the island. in her two piece bathing suit, she dropped her coral pink towel onto the lava rock, wrapping her cell phone safely inside. she dug into her floral print roxy backpack for her sunglasses and threw them on, tossing her braid onto her back. she looked around the springs, surprised not to see anyone occupying any of the few pools that sat there. normally, the springs were full of the teenagers who attended the academy, along with some of the tourists who visited the island. she grinned at the thought of having the springs allll to herself, but had a feeling that it wouldn't be long.

slowly, she walked into the springs, descending further and further into the water. she found a comfortable set of lava rocks to recline on, leaving her chest and head still exposed and above water. she rolled her head back, resting it on her body, and closed her eyes, soaking in the sun's piercing rays. she let an "mmmm," slip from her mouth as she enjoyed the combination of the water and sun embracing her skin. the ocean's waves pushing onto the lava rock in the background was a wonderful addition to this silent melody. alette sat up straight, aligning her neck with her spine and crossing her legs underwater. she brought her palms together, and brought them to the center of her chest. the brunette inhaled, and then let out a long "ommmmmmmmm." she inhaled again, and then let out a longer "oooooommmmmmmmmm." the sides of her lips curled upward as she inhaled again, letting out her last and final "oooommmmmmmmm," feeling the breeze and the water push up against her simultaneous to her peaceful sound.

she remembered her first "om," and how awkward it felt. it was because she couldn't communicate with nature. she wasn't in touch with her mother. but now, alette felt like she walked on a parallel path with mother nature, and knew what nature tried telling her. some of the islanders, mostly the haoles, thought alette was crazy for her way of thinking. alette thought the same of them. some of those haoles lived such fast-paced lives, rush, rush, rush. hot pockets, fast food, automobiles. alette was such a judgmental old-fashioned soul.

[elizabeth chey johnson]

Elizabeth paid more attention to the sound of her own footsteps and those of nature surrounding her than of where she was actually going. She never really bothered to buy a car, preferring to walk to her destinations. It wasn't unnatural to find her wandering around the small island, letting her feet carry her down paths worn into her memory.

She carried everything that she could need in the pack thrown over her right shoulder. A camera hung in it's natural position around her neck and an envelope was loosely held in her left hand. Inside it was the only communication she got from her father any more. Every month or so he would send a check, sometimes it even contained a note.

She stopped caring about her dad's attempts at a peace offering years ago. The checks were normally donated or used to buy gifts for her friends, she didn't want them or anything that came from them.

Lizi finally took in her surroundings and noticed that she was walking in the directions of the hot springs. The girl smiled, all thoughts of her famous father rushing from her mind. Water, that was the one element she was most at ease around. She had even gained the nickname fish when she was a little kid because of how much time she spent in the waves. She preferred the open ocean, but the springs brought the same affect onto the young adult.

She continued leisurely toward the small pools. When the girl got closer, she noticed another figure and heard a soft trio of "ommm." She grinned, recognizing the other person. Making her steps as close to silent as humanly possible, she made her way over to her friend. Stopping behind her, Liz sat down and mimicked the girl's pose.

Her bag and letter were discarded onto the rock beside her although the camera still hung around her neck in it's natural position. She closed her eyes and focused on the few classes she had actually attended. Letting the surrounding nature fill her, she followed Alette. Inhale deeply, exhale with a soft, "Ooommmm..." She repeated that three times, just as Alette had. Liz never understood why it was three, why not four?

She did understand why people did this, it soothed her already calm mind, removing any lingering thoughts of her father. Lizi opened her eyes again, taking in her surroundings once more. She automatically lifted her camera to her eye and snapped a picture of the pools. Liz was almost completely in her own world, still captivated by the beauty of ehu island even though she has lived there her entire life.