Nā Kimihia Garcia-Grace
Papaki ana ngā peka tārewa ki tā Ata kanohi i tana ngōki haere i te ngāhere e kapi ana i te hiwi. Kua mamae ana ringaringa, kua tīhaea ngā turi o ana tarau, ā, kua whero te tae o tana hāte mā. Ka unuhia e ia i tana hāte, mei kore ake te tao whawhati e wero ana i tana taha, e ngaukino ana i te pānga mai o te pūihi. Engari rā, e kaha pāmamae ana a Ata i te tae parauri o ana hū “Hau Tōpana” mā. Kātahi anō kia hoko i tērā wiki, kārē ia i te hoko kai o te rā nui mō ngā tini marama kia utua ngā hū rā. Moumou noa.
Kātahi rā, ka papatahi haere te papa, ā, ka takahuri a Ata ki tana tuara, whai hā ai. I eke ia i
te hiwi nei i tana whakapae he tirohanga pai ki te tihi, auare ake kei te kōwaowaotia katoatia ngā rākau i te rangi. Tē kite i te aha, hāunga ngā pīwakawaka tokorua i te peka pāpaku o te rewarewa. E kaha hia wai māori ana a Ata. He pia ngaungau rānei. I mua rā i whakamātauria e ia i te kai i tētahi rau kia aumoe ai, e kawa tonu ana taua ngao i tana waha.
Ka huri te aro a Ata ki ngā nekehanga hou. Ki te mauī, e heke ana te hiwi ki raro. Kāore e kore ka māmā ake mō tōna tinana, ā, tērā pea ka tūpono ki tētahi awa ki raro rā. Engari, ki te hinga ia, ki te takaporepore ki raro i te hiwi, ka whara mārika ia i te wero o te tao ki ana whēkau. Ka whakawhiti ia ki ana turi, huri atu ai ki tētahi atu aronga, peka ake ai i tētahi hiwi hou.
I te takanga o te ahipō i hura ngā kapua karaka nō muri i ngā rākau. Whai muri i tētahi wahanga paripari, i te tūmanako a Ata kua tae atu ia ki te tihi o te hiwi, me he maunga kē. I tana pātata haere ki te paranga, i kimikimi haere ia, ā, i mau i tētahi peka pērā te tāroa ki a ia. Ngau ana te mamae ki ana waewae i tana tū ake, whakawhirinaki ai ki te peka i tana totitoti haere. I tana putanga ki te paranga, i tae atu a Ata ki te tihi o te hiwi, tū kanohi ki te kanohi ai i tētahi wharepuni tahito. E pākarukaru ana ngā pakitara, e tītaha ana te taha matau ki rō papa, engari e whakamīharo ana a Ata i te tū tonu o te tuanui toetoe.
“Mā hea mai koe ki konei?” i whakaaroaro ā-waha ia, hākuku ana tōna reo. Ka ngōki atu a Ata ki raro i te tomokanga, whanaia atu ai i ana hū paruparu ki muri i a ia.
I pāpouri ia i tana kite i te papa oneone ō-roto, horekau he āhuru whakangā, moenga rau, whāriki harakeke rānei. Ka noho ake ia, whirinaki atu ai ki te pakitara mauī, tautau ana i tana māhunga. Kaha ana tōna hiahia kia moe 12 hāora te roa ki konei. Heoi, ka mau ia i tana peka, kōrari ai i ngā rārā me ngā kiri o te rākau. Ka whawhati ia i ngā wāhanga nō te taha whīroki o te peka, oti ana i tētahi peka rite te nui ki tana ringa. I te taha mātotoru o te peka, i keria e ia i te papa ki tana mauī, keri ai i tētahi rua pāpaku mō ngā rārā i tangohia.
Kua aua atu tōna waea me tōna wareti, engari ka huraina a Ata i tana pūahi me ōna pepa
hikareti nō tana pūkoro o muri. Taihoa ake ka tuku mihi ia ki ana warawara i mua i tana āta whakatakoto i ngā pepa ki te waenga i ngā rārā, whakamura ai.
E roa ana ia e panapana ai i te ahi kia mura, taihoa te wā ka tō te rā, ka tau mai te pō, ā, ka whakawhetai a Ata mō te mahana me te mārama o te ahi. E tau haere ana te mamae o tana taha i tana noho ngū, whirinaki ai i ana pakahiwi me tōna māhunga ki te pakitara.
I te hiahia a Ata ki te moe okioki, ā, i taua wā tonu i karanga atu tētahi reo tioro ki a ia,
“Auē, te mamae hoki o tēnā.”
Ka huri tana aro ki te tomokanga, kite ai i tētahi weka e whātere mai ana ki roto i te whare. I
tungou te weka i ana ngutu ki a ia, takawhiti mai ana ki roto. Ko tā Ata he maremare noa i te whakaeke mai o te weka, tātari ana i tana mamae.
“Kino mārika. E ohorere ana au i tō piki mai ki runga nei,” tana whakahua. Engari ehara i te
whakahua, e rongo kē ana a Ata i te reo tioro i rō i tana hinengaro i te ketekete mai o te weka.
Ka āta timo te weka i te wāhi e paokatia ana te tao i tana kiri, ā, ka auē a Ata i te ngau o te
mamae e rere ana i tana tinana.
“Mō taku hē, mō taku hē.” ka whakahua atu te manu, heoi ka peke ake ia ki te puku o Ata
kia tātari i te tihi o te mamae, e ngau tonu ana te mamae i te pēhitanga paku rā. Ka uru te manu ki raro i tā Ata hāte.
“Ae rā, he kino tēnā,” tana whakahua, hura ana i tana māhunga. Tē rongo a Ata i ngā tapuwae o te manu i te pikinga ki tana poho, tau ai. I ohorere ia i te māhana.
“Nā, i aha tētahi tama purotu pērā ki a koe kia mamae pēnei ai?” i uia atu.
“He...aha...kē...koe?” tā Ata whakahoki. Me he kī ana tana korokoro i ngā kuiki. “Nuh uh, nāku te pātai i tuku. Whakautu i taku ui, kaua e māharahara mōku.” “I...taka au...ki te raru.” E anipā ana a Ata i tana tiro atu ki ngā karu whākana o te weka, e pūkana mai ana ki a ia, tatari ana.
“I tīmata he paku whawhai. Ko ētahi tama, e... whakaweti mai ana i a au.”
I tītaha te weka i tana māhunga. “I karawhiua atu?” Ka maremare a Ata i tana kata. “I wepua taku kumu.” “Hmph,” ka timo te weka i tana uma, “i pōhēhē au ka kaha kē ō patu nā te nui o te poho nei.”
“Kāre au i te tangata kaha whawhai. Ā, i a rātou tētahi tao”
“Tika tonu. He mea tūkino tērā. Engari rā, kia kaua koe e whawhai atu ki ngā tama kaha pērā. Nā wai rā kua hinga koe. Ka aroha.”
“Ae...” i tūpou atu a Ata. E tiro mākutu tonu ana te weka ki a ia.
“Heoi, kāre au i te pōuri.”
“Oh?”
“Māku e kī i whawhai au ki te mutunga. I... tū kaha au mōku anō, mā te aha anō i tēna.”
Ka rongo a Ata i tana poho e ngoikore haere ana, e papaku haere ana ōna hā.
“E manu. Ka aha au ināianei?”
“Hei aha noa iho, kua tata te wā. Kei ngaro te pārekareka.” Ka tū ake te weka, peke atu i te uma o Ata ki te papa.
“Kauaka koe e tere ki te moe. Ka hoki horo mai au.”
Ka mātaki atu a Ata i te tere atu o te weka i te tomokanga ki te pō o waho. E mimiti haere ana te mura o te ahi, engari kāre ia i te rongo i te makariri. E aro pū ana ia ki te whakapuare tonu i ana karu e kati haere ana. I pai ai, i hoki tere mai te weka, e mau ana i tētahi anga wōnati ki ana ngutu. Ka piki ake ia ki tā Ata poho, e kī ana te anga i tētahi momo wai, ka tuku te manu i te anga ki tana waha.
“Huakina mai, kaua e horomi,” tana kī atu.
Ka whai a Ata i ngā tohutohu, ā, ka tau te wai ki tana waha. E rongo ana ia i te rongo rīwai o te wai. Ka karawhiua te weka i te anga ki te papa, noho tau ana ki te uma o Ata.
“I tae tōmua mai koe ki te wāhi nei. Engari kua tae tau mai koe i ō kōwhiringa i taki mai i a koe ki konei. E whakaaro ana ētahi he heahea ō mahi. E kite ana au i tō māia,” tā te weka.
“Tuwhaina ināianei.” Ka āta whakarērea a Ata i te wai i tōna waha.
“Ngā mihi, manu,” tana whakahua.
E mātorutoru haere ana tana waha, ā, e whatungarongaro ana ngā pakitara o te whare ahakoa te paku mura o te ahi e toe ana. Tē rongo ia i te ngau o te mamae o ōna taotūtanga, o ōna uaua rānei. Ko te mea anake e rongo tonu ana ko te mahana o te weka i tana mātakitaki i ngā karu o Ata e kati haere ana.
“Moe okioki,” tana whakahua.
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