Moana

Chapter Five

"Has a role on this island

"So, maybe I can roll with mine."

She made her way up the mountain of chiefs as she continued.

"I can lead with pride

"I can make us strong

"I'll be satisfied if I play along

"But the voice inside sings a different song

"What is wrong with me?"

She looked down at the reef, then down at the darker blue water beyond. She knew what to do.

"See the light as it shines on the sea

"It's blinding

"But no one knows

"How deep it goes

"And it seems like it's calling out to me

"So come find me

"And let me know."

She ran back to the beach, where Pua waited with the oar in his mouth. She accepted it.

"What's beyond that line?

"Will I cross that line?"

She set sail as she finished her song.

"The line where the sky meets the sea

"It calls me

"And no one knows

"How far it goes

"If the wind in my sail on the sea stays behind me

"One day I'll know

"How far I'll go!"

With a tug of a rope, she opened her sail. Immediately, it caught the wind, causing her to lurch forward.

"Whoa!" she said in surprise as she rightened herself. "We're okay, Pua. I can do this." Exhaling, she grabbed the sail's rope and her oar and looked at the waves that crashed along the reef.

"There's more fish beyond the reef," she said. "There's more beyond the reef." Tugging the rope, the sail caught more wind as the canoe sailed forward.

Pua squealed as the canoe made it over the oncoming waves easily.

"Not so bad," Moana smirked.

That was when everything went wrong.

The wind changed direction immediately, causing the canoe to turn right into a wave. Moana gasped as the water washed over the boat. She stayed in, but her passenger didn't.

"Pua!" Moana cried as her pig squealed frantically as he tried to swim with his tiny hooves.

Using the oar, Moana tried turning to rescue her pet but a giant wave washed over the canoe, tipping it over. All of its contents fell out as Moana grabbed Pua and placed him on top of the overturned boat.

A piece of her boat knocked Moana down into the reef. She tried to get up, but another wave knocked her back down. That was when she noticed her foot stuck in a piece of coral. Frantically, she reached out for a rock and smashed the coral off.

Swimming to the surface, she gasped for air as another wave pushed her back toward land.

——

Gasping and coughing, Moana crawled onto the warm sand as the sun set behind her.

She was cold. The water that soaked her made every breeze a lot colder. Looking around, Moana saw the wrecked remains of her boat.

"Moana!" Aukai cried as he ran up to her. "Are you okay?"

"I'm fine," Moana lied. They then turned toward the main part of the canoe, where Pua crawled over dazed. After taking one look at the oar, the pig squealed in fear as he ran back to the village.

Wincing, Moana turned around to look at her foot. A red bruise decorated it.

"That doesn't look too bad," Aukai said. "Let's get you back to the village to get patched up."

"Whatever just happened..." a voice from behind them said, "blame it on the pig."

It was Tala. Smiling, she walked up to them with her cane.

"Gramma," Moana said. Immediately, she stood up and hid her foot. Tala, however, just used her cane to pull the foot toward her.

"You're not gonna tell her dad, are you?" Aukai asked.

"I'm his mom," Tala smiled. "I don't have to tell him anything." Moana smiled as she looked back out to the water, her smile falling.

"He was right," she said. "About going out there." She then turned to look up at the mountain of chiefs. "It's time to put my stone on the mountain."

Tala looked at her seriously.

"Okay," the old woman said with a smile. "Well, then, head on back." She thrust her cane into the sand as she walked into the shallows, where a family of manta rays waited. "Put that stone up there."

She then began to dance as the rays surrounded her. Aukai watched in confusion as Moana turned to leave.

"Why aren't you trying to talk me out of it?" Moana asked her grandmother.

"You said that's what you wanted," Tala answered.

"She's right," Aukai said. "You did say that."

"And it is what I want," Moana agreed. She then turned to leave.

"When I die," Tala said before Moana could get too far, "I'm going to come back as one of these. Or I chose the wrong tattoo."

It was true. There was a manta ray tattooed on her back.

"Why is she acting weird?" Aukai asked his friend.

"I don't know," Moana answered as she walked up to her grandmother, Aukai followed. "Why are you acting weird?"

"I'm the village crazy lady," Tala answered. "It's my job."

"Okay, enough with the mumbo jumbo," Aukai said. "If there's something you want to tell us, just tell us."

"Wait a minute," Moana said as she turned to her grandmother. "Is there something you want to tell us?" Tala's eyes and smile went wide as she turned to face them with a question of her own.

"Is there something you both want to hear?"