“You know, I actually think Hector found me.” He set her down so he could pick up his phone off the ground. After scrolling for the right photo, he showed her his phone. In the shot, the curious crow was peering down toward the camera from the curved metal wing of the plane. “Doesn’t it look like he’s trying to say something?”
She studied the photo, looking overcome by the momentous sight of her lost crow. “He does. I can translate for you. Where’s my mate?”
“Funny. That’s exactly what I was asking myself at that moment.”
Laughing, she rested her head on his shoulder. Worries for her health bubbled through his mind. The idea that his actions had put her in danger and sent her to the hospital…well, it was going to take him a long time to get over that.
“How are you feeling, my love? Are you recovered from what happened in Kona?”
“Mostly. The doctors said I have no lasting damage, but they couldn’t ever figure out why I was in that weird coma. I’m still getting my strength back. I had to take a couple breaks on my way here. But I feel great.” She intertwined her hand with his. “Especially now.”
“Good. Because I’d never forgive myself if?—”
“Don’t think that way. I’m fine. I promise.”
And he promised himself he’d make sure she stayed that way. From this point forward, he’d be her protector, her champion, her companion, her lover. He’d been lucky enough to find her, and he wasn’t going to take any chances with that miraculous accident of fate.
A happy silence fell between them, filled with the twittering chatter of jungle birds. And then, cutting through those sounds, from somewhere high in the treetops, came the same screeching warble that Rory had recorded.
“He’s here! He’s close!” Mathilda danced in a happy little circle. As she did so, her loose top shifted and he noticed something sparkling at the end of a chain around her neck. Something large. And blue-ish.
“Wait…” He bolted to his feet. “Is that what I think it is?”
She touched the object under her shirt. Just in case, he yanked off his own shirt and wrapped it around her.
“What’s wrong?” she asked with a gasp.
“Is that the crystal?”
“You mean, the one you dumped on me? As a matter of fact, yes. I had it wire-wrapped so I could wear it. I was afraid of losing it.”
“You’ve had it this entire time?”
“Actually, no. I found it when I checked out of the hospital. They had a plastic bag with my clothes and so forth that I was wearing when I arrived. It was just…in the bag.”
He stared at her in confusion. “So where was it when we were searching that resort?”
The answer hit them both at the same moment, and they both exclaimed, “The menehune!” Then burst out laughing.
“For the record, I know all about the menehune now,” he told her. “I did my research.”
“All about them? So, what’s your opinion? Do you think they’re real?”
Could there still exist a humanoid species, much, much smaller than humans, living in the woods and jungles and hidden pockets of the Hawaiian Islands? It seemed unlikely to him. But anyone who had experienced the magic and mystery of the jungle knew that not everything was in the realm of the known. So much was still to be explored.
“I couldn’t possibly say,” he told her. “But if they are real, clearly they wanted you to have that crystal.”
“Did they?” Her fingers traced the shape of the crystal. “I almost donated it to a thrift store, but it was…I don’t know, it made me think of you, and how we met, and all those crazy shenanigans. So I held on to it. Now that you’re here, you can have it back.”
She undid the clasp at the back of her neck, but he stopped her there. “Let me do it. It’s best not to expose it to the sun.”
Using his shirt to shield the crystal, he gingerly retrieved it.
“Is that what happened in Kona?” Mathilda’s eyes went wide. “The crystal knocked me out?”
“It did that and a lot more. It caused that power outage, and I believe it caused our plane crash and also the helicopter crash when they kidnapped Lincoln. Both times, the crystal was onboard.” With his free hand, he adjusted her top, letting his fingers glide across the tender skin along her collarbone. It felt so good to touch her again.
“That’s crazy. And I’ve had it around my neck this whole time?” She put a hand to her chest. “Do you think I’m some kind of mutant now?”
