Death by Facebook (19 page)

Shirley
shook her head a little. “Why are some people so intent on
tempting the volcano?”

Larry
stood up to get more coffee, and Shirley followed him inside to the
kitchen.

“
I
think,” Larry answered. “They don't have the same
reverence, the same respect you have Shirley.” He poured a
second full cup of the still steaming Kona magic.

Shirley
was putting her papaya shell into the composting bucket seemingly
concerned about this story.

“
Larry,
if this crazy girl did indeed throw this soldier into the lava pit
there, at Halema'uma'u...” she paused.

“
What
honey?” Larry prodded.

She
shook her head a bit. “The stories I've heard, from the
ancient days anyhow, was that when criminals were punished, thrown
into the lava pits in execution, the volcano reacted.”

Larry
looked at her closely, trying to read her obvious concern. He hadn't
expected this story to bother her this much. “Reacted? How do
you mean?”

“
Well,
lets just say they quit punishing criminals that way.” Shirley
walked back outside with a large glass of orange juice and a bagel.

Larry
followed her out with his coffee, anxious to find out more.

“
Why?
Come on Shirley, tell me. Why did they stop punishing bad guys by
pushing them into lava pits?”

Shirley
looked up at the magnificent summit of Mauna Loa, the mother of all
the lower volcanoes of Kilauea, Halema'uma'u and no doubt dozens of
unnamed ones from the distant past. Larry was watching her closely
when she turned to catch his eye.

“
They
got tired of losing their fishing villages to lava flows.”

~~~

Ranger
Jack Clovis had just received a phone call from the Hawaiian
Volcanoes Observatories lead scientist. A rather frantic call as he
would later tell his friends.

“
Look
Jack, we need your friend. Larry is it? To fly his paraglider
upslope from the vents and drop some sensors for us. We're kinda in
a hurry.”

“
Sure,
no problem Alice, Larry's usually up for that.” Jack confirmed.
“Anything going on?” He knew something must be but
tried to keep his voice slightly uninterested to coax an exasperated
answer out.

“
You'll
get a page as soon as I can finish typing it up here. Look, I need
to get Larry airborne within an hour, OK?”

Alice
was trying real hard not to shake with excitement, or perhaps it was
fear, so she slowed down her typing to one finger at time. The
seismograph next to her was wagging its tail excitedly recording
dozens of small quakes no one could feel. She went back to her memo,
reading it over before sending it.

“
At
0420 Hawaiian Standard Time this morning sensors at the summit of
Mauna Loa recorded unusual activity centered around significant and
rapid re-inflation. A record swarm of 1200 long period earthquakes
have been recorded in the past 36 hours. All of these have been
measured at 2.5 magnitude or less. Indications are that a large pool
of magma is heading upward from the vast magma chambers below the
volcano.”

Alice
was about to send that out when a window shaking 4.8 magnitude
rattled her office. She added another paragraph.

“
We
can expect larger than normal and more frequent earthquakes in the
vicinity of Kilauea, Mauna Loa and Halema'uma'u.”

17

Janet
tried to read the eight month old Time magazine, but decided to just
look at the pictures instead. She could feel her stomach churning
like something was bumping around down there.

Voices
were discussing something on the other side of the door which her
friend, her now dear friend Starshine had shut behind her. She
figured they were talking about whatever it was the doctor had found
out, and that was just fine with her. If someone else could handle
the details then she didn't have to.

Still,
she was a bit nervous. Standing up finally and going to the large
window facing west she looked out over the vast Ohia forests and
jungles. The second floor office had a fantastic view toward the
rising terrain leading up to Hawaii Volcanoes National Park.

She
hadn't noticed before, perhaps because she had never paid any
attention to it from down at the ocean pools, but a large plume of
steam was rising vertically above the trees. Nothing like what she
had seen on the History channel of course, but something more akin to
what they showed in Iceland. Something like a healthy column of
steam, slowly dissipating into the blue crispness of the calm
morning.

Star
opened the door and walked out with the doctor, both smiling broadly,
their eyes glittering like someone holding on tightly to a secret
they were about to let loose.

“
Jimmie,”
the doctor began, sitting on the edge of his desk, giving Star a
moment to go to Janet's side. “I've got some exciting news for
you...”

The
windows just then began a complaining rattle and the wooden structure
on which they sat atop swayed just slightly. Several car alarms,
rental cars obviously since no locals here would tolerate them, began
squawking.

Janet
jumped a bit and Star gave her a little hug.

“
Ah,
I hate it when that happens,” the doctor laughed. He looked at
Janet's big eyes and added. “Just a little roller, not to
worry. We get one a month or so.”

“
It's
OK Jimmie,” Star whispered softly. “The doctor has some
news for you.” Star caught herself repeating the doctor but
could put it no other way. She had a touch of dread and didn't want
to lose her new friend by being the dark messenger.

I
hovered close by, watching Janet, and talking with the baby. Janet
seemed a bit nervous, but I was having a great time. The baby was
enjoying our little “talks” which I must admit were
little more than mental goo-goo eyes. I would find him and smile, he
would hear me and laugh. Naturally, it was nonverbal, but it was a
flow of love back and forth nonetheless. I kept broadcasting my name
to him, as Daddy. Although neither of us really needed a name, since
we seemed to be the only ones in the room as it were, it was fun. My
mind wandered a bit trying to find him one. I guess since I had met
him at Star's cabin I would give him a name that was a variation of
the place. Poho. Poho from Kapoho, Hawaii. Very masculine, I
figured, and somehow very strong.

As
Poho and I were cracking each other up, I was interrupted, well, we
both were, by a burst of static. Janet was screaming, loudly. Both
the doctor and Star were holding her down, as she was thrashing
around and yelling in between her screams. I couldn't make out much
but I did hear something that brought me back to a state of fear.

“
My
brother did this to me! My brother!”

Star
was shaking, afraid to see Janet like this. The doctor seemed quite
surprised.

“
Jimmie,
Jimmie!” He said loudly until he got her attention. “I
have to ask, but how do you know your brother got you pregnant?”

Star
looked at him like he was an idiot, and he had to admit to himself it
was an idiotic question. He knew that, but he knew he had to ask
anyhow.

“
Don't
you think I would know who...”

“
Wait,
just stop!” Star demanded. “Sit down, please.”

The
doctor moved back to his desk visually shaken as well.

“
Now
Jimmie, did he rape you? Your brother?” Star spoke softly.

I
was already answering “No. NO!”

Janet
shook her head no. “No, our family was split up when we were
young. I ended up with what I thought was a nice guy, fifteen years
later. But, it was him, my brother!” She looked up at both of
them and I saw deep pools of tears in her eyes. “He knew too.
He was told by our other brother.” She burst into tears again.

Star
looked over at the doctor and then back to Janet. “He knew and
still had sex with you?”

Janet
shook her head no. “No, not then. But he knew later and never
told me, almost married me. He didn't care. He didn't...”
Janet reached over quickly for the small plastic trash can near the
doctor's desk and began vomiting.

Star
walked over to the doctor's desk and whispered in his ear. “Can't
you do a test of some kind? To confirm the baby, you know, is from a
brother and sister?”

The
doctor didn't like the implication of where such a question was
leading. “Look Star, if it's true, there's only a 25% chance
of deformity or some other DNA incompatibility.”

Star
stood up straighter next to him, put her hands on her hips and stared
down at the man. “Are you suggesting she keep such a baby?”

The
doctor looked quickly over at Janet, who by now was watching him
closely even as she wiped her mouth with a large box of tissues. “I
suggest nothing. I can initiate a test though, if you think it's a
good idea.”

Looking
to Janet directly he asked, “Jimmie, do you want to keep this
baby? I have to tell you the odds are that it would be healthy and
viable. However, in the State of Hawaii, in such a circumstance as
yours, a termination of the pregnancy could be had.”

Star
looked at Janet as well, studying her face for a reaction.

The
doctor continued. “But, I have to tell you, the baby is twenty
two weeks, some five months along. It might be able to survive an
early birth now.” He was trying to offer as many solutions for
life as he could. “But, if you could wait another month or so,
or even go to full term, we can arrange an adoption.”

I
could feel the massive amounts of static ramp up again in Janet, like
they had back in Cabin #94. Poho was real quiet.

Janet's
eyes got all wild, pools of insanity spilling up through the pale
blue of her stare. “Get this...” she hissed loudly, spit
flying out of her mouth. “...monster out of me!” She
spit obscenely into the waist basket. “Now!” She was
breathing heavily and cursing under her breath. Suddenly she stood
up and started beating her fist into her stomach. “I'll kill
you twice, you bastard!”

Star
and the doctor quickly grabbed her arms while some of the office
staff and another doctor ran in after hearing the commotion.

“
Sedate
her,” Star cried. “Please,” she whispered through
her tears. “Please, sedate her.”

Star
was horrified at Janet's reaction but tried to tell herself she
understood. How would she feel in such a situation, she asked
herself. The doctor, being a man, had no firm grasp on the emotional
turmoil, but had seen enough of it to understand the stress. Still,
neither he nor Star could attribute Janet's wild behavior to such
news alone.