More than thirty years later, Leia still occasionally felt a twinge where the baby had been scraped away, raw and tender. They’d given her something to numb the pain, and in her weakened state she was no longer frightened. She’d lost all feeling and just wanted to close her eyes and sleep. Leia had lost so much blood that afternoon she’d felt light-headed and wondered if she were dying. She knew it wasn’t just the baby, but a part of her that had seeped away too. When it was over, the older woman said, “Let her rest here while you clean up.” The younger woman had long ago let go of her arms, but Leia still couldn’t move. She wondered if they had wrapped the baby up in newspaper like a dead fish. Tears came slowly. If Nori, Mariko, and Koji hadn’t been there waiting for her, helping her home with what they told Mama was the stomach flu, Leia never would have made it back from that cold, dank cabin, but for the longest time she wished they had left her there too.

* * *

Nori still shook every time she thought of that day. Years later, Mama had said to her, “Did you think I didn’t know? Stomach flu,” she spit out the words in disgust. “Did you think I didn’t look into the eyes of my daughter and know all that was lost?”

The past flickered and was gone again.

Nori slipped out of bed, careful not to wake Samuel, and began to dress. She was wide awake and might as well make herself useful down in the kitchen. The lava flow hadn’t reached Hilo yet, and until it did, she still had a community to take care of.

31. Packing

31

Packing

Koji fiddled with the radio knob through static until a voice caught and came clearly through. He listened every night for the past week, following the lava’s steady flow toward Hilo, with no signs of slowing. He knew Nori was worried, not for herself, but for Mama and all those in the community who couldn’t help themselves. She tried not to show it, but he saw her fear as she waited anxiously for Pele to shift her flow in another direction, or grow bored and simply stop, just as she had so many times before.