Mano was one of the village leaders, also called a Kupuna. One of his responsibilities was teaching about the Purple Tiki. The Sand Maru knew all about the Purple Tiki, having grown up with it on PukaPuka. Newcomers and visitors to the island needed to be enlightened. Today Mano was talking to one of the newcomers named Hudson.
"The Purple Tiki is older than the sea. It was here before the beginning, and it will be here after the end," Mano said.
"The Purple Tiki knows all because he sees all. He never blinks, and his eyes never close. He removed his ears and gave them to the sky so he could listen everywhere at once. He gave his arms to the wind so he may guide each one of us. His feet are not here because he walks all places, sand, sea, and sky," Mano said.
"He can fly?" Hudson asked, confused.
"You must empty your mind and clean out the dust. You must find your own peace, balance, and quiet, before you can hear the Purple Tiki whisper. You must open the door in your mind and make room. Only when a cup is empty can you pour someone a drink. If you listen, the Purple Tiki will speak to you," the Kupuna said.
Hudson opened his mouth to ask a question and Mano rushed ahead.
"The Purple Tiki never tells you everything, but he tells you what you need to know. He will give help you when you ask. he will guide you if you listen. The Purple Tiki is wise," Mano said.
Mano eventually got Hudson to stop asking questions and to sit and meditate in front of the Purple Tiki. Hudson reminded the elder of a five-year-old with all of his questions. Why? How come? What for?
The blue sky stretched above them like a clean blue sheet, with no clouds to be seen. This spot was located in the middle of the jungle on an uninhabited corner of PukaPuka island. The clearing was bordered by a thick green wall of trees and bushes. You could not see more than a few feet into the underbrush. The soft white sand was noticeably clean of leaves, branches and vegetation. It was maintained by the Sand Maru villagers. The Purple Tiki was eight feet tall, and five feet across. It had been carved out of an ancient purpleheart tree that must have been huge. The shade of purple on the carving varied based on the wood grain, the depth of carving, and weathering. Every shade of purple could be found if you looked long enough. The face in the wood appeared different to different people. Some saw a smile; others saw a sneer. Some saw it as a greeeting; others saw it as a warning.
Purple Tiki was already here on PukaPuka when the first Sand Maru arrived many generations ago. Nobody knew who carved it, or why. Nobody knew where it came from. There were a few purpleheart trees on the island, but nothing like this monster monolith. It was too big to have been moved by people. One of the oldest tales is that the Purple Tiki walked here from another island. He liked the warm sand so much; he wiggled his toes and feet until they sank deep into the ground, and he stayed.
Not every single person on the island believed in the power of the Purple Tiki. A few chose not to wear a carved Purple Tiki around their neck or attend any of the ceremonies. Even those who did not believe were respectful of the carving. When you sat down in front of it, you could feel it. There was...something. Those who did not believe avoided the clearing and stayed silent about their doubts.
When Mano was nine, a group of boys snuck off to visit the Purple Tiki at night. It was pitch dark, but one of the boys brought a torch to help them see. They all knew the way. The six friends joked while they walked, mocking the faith of others. Once in the clearing, they laughed at the Purple Tiki. One boy taunted it, while another threw handfuls of sand on it. Mano only watched. His father was a strong believer in Purple Tiki, and he trusted his father. One of the older boys named Tyle climbed up the side of the carving and sat on its head. Another boy named Seevee urinated on the side of the Purple Tiki, to the laugher of others. Tyle asked for the torch, and it was thrown up to him. He held it to a spot on the headdress of the wooden tiki until the wood started to darken and smoke. Mano heard a "tsk tsk tsk" sound his father made he was disappointed in something. He looked around but didn't know where the sound came from. One of the other boys had seen enough and yelled for him to stop and climb down. The group walked back to the village feeling young, bold, and invincible.
A few days later the group of boys were playing in surf at Haki Beach. This beach was protected by a line of shoals that broke up the waves before they could roll into the beach. It made for good swimming and great for older boys. Mano was out in chest deep water with Tyle when a mahi-mahi swam between them. Tyle had a wide inaki with him, like a fish net on a stick. He swam after the mahi-mahi one handed. Mano was watching his friend chase the fish when a huge roller broke over the shoals, easily double the size of previous waves. Mano ducked under the big wave and popped up on the backside. Tyle had chased the prey towards the shoals but had turned around and started back for the shallows. As soon as the big roller broke, it started to draw back. Tyle was caught in a riptide and pulled backwards towards the sea. He was trying to swim one handed with the inaki and Mano yelled for him to drop it. Tyle was sucked out between two large shoals and dumped just outside of the line of shoals. Mano saw the next wave building and yelled a warning to Tyle. The huge wave was moving at an angle. It picked up Tyle as it started to break and slammed him into the rocky shoals. The water turned foamed red, and Mano knew his friend was gone. People were screaming, and several adults swam out to recover the body.
The island was in morning for the next three days, and swimming was temporarily banned. Mano and his friends were gathering coconuts heads at the base of the trees. It was windy yesterday, and several had fallen. Seevee wanted to climb up and cut down a few more. The boys had been climbing trees for years and thought nothing of it. This tree was thick and sturdy, seventy feet with a good bend for climbing. Seevee scrambled up the side and stopped just below the branches. He cut a coconut free and yelled as he dropped it away from the others. Just then a rush of wind came up. The tree next to Seevee was thin and flexible. The gust whipped it sideways, and the crown smashed into Seevee, knocking him free of the trunk. He landed on hardpacked sand with a sickening crunch. Mano ran to him and was there in a few seconds. Seevee was lying face up, bleeding from the mouth. One leg was broken, bent awkwardly beneath him. He moved his right hand to clutch the carved Purple Tiki hanging around his neck. He was looking at Mano, eyes wide with fear and comprehension. His body went slack, and his last breath hissed from his broken body.
It had been fifty years since that day, but Mano could still picture the look in Seevee's eyes. It wasn't the pain or the fear that burned his memory, it was the look of realization. Seevee knew. Not everyone believed in the Purple Tiki; but Mano did.
THIS IS AN EXCERPT FROM THE
BOOK GERARD'S FORTUNE.
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