Ahe loved the ocean. She loved the way the sea breeze picked up her hair. She loved the way the soft, mushy sand felt between her wriggling toes. Most of all, she loved the wonders that the sea enclosed. One day, she dived into the waves and swam down to touch the coral; floating about in the water and marveling at the vibrant fish around her. As she laid her fingertips on the prickly coral, a small seahorse came flitting out of the seaweed Ahe marveled at the tiny wonder. Unable to contain her excitement, she swam out of the water, and ran onto the shore, flailing her arms as she sprinted to her grandmother, Casca. Ahe looked deep into Casca’s weary, brown irises, and asked her, “Grandma, I came to find a creature with a long snout and a tiny body. I wanted to catch it but it swam away from me. What is it, grandma?”
Casca looked up to her granddaughter and smiled, wrinkles forming around her lips. “Ah, my child. You speak of the seahorse. Come sit and let me tell you the tale of Kai’lio”, she said patting the ground, as she spoke. Ahe sat down on the warm sand rested her head on Casca’s lap, as her grandmother stroked her hair, running her fingers through its deep roots. Ahe closes her eyes, the sun warming the pair, as Casca clears her throat.
“Now you see, Kai’lio was a very handsome nymph. All the mermaids had an infatuation for him. His father was Kai, King of the Sea. Kai’lio was almost as handsome as his father, however, after his mother’s passing, his father had sworn to never love again. Kai’lio, though with all his admirers, had only one lover. Her name was Nani. Nani was the most beautiful sea nymph.”
Casca paused and looked at Ahe. “Just like you, my darling!” Ahe giggled to herself. Casca resumed. “All the others would be jealous. Kai’lio was quite the fortunate guy. Nani’s mother, Huhū, was very strict. She forbade her to see Kai’lio. Nani, being the naive juvenile she was, went to him anyway. Huhū interrogated Nani by using her magical power to see through her, discovering she was pregnant with Kai’lio’s child. Huhū banished Nani from their home, and Nani was left wandering the reefs to find her Kai’lio. There was one nymph who was very in love with Kai’lio. Her name was Lili. She would do whatever she could to entice Kai’lio. That night, Lili came to Kai’lio’s home and pleaded for him to love her. Ignoring his resists, Lili started seducing him. As Nani approached his home she saw Lili getting close to Kai’lio.
“Grandmother, why is Lili so mean?” asked Ahe. her wide curious eyes begged for her grandmother to answer her question.
“When people want things they can’t have, they become angry and selfish,” Casca replied.
Ahe nudged her Casca’s knee. “Go on!”
“Okay, little one.” Casca laughed
“Nani fainted, clutching her stomach. Kai’lio heard her and broke free from Lili. as he rushed out of his home. Nani had turned cold and hard to the touch, her kind heart no longer beating in her chest. Kai’lio knelt beside her body as he lay his hand on her stomach. Lili loomed above them both, as Kai’lo held Nani’s hand, which could no longer hold him anymore. She attempted to grab Kai’lio’s hand but he hexes Lili to get sucked into the ground, and she turns into lava. Kai’lio’s tear falls on to Nani’s stomach, and he feels a sudden burden on him. He gets up to lay down in his bed, but trips and falls, piercing his finger on a spike of coral. From his finger, bursts thousands of tiny creatures, flitting into the darker sea below. Nani’s lifeless, glowing face illuminates the dark sea around her. For one last time, she smiles for all the ocean to see. Her body wilts into the sand and what’s left of Nani is a clump of sand. The tiny newborn sea horses swam over to the sand clump and started playing in it. Little did they know that these were the remains of Nani, the one that Kai’lio could not have. “That, my child, is the tale of the Sea Horse.”
Casca took a handful of sand and sprinkled it onto the ground, as Ahe watched her. “The foam in the waves is the spirit of Nani and her unborn child.” Ahe ran to the shore and cupped her hands as the water flowed in. She ran back to her grandmother, as the water seeped out of her hold and had fallen into the sand.
Casca chuckled when she saw this. “Ah, now Kai’lio and Nani have finally reunited.” Ahe spotted a white shell peeking out of the sand and ran to pick it up. She dusted the sand off and clutched the shell in her hand, as she ran over to Casca, now getting up and smoothing her white skirt. Casca holds out her hand and Ahe places her small palm into it. Ahe skips along with her grandmother and says, “What other wonders can we find in the sea, Grandma?” Casca chuckles and says, “There are many, my child. Each one has its own story.”
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