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The Lost Feather of Ku - A Spooky Story
 By: Anne Castles, Staff Writer
Keoni always looks forward to his family's yearly visit to Auntie's house in the Waipio Valley. It is taro harvest time and his whole family loves to pitch in and help. Although the harvest is a lot of hard work, Keoni always enjoys tromping through the flooded fields and playing in the mud. But this year, he couldn't shake the feeling that something bad is going to happen. Growing up in Hawaii he was been taught to trust his intuition, so he couldn't help but feel bothered.
Just before dawn the next day everyone meets up at the taro fields. Friends and families reunite to tell stories and catch up on the latest gossip. The atmosphere is festive and soon Keoni is happily working alongside his friends. The day goes by quickly and all too soon the entire family heads back to Auntie's house. While they are walking along, Keoni notices something on the side of the road. He bends down to pick it up; it's a large red and yellow feather. He knows instantly that it's the same kind that the ancient Hawaiians used to make cloaks for their warriors. But the strangest part is that this kind of feather comes from a bird that has been extinct for hundreds of years. Oh well, he thinks, this will be a cool souvenir to show his friends back home.
Later that night, Keoni is awakened by weird noises coming from downstairs. He gets up and looks out the window and sees the streets are full of people. They seem to be floating above the ground instead of walking. In the front of the procession are giant men dressed in cloaks and helmets adorned with bright red and yellow feathers. They are carrying primitive weapons made of strong wood and shark's teeth. They march in a perfectly straight line concentrating on their destination.
Keoni gasps and all the marchers stop and look up at him. Keoni can feel their eyes starting to pull him closer to the window. Keoni wanted to run back to bed and hide under the covers but he couldn't move. He just stands there paralyzed with terror. He steps closer to the window. As he takes another step, he accidentally trips and falls to the ground. He pops back up but the night parade is gone. He wonders if he just imagined the whole thing, but it seemed so real. He sits by the window for a long time waiting for them to come back but they don't return that night.
The next morning Keoni decides not to tell anyone what he saw. They would think that he is crazy and make fun of him. As he heads downstairs to breakfast, he feels a cool breeze brush his cheek. He turns to close the window but it is already closed. That's when he notices the face in the fog on the window. It looks just like Ku, the ancient Hawaiian God of war. Under the face is a primitive symbol for KAPU or forbidden. That's when Keoni realizes that last night was real.
At breakfast, Keoni discovers that work is cancelled because a big storm is rolling in. The sunny morning turns into a dark and gloomy afternoon. It is as if nighttime came early.
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