{"id":2335,"date":"2014-10-27T21:22:46","date_gmt":"2014-10-28T04:22:46","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.ajllewellyn.com\/site\/?p=2335"},"modified":"2014-10-27T21:47:11","modified_gmt":"2014-10-28T04:47:11","slug":"phantom-lover-chronicles-chapter-two-free-blog-story-comment-for-a-chance-to-win","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.ajllewellyn.com\/site\/2014\/10\/27\/2335\/","title":{"rendered":"Phantom Lover Chronicles Chapter Two FREE BLOG STORY! Comment for a chance to WIN!"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"PhantomCHRONICLES\"<\/a><\/p>\n

Phantom Lover Chronicles<\/strong><\/p>\n

By A.J. Llewellyn<\/strong><\/p>\n

Cover Art: Silver Pixies<\/strong><\/p>\n

Link to Chapter One: http:\/\/www.ajllewellyn.com\/site\/2013\/03\/18\/2039\/<\/strong><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Chapter Two: The <\/em><\/strong>Kawatar\u014d<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Kimo chewed his lip a moment. It had finally sunk in that the ‘E’epa <\/em>had not only abducted our children, but taken our car, which left us stranded. Kimo could shape-shift and jump from one spot to another thanks to his huna<\/em> magic, but he wasn\u2019t Superman<\/em> and couldn\u2019t fly around in the sky hunting for our kids.<\/p>\n

\u201cDo you think Snape would be able to fly after them?\u201d he asked. As usual, he was able to read my thoughts. It wasn\u2019t very convenient sometimes, like now. He looked at me, anxiously awaiting a response.<\/p>\n

\u201cNo. He can\u2019t fly.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cThat\u2019s a relief.\u201d Kimo grinned. \u201cOkay. I have good news for you, and bad news for you. Which do you want first?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cGimme the good news.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI promise that I\u2019ll have the kids all home in time for dinner.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cOkay. So what\u2019s the bad news?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI have no idea where the heck they are.\u201d<\/p>\n

My body swayed involuntarily. I adored my husband, but I\u2019d never been so mad at him. How could he have let this happen? Kimo was in touch with the infinite. The nature spirits and the deities of our islands all communicated with him. This was a bad sign if he had no information, no whispery thoughts or images in his mind.<\/p>\n

\u201cI didn\u2019t say I have nothing<\/em>.\u201d His expression turned wounded. \u201cI keep seeing a river.\u201d He shrugged. \u201cI know it\u2019s not much, but\u2026\u201d He began biting his lip again. His eyes took on the vacant look they did when he was receiving communication. \u201cOh,\u201d he said, his face looking ashen. He was having a conversation with somebody or something on the other side of the veil.<\/p>\n

When this happened, I couldn\u2019t read his mind. He closed his thoughts from me. I wanted to scream at him, but it was my fault, really. I was the one who\u2019d suggested he conjure up some magic. This was a whole lot worse than green ogre ears. My sister. Oh, God.<\/em> How was I going to explain this to her? She would freak out. She would kill me. Oh, man. I\u2019d kill me too, if I were her.<\/p>\n

Kimo turned suddenly and as I followed his gaze, I spotted the ghost of a Japanese woman. She stood on the edge of the heaiu<\/em>, gesturing to him. He walked right over to her, but something about her frightened me. It took me several seconds to realize the heavy wooden yolk she wore around her neck was the type that King Kamehameha the Great forced people to wear when they\u2019d been selected to his human sacrifices in honor of the war god, Ku. The intended victim would wear the yolk that was so heavy it made movement difficult, for up to three days before death.<\/p>\n

The spirit of a Hawaiian man appeared beside the Japanese woman. His body was mangled, and around his neck he wore a ka\u2019ane<\/em>, a strangle cord that was used to hold down victims designated to be beaten to death.<\/p>\n

I shivered. There must have been many restless ghosts here. Thousands of men had been sacrificed to Ku. That crazy old king was keen on human offerings, and in the most gruesome ways possible. He thought the more pain the victim suffered, the more it pleased his war god. What puzzled me was that he selected criminals usually, and as far as I knew, always men. I\u2019d never heard of him choosing a woman. He apparently considered women and children inferior sacrifices.<\/p>\n

And putting the yolk around her neck \u2013 or any victim\u2019s neck – signified they\u2019d committed a terrible kapu<\/em>, a violation to be marked for death. It wasn\u2019t difficult to commit kapu<\/em> back in those days. Just standing in the king\u2019s shadow or looking him in the eye condemned you to death. What could she have done to displease his majesty so much? She seemed anguished and exhausted.<\/p>\n

Kimo conducted a lengthy conversation with the spirits of the Japanese woman, and the Hawaiian man, then turned and moved back over to me, his eyes grave. \u201cWe have a little problem,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

No shit, McGarrett.<\/em> \u00a0\u201dWhat is it?\u201d I asked.<\/p>\n

He peered at me anxiously. \u201cIt\u2019s kind of an interesting problem.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cYou don\u2019t say,\u201d I deadpanned.<\/p>\n

Kimo winced. \u201cThis lady, her name is Momoko. She has quite a tale to tell.\u201d He took a deep breath. \u201cHer father came from Japan as a sugar slave a long time ago. When he received his freedom papers after five years of work, he sent for his wife, Momoko\u2019s mother. She became pregnant very quickly and Momoko was born here. She says when she was four, she realized around the same time as her mother, that her father had a secret life. He was kappa<\/em>.\u201d<\/p>\n

I stared at him. \u201cWhat\u2019s a kappa<\/em>?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cIn short, they are river monsters. He kept his secret for a long time, but Momoko\u2019s mother took off, leaving Momoko and her brother, Yasu, in their father\u2019s care. Momoko says he was a good father, and in spite of their reputation as killers and tricksters, he was a good monster.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cA good monster. Kimo, do you know how ridiculous that sounds?\u201d<\/p>\n

Kimo held up a hand. \u201cHe provided food and shelter for many families in their village, which she says was in Hale\u2019iwa.\u201d<\/p>\n

This made sense to me. Many of the freed Asian workers flocked to the North Shore of Oahu when they achieved freedom. Firstly, it was largely unpopulated and land was cheap. The island\u2019s very first hotel, the Hale\u2019iwa, had been built there and many Asian families created small businesses that catered to the guests. Some of the men helped build the now-defunct Hawaiian railroad that carried visitors from Waikiki to the North Shore each weekend.<\/p>\n

Hale\u2019iwa also had a beach and a river\u2026<\/p>\n

A river<\/em>.<\/p>\n

\u201cAnahulu River,\u201d I said.<\/p>\n

Kimo nodded encouragingly. \u201cExactly.\u00a0 There was a very bad storm, Momko said. A typhoon that devastated parts of the North Shore. Her father helped everybody, but the work of restoring homes and businesses was back-breaking, so he and her brother, Yasu turned themselves into kappa<\/em> late at night and finished a lot of the work without anybody realizing. They had supernatural powers and worked hard and fast. The locals credited the menehune<\/em>, and the family never corrected them.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cSo,\u201d I said, \u201cHe does sound like a good um, monster.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cAs you know, once King Kamehameha died, this heiau<\/em> was used by some dark kahuna <\/em>who also performed human sacrifice. Momoko\u2019s father was seen in his kappa<\/em> form, captured and blamed for shark kills on the shores of the ocean. He\u2019d been seen shape-shifting, but he always denied he had anything to do with the ocean. He stuck strictly to mountains and rivers. He said he loved the land, and its people, and protected them.<\/p>\n

\u201cOnly one kahuna <\/em>believed him and fought to spare his life. Instead, a stronger sorcerer-type guy shackled him, then captured Momoko and Yasu by lying to them. He said if they came willingly to the heiau<\/em>, they would be designated official land spirits. Momoko had never shown any signs of being kappa, but she worried her brother and father would be slaughtered and that they would not be accepted as land spirits.\u201d<\/p>\n

I looked across the rough expanse of stubbly grass and pebbles where she\u2019d been standing, but I could no longer see her now. \u201cAnd what happened?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cAll three of them were painfully sacrificed.\u201d He let the words sink in. \u201cYasu however, has turned into a very mischievous kappa. She says he is a Kawatar\u014d<\/em>.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cWhich is, I\u2019m afraid to ask?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cA river boy.\u201d Kimo turned to look back at the spot where Momoko had been standing. \u201cShe said he has been waiting for a long time to return to the river. He longs to be with their father, who returned here many years ago. She can come with us. If we are willing to take her, and reunite them. The only way Yasu was able to return was with human children.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cHe\u2019s not going to hurt our babies is he?\u201d I was near hysteria now. How the hell were we supposed to get to Anahulu River?<\/p>\n

\u201cOh, ye of little faith. Don\u2019t you know me better than that, Mypaka?\u201d He dropped a kiss on my lips. \u201cI will ask Pele to provide us transportation and it will come.\u201d He gestured to Momoko. \u201cOur people wronged her family. I\u2019d like to take her with us and give final freedom to her and her family.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cBut that little\u2026whatever he was that ran off with our children didn\u2019t look like a little Japanese boy.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cNo. That was a shell he created. The Kawatar\u014d <\/em>are tricksters, just like our own \u2018E\u2019epa<\/em>. He must have met a lot of them over the centuries here. He would have found it easy to create the shell, and I walked right into his trap.\u201d He shrugged. \u201cEverybody makes mistakes.\u201d<\/p>\n

I said nothing. I just wanted to get to Hale\u2019iwa. From where we were in Pupukea, it was about a five-mile drive. With the winding Kamehameha Road traffic, it would take us about twenty minutes to get there, depending on what type of transportation he was able to summon for us.<\/p>\n

\u201cMomoko,\u201d Kimo said, his voice deeper now, his breath coming out frosty. This happened whenever he worked huna<\/em> magic. She emerged from the same spot. She knelt before Kimo and the man with the strangle cord appeared beside her.<\/p>\n

She spoke in rapid-fire Japanese.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhat is she saying?\u201d I asked my husband.<\/p>\n

\u201cShe said, save me.\u201d<\/p>\n

That made me so emotional. She was already dead. It was her soul that screamed for peace. I suddenly remembered the spirit of the young Japanese girl who had invaded our lives \u2013 and my body \u2013 the previous Halloween, seeking justice for her unsolved murder.<\/p>\n

I sighed. Kimo and I drew troubled souls both living and death like flames lured moths. I didn\u2019t mind helping Momoko, but I could tell Kimo was having a hard time convincing the dead Hawaiian with the strangle cord that he should let her go. I couldn\u2019t figure out their connection and Kimo\u2019s voice fluttered into my mind.<\/p>\n

::He was the bounty hunter who captured Momoko\u2019s family. The kahuna who hired him, tricked him, and killed him, too. He doesn\u2019t want Momoko to leave. He\u2019s grown to love her.:: Kimo looked at me imploringly.<\/em> ::His feelings are not reciprocated<\/em>.::<\/p>\n

Oh, boy.<\/p>\n

Kimo worked wonders in his communication with the dead. The spirits of tribal elders soon emerged, supporting Kimo in his efforts to right a wrong.<\/p>\n

\u201cGo,\u201d one of the older men said, pointing a spear toward the exit. Kimo, Momoko and I didn\u2019t need a printed invitation. We left. When I turned to look, everybody had vanished.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhat happened?\u201d I asked as we trudged up a long slope toward the street.<\/p>\n

\u201cThey gave me ten minutes to get away from here.\u201d He glanced at me, a guilty look on her face. \u201cLopaka, we\u2019ve become her family\u2019s guardians. I\u2019ve personally guaranteed they will be benevolent spirits and not harmful ones. Momoko says her father is quite bitter. Hopefully he won\u2019t make a liar out of me.\u201d<\/p>\n

Out on the street, we looked up and down the highway. \u201cWell, ain\u2019t that a pip,\u201d Kimo said, hands on hips. I felt certain Madame Pele would send a vehicle. After all, she did promise.\u201d<\/p>\n

The clip-clop of horse hooves caught our attention. From our left came an old-fashioned mule-drawn streetcar, the kind that used to be the popular form of public transportation in the islands. Motorized streetcars had replaced the mules around 1900.<\/p>\n

\u201cPerhaps I should have been a little more specific,\u201d Kimo muttered.<\/p>\n

\u201cNo. This is right.\u201d I watched Momoko climbing up the steps. She was still wearing the yoke and I could tell it made movement difficult. \u201cShe would freak out in a modern vehicle.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cYeah.\u201d Kimo nodded. The streetcar was half full, but nobody seemed to be aware of us. To our left sat elegantly dressed men and women wearing formal, wintry suits ill-suited to the Hawaiian climate. On the right sat workers, mostly Asian, giggling and whispering among themselves.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhen does she lose the yoke?\u201d I asked Kimo.<\/p>\n

\u201cAs soon as we deliver her safely to her family.\u201d A muscle worked in his cheek. \u201cAnd before they turn over the children to us.\u201d His eyes took on that vacant look again. \u201cI\u2019m so glad Pele is with them. Our little girl won\u2019t take shit from anybody.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cLanguage, darling.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cWell, it\u2019s true. I sort of feel sorry for that little river boy. He\u2019s met his match with our firecracker.\u201d<\/p>\n

He was right. Thank God we hadn\u2019t been able to tame her wild ways. I\u2019d never have to worry about her on a date. I\u2019d have to worry that she\u2019d do something to the guy. I could live with that\u2026<\/p>\n

Momoko sat beside me, head bent. In some ways she reminded me of Ayumi, the girl we\u2019d sent to the Pureland when we solved her murder.<\/p>\n

Kimo shook his head at me. Momoko lifted hers. I realized then it was hard for her to sit up straight with the yoke and I wanted to rip the damned thing off.<\/p>\n

I gasped when I looked outside of the slow-moving streetcar, stunned to see a gleaming black and green railway carriage gliding past us on the edge of the road. I was giddy with excitement because I\u2019d always wanted to see the long-gone train, but that was the point. It was gone. Long, long ago.<\/p>\n

\u201cLopaka,\u201d Kimo said, a mixture of excitement and dread on his face. \u201cI have bad news for you, and bad news for you.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cNo good news?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cWell, some.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cGimme that first.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cThe good news is, that we\u2019re getting close to the river.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cOkay, so what\u2019s the bad news?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cWe\u2019ve somehow, I don\u2019t know how, stepped back in time over a hundred years. I don\u2019t think I\u2019ll get our kids back by dinner time because I have no idea when that is.\u201d<\/p>\n

I stared at him. \u201cBut we will find them, won\u2019t we?\u201d<\/p>\n

The streetcar stopped.<\/p>\n

\u201cThis is it.\u201d Kimo helped me and Momoko off the vehicle. Around us stood tiny stores all bearing Japanese names. Momoko stared toward the river.<\/p>\n

\u201cPapa!\u201d she cried out, then ran toward a bent-over elderly Japanese man. Beside him loomed the little \u2018E\u2019epa and he pointed and laughed at us.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhere are my children?\u201d I screamed at him.<\/p>\n

The little bastard just laughed and laughed.<\/p>\n

\u201cHuh,\u201d Kimo said. \u201cThis shit just got even more<\/em> interesting.\u201d<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Phantom Lover Chronicles By A.J. Llewellyn Cover Art: Silver Pixies Link to Chapter One: http:\/\/www.ajllewellyn.com\/site\/2013\/03\/18\/2039\/     Chapter Two: The Kawatar\u014d   Kimo chewed his lip a moment. It had finally sunk in that the ‘E’epa had not only abducted our children, but taken our car, which left us stranded. Kimo could shape-shift and jump […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-2335","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-latestnews"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.ajllewellyn.com\/site\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2335","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.ajllewellyn.com\/site\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.ajllewellyn.com\/site\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.ajllewellyn.com\/site\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.ajllewellyn.com\/site\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2335"}],"version-history":[{"count":10,"href":"https:\/\/www.ajllewellyn.com\/site\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2335\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":2348,"href":"https:\/\/www.ajllewellyn.com\/site\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2335\/revisions\/2348"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.ajllewellyn.com\/site\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2335"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.ajllewellyn.com\/site\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2335"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.ajllewellyn.com\/site\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2335"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}