Page 42 of Big Island Horizons
Rory groaned. “What did we even drive up here for, then?”
‘Olena laughed. “Just get bundled up and you’ll see.”
Even from the parking lot, she could see the glow of the eruption lighting up the columns of steam that rose from the crater floor. She had a childlike urge to sprint to the railing, but she waited until her girls were ready.
Once they had their shoes and jackets and hats on, she took their hands and hurried across the parking lot. As soon as they reached the railing, Kiki and Luana let out an audible gasp. Surround sound. Their awe alone would have been worth it. But that wasn’t all.
The sight of the lava boiling up from the rock touched ‘Olena deeply, with or without her desire to share it with her girls. She was grateful to share this with them, but she would have rushed up to the national park even if they had been at their dad’s place that night.
There was something almost holy about the glow of the lava, the sound of it audible even from all the way up on the rim of the crater.
Itwasholy, she decided as she stared down. She had made her way to every visible eruption, and her amazement never dimmed. Each time was just as awe inspiring as the last. There was a reason that this place had been considered a holy place by the ancient Hawaiians, the sacred home of the goddess Pele.
They were witnessing the phenomena that had built the mountain that they stood upon and birthed the entire island chain. It was an act of creation, all power and feminine rage. Strength.
She looked over at her cousin. Lani stood with Rory on her hip, their faces dimly lit by the column of lava that spilled up from the earth below.
The crater was massive, the size of a valley. Far below, the floor of the crater glowed red hot with molten rock. Rivers of lava moved across the surface. From this distance they were flowing lines, a web of lava spreading across the face of the crater.
Two massive geysers of lava erupted up from the crater floor, seemingly small in the distance but probably at least a hundred feet high.
As they stood watching, a third fountain of lava broke up from the floor. First a growing column of steam caught her eye, and then a sudden glow as the solid rock gave way to the liquid magma below.
On either side of them, people erupted in a quiet chorus of awe. It felt like a deeply human experience, to be standing there in the thin crowd, watching the Earth work and vocalizing their wonder.
“We should see if the playschool families want to do a nighttime field trip up here.”
“Parents included, you mean?”
“Yeah. I’m up for a challenge, but even I’m not trying to keep track of a whole crowd of kids in the pitch black on the side of a volcano.”
“Yeah, that doesn’t sound like fun.”
“It would be a fun thing for the kids to experience together, though, if their parents came along.”
“Okay, we saw it,” Luana cut in. “Can we have hot chocolate now?”
“Sure,” she said with a laugh.
Each of the girls got their own little mug of hot chocolate, and they were content to sit and sip a while longer, gazing down at the lava that moved and glowed down at the bottom of the crater. ‘Olena and Lani passed the thermos back and forth, drinking the remaining hot chocolate.
When the hot drink was gone and the girls started to get cold, the distant lava couldn’t hold their attention anymore.
“Can we go home now?” Kiki whined, rubbing at her eyes. ‘Olena lifted her up to her hip, and Kiki rested her head on her shoulder.
Lani looked at her and nodded. “It’s past our bedtime.”
“I’m not tired,” Luana said, and yawned.
“Okay, let’s call it,” ‘Olena agreed.
They carried the little girls back through the pitch black parking lot to the car. Luana clung to her mom’s jacket, her shoes scuffing the backs of ‘Olena’s heels.
All three kids were asleep before they were even out of the park.
“So,” ‘Olena said as soon as they had space to talk, “what are you gonna do about Zeke?”
Lani glanced over her shoulder, double checking that the kids were sound asleep.
