Witi Ihimaera - Sky Dancer

Hoki’s eyes were as wide as saucers.

“When I talked to Florence, I knew immediately who she was. She’s done very well for herself, has our Flo. Married three times and now sits in a palatial two-storey house in Sumner. She always had a lisp —”

Hoki gasped in recognition.

“And she tried to lie her way out —”

“I’m thorry, you have the wrong perthon and the wrong telephone number,” Florence Wipani said. “Good day to you.”

“Don’t you dare hang up on me, Flo,” Bella warned. “I want some answers and I want to know them now.”

She decided to bluff. She was always good at cards, pretending she had an ace when she didn’t. “Cora needs an emergency blood transfusion.”

“The doctorth haven’t told me that —”

“It’s only just arisen this minute,” Bella said. “Why else do you think they’ve given me your number?”

“They gave you thith number? They had expreth orderth not to.”

“Cora’s at death’s door.”

“Put Dr Goodwin on the telephone immediately. I want to hear thith from hith own lipth.”

“Oh my God, she’s going into cardiac arrest,” Bella said. “Tell me, quickly, Flo. Cora’s life depends on it. Would my blood type be okay for Cora?”

Would that bring Flo out into the sunlight? Come on Flo, show me what’s in your hand.

Florence Wipani began to sob. “Yeth.”

Hoki’s eyes were brimming with tears. She was thinking of her beautiful eldest sister. Sshhh, I don’t want to wake Mum and Dad up. Darren is waiting in the car. We’re running away together . Hoki had always been sentimental. Cried over the smallest thing.

“At first,” Bella continued, “Flo was very angry at being tricked —” You and your little thithter were alwayth nathty manipulating little girlth. — “but in the end she confessed everything. How Darren had left Agnes in the lurch when she was just about ready to have the baby. How, when the baby was born, Flo and her first husband adopted her. When Agnes died, they continued to keep the secret to themselves. Over the years it just seemed easier to do this. Cora has never known. Cora’s our niece, Sister. And Skylark is the one. She’s our mokopuna.”

Hoki gave a cry of pain. She had loved Agnes so much. Then she realised what she had done to Skylark.

“Look where I’ve sent our granddaughter,” Hoki moaned. “Through the portal and back into the past!”

Hoki was shivering. She clasped Bella, her eyes wide with horror. “What happens if she can’t get back?”

“Karanga mai, karanga mai, karanga mai …”

It was Te Arikinui Kotuku who first heard the strange, unearthly, beautiful sound coming down from the sky. She and Huia had been giggling at the antics of the males, who were still celebrating their great victory in the battle of the birds. Having drunk fermented berries and gorged themselves during the victory feast, the chieftains rolled, farted, burped, bumped, fell down, snored, and sang roistering ditties about their heroic acts of valour.

“It was our leader, Tui’s, role

To lead us into battle

He called out, ‘Forward all’

And off we flew, our score to settle!”

A glazed-looking Chieftain Koekoea was wandering about, with a wing around Chieftain Teraweke. Who was holding up whom was difficult to fathom.

“Teraweke, matey, you’re the man. My goose would have been cooked if you hadn’t taken that tern off my tail —”

Across the way, Kawau was declaring eternal friendship to Chieftain Kokako when, in the real light of day, they avoided each other like the plague. As usual, Kaka was holding forth with boasts about his fighting prowess. “Did you see me make mincemeat out of those mollymawks? I felled three with one blow, three in one go —”

Chieftain Pekapeka of bats had become so intoxicated that instead of hanging upside down he was hanging downside up. As for Tui, who should have known better, he was creating a scandal with his public and very amorous display towards a young and flirtatious bellbird who came — where else? — from Te Arawa.

“Come into the trees, e hine, and let me preen you.”

Another ditty started up. This time, Chieftain Grey Warbler led the roistering crowd:

“O, then it was Piwaka’s turn

He mooned the skuas with his bum

Their faces did with embarrassment burn

Piwaka had them on the run!”

Te Arikinui Kotuku and Huia watched it all with growing disdain. “You’d think,” Huia said, “that a certain timely intervention by certain female birds had not played a crucial part in the outcome.”

“Kia whakatane au i ahau?” Kotuku trilled. “Such is the way of man only to record the achievements of man. Man’s world, man’s history.” She tossed her gorgeous head in laughter — and that’s when she heard the outpouring of continuous liquid trills spilling through the air. “Huia, can you hear that? Girls?” she asked Te Arikinui Parera, Te Arikinui Korimako and Te Arikinui Karuwae. “Can you hear what I hear?”

The women bobbed their heads, mystified. Karuwae raised a wing at the sky. “There!” she pointed.

Coming out of the sun was a strange chieftainess, a small streaked brown bird with white tail feathers. The bird was still high in the heavens but her song was like crystal, every note threaded together in a strange bell-like karanga.

“Do you recognise her?” Korimako asked Parera.

“No. I’ve never seen such a bird before. However, that karanga is in Maori, though I must admit it’s delivered with an atrocious accent. There must be long-lost tribes beyond the Great Forest.”

“Not only that,” Kotuku said, “but for a chieftainess she looks such an ordinary bird! How can such a bird make such extraordinary music? She brings Heaven down to us. Who is she? Where does she come from?”

“She might be a spy sent by the manu moana,” Parera shivered.

Kotuku cocked her head, thinking this through. “Better to be safe than sorry,” she decided.

She stood up, lifted her throat and called to the assembly. “Kra- aak . Kra- aak . Hey, Tui, e moe ana te mata hi tuna, e ara ana te mata hi aua. When the eyes of those who fish for eels are sleeping, it is lucky for all that the eyes of those who catch mullet are open. Look, strangers are approaching.”

Taken aback, Chieftain Tui turned his gaze to the sky. He saw the two strangers. What bad luck that they had appeared right when he almost had that pretty bellbird in his feathery pocket. He heard the beautiful karanga.

“Karanga mai tatou e te manu whenua e …” Like Te Arikinui Kotuku, Tui had never heard such a karanga. It carolled away in a continuous cantilena of extraordinary simplicity and honesty. It existed beyond the ordinary compass of birdsong, even defying the normal rules of requiring breath. The song was sung with such sweetness that it pierced Tui’s heart with joy and he did not want it to stop.

Kotuku caught the flash of another bird in the sky. “The strange chieftainess does not come alone,” she said. “She has a warrior — and he, like her, is of an equally unknown appearance.” She turned to Chieftain Kahu. “Do you recognise the warrior, Kahu?”

“If he was as large as I am, I would say he was a hawk,” Kahu mused, “but he is only half my size and his wings are pointed.”

He scanned the sky for the rest of the travelling ope but, no, the two birds had come unaccompanied.

“They are either foolhardy or very brave,” Tui said, “or else the warrior must be of considerable prowess. We shall see.” He called out to Chieftain Popokotea of whiteheads and Chieftain Koekoea of long-tailed cuckoos. “Kia hiwa ra! Kia hiwa ra! Kia hiwa ra i tenei tuku! Kia hiwa ra i tera tuku! Be alert! Beware! Strangers are coming! Send out your sentries to challenge them.”