Night of the Menehune

It was a dark night in the jungle, very dark. You couldn't even see your hands, right in front of your face. My girlfriend and I were new to the east side of the Big Island, just relocated from the mainland a week before. Living was much more primitive then expected. We were camping near the recent 2018 Kapoho lava flows and needed to check our phones for messages, but most of the cell towers no longer existed. We wandered down a jungle road seeking a signal from home... but found something else.

Dusk had just settled in when we got reception at a fork in the road. We quickly started soaking up the bandwidth until it was, that jungle darkness all around. I sensed Jennifer's anxiety. She said, "do you feel them"? I said, "yes", calmly.

I could 'feel' the approach of dozens of elementals thru the jungle towards us. Dozens became hundreds as we speed walked back to the campground with cell phone flashlights. We both breathed a sigh of relief as we reached our campsite. But alas, contact had been made and the night was just beginning.

We curlded up on our air mattress and fell asleep...only to be awoken by the pitter patter of little feet, tent pokes and brushes. This went on all night. I eventually fell asleep to awaken in the morning to Jennifer wanting me to go outside and check out the footsteps. "They're still out there," she said with astonishment. As I lifted my head, my eyes became transfixed on this playful giggling Being sitting on the bed right next to me. This was not a Menehune warrior, it was a child. I reached out and my hand passed right thru, I did it again and again...each time making this being hysterically laugh. Jennifer kept trying to get my attention, but I maintained constant visual connection, less it would disappear, which after a few minutes, it did. Dawn rose and the night was over. Although this story sounds like a

psychedelic trip, we were both extremely sober...

This was one of our first encounters with Hawaiian Lore, but have had many more since...