Throughout my life, I have always been told about my “amazing Polynesian culture.” I can’t see why it’s so amazing. What’s everyone so jealous of? Yeah, there are nice beaches, but there are so many rules you have to follow. You always have to make sure that you are making your ancestors and gods happy. It’s exhausting! I don’t even live in Hawaii, so I don’t know why I have to follow any rules. I wrote this down in my journal and suddenly looked up at my clock. “Shoot, I was supposed to be packed for our flight by now! Mom is going to be angry if she sees I have nothing packed.” I ran into my room and started throwing in every pair of shorts and tank tops that I own. I kept on thinking to myself, “I don’t want to go to Hawaii with my family for the summer. All we do is visit family. I have no friends and there is nothing to do there.” My mom then came snuck into my room. I practically jumped when I saw her. She was just looking at me, judging me for my unpacked bag. “Um, I’m just packing a few last-minute things,” I said. She shook her head and walked away. I hate it when she sneaks into my room like that. Then my little brother came in. He started yelling “Kalani’s not finished packing and we are going to miss our flight,” in his annoying little voice. I grabbed my suitcase and zipped it up. I didn’t even care if I packed everything that I needed. 

We put all of our stuff in the car and drove to the airport. We are lucky because we live right by the Los Angeles International Airport. We walked into the airport, and like usual, it was pretty busy. There were businessmen walking around in suits and black bags. There were families with strollers and screaming kids. There were people in a big hurry, and people who were sleeping in the chairs by their terminal. We got our tickets and the lady behind the counter said “Have a great time in Hawaii! I wish I was able to go there” I thought to myself “You can have my ticket,” but at that point, the next person in line had already moved up to the counter. We went through airport security and it took forever. My dad had to get a knee replacement, so we had to have all of our bags searched. The man searching my carry-on handed it back to me and said “You guys better hurry, your flight is boarding right now.” At that moment all of us started to run. I thought to myself, I don’t even understand why I am running. I don’t even want to go. I should just walk and then we would miss our flight and have to stay home. Even though I thought all of this, I continued to run. 

We got on the flight right on time. I was upset and angry at my family for making me follow through with this. I put on my headphones and listened to music. I slowly drifted into a deep sleep, and five long hours later we were there. My mom gently tapped my shoulder and said “Look we are in paradise.” I didn’t believe her. When we got out of the airport, I looked outside and I just saw vibrant colors everywhere. We rented a tiny house to sleep in and on the drive we got to pass by the beaches. I was mesmerized by the water. It was turquoise and blue. It was kind of see-through and breathtaking. The sand was a light tan, but it looked so smooth. It didn’t have rocks and sticks in it everywhere. It was pristine. Along the beach, there were shades of green everywhere. There were palm trees that looked like they could touch the sky and other trees that were all different shades of green and sun-drenched. This was the only part of the trip that I think I might enjoy. I immediately asked, “When can we go to the beach?” My dad replied, “Hopefully every day we can go.” I really wanted this to be true. 

After our long flight, we went to our rental house and unpacked and everyone took a nap. We were all exhausted from our flight. I fell into a deep sleep and dreamed about surfing on the blue water and playing in the smooth sand. 

I finally opened my eyes and looked at the clock that was next to me. It said 7:30. I turned over and just saw my brother’s face. He had obviously been up for hours. He immediately screamed, “We are going for a walk on the beach!” I was still groggy, so I wiped my eyes and stretched. I got up and walked into my parent’s bedroom, and they told me exactly what my little brother did. My dad grabbed the keys and his phone and we left. When we walked outside of our house, I saw the prettiest orange, yellow, and pink flowers. The colors were so vibrant and tropical. We had to walk a few blocks to get to the beach and I saw all of the bright lights in the city. They were all flashing and it was kind of like a miny Las Vegas. On the walk, my dad was telling us the story of the night marchers. He said that they are ancient Hawaiin warriors who died in battle. They have trails that they march on at night time during the phases of the moon. They have torches and a big drum. They kill anyone that comes into their path that is not of their ancestry. My dad assured all of us that it was just a legend and even if they were real it’s not the right time in the lunar cycle.

We were finally able to make it to the beach and by that point it was dark. We all took our shoes off, so we could feel the sand underneath our feet. We walked and looked at the water which was much darker now. I thought about all the fish and sharks and turtles that live in the water. Then all of a sudden I started to get goose bumps. I didn’t feel cold, but I felt something was wrong. I knew it was weird but I figured it would go away, so I just kept on walking with my family. Then all of a sudden my brother made a comment about his goose bumps. My mom worried that we were sick, so we stopped for a minute and she felt our heads. I looked up from my concerned mother’s face and saw a line of orange coming towards us from far down the beach. The hairs on my neck raised and I wanted to scream but I couldn’t find it in me. I felt scared even though I didn’t know what it was. I, then, heard a deep sound. I thought maybe it was a car, but it was too repetitive. My heart rate increased. I started panting, and I looked over at my stunned father’s eyes. He looked like he had just seen a ghost. He then murmured, “It’s too late to run.” I felt paralyzed with fear. I didn’t think that I could move. I figured out that the noise I was hearing was a drum. It was banging repetitively and the torches kept on moving forward. I then heard a horn and my dad yelled for all of us to lay face down in the sand. I panicked. What could be going on? Why won’t my dad say anything? What is going on? Are we going to be okay?

All the while, my dad told us to lay down in the sand. I took a tiny peak before I put my head in the sand and I could see what my dad did. I saw ghosts. They were Hawaiin men that had on helmets and loincloths and jewelry. The majority held spears which made me even more nervous. They had red on their helmets. They all looked very muscular. I finally realized why my dad was so afraid. They were the night marchers. There was no mistaking them for anything else besides spirits. I put my head in the sand and hoped that it would all be over. It was all a dream, and I hadn’t woken up yet from my nap after the flight. We would have a great vacation, and I would be able to surf on the beach. I gripped the sand that suddenly felt cold, and I thought about my family. I looked over at my brother and he was crying. I wanted to cry, but I couldn’t. I felt hopeless. There was nothing I could do anymore. I buried my head in the sand some more and finally accepted my fate.