5
Secrets
Kaona-Kai
The person or secret hidden in the sea that could bring good or bad luck.
‘Ilima in the form of a woman!
I gazed at her in wonder. While her hair had streaks of gray, her face was youthful and her body graceful. A simple feather and kukui nut lei adorned her neck. Sitting on the couch, she tucked her feet to the side and smoothed the edges of her sarong over her knees. Dyed a pale yellow and bordered with geometric lines, the cloth was made from kapa as soft as silk. It wrapped around her body under one arm and over the opposite shoulder in the old kikepa-style.
With eyes I recognized, she waited for me to speak.
“Does Uncle Kahana know about—” I waved my hand at her.
Her laughter sounded like rain on the roof.
“Yes,” ‘Ilima said. “And no. He knows I’m somethin
