A Glimmer of Hope

A Glimmer of Hope

The tremor's fading echoes were replaced by a low and menacing growl. John scanned the opaque whiteness for any sign of the predator he sensed nearby. An answering howl split the air, then another. He was downwind; they had not yet caught his scent.

Gripping his hiking stick, John hurried back toward the temple. Its walls came into view through swirling mist as an eerie green light glowed from within. Had the carvings awoken? He stumbled inside, heart pounding, flinching at every crack of branches.

The source revealed itself - John's campfire had ignited some moss and illuminated fungi carpeting the stones. As the blaze spread, it cast dancing shadows that seemed to writhe and morph along the walls. John scrambled to scoop dirt onto the flames before the ancient structure burned but it was too late. Smokey tendrils climbed higher, revealing more fragments of history.

A shaft of light sliced through, banishing shadows. John turned to see the fog withdrawing like a receding tide. Heat rose within the temple as smoke curled towards towering cliffs beyond. Across pocked black lava, a bubbling lake of molten fire simmered. Kilauea was stirring once more.

As the last wisps dissipated, John gasped. Crumpled between thick tree roots lay the ragged remains of an explorer's backpack - shredded fabric still clinging to bones whitened by wind and rain. He backed away, bumping into a painted figure bringing forth shivers. Those sightless eyes had witnessed such tragedies before.

A low cough interrupted his thoughts. Whirling, John came face to face with the barrel of a rifle held steady by a woman who seemed born of the trees themselves, all coiled strength and judgment in dark eyes. "You have a lot of explaining to do, friend. Starting with how you lit my forest on fire."

Sienna Kaleo lowered her gun and began dousing the flames with a duck of water from her pack. Close-up, tension lines softened her features yet eyes still pierced John with their keen observation. He found himself explaining his unwanted adventure in the steaming woods and discovery of the temple under her stoic gaze.

"The old kupuna believed this place sacred. Now it seems their warnings were true," Sienna said finally. She led him outside where billowing clouds roiled above the caldera. The earth shuddered beneath their feet as gloops of lava exploded high into the sky.

John stared, transfixed. "An evacuation may be needed if the activity increases. For now, I suggest we make ourselves scarce from here," said Sienna grimly. She vanished into shadow like the mist itself, beckoning John to follow her away from the awakening forces of nature and deeper into the island's shrouded secrets.