Distant Echoes by Colleen Coble

sixty. It varies. We should have good attendance tonight.” Mano’s broad hands handled the car with expertise, and he pulled into a tight parking spot.
    “They meet at the old rice mill?” Kaia stared at the weathered structure outside Hanapepe. It sat in the middle of an open field surrounded by red dirt and scruffy shrubs. The grayed boards hadn’t seen a paintbrush in decades. The dozens of cars parked around it seemed out of place.
    “It’s got plenty of room, and it’s private.” He got out of the car and headed toward the building.
    Kaia hurried to catch up with him. “Where’s the fire?” she panted.
    “The meeting has probably already started. I don’t want to miss anything.”
    She followed him through the door and into the old mill. This was not her idea of a good time. Cane spiders tended to overtake abandoned buildings, and she hated the huge, aggressive spiders. She’d once had one nearly the size of her hula skirt chase her across the room even though she had a broom in her hand, and she wasn’t eager to repeat the experience, even though they weren’t poisonous.
    Men and women milled around the rough wooden floors. The musty odor of grain and dust made her sneeze. No one seemed to notice them slip to the back of the crowd, which was intent on the man speaking from atop an old piece of machinery.
    He waved his arms as he spoke. “The haoles brought their diseases to our islands, used our women, took our land, brought reli- gious ideas and ethics that eradicated the Hawaiian culture. But we can take it back, my friends. The United States has apologized for their atrocities; now we must insist they prove their sincerity with action. They must return the lands they stole and allow us to govern ourselves. As we make inroads with Congress, we need to work to repair our culture, to revitalize the old ways.”
    Kaia listened to him expound on the virtues of a sovereign Hawai’i. She could see why Mano was enthralled. Even she felt a tugging in her heart. Hawaiians like the Oana family would stand to benefit if the old monarchy was resurrected. She and her siblings descended from royalty, all the way back to the last reigning queen, Liliuokalani. They could be part of the new government. Maybe that was the allure for Mano.
    The man continued. “We could make our own trade agreements, keep what we make here, use the taxes we pay to the U.S. for our own islands. We can turn back the clock and return to the old ways, to our rich culture of aloha . ”
    She glanced around the mill and saw groups of men and women listening intently. There was a mixture of races as well, full-blooded Hawaiian, part Hawaiian, and even some haole and Japanese. The man’s appeal was apparently broad based.
    “Who is he?” she whispered to Mano.
    “Nahele Aki. He’s brilliant.”
    Kaia had to admit he had a special charisma. He spoke with such passion and authority. She listened as he extolled the way of life they’d had before the white man came. He made it sound like a paradise. Though admittedly inspired, she wondered how many of these people would like to go back to mashing taro and living in huts.
    When the meeting was over, Mano left her to talk to a group of men. She grabbed a cup of coffee from a folding table set up by the door. Sipping it, she tried to look inconspicuous.
    “What did you think?”
    She realized with a start that the speaker, Nahele Aki, had stepped down from his perch and was talking to her. “It was interesting,” she stammered.
    “Interesting? You and your family would be in line for the monarchy.”
    “How do you know who I am?” she asked. His dark eyes crinkled, and she had a feeling he was laughing at her.
    “I make it my business to find out about important people. Ready to join us and be a queen in the new kingdom?”
    She knew he expected her to feel flattered. She wasn’t. “No thanks. I wouldn’t want that kind of responsibility. I’m perfectly happy with my life the way