The Water Wolf Tsunami Approaches. The article sent chills up my spine. Water wolves were majestical creatures of old. Really old. They were blue, gray, red, brown, or a mixture of colors. The most rare was the rainbow Water Wolf. It was said in some ancient paintings on the Cave-of Past Tense Boring Stuff Messing Up the Future's Routine. Or at least that's what I call it. It's real name is Cave of Past, but mine is more, I don't know, "colorful". Okay. Enough about me. More about my awesome life on the Hoshiko islands.
"Annilia! Breakfast!" That's mom. Always happy. Always bouncy. EXTREMELY embarrassing. Emotional, too.
"I'm coming!" I shout back, tossing the paper on my bed. I hop down the ancient wooden stairs, filled with excitement and hunger. "What's there to eat?" I ask, as smells tempt me forward.
"Well... It depends. Eggs?"
"Num num," I say.
"Eggs it is. Sausage, bacon, and banana pancakes are on the table."
"Thanks mom," I say. Indie skips down the stairs, full of joy.
Mama's wolf, Koshika, huffs a welcome. She's like a second mother to us. I think of the paper again. Maybe now I can get my own. I wonder what color I would chose. Red? Orange? Blue? Rainbow...? No. But wait... I count on my fingers. Oh my gosh. "Mom! It's been a hundred years since the last rainbow colored water wolf was born!" I blurt. Everything is quiet. Indie has a spoon halfway in and halfway out of her mouth. Mom's jaw is set.
"That's interesting. Indie, eat your food." Mom commands. The discussion ends abruptly. I know why. Every year they have the annual Run of the Water Wolf. Mom's brother Uncle Joe died trying to bring justice when Marsikai and his wolf Washiki cheated in the race. Now, she hates everything to do with the race, and every night after one she cries into Koshika's thick fur for the people that are injured, died, or in just plain sadness. Koshika licks her face, but to no avail. I know this. Once when I was 5, I heard her sobbing and got curious. So I sneaked into her room and hid in a closet. I watched as she poured her sorrow out to Koshika.
Since then I always shut myself in my room so I can't hear. Physically I can't, but mentally it roars like a thundering waterfall in my heart. After she's done, Koshika comes into my room.
Indie gets up and dumps her plate into the sink. I can tell she's tense. She walks out of the room, but starts walking in place to make us think she's walking away. Then the pounding stops. We know she's still there. "So..." Mom says, glancing at the wall which Indie is behind. "Do you want to go to the store with me?"
"I'll come!" Indie shouts, giving away her position.
"This is for Annilia only," Mom explains. "No pouting," she corrects as Indie starts to droop.
I walk away.
This can't be good.
Mom is driving. I'm in the back seat. "Annilia, I know you want to go, but I can't allow you too."
"WHAT!!! This is... Like... SO unfair!!! Why can't I go!!!"
"Annilia, you know exactly why. Having a water wolf and being 13 means that you can race. Your uncle Joe ...." She goes quiet. "I can't lose you too. You know how painful it is to see loved ones get hurt, even if you were only 3 when he... Passed."
"Mom," I say, full of confidence. "I hate for you to feel pain... But I AM going. You can do nothing to change that. Every wolf needs to race sometime, at least once. It's law."
"I know, sweetie. But I just CAN'T lose you."
"Mom," I say. "It's okay. Now turn the car around.
"Okay," she sniffles. "But you're still not going."
Typical mom. To bad she doesn't know that I have a plan. A good one. Tomorrow night is the day of the tsunami, and I leave my bag under the puffy covers of my bed. I go down to a dinner of mashed potatoes with barbecue, fresh bananas from the banana tree outside, and a pig from the local farmer Bob. Not kidding. Hey, even if we are an uncharted island off the coast of I-can't-tell-you-or-you'll-start-looking-for-it, we do have some things in common with modern civilization. Except the whole water wolf part. As I stagger up after dinner, I wonder which color wolf I'll get. Because Rainbow is totally out of the question, I think I'd choose a red or orange one. That's the closest to Rainbow.
"Annilia! Breakfast!" That's mom. Always happy. Always bouncy. EXTREMELY embarrassing. Emotional, too.
"I'm coming!" I shout back, tossing the paper on my bed. I hop down the ancient wooden stairs, filled with excitement and hunger. "What's there to eat?" I ask, as smells tempt me forward.
"Well... It depends. Eggs?"
"Num num," I say.
"Eggs it is. Sausage, bacon, and banana pancakes are on the table."
"Thanks mom," I say. Indie skips down the stairs, full of joy.
Mama's wolf, Koshika, huffs a welcome. She's like a second mother to us. I think of the paper again. Maybe now I can get my own. I wonder what color I would chose. Red? Orange? Blue? Rainbow...? No. But wait... I count on my fingers. Oh my gosh. "Mom! It's been a hundred years since the last rainbow colored water wolf was born!" I blurt. Everything is quiet. Indie has a spoon halfway in and halfway out of her mouth. Mom's jaw is set.
"That's interesting. Indie, eat your food." Mom commands. The discussion ends abruptly. I know why. Every year they have the annual Run of the Water Wolf. Mom's brother Uncle Joe died trying to bring justice when Marsikai and his wolf Washiki cheated in the race. Now, she hates everything to do with the race, and every night after one she cries into Koshika's thick fur for the people that are injured, died, or in just plain sadness. Koshika licks her face, but to no avail. I know this. Once when I was 5, I heard her sobbing and got curious. So I sneaked into her room and hid in a closet. I watched as she poured her sorrow out to Koshika.
Since then I always shut myself in my room so I can't hear. Physically I can't, but mentally it roars like a thundering waterfall in my heart. After she's done, Koshika comes into my room.
Indie gets up and dumps her plate into the sink. I can tell she's tense. She walks out of the room, but starts walking in place to make us think she's walking away. Then the pounding stops. We know she's still there. "So..." Mom says, glancing at the wall which Indie is behind. "Do you want to go to the store with me?"
"I'll come!" Indie shouts, giving away her position.
"This is for Annilia only," Mom explains. "No pouting," she corrects as Indie starts to droop.
I walk away.
This can't be good.
Mom is driving. I'm in the back seat. "Annilia, I know you want to go, but I can't allow you too."
"WHAT!!! This is... Like... SO unfair!!! Why can't I go!!!"
"Annilia, you know exactly why. Having a water wolf and being 13 means that you can race. Your uncle Joe ...." She goes quiet. "I can't lose you too. You know how painful it is to see loved ones get hurt, even if you were only 3 when he... Passed."
"Mom," I say, full of confidence. "I hate for you to feel pain... But I AM going. You can do nothing to change that. Every wolf needs to race sometime, at least once. It's law."
"I know, sweetie. But I just CAN'T lose you."
"Mom," I say. "It's okay. Now turn the car around.
"Okay," she sniffles. "But you're still not going."
Typical mom. To bad she doesn't know that I have a plan. A good one. Tomorrow night is the day of the tsunami, and I leave my bag under the puffy covers of my bed. I go down to a dinner of mashed potatoes with barbecue, fresh bananas from the banana tree outside, and a pig from the local farmer Bob. Not kidding. Hey, even if we are an uncharted island off the coast of I-can't-tell-you-or-you'll-start-looking-for-it, we do have some things in common with modern civilization. Except the whole water wolf part. As I stagger up after dinner, I wonder which color wolf I'll get. Because Rainbow is totally out of the question, I think I'd choose a red or orange one. That's the closest to Rainbow.