Day 162 – Hieros Gamos

It happened all at once—at sunset, while he sat at his favorite point on the small peninsula that jutted out into the water.

Tano Kai was a young boy from a small fishing village. He was a dreamer, they said. He needed to be more realistic, they often replied. So he sat where he always did when his chores were done, looking out at the aqua-colored water, waiting for the moment when the intense, glowing orange ball of flame would suddenly light the ocean ablaze.

He would often watch the tidal fish come and go as they sought food from the river that flowed down from the mountains. However, tonight he was watching Selu Ema. She was the wife of the Kaito. He had been gone for over a week now on the annual Rāhuna. One of the older boys had gotten to go this time, and Tano was fighting feelings of jealousy.

He watched as Selu pushed her Vekanu into the water. She was so graceful and purposeful in her movements. He could see her nets carefully arranged along the sides as she glided through the water along the shoreline.

“I hate my mom,” a feminine voice said from behind him.

Tano jumped and quickly turned around, not expecting someone to have snuck up on him unnoticed. For a moment, he chided himself and fought a wave of self-criticism, which he quickly doused when he saw who the voice belonged to.

“Uh… Hi, Miri,” he said rather sheepishly.

“She is always on the water. I have to do everything at home. My brothers are driving me crazy,” Miri said as she jumped up and glided in close to Tano.

“Yeah, but she does bring in the largest hauls after the sunsets,” Tano said, though not forcefully.

Miri looked as if she was going to object, but from the small trail at the base of the rock they sat on, two women approached.

“Mireya, you need to get back to the village. Your brothers are running amok. You are the Mahena while your father is at sea,” stated the older woman.

Tano knew this woman all too well. She was the most respected elder in the village, and Tano dared not make eye contact. He had asked her for advice a few days ago and had yet to follow it. Asking for advice from the Matara was one thing, but not doing what she said immediately was tantamount to heresy. He might as well have cursed at the sun or thrown fish guts back into the ocean. However, what really made him nervous was the woman standing next to her.

“Hi, Mom,” Tano said with a sudden spike of confidence, as if to say, I did nothing wrong, and please leave now because Miri is here, all at the same time.

“I am glad to see you, Tano. As always, I see both the sea and your father in you—both tempests, yet both so full of life,” said Marúa, with a slight gleam in her eye. Of course, she caught everything going on all at once and did not miss any nuance.

Tano was just contemplating this, staring at a small chunk of moss, when he was suddenly brought to attention once again.

“Tano, we need you to come to Ha’Moru with us. The Tohaka has received Tuvarek. He has just awakened, and he has summoned you. We are preparing the Vareko Ritual now. Come with us,” said Ama, the Matara.

Miri reached over and squeezed his arm as she let out a small gasp.

With that, Tano heard the distant call of the seabirds—the sun had just set on the water.

He watched as the four women in his life were bathed in a brilliant orange glow.

Tano slowly got down from the rock. As he walked toward the path, his mother and the village tide keeper hugged him, his anima now complete.