To Replace What Was Broken

Keahi watches Kite as she explains about her disability and gives a thoughtful nod to herself. Truthfully, she thought that might be the case and had some foresight to prepare something if the light was too much for the young girl. As she explains about the punishment, she is ready for the girl to give her some push back and she gets it. Kite growls about how unfair it is and continues on her thiarid but the red woman is no longer in front of her.

Quietly, she flits to four points around and unravels her surprise for the impulsive girl. Pulling a long length of cord on their right, a fur that has had a wooden frame attached falls from the tree line, hanging from the lowest limb of the tree all the way to the ground. Next, she goes to a spot behind them and pulls another cord and the same thing happens. She repeats the process twice more with similar results. Finally, she grabs a long piece of cloth and drags it from one side of the makeshift box to the other.

With her work complete, the pair now stand in an almost pitch-black area and Keahi has to feel her way to where she has stashed a small lantern. While she works, she does not speak and swiftly, pulls the lantern out. She places it near where Kite will be working and covers the soft light with a thin layer of cloth. Yes, she had thought ahead but she had wanted to know how Kyanite would react. Now, standing near the wood that the girl will using, she firmly says, “Remove your blindfold Kite.”

Her tone leaves no room for argument and she waits until the girl has it off and can take in the area. Looking at the girl, Keahi says, “I am sorry that your eyesight is painful. However, that does not excuse your behavior. You may not have meant to break the beehive but you were trying to steal honey. Now, you need to accept that it happened, even though you did not mean it to, and fix your mistake. You hurt Halo’s feelings and you ruined part of something that is very special to her. It is time to make amends.”

There is steel in her eyes as she looks at the crystalized eyes of the girl. She keeps her tone even and firm as she speaks. Kite had made a mistake and those are a part of life. However, she needs to learn to own up to what happened and try to apologize it. If she wants to get anywhere in life, she needs to accept that things happen and find a way to move on. Keahi is not here to belittle or make fun of the girl or her disability but she does expect her to do the task laid out before her.


"Keahi Mogotsi"