Racing the Dark by Alaya Dawn Johnson Read Free Book Online

waited for Okilani to explain what she had decided to do the night before. Everyone's face wore the same mixture of fear and determination. Even the men had come to the beach that morning. They would risk bringing their boats out in the driving rains to help the women harvest the fish. The shore was lined with tubs filled with freshwater to hold the mandagah while they were transported to the lake. Okilani had to shout to be heard over the wind, rain, and the waves pounding on the shore. They had to be crazy to dive in weather like this, Lana thought. Still, she felt brave standing beside her mother. She was aware, though she didn't want to be, that this might be her last dive.
    The waves were so huge that all the divers had to take their air before they got near the surf. After she dove, it was hard to see because the heavy waves had turned up so much of the bottom, making her feel as though she were swimming through an impenetrable cloud of sand. Still, she and her mother made sure to stay close to each other while they searched for mandagah. The fish were so big that they could only bring one at a time to the surface. She and her mother were the first two divers to find any. They handed the fish to the men waiting on the boats and then dove back under, looking for more. Again and again they dove, often not finding anything. Okilani told them to stop around midday, when the rain had grown so fierce they could hardly see even on the surface. Despite all of their efforts, they had collected only about one hundred fish. Lana tried not to feel disappointed, but she knew everyone else felt it too. How badly had the numbers of mandagah dwindled while she and the other divers refused to notice?

    Everyone helped carry the fish to the lake. Lana insisted on carrying a tub herself although it dragged at her shoulder muscles and she was already exhausted from the morning dives. By afternoon the sky had grown dark as twilight.
    "Mama?" Lana said softly, when she and the other divers had taken temporary refuge in the schoolhouse.
    "Mm-hmm?" Her mother was leaning against the wall with her eyes closed.
    "There's something I ought to tell you ... about my initiation. The mandagah was dying. It gave me two jewels. I don't know what it means ..."
    Her mother snorted abruptly and her eyes flew open. "I'm sorry, Lana, were you saying something?"
    Lana turned her head away. "No. Nothing important," she said.
    There was an impromptu party at Eala's that night. Lana's father and a few other musicians played determinedly upbeat music. Kohaku had come, but he sat by himself in a corner of the room, taking notes. He was always like that, Lana knew-an observer rather than a participant. For all Kohaku was fascinated by her island, Lana always got the sense that he considered himself above them. Lana smoked a great deal of amant weed and danced around giddily with Kali. On a strange level, she felt happier than she had in weeks, if only because she felt she was doing something about the things that had been worrying her for so long. Of course, there was still Kohaku's proposal, but the amant was doing a great deal to help her forget about that.

    Later that night, after she had stuffed herself full of food, she and Kali were dozing against each other in one corner. Kohaku, whose walk was unsteady (although Lana hadn't noticed him consuming much palm wine), staggered over to them and sat down.
    "Enjoying yourself, Lana?"
    Lana stared at him. There was an uncharacteristically sarcastic bite to his words. She wondered what was wrong. "I guess so," she said. "It looks like you are, too."
    "Yes, well. Perhaps I did imbibe a bit too much in the spirit of things." He suppressed a burp. "Have you thought about what we discussed, Lana? I'm thinking of going back to Essel a little early. All this rain, the disaster with the mandagah fish ... not very good for the research, you know? I'll probably leave in a week or two. I'd like you to come back with