Colby should’ve been off-the-charts excited to see the green sea turtles swimming so close to the shore, the bait Sam had used to lure him to Trey’s house. Instead, he stood offshore, staring at what looked like driftwood vertically stuck into the ground. A twisted, freaky-looking tree. The more Sam called Colby, the more Colby stared at the odd-shaped wood, trapped in a moment.
Finally, Colby heard Sam and snapped out of it. He jogged over to the ocean’s edge where Sam stood in two feet of water, watching schools of little fish swimming all around, but he still didn’t seem to care about the turtles or any of the exciting ocean life surrounding them.
“Hey, man, you okay?” Sam asked, holding his mouthpiece aside. “I was calling you for a whole thirty seconds, and you couldn’t hear me.”
“I’m fine.” Colby rubbed his face. “Just tired, I think.”
“You look pale, like you’ve seen a ghost.”
“A ghost, yeah. Haha. Probably. But I’m not leaving. I’ve come too far. I’m not leaving,” Colby insisted, muttering, chin to the ground.
Sam stared at Colby. “What?” Who said anything about leaving?
First, Colby had held fast to that twisted tree, staring at nothing, ignoring his loud calls. He didn’t care about ginormous sea turtles swimming all around either. Had he really seen a ghost? But Colby was a skeptic, like him. Had he actually seen one, he would’ve said something about it.
“Nobody’s making you leave, Colby,” Sam calmly said, with the patience of a dad to a toddler. “You’re here now. Paradise all around! See?” He threw his arms out at the surrounding magnificence, just like Trey loved to do.
Colby nodded, but his mind was elsewhere.
“Come on, get in the water. You’ll feel better. Look, there’s another turtle right there.” Sam pointed out a friendly green sea turtle swimming straight toward them. He pushed the snorkel’s mouthpiece into his mouth and dipped underneath the surface. The airy sounds of the beach and seagulls disappeared, blending into distorted, watery silence.
The turtle glided through the turquoise and gold seascape, waved a flipper as if to say hello, then disappeared into the darker depths beyond before Sam could reach out and touch it.
He broke the surface, gasping for breath. “Did you see it?”
“Yeah. That was amazing.” Colby waded into the water wearing his gear, his smile slowly returning to his face. There we go. Now the best friend he knew was coming back to life.
“Guys!” Nate called from further out in the reef. “Come this way! There’s butterflyfish. And parrotfish!”
Sam ducked his mask into the water and snorkeled toward Nate with Colby close behind. The water, which had felt cold when he’d first waded in, now felt warm and refreshing.
“Can you believe all these fish?” Nate sank his mask an inch below the water line.
“I’ve never seen anything like it,” Alex said. “This is amazing!”
Sam felt better now, knowing his friends were enjoying themselves after a rocky start to their day. He wasn’t sure why, but he felt personally responsible for his friends’ fun, as if he was to blame. As if he could control the weather and the appearances of turtles. Luckily, the marine life and sunny skies had cooperated.
“It is the most beautiful place in the world,” Trey was speaking more to himself than to them, staring blankly out at the sea cliffs. “The most beautiful island ever…”
Colby swapped glances with Sam again. Trey and his odd behavior were one of those personality quirks they’d just have to get used to. Nate struck up conversations with every person they met, wasting their time; Alex was awkward in group settings, rarely took the lead (also couldn’t use public bathrooms); and Colby withdrew into himself every so often. When it came to friendships, you had to take the bad with the good. At least Trey had invited them here.
They spent the next couple of hours exploring. Trey had asked them to steer clear of the area near the sea cliffs, so they tried to stay mostly near the beach. As beautiful as the cliffs were, strong waves and currents could easily overpower them, so they stayed closer to the reef where they were able to snap amazing photos, though Sam knew not a single one could ever express the natural splendor.
The cove’s beauty was overwhelming and cozy at the same time, like a nostalgic dream about childhood after a night of too much partying. Comforting and safe. There was something indulgent about having the mountains and cliffs so close to them, but Sam realized what that safe feeling was—privilege. Few people could ever drop what they were doing to come fly out here. Then to drive into a forbidden part of the island and be given access to such a rare sight. It made him feel overcome with gratitude.
Trey may have sounded like an oddball saying it, but he was right—they were lucky.
It nearly made Sam forget the strange sensation he’d had back at the house, the dark cloud he thought he’d seen in the kitchen. At the time, it had felt so real, but now that Sam was fully immersed in one of the most amazing, real experiences he’d ever had, an afternoon filled with laughs, bantering, and nature’s gifts, he doubted what he’d seen. Thank God for science’s reassurance that he’d probably just had a reaction to the Pacific sun, heat, and lack of food. Without those facts, he would’ve thought the house was really…
Sam brushed away the niggling thought.
Trey kept leading them farther and farther down the coast, pointing out new areas of the reef, teaching them the differences between filefish and surgeonfish. There was so much to see, he didn’t want to miss one moment. At one point, Sam couldn’t see their bag pile on the sand anymore. They were getting too far. What if they missed the convoy? What if they chose to stay on Ke’e Beach forever, living off the land and sea like the hippies of yesteryear?
Could he ever do it?
Could he leave L.A. for good, his career, his friends, his girlfriend, and life as he knew it for the sake of living this virtual dream? He loved the idea of not having any responsibilities, but could he? For a little while maybe, but eventually, he might get bored.
Slowly, the guys wandered back in the direction from which they’d come, but they also seemed to be getting farther at the same time. Was the beach messing with his sense of orientation? He wasn’t even sure what time it was. When the five of them were at their closest to each other in proximity, he removed his mouthpiece. “Guys, we should start heading back soon, so we don’t miss the convoy.”
To anyone else, it sounded like he was just minding the time. The truth, however, was he was afraid of getting sucked into Hawaii’s allure.
“Aww, Daaad, I don’t wanna go,” Nate whined.
“Yeah, can’t we just live here forever?” Colby floated on his back, soaking up the rays of the sun now lowering in the west high above the horizon. Wasn’t Colby the one who hadn’t wanted to come in the first place?
“Wish we could,” Alex said. “I would stay, for sure. Buy a house here, live near the beach…”
“You can, all four of you,” Trey reminded them in that monotoned voice of his. “Stay with us. For one night. Leave in the morning.”
“Tempting, but we can’t.” Nate wiped water off his red eyes. “I have a plane to catch tomorrow. Otherwise we would. Thanks for the invite, though.”
“Yeah, thanks for this, Trey. It’s been pretty eye-opening.” Colby’s voice was sincerely filled with gratitude.
Sam smiled. He was happy to see Colby finally appreciating this side trip and knew it would all be worth it in the end. He waded closer to shore, eyes on their bags, sad that this chapter of their vacation was about to come to an end. Enjoy it while you still can, Sam told himself, taking in the shoreline of the Na Pali Coast one more time.
And there, he saw…
The dark cloud again. Only this time it seemed to curl its tendrils and morph into a long, tall human-like shape right there on the sand. It stared at him. He didn’t know how he knew, because it didn’t have a face, but somehow, he knew. Sam shook his head to try and dislodge the vision. His stomach did a couple of somersaults. He rubbed his eyes, certain the darkness would go away, but the cloudy mass still hovered and even moved and glistened.
“Do you see it?” he asked no one in particular. He didn’t want to make a big deal, because it certainly couldn’t be real. He was having that tunnel vision again. But maybe, just maybe—
“See what?” Colby gazed in the same direction, but apparently, didn’t see what Sam saw. “Are you talking about that tree? Yeah, it’s a weird-looking tree, isn’t it? I was checking it out earlier.”
“No, not the tree. Never mind, it’s nothing.” The moment Sam discredited his vision, it dissipated, swirling into itself, like a pinwheel spinning back into a portal. Vanished. Sam’s whole body shook. He knew if they didn’t get a move on now, he’d be curious to stay and investigate. “We really do need to get going.”
Colby had caught on to the change in Sam’s demeanor. “Guys…it’s time to go. Trey? It’s been real, brother.”
As they emerged from the shallows onto the beach, dripping and sunbaked, Sam felt light-headed and utterly exhausted. They’d just snorkeled the cove for two, maybe three hours. The thought of crashing in a bed back at the Belle Estate instead of driving three hours back to Koloa sounded super appealing. Maybe if they got up early enough, they could head out with plenty of time to get Nate to the airport.
Because the truth was, that this had been, despite the weird hallucinations, the most perfect place he’d ever visited in his life. He totally understood why Trey would never want to leave and could easily imagine himself staying—forever.
When the minivan pulled into the driveway, Georgia awaited them on the front porch. She leaped into Trey’s arms and kissed him like a soldier returning from the war. “Clint!” she cried.
Sam turned to the guys coming up the steps behind Trey. “Did she just call him Clint?” he whispered.
“Trey…” Georgia patted her boyfriend’s chest, apparently having heard Sam and feeling a little embarrassed about it. She rested her cheek on his shoulder. “Sorry, my love.”
“It’s all right,” Trey said, his arms still hooked around Georgia’s waist. He gave Sam a half glare, as if he’d offended his woman. “Sometimes that happens, since I do resemble Clint somewhat. It’s nothing to make fun of.”
“Sorry, I didn’t mean anything by it.”
Luckily, Georgia wasn’t offended, and if she was, she didn’t show it. “Well, you’ll probably want to change out of your swimming trunks and take a nice, hot shower. You can use the bathrooms upstairs. If you need clean, dry clothes, I have plenty I can find you.”
No, thanks, Sam thought. As much as the idea of staying seemed appealing, he wasn’t going to wear Georgia’s ex-husband’s clothes like Trey obviously did. Before he knew it, he’d be sporting a mustache and inviting them to play pinochle in the parlor. Maybe have himself a cocktail or a cigar.
Colby turned his back to face the guys privately. “I don’t know about you all, but I just want to go. If y’all don’t mind. I really just want to get back.”
“I second that,” Sam echoed. He didn’t want to risk Nate being late to his flight or missing their helicopter tour of the island tomorrow, but damn if he wasn’t going to miss this special place.
“I could use a shower, though,” Alex said, bending over to shake sand out of his hair. “You don’t really want to sit in dried saltwater all the way back to the Airbnb, do you? Four hours of itchy butt?”
“He’s right,” Nate said, looking at his phone. “We still have forty minutes before we have to get on the road. Let’s at least change so we’re not uncomfortable. Which way was the bathroom?” he asked Georgia without waiting for Sam and Colby’s input.
Sam saw Colby about to protest, but he let it go. Striking a balance over who got to call the shots was one of the tricky parts of their bro trips.
Georgia beamed, happy for the chance to hostess a little while longer. “Right up the stairs, where we were earlier today. Second door to the left.” She led them into the foyer and pointed up the stairwell. Sam noticed she had changed into another pretty dress once again. These two changed more outfits than YouTubers at Coachella.
“Do you want to go first?” Nate asked.
“I don’t want to go at all,” Colby muttered, intently checking out a piece of wall art resembling a block of concrete with rocks and shell fragments sticking out of it.
“Oh, there’s enough bathrooms for all of you up there. Just enter the guest rooms. You’ll see each one has one,” Georgia said, ushering Colby away.
They thanked her, making heavy footfalls up the stairs. Nate was right—they had a little bit of time. And actually, it would be nice to change, but they had to leave ASAP. Sam found one door ajar, peeked into the room and found towels and a white robe on the bed. The bedroom next to it had the same—clean white towels all ready for their return with fluffy bathrobes lying on white, cozy comforters.
“Which part of ‘we’re not staying’ didn’t she understand?” Colby muttered over his shoulder. They entered the second bedroom, and Colby went into the bathroom to begin dislodging sand from his hair in front of the mirror. “It’s like they’re desperate for visitors.”
Alex and Nate entered the first bedroom, but within a moment, they discovered the two rooms were connected with a short hallway in-between. “Hey, we’re over here.” Alex waved at them. “Isn’t this room intriguing?”
“Yes, totally intriguing.” Sam felt a little disappointed that Alex seemed to like this house better than the Airbnb he’d carefully picked out. Well, of course he did—it was a mansion, but he didn’t have to make his preference so obvious. Answering Colby, he said, “Yeah. I kind of feel sorry for both of them. Don’t you?”
“Not really. They’re super pushy, which totally overshadows the niceness,” Colby said. “I don’t know, bro. I’m kind of tired, though.”
Sam flopped onto the bed. “Me, too. You shower first. I’ll just lie here and rest a second.” And possibly fall asleep while the others showered. The bed felt so soft and comfortable, a power nap would be the thing he needed.
Colby was now talking to himself in the bathroom. “I mean, we clearly said no to sleeping over like three times. Now, here we are, showering when we said we were just going to leave. This house has a way of not letting you go.”
His voice faded off. Sam agreed that Georgia had a way of making people do whatever she wanted and wondered if he would end up like Trey, robotic and amenable to serving her, if he ever stayed long enough.
“Hey, Sam?”
“Yeah?”
Colby popped his head out of the bathroom as the shower ran behind him. “I didn’t want to talk about it before, but…back at the beach, did you get any weird vibes?”
He did see something. “Maybe. Why, did you?”
“I honestly…I don’t know. It’s been a weird day. I haven’t stopped thinking about it since it happened.”
“What did you see?” Sam asked.
“People. On the beach. Having a campfire, raising kids. One of them even told me to go. It was odd. I don’t know…I think I was just imagining hippies, since Trey and Georgia talked about them so much. Maybe my brain was just bringing them to life. Why, what did you see?”
Sam was glad they were finally talking about this, even though he really, really wanted to nap. He knew Colby couldn’t go long without sharing his experiences. He wasn’t sure he wanted to mention his, though. It would open a whole new can of worms.
“Sam?”
“Yeah?” He was drifting away, dozing in and out of sleep, especially with that pleasant scent floating around that seemed to permeate the air, plus the sound of the shower running.
“What did you see?”
If he couldn’t talk to Colby, he couldn’t talk to anybody.
Sam sighed and forced his eyes open. “A dark shape. A misty cloud, but also a person. It stared at me, not angrily but not warm or friendly either. I don’t know, Colby, I can’t really describe it. All I know is that this place feels…”
“Feels…”
He hated to say it, but for the first time it felt legit, not like a few of the hotels with reputations they’d visited, not like the Mission Inn Hotel & Spa in Riverside, California, where weird things happened but no concrete evidence of the paranormal ever came up.
This time, the location actually felt…“haunted.”