A Song for the Stars by Ilima Todd

Author:Ilima Todd
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Shadow Mountain Publishing
Published: 2019-03-11T19:37:43+00:00

There is a story the children like to tell about the waterfalls that flow down the mountainside on this side of the island. During a time of drought, a woman gave birth to a child with the power to shapeshift into a pig. She kept him away from the village, afraid the chief would put her child to death if his unnatural ability was discovered.

The child’s appetite was unrivaled, and he was not satisfied with his mother’s meager harvest of dry root vegetables. So he ventured into the village each night and stole a chicken for his meal. When the chief’s prize rooster went missing, he waited with his army in the dark to catch the thief unawares. They captured the child with ease and tied him up in the prisoner hut. But when he shifted into his pig form, he burst through his constraints and expanded beyond the seams of the structure, for his ravenous appetite had made him grow to a monstrous size.

With the chief and his warriors in pursuit, the boy-pig ran toward the mountains and climbed to the other side to escape, but not before carving long grooves into the mountainside with his sets of hooves. The gouges were deep enough to reach hidden springs of water that sent a rush of waterfalls flowing down to the valley, washing away the chief and his men. The boy-pig made it to the other side, never to be heard of again, though he is remembered as a hero, bringing much-needed water to his people.

I think the children enjoy the story because it is about one of their own not only getting away with mischief, but being praised for it. However, I like the way it takes something seemingly bad and damaging and turns it into a blessing in disguise.

I’ve struck a deal with the chief. I’ve offered him the use of our guns, though it took me hours to convince the crew it’s for our best interest, especially the sailor who saw me taken captive. Now I must return to the island. The chief is going to tell his daughter she must spend these next few weeks teaching me to navigate.

I feel like that boy-pig, causing problems no matter what I do. My men have wrought turmoil in the lives of the Hawaiians the moment we returned, and I don’t know how to begin trying to fix what’s been broken. So though we might not have the ability to erase all that has happened, perhaps we can give them something beneficial in the aftermath. But none of it will be worth it if I disappoint her. Not after everything she’s done for me.

My stomach twists not knowing how she will react.

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