Authors: Everett Peacock
Larry
signed off and headed toward his house, another mile or two upwind.
The clouds were nearly gone with the day's heat, probably helped a
little with all the stress the poor humans were feeling down there as
well.
~~~
“
Jack,
come here a moment would you?” Alice asked.
“
Another
moment guys, I may have one more data point for you.” Jack put
the phone down and walked quickly to Alice's desk. He leaned over,
putting his hand on her shoulder.
“
Look,
I figure that we now have a fresh 22 million cubic meters of magma,
well lava now, in the crater. Ring any bells?” Alice turned
slightly, enjoying Jack's touch as she peered into his eyes.
“
Hmmm,
not really. Should I know that number Alice?”
“
1960
Kapoho, Jack. That was the volume held in Halema'uma'u that time.
When the lava tubes below finally couldn't handle the pressure it all
flushed out like a giant toilet bowl. Right into the downhill tubes
leading to Kapoho.”
Jack
looked into Alice's eyes, loving her look. That look of knowledge,
that look of danger. He never thought vulcanology would be this
exciting, in all different kinds of ways.
“
Evacuation?”
Jack asked walking back to the Governor's conference call.
“
Yes!”
Alice confirmed. “I've been right once today,” turning
back to her computer screens. “I'm afraid I'm going to be
right again.”
~~~
Star
saw blinking blue lights ahead on the road toward Pahoa, where she
would have to turn to get to her seaside cabin in Kapoho. Janet was
still asleep in the back seat, snoring lightly now. As she slowed to
a stop behind the other cars she rolled down her window.
The
civil defense sirens were wailing like lost children. She quickly
turned on her radio to A.M. 1060 KHBC. Her car no longer seemed to
ingest FM radio.
“
...catch
Uncle Kimo and his band tonight at Tiwaka's Tiki Bar and Grill, home
of the famous Coco Loco Moco. Remember Tuesdays are Ladies
and
Dudes night. $3 Hinano and $2 Primo. Come on down. All empty
bottles are being donated to the Build a Lava Dyke Around Hilo
project.”
“
Not
funny,” Star sneered and switched the radio off. Cars up ahead
of her were turning around, being directed by a very tall police
officer. She used the opportunity to move forward, intent of getting
through the road block.
Finally
she was stopped at the barrier. Another police officer, somewhat of
a familiar face she thought, approached her window.
“
Sorry,
ma'am. Road is closed, you need to turn around.”
Star
looked at the guy for a moment and then recognized him as the son of
one of the fishermen who lived down at her cove.
“
Henry?
It's me, Star.” She leaned out the window.
“
Auntie?”
He came closer and leaned down to talk with her. “Sorry,
Auntie, the road is closed. No can go. You felt the earthquakes,
yeah?”
“
Yes,
I sure did. Look, Henry, I need to get to my place, get some clothes
and all. Plus, my friend, here in the back,” she pointed to
Janet. “She has all her stuff at my cabin too.”
Henry
stood up and looked over at the really tall officer he was working
with, shook his head and then leaned back down.
“
Look,
we were letting only residents through until about half an hour ago.
Now, they're telling us nobody.”
Star
was fearful she wouldn't be let through, even knowing the cops. Her
mind was racing with options and alternatives.
“
Henry,
where's your dad? He's down there right?”
Henry
shook his head no. “No, Auntie. I talked to him already. All
the guys took their boats out to sea right after the first quake.
Tsunami you know. Better to be in deep water.”
Star
leaned back into her seat. “Tsunami?” she whispered.
Her heart was sinking. Opening the car door, she had to try one more
thing.
“
Henry,
dear. Look, I'll be OK. I just need my stuff, you know?” she
looked him directly in the eye. “You know, I don't have much.
I need my stuff, my cats, Henry.”
Henry
wasn't saying anything, trying to look away at the increasing line of
cars behind Star.
“
Henry,
did your dad say there had been any tsunami yet?” Star
implored.
Henry
looked at her, eager to solve this and get on with his traffic
duties. “Auntie, yes. He said they thought there was a small
one, but there were only looking through binoculars from their boats,
yeah?”
He
came closer to her, whispering. “You might not have anything
left down there anyhow, you know?”
That
thought was the one thing Star would not accept ever again. She
remembered vividly being told the same thing when in 1960 the lava
had claimed her parents house and eventually their happiness. She
was too old to start somewhere new.
Then
she had a great idea, Henry would have to go with this.
“
How
about this? I have my cell phone, your dad has his. I will stay in
touch with the guys on the boats, and if I get in trouble, they can
come pick me up.” She looked at him with her best 'pretty
please with mango sugar on top' look.
Henry
looked over for his tall co-worker again and noticed he was walking
up the long line of cars, telling everyone the news.
“
OK
Auntie, you sure stay stubborn lydat. Here,” he said moving
the barrier to the side. “Hurry up!”
Star
jumped in her car and quickly pulled through, blowing Henry a kiss as
she found second, third and finally fourth gear. In a couple of
miles she took the left turn, down toward the ocean and Kapoho.
Janet
was still sleeping in the back, but Star remembered well the first
time they'd both driven down this road. Funny, she thought, Jimmie
is all messed up again, but at least it's not raining this time.
Quickly
moving through Pahoa town, she saw dozens of people quickly packing
their cars and heading uphill, evacuating to Hilo and places north of
there. As she drove deeper down into the jungle, closer and closer
to her home, she looked over to the still standing cinder cone from
1960, on her left.
She
had to stop her car to confirm. There was no other cars on the road
now. She got out and stood perfectly still, afraid to wake the
monster.
Janet
moaned a little as she woke and propped herself up. Looking at Star
through the rear window she wondered what she could be staring at,
until she saw it too.
White
plumes of steam were rising out of the cinder cone, twisting lazily
up into the blue sky.
~~~
Larry
finally got Shirley on the walkie talkie and confirmed she was still
at home. She still had the little dogs and supplies in the SUV, with
the windows down, in case she had to make a run for it. The
aftershocks, however, had stopped during the last hour.
“
Shirley,
I'm two minutes out, over.” Larry announced, lining up his
landing zone.
“
I've
got a bottle of red open dear, clear to land!” She could
already hear his engine above the trees to the north. Walking out
across the street where he would soon be landing, she carried the
wine and two glasses.
Larry
swooped over the house and then the landing zone to Shirley's cheers.
Seeing the wine and glasses he reached down and punched the button
on his electric Peterbilt semi-truck horn. Twice.
Swinging
around to the southwest so that he could land with the northeast
trade winds at his face, giving him a bit of air braking, Larry
dropped below the Ohia trees and quickly planted his tires onto the
hard packed soil with the kiss of experience.
He
cut his engine quickly and pulled the lift dumper spilling the
remaining air out of his parafoil. It collapsed nicely onto the
ground, happy to have a rest finally.
“
Congrats
Larry...” Shirley smiled walking over and pouring a glass as
she did. “...as soon as you get airborne all hell breaks
loose.”
She
handed him the full glass and added, “Just what did you do to
piss off the mountain?” Laughing, she poured her own glass.
“
I
dunno. All I did was throw tennis balls at her. I'm a little
surprised she found that reason to complain so much.” Larry
had his helmet off and had unstrapped, standing now next to Shirley.
“
Kiss
me now, or I'm going back to throw basketballs!”
Shirley
leaned in and tasted the sweet red on her husband's lips.
“
Sweet
as wine, baby!” Larry confirmed. “Thanks for the arrival
drink.”
They
both spent fifteen minutes securing the paraglider, folding the wing
and pushing it back into the garage.
“
The
dogs are still in the car?” Larry asked, a bit surprised.
“
Yeah,
they seem to like it, for now. The aftershocks were less dramatic
inside. You should have seen them freaking out, They were jumping
like kangaroos.”
“
Well,
look, let me call Jack and get the latest. If he thinks things are
calming down we can probably bring them back in the house.” He
looked around the garage. “I guess we didn't get any damage in
the house?”
Shirley
looked at him a moment, wondering if he had forgotten. “No
damage in here, no.” She waited.
Then
it hit him. “Oh no! My wine cellar!” Quickly he ran
around the side of the house and out into the middle of the half acre
yard. There, in the opening to his lava tube, extending down into
the ground some twenty feet was a lingering odor of spilled wine. He
wasn't about to crawl down the ladder, for fear of another
aftershock, but he could see the broken bottles all over the floor.
Sadly,
he stepped back, turned on the walkie talkie and checked in.