“Did you see that shadow pass by the cave?” Amelia whispered on crisp December evening. As the wind blew off the ocean, she pulled her father’s jacket over her shoulders. The sleeves hung down on the ground.
“There’s a story that the people around these parts of New Zealand believe,” Mr. Brown said. “I’m not really sure if I believe it, but I’ll tell you anyhow. Maybe it will cheer you up!”
“I think I just saw Mom’s spirit standing outside those caves,” his 12-year-old daughter said. She had been so sad that her mother had passed away that she could think about nothing else. Sometimes, she could not sleep, just wanting her mother to hold her again.
“If the folklore is true, the shadow might have been the spirit of the warrior Tawhaki,” Mr. Brown said, as he looked out over the coast. The moonlight shone on the water. “He might be fighting to bring your mother justice. The car accident wasn’t her fault.”
Amelia teared up and wiped her nose on his jacket sleeve. She had been so afraid after her mother’s death, not knowing what really happened to her.
“I miss Mom so much,” the girl cried. “Why did she leave us?”
The wind blew hard against the large tree with red flowers that clung to the cliff of Cape Reinga.
“Let me tell you the story,” her father said, as he took his daughter’s hand. “It is said that these caves are where spirits pass as they travel onto heaven.”
“Then, maybe I really did just see Mom,” she said. “Let’s go inside. Maybe we can find her and speak to her.”
“It’s such a nice night outside, honey. I’m not sure that we should really go inside the caves,” her father said, as he walked along the cliff with Amelia. “This red tree was known as the New Zealand Christmas tree, and it seems to guard the entrance to the caves that wrap around the cliff.”
“But what if we can find Mom?” the girl cried. “What if she is waiting for us?”
“I’m not sure that we’ll be able to find her, but as the rest of the story goes, this Pohutukawa tree emerged from here on Christmas Eve many years ago. Its burning red flowers are said to symbolize the blood of a warrior who died attempting to avenge his father’s death. His name was Tawhaki.”
“Oh, I think I just saw Mom again, waving at us,” his curious daughter said, as she watched the shadow outside the caves. “Can we please go inside?”
“It’s so dark in the caves,” he said, as he looked up at the stars.
“Well, what’s the rest of the story?” his daughter asked. “I want to go inside and find Mom.”
“Supposedly the warrior tried to get help in heaven on his mission to avenge his father, and then he fell to earth, causing the red flowers to bloom,” Mr. Brown said. “It is said that he still roams the earth, trying to avenge his father’s death. He hates injustice and secretly tries to bring justice to those in need of it. Legend has it that he also helps people on their journeys from earth to heaven through the caves. Now, I bet you thought it was just a tree?” her father said. “Sometimes, I think it still might just be a tree.”
“I always knew there was something special about the tree,” she told him, as she walked toward the entrance to the caves. “It’s so pretty.”
“I hope the story is true,” the father said. “Either way, everything will be all right.”
“Since Mom died last summer, I’ve seen the same shadow following me sometimes,” Amelia said. “Maybe it’s the warrior. I thought it might be Mom’s shadow. I wasn’t sure where it came from. I was too scared to tell you.”
“Really?” her father asked. “The legend of Tawhaki is really just a lot of folklore . . . and it makes you feel better for a while when you pretend it could be true.”
“Maybe I could talk to Mother one last time,” Amelia cried. “I dreamed I met her in the caves by the tree.”
“Don’t worry,” Mr. Brown said. “If Tawhaki exists, he will help your mother. One way or another, justice at the court case regarding her car accident will prevail.”
“The shadow following me could have been Tawhaki,” Amelia said with a worried expression. “I’d rather it was Mom following me though.”
“You have no reason to be afraid,” Mr. Brown said. “If Tawhaki exists, he is probably trying to avenge her death, like the death of his father. According to the myth, he fights to bring justice.”
“Oh, I just saw a shadow again, next to the tree,” Amelia said with a gasp. “Did you see it, Dad?”
“No, I didn’t see it,” Mr. Brown said with a sigh. “If you want to, we could walk through the caves just this one time, but then that’s enough, and only for a few minutes.”
“I would like that,” Amelia said, as she dug in her bag for a flashlight to light their way.
Then, Amelia and her father walked into the heart of the caves. The walls were tight, and they had to squeeze through several spots.
“Maybe we should turn back, Amelia,” her father suggested. “I don’t want to get stuck in here.”
“No, we’re going to find Mom,” Amelia said, as she felt the clammy walls beside her. Then, she slipped and fell on her bum. “Ouch! I just know we’ll find her.”
“The air seems to be getting a little thin,” her father remarked. “I think we’ve gone far enough.”
“Oh, come on!” Amelia said, as she pulled her father’s hand. “Just a little bit farther.”
“I really do love you,” her father said. He took a deep breath and squeezed through the next tight spot.
As they descended deeper into the caves, Amelia stopped in her tracks. Tears filled her eyes. Her mother stood before her surrounded by a bright light. When she looked at her father, he had no reaction, and she realized he was not able to see the spirit of her mother. She decided not to try to convince her father of what she saw.
“Now, did we find your mother in these caves?” her father asked, as Amelia watched the spirit of her mother bend over and kiss her cheek. “I don’t see her anywhere!” he said.
Amelia ignored her father. Her mother’s kiss burned like fire, and Amelia was sure it was real. Then, her mother kissed Amelia’s father, but he must have not felt the fire on his cheek. Amelia’s mother slowly took off her diamond wedding ring and slipped it into Amelia’s hand.
“Keep this for me, Amelia. I love you,” her mother said. Then, she turned and walked toward the inside of the caves. In a moment, she disappeared like she was taken up to heaven.
“I love you,” Amelia said without making a sound. “I’ll love you forever.”
“Okay, now, it’s time to go home, Amelia,” her father said. “We can cut some of the red flowers from the tree to represent the spirit of your mother and the warrior we hope is helping her with the court case. We’ll put them by your bedside.”
“At least there is someone looking out for me, so I’m not alone without Mom,” Amelia told her dad.
“I’m looking out for you every day!” Mr. Brown said. “You’re never alone.”
She decided that telling him that she just saw her mother might not help him at all, but it helped her more than she could say. Her mother’s wedding ring hid deep in her pocket, although it was too big to fit on any of her fingers. It felt hard and like it could never break.
“Whatever happened to Mom’s wedding ring?” Amelia asked her father out of curiosity.
“Oh, it was lost in the car accident,” her father said. “We never found it.”
Then, the wind blew, and the Pohutukawa tree shook, as a shadow fell from its branches. Amelia watched it follow the Browns back to their house and sit next to her bedside. The shadow looked different than her mother did in the cave, and she knew it must be Tawhaki.
“Good night!” Mr. Brown said to Amelia, as she was sure he could not see the shadow.
“I love you, Dad,” Amelia said. “I know Mom loves you, too.”
When she woke up the next morning, the shadow was gone, but on the day of the court case, the shadow stood next to the witness stand as the driver who killed her mother testified.
“It’s Tawhaki!” Amelia said to herself, as the man gave his testimony. She wished that she could bring her mother back to earth again.
“Fine!” the man yelled. “I was drunk. What do you want me to say? I’ve been haunted by this shadow for the past week. It’s easier to tell the truth. The whole thing was my fault!”
“I motion to strike those comments!” the defendant’s attorney yelled.
“At least he told the truth,” Mr. Brown said to Amelia, who secretly held her mother’s wedding ring in her pocket. One day, when she was old enough to wear a wedding ring, Amelia thought she might ask her husband if he could propose to her with it. By then, maybe she could figure out how to explain to her father that her mother had given her the wedding ring the night they had spent together in the caves.
“Justice!” Amelia said, as she stood up and cheered. She looked right at Tawhaki’s shadow, and then it disappeared. “Justice!”
Copyright 2021 Jennifer Waters
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